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How to Pitch to America's Test Kitchen's Podcast "Proof"

By Published Aug. 25, 2022

Proof is an award-winning narrative podcast from America's Test Kitchen hosted by James Beard Award-winning journalist Kevin Pang. It’s a podcast that takes listeners into the curious, often unexamined and unexpected corners of the food world, and turns seemingly small questions into expansive storytelling journeys.  

The questions that Proof stories dive into shouldn’t have easily Google-able answers.

We’re looking for pitches to fill our Season 12 lineup that speak to one of the following prompts: 

  • The history behind a delicious accident
  • A story involving free food samples (i.e. at supermarkets or Costco/other wholesalers, elsewhere)


You can interpret these themes however you wish, but remember Proof is a show about unexpected or surprising aspects of food and drink, and the people behind it. 

The deadline for pitches is 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, Sept 4. We will review these pitches after we get back from the Labor Day holiday (Monday, September 5).

Here is a sample of past Proof episodes:

  • Our story on the theme: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. 
  • White Tower. Arthur Treacher’s. Mahalia Jackson’s Glori-Fried Chicken. Where did these fast food chains disappear to? Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marcia Chatelain investigates. 
  • Host Kevin Pang dives into how his dad became a YouTube cooking show star.

HOW TO PITCH

In your pitch, include the following: How does your story adhere to one of the themes mentioned above? Who are the characters we’ll follow? What quest are they on and what challenges are they trying to overcome? What are the stakes? What central question and/or larger themes does your story attempt to answer and explore? To the extent that you’ve gleaned some of this through pre-reporting, what is the proposed narrative arc of your story?

Diversity—subject matter, viewpoints, the reporters telling the stories—is crucial to Proof.

  • Show: Airs weekly during the season. (Production for Season 12 begins ASAP, and episodes air November - January 2023)
  • Episode length: Your pitch should encompass the scope for a 15-20-minute narrative podcast episode.
  • Compensation: $1,600 depending on experience level, scope of story, and negotiable for necessary expenses. Rate is determined in advance.
  • Pitch: By email, please include “Proof pitch: [INSERT PROMPT]” in the subject line
  • Contact: Yumi Araki, Managing Producer & Editor: yumi.araki@americastestkitchen.com