Laurie Bembenek was a Milwaukee police officer and Playboy Club bunny before being arrested for the murder of her husband’s ex-wife, a crime she insisted she did not commit. Nicknamed “Bambi Bembenek,” she became a tabloid fixation, a feminist cause célèbre and, after she escaped from prison, an American folk hero, though she was never exonerated. Journalist and Campside Media co-founder Vanessa Grigoriadis takes a fresh look at the case Diane Sawyer called the "most glamorous murder case of the 1980s.”
New episodes out every Monday.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
Big Time is a show about criminals who dared to dream…differently.
Big Time is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Piece of Work Entertainment and Campside Media in association with Olive Productions. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.
apple.co/BigTimePod
9 Feb 2023
Last Days of the NXIVM Cult on the Infamous Podcast
Focused on scandalous stories in American culture, Infamous is a new podcast from Run, Bambi, Run host Vanessa Grigoriadis. Infamous covers the rise and fall of Girls Gone Wild; the lies that led to the Iraq war; and the last days of NXIVM, during which Grigoriadis had exclusive access to high-level cult members including Keith Raniere, who was then on the run in Mexico. Check out Infamous for never-before heard audio interviews with Seagram’s heir Clare Bronfman, NXIVM number two Nancy Salzman, and Smallville star Allison Mack.
https://link.chtbl.com/NPci7bQe (https://link.chtbl.com/NPci7bQe)
6 Jun 2022
Women in Policing
What does the fight for gender equality within the American police force look like today? We talk to two experts about current strategies for police reform.
Run, Bambi, Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun
30 May 2022
Gold Filing Cabinet
We speak to Penny Harrington, the first female police chief of a major American city, about fighting her way through the ranks.
Run, Bambi, Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
23 May 2022
Afterlife
In this episode, we examine Laurie’s fraught relationship with the media, her tragic fall, and the struggle to build a life with a felony on her record. What might justice look like for Laurie?
Run, Bambi, Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
16 May 2022
What Should I Do With Her Cat?
Desperate for even one night of freedom, Laurie and the man she loves make a daring escape across the border to Canada under stolen names. As authorities hunt for her, the American public roots for her to stay free.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
9 May 2022
Wigging Out
Sentenced to life for a murder she maintains she did not commit, Laurie begins digging into the police investigation. She also has her eye on a handsome man she meets in prison.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
2 May 2022
Killers Don’t Play Flute
Laurie is tried for murder in the first gavel-to-gavel televised trial in the state of Wisconsin. As Laurie’s physical appearance and wardrobe choices are held against her, a surprise witness steps forward with potentially damning testimony.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
25 Apr 2022
Ramsey Avenue
The shocking murder of Christine Schultz, a mother of two, leads police to focus on a small circle of suspects. Laurie’s refusal to take a polygraph test turns out to be a critical misstep.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
18 Apr 2022
Indecent Exposure
After being unceremoniously fired from the police department, Laurie fights to get her job back. But tackling the sexism embedded within the department has far-reaching consequences.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media.
Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
11 Apr 2022
Do You See Anyone Wearing Lipstick?
Laurie proudly graduates from the police academy and becomes one of Milwaukee’s first female officers. But her career as a cop is short-lived. While navigating what she believes to be discrimination due to her gender, she becomes a target of her superiors.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
11 Apr 2022
String of Women
Convicted of the murder of her husband’s ex-wife, Laurie Bembenek escaped Wisconsin’s only womens’ prison in 1990. A nationwide manhunt ensued, but the truth about whether Laurie was guilty of the crime has never been revealed.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
11 Apr 2022
Introducing Run, Bambi, Run
It’s 1979 and a 21-year-old named Laurie Bembenek has signed up for the Milwaukee police academy, joining the first wave of female patrol officers in America. She’s able to quickly adjust to the job and the sexist treatment by her superiors, but her troubles are just beginning.
Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun (https://apple.co/RunBambiRun)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,077,272,622
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.4 / 5
1,214 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
13
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
93
Contact Run, Bambi, Run
Guest appearances
Books guests
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