At Mixed Media Minds, we take deep dives into work, power, and the disruptions shaping our future.
Mixed Media Minds
Claim This Podcastby Sitara Nath and Cristina Şomcutean
5.0(1 reviews)
50 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors
Podcast Overview
At Mixed Media Minds, we take deep dives into work, power, and the disruptions shaping our future.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
6/15/2025
1 verified contact email on file for Mixed Media Minds
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
July 29, 2026
What Makes Pay Equal? The NBA/WNBA Wage Gap and the Meaning of Fair Compensation
<p>Professional basketball offers a uniquely revealing case study of the gender wage gap: same sport, same job, different league, and for decades, a salary gap of nearly 100 to 1. In today's episode, Cristina walks us through the gender wage gap between NBA and WNBA players, fact-checking the most common explanations for the disparity and testing whether, if at all, they hold up to scrutiny. The discussion covers the economics behind player pay, the historic 2026 collective bargaining agreement that secured a 400% salary increase for WNBA players, and what this win could mean as a precedent for pay equity in professional sports more broadly.</p><p><br></p><p>Sources:</p><p>Berri, David. “Exploring the Gender-Wage Gap in a World of Exogenous Revenue: The Case of Professional Basketball.” International Journal of Empirical Economics 04, no. 04 (2025): 2550011. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://doi.org/10.1142/S2810943025500118&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366624814&usg=AOvVaw3seDpMGMkPLbSHlDl8fmFK">https://doi.org/10.1142/S2810943025500118</a>.</p><p>CNBC. Why The WNBA Isn’t Profitable Despite Record-Breaking Year. 2024. 19:58. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3D0d0yCebRVWM&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366625327&usg=AOvVaw133u60Pd0ieS3VqSTTldHQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d0yCebRVWM</a>.</p><p>Kaloi, Stephanie. “The WNBA’s New Labor Deal Explained: What It Means for Pay, Power and the League’s Future.” Sport. The Guardian, March 18, 2026. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/mar/18/wnba-cba-explained-salaries-revenue-player-pay-deal&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366625950&usg=AOvVaw1HYWQDk6Ur0V-Xklwc-LPE">https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/mar/18/wnba-cba-explained-salaries-revenue-player-pay-deal</a>.</p><p>Livingston, Beth A., Sujin Jeong, Felice B. Klein, and Anushka Chakroborty. “Mind the Gap: An Integrative Review of the Causes of the Gender Pay Gap.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 47, no. 2 (2026): 261–87. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://doi.org/10.1002/job.70034&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366626651&usg=AOvVaw2y8lozRaljaaFoRHfTJogk">https://doi.org/10.1002/job.70034</a>.</p><p>Nichole, Amaya. “A Nobel Prize Economist Helped WNBA Players Secure a 400 Percent Raise. Here’s the Strategy She Used.” Inc, March 31, 2026. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.inc.com/amaya-nichole/a-nobel-prize-winning-economist-helped-wnba-players-secure-a-400-raise-heres-the-strategy-she-used/91324424&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366627337&usg=AOvVaw1c1GP9szBMVMIeKxe8k9Ue">https://www.inc.com/amaya-nichole/a-nobel-prize-winning-economist-helped-wnba-players-secure-a-400-raise-heres-the-strategy-she-used/91324424</a>.</p><p>Statista. “Topic: Gender pay gap in the WNBA and NBA.” Accessed April 22, 2026. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.statista.com/topics/13488/gender-pay-gap-in-the-wnba-and-nba/?srsltid%3DAfmBOoqwgCYaWKh8UPPjh4Sdm73bdx4ah_vg3YOxkqWqtCi3OfMN_Kov&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366627924&usg=AOvVaw3vsVILXVdIP3Htqf8cdnmh">https://www.statista.com/topics/13488/gender-pay-gap-in-the-wnba-and-nba/?srsltid=AfmBOoqwgCYaWKh8UPPjh4Sdm73bdx4ah_vg3YOxkqWqtCi3OfMN_Kov</a>.</p><p>Statista. “Topic: National Basketball Association (NBA).” Accessed April 22, 2026. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.statista.com/topics/967/national-basketball-association/&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366628354&usg=AOvVaw37KFXeyqkcbasUPcypmhC8">https://www.statista.com/topics/967/national-basketball-association/</a>.</p><p>Steele, Michelle. “Report: 2025 women’s sports revenue projected to hit $2.35B.” ESPN.com, March 25, 2025. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/44402483/2025-women-sports-revenue-projected-hit-235b&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366628842&usg=AOvVaw3rYEZcOmStH5389aIDQ9kU">https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/44402483/2025-women-sports-revenue-projected-hit-235b</a>.</p><p>TODAY.com. “WNBA Players Got a Huge Raise. How Much Are They Making?” April 15, 2026. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.today.com/news/sports/how-much-wnba-salary-2026-rcna331722&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366629254&usg=AOvVaw3u9JPrjs51onZGZ1n9988v">https://www.today.com/news/sports/how-much-wnba-salary-2026-rcna331722</a>.</p><p>“WNBA And WNBPA Reach Tentative Deal on Historic CBA.” Accessed April 28, 2026. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-wnbpa-tentative-cba-deal-2026&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1785281366629694&usg=AOvVaw2YsZPQqZQyxmghu6abdGw_">https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-wnbpa-tentative-cba-deal-2026</a>.</p><p>WNBA, and WNBPA. “Key Elements of the Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement.” 2026.</p>
July 15, 2026
Beyond Copyright: The Ghibli Controversy and the Real Cost of AI Style Mimicry
<p>When OpenAI's image generation tool went viral for imitating Studio Ghibli's visual style in early 2025, it sparked not only a classic copyright debate, but also deeper questions around the labor behind animation and the nature of ‘style’ ownership. In today's episode, Sitara walks us through the Ghibli controversy, unpacking what AI style mimicry reveals about the valuation of creative labor, as well as the spiritual and political dimensions of Ghibli's work that the viral trend largely flattened. The discussion covers a few creator-led copyright cases already being fought against AI companies and hints at what the future of animation could look like when visual languages can be imitated on demand. Throughout the episode, a more fundamental question takes form: in an era where AI can replicate the surface of human creativity, how do we maintain our connection to (and value for) the real thing?</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vwkzsluCPVfP-vS0A5ZzNEM8p8ayAa_RWmYu4647b-o/edit?tab=t.0">Sources</a></p>
July 1, 2026
Protecting Whom? The Politics of Sex Work Regulation
<p>Sex work sits at the intersection of some of the most fundamental questions in labor governance, namely what counts as work, who should be protected, and what does protection really mean? In today's episode, Cristina walks us through the politics of sex work regulation by comparing two key regulatory models: Sweden's "Nordic model" and New Zealand's decriminalization model. She traces how each plays out in practice, including the harms the Nordic model has created for sex workers, alongside the largely successful protections New Zealand's model has brought about. At the same time, our discussion suggests that neither framework was designed to handle the rise of digital sex work and the geopolitical complexity of platforms as a medium for it. The episode leaves us asking: What can we learn when centering workers’ perspectives in designing labor law? And what happens when we fail to do that? </p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Sources</strong></p><p>Bundeskunsthalle. “Sex Work.” Accessed April 6, 2026. <a href="https://www.bundeskunsthalle.de/s3xwork">https://www.bundeskunsthalle.de/s3xwork</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Cole, Samantha. “Sweden Expands Anti-Sex Work Law to Criminalize Paying for Custom OnlyFans Clips and Camming.” 404 Media, May 21, 2025. <a href="https://www.404media.co/sweden-sex-work-internet-law-nordic-model/">https://www.404media.co/sweden-sex-work-internet-law-nordic-model/</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Cooper, Emily, Laura Graham, Lynzi Armstrong, Martin Zebracki, and Paul Maginn, eds. Navigating Contemporary Sex Work: Gender, Justice, and Policy in the Twenty-First Century. Palgrave Advances in Sex Work Studies. Springer Nature, 2024. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-6859-2">https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-6859-2</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>De Gioannis, Elena, Niccolò Casnici, and Elia Sigala. “Online Sex Work and Subscription-Based Digital Platforms: A Scoping Review.” Journal of Sex Research 63, no. 2 (2026): 206–17. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2025.2454989">https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2025.2454989</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Fairwork. Platform Sex Work: Working Conditions in the Online Sex Work Industry. n.d.</p><p>Global Network of Sex Work Projects. “Let’s Talk about Sex Work: A Terminology Statement and Guide.” n.d.</p><p><br></p><p>Madden-Smith, Zoe. “From horny colonisers to online censorship: NZ’s history of sex work.” Accessed April 8, 2026. <a href="https://tvnz-trial.shorthandstories.com/from-horny-colonisers-to-online-censorship-nzs-history-of-sex-work/">https://tvnz-trial.shorthandstories.com/from-horny-colonisers-to-online-censorship-nzs-history-of-sex-work/</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Newshub. From Stigma to the Internet: How Has Sex Work in NZ Changed 20 Years since Decriminalisation? | AM. 2023. 06:54. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF17ApVi3oU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF17ApVi3oU</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Schäfer, Fabian. “Sexarbeit hat es immer gegeben – und sie wird nicht verschwinden.” queer.de. Accessed April 6, 2026. <a href="https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=57463">https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=57463</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>“Sex Workers in Europe: Belgium Passes Groundbreaking Legislation, EU Remains Divided.” Gender Issues. Https://Voxeurop.Eu/En/, n.d. Accessed April 6, 2026. <a href="https://voxeurop.eu/en/sex-workers-europe-belgium-legislation/">https://voxeurop.eu/en/sex-workers-europe-belgium-legislation/</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>swannetwork. A Swedish Sexworker on the Criminalization of Clients. 2009. 09:57. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D7nOh57-I8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D7nOh57-I8</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>TED. The Laws That Sex Workers Really Want | Juno Mac. 2016. 17:51. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc-n852sv3E">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc-n852sv3E</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Vuolajärvi, Niina. “Governing in the Name of Caring—the Nordic Model of Prostitution and Its Punitive Consequences for Migrants Who Sell Sex.” Sexuality Research and Social Policy 16, no. 2 (2019): 151–65. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0338-9">https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0338-9</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>“What Are My Rights as a Sex Worker? | Citizens Advice Bureau.” Accessed April 4, 2026. <a href="https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00042881">https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00042881</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>“What are my rights as an employee and what can I do if my employer is not respecting my rights?” March 2, 2026. <a href="https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00044027">https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00044027</a>.</p>
50 total episodes available
Deep-dive analytics for Mixed Media Minds
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Mixed Media Minds?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.