Documentary First
Hosted by Christian Taylor · Documentary First
4.8from 39 ratings
- 304
- Episodes
- 29
- Transcribed
- 39
- Ratings
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2019
- First episode
- 411K
- YouTube views
About Documentary First
Conversations with the people behind documentaries and how the work changed them, from Ken Burns and PBS American Masters creator Susan Lacy to first-time directors finishing their first film. Documentary First is a weekly podcast for anyone who loves a true story, and for the filmmakers who tell them. Host Christian Taylor, director of the award-winning The Girl Who Wore Freedom (25+ international awards; distributed by Virgil Films, Swank, and Canal+), has talked with documentary directors, editors, producers, distributors, and composers across HBO, Netflix, PBS, and the independent documentary world for more than 290 episodes. Guests have included Emmy and Peabody Award-winning editor Charles Olivier (HBO’s The Jinx) and Emmy-nominated director Nick Bruckman (Netflix’s Minted). Listen Notes ranks the show in the top 5% of all podcasts worldwide. Two formats, one feed. The main show features long-form interviews about the stories behind the films: how they got made, what it took from the people who made them, and what they learned. On alternating weeks, Documentary First: The Deep Dive takes one insight from a recent conversation and follows it wherever it leads. Topics include documentary films and how they get made: documentary directing, documentary producing, documentary editing, documentary distribution, documentary funding, documentary storytelling, film festival strategy, archival footage and rights clearance, entertainment law for filmmakers, and building a life in nonfiction filmmaking. New episodes every week. Follow the show and leave a review. Instagram: @documentaryfirst | Facebook: @documentaryfirst | X: @Doc_First | TikTok: @documentaryfirst | YouTube: @DocumentaryFirst | LinkedIn: documentaryfirst | documentaryfirst.com
- Publisher
- Documentary First
- Category
- society & culture · tv & film · tv & film
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 7 Mar 2019
- Latest episode
- 15 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
29 of 304 episodes have a transcript.
15 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Velveteen Rabbit and Old Home Movies: What Is Real?
8 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Archival Footage: Why Use Home Movies? I Ep. 287
10 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Ep. 286 l RKO, Stax, and Music Rights: How Does a Catalog Become a Movie?
Inside a recent episode
The Velveteen Rabbit and Old Home Movies: What Is Real?
Published 15 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And truth be told, every single time I read it, not that I succeeded, I tried my best to sound just like Meryl Streep. She was my hero. Now, if you don't know the story, Here's the heart of it. A toy rabbit made of velveteen just like this shows up in a little boy's stocking on Christmas morning. He was sat wedged in the top of the boy's stocking with a sprig of holly between his paws, and the effect was charming. He's new and splendid. He's fat and munchy. But then he gets forgotten, and the fancy mechanical toys look down on him. The only one in the nursery who's kind to him at all is an old toy horse called the skin horse. […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on Documentary First
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Phil Maher
- Sophia Dilley
- Andre N Jackson
- Jonathan de Jong
- Joe Amodei
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- YouTube views
- 410,941
- Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.8 / 5
- 32 ratings
- Spotify
- 5.0 / 5
- 7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 83 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 97
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 86
- Engagement
- 85
Contact Documentary First
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about Documentary First
Who hosts Documentary First?
Christian Taylor host the show. Published by Documentary First.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Documentary First take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
29 of 304 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of Documentary First?
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