Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Gill.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Back in late 2017, MSNBC aired a 2013 documentary it produced in 2013. called All the President’s Men Revisited for the 50th anniversary of the investigation into Watergate. The network was running it again to show the parallels between that Special Counsel investigation and the new investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia conducted by Robert Mueller. At the time, the Mueller investigation was in its early stages, and I thought that in 50 years, we’d probably see some documentaries about Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
I felt the weight of history and wanted to be a part of it somehow, but since I wasn’t a lawyer or a journalist, it seemed that podcasting was the way to document the events as they happened. So I set up a cheap microphone at my kitchen table, recruited to other comedians in the San Diego area, and began recording the Mueller, She Wrote podcast. It was a place to get all the news about the Special Counsel investigation into Russian election interference with snark, swearing, and a woman’s perspective.
At the time, I was working for the Department of Veterans Affairs, so I contacted a lawyer to ensure I wasn’t running afoul of any ethics rules or committing any Hatch Act violations. I used a pseudonym, and made sure never to speak as though I was representing my agency.
In 2019, we won the Webby Award for best political podcast, beating the New York Times, Rachel Maddow’s Bag Man, Slate, The Washington Post, and Pod Save the World. Later that year, the Trump administration investigated our podcast and I was removed from my job with the federal government.
As the Mueller investigation came to a close, we launched The Daily Beans – a daily news podcast to cover all the political news in the same irreverent way. And now that I was no longer gainfully employed by the VA, I added more content. In January 2021, we launched Cleanup on Aisle 45. Then in November of 2022, when Jack Smith was appointed Special Counsel to investigate Trump’s role in January 6th, and his unlawful retention of classified material at his home in Mar-a-Lago, I launched a podcast called Jack with former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe.
I also launched a new podcast network called MSW Media, and we now help amplify nearly two dozen shows including the Practivist Pod, Politics Bar, and The Martin Sheen Podcast. Since then, I’ve worked as a content creator at the DNC, I was accepted into the White House Correspondents Association, I attended the January 6th Committee Hearings and the Trump hush money trial in New York, and campaigned for both Biden/Harris in 2020 and Harris/Walz in 2024.
It’s been a wild ride, but it all started at my kitchen table with a cheap microphone and a couple of friends. Whatever you’re thinking of making or creating – just start. Work out the kinks later. As Ray Bradbury said; we have to jump off cliffs and build our wings on the way down.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s difficult being a woman in a male-dominated industry. The reason I started my own podcast network is because I was disillusioned with how others ran theirs. I’ve had to navigate the misogyny in the industry, plus the threats and attacks from those who oppose my politics. But I wouldn’t do anything differently.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
MSW Media is a cooperative podcast network of individual creators focused on the arts, news, politics, and justice. What sets us apart is transparency. We don’t claim ownership of anyone’s intellectual property, we don’t dictate anyone’s content, and we are woman-owned and operated. We put the truth over money always, and we want to help amplify voices. I’m most proud of the community of incredible listeners. Community is the antidote to autocracy.
How do you define success?
I define success through kindness and community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dailybeanspod.com/
- Instagram: @muellershewrote
- Twitter: @muellershewrote
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MSWMediaPods
- Other: Bluesky @muellershewrote
Image Credits
My headshot is by Sergio Garcia, and my logos are by Moxie Design Studios.
