Episode 23 of the PAD Podcast features #WashU alum BenWinters. Ben is an accomplished novelist, television writer/producer, comic book writer, multiple New York Times bestseller, and creator of original audio content. Ben’s best selling award-winning books include Big Time, Golden State, The Quiet Boy, and Underground Airlines; the award-winning Last Policeman Trilogy, two novels for young readers (The Secret Life of Ms. Finkelman and The Mystery of the Missing Everything); two parody “mash-up” novels (Sense andSensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina) and the cult horror novel The Bonus Room (previously titled Bedbugs). Ben’s work for television includes work on the FX show Legion and the historical thriller Manhunt on AppleTV. Ben is thecreator of the smash-hit CBS network drama Tracker, which premiered after the Super Bowl in 2024. He has also written several Audible Originals for Audible.com, including Inside Jobs, Q&A, Self Help, Stranger, and Hitchhikers.
Of late, Ben is one of several comic-book writers involved in the ongoing anthology series Cruel Universe, part of the revival of EC Comics from Oni Press. Ben’s first solo comic book, a three-part series called Benjamin was published last summer. Don’t miss this interview with master storyteller Ben Winters as he reflects on his time at WashU (including time in Mama’s Pot Roast) and beyond.

PAD Podcast episode 22 features an interview with multitalented and multidisciplinary theatre artist and educator Miriam White (with a guest visit from her dog Rio). Miriam talks about her time at WashU including a prescient planning session over pancakes (say that three times fast) where she and #WashU classmates devised what would eventually become Nice People Theatre Company for which Miriam was Co-Artistic Director for 5 years. Miriam has since worked as a professional actor on stage at places like PlayPenn and Arden Theatre as well as a dedicated academic advisor for students from primary and secondary #education at The Philadelphia School to undergraduates in #highered at places like University of the Arts and University of Pennsylvania. Don’t miss this episode or you’ll miss out on some valuable Miriam White wisdom!

Episode 21 of the PAD podcast picks up where we left interviewing amazingly talented alumni of the #WashU Performing Arts Department (PAD) and this episode’s guest is no exception! On this episode, Rob interviews the multi-talented and multi-disciplinary artist Pun Bandhu. Pun is a graduate of both WashU and Yale School of Drama and has built a career as an award-winning actor in films Michael Clayton, Burn After Reading, Frozen River, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? as well as a noteworthy role as Lee in the movie Relay opposite Riz Ahmed. He has done guest appearances on television (Madame Secretary, Gotham, Blue Bloods, etc.) and has recurring roles as Victor Landis in Elsbeth and Judge Yun in Law and Order: SVU. Pun has performed opposite Cynthia Nixon in the Tony-nominated Wit on Broadway and has been seen at some of the best theatres Off-Broadway and regionally across the country. As you’ll also hear on the episode, Pun is a passionate advocate and the recipient of an Obie Award and Tony Honor as a co-founder of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) in recognition of the group’s impact in increasing diversity within the industry. Do not miss this delightful – and insightful –interview with proud WashU alum Pun Bandhu.