Introducing Ahead of Its Time, an original podcast from Setapp
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Almost every world-changing technology was ridiculed when it first came out, but the people standing behind those inventions never gave up. Meet Ahead of Its Time, Setapp’s original podcast about the tech underdogs no one believed would shape the future.
Release schedule and topics
Season 1 is launching on July 12, and we’re inviting you to subscribe today so you don’t miss the first episode, where we’ll talk about how one man’s passion for playing air guitar helped invent VR. The story is mind-blowing, pinky promise.
We’ll be releasing a new episode every two weeks starting July 12 — eight episodes in total — in which we’ll explore fascinating inventions, from cell phones to cameras to solar panels. You’ll learn about a Hollywood actress who invented wireless communication while trying to defeat Hitler, how the CIA pioneered face recognition, and more. Get ready to amaze your friends with unbelievable insights about the technology you use every day!
Meet the host
The voice of the show is Julia Furlan, an independent podcasting consultant, editor, host, and adjunct professor at The New School and NYU. Known as a host of Vox Media’s Go For Broke and NPR’s Life Kit, Julia is a pro at navigating conversations with the world’s most influential people, and Ahead of Its Time is the platform where she delves into the most mysterious eureka moments in history, talking to the inventors and tech underdogs who changed the world.
Passing the mic to our production partner
We were lucky to team up with Pacific Content, a leading podcast services company in North America, to bring Ahead of Its Time to life.
David Swanson, Showrunner and Producer at Pacific Content, shares why he personally is excited about the show: "The thing I love most is that you get to explore the history and evolution of technology through the people who actually built it. So in a sense, this show is really about people. It’s about these dreamers who saw a future others couldn’t and their struggle to bring that imagined future into existence."
From the very beginning, the concept of the show aligned really well with Setapp’s mission. As a productivity service aimed at creators — both app creators who bring their apps to Setapp and Setapp members who use Setapp to achieve their goals — we understand the challenge of making a fresh start. As David put it, "Making a show about the people who’ve created some of today’s most transformative technology, in hopes of inspiring listeners to create something meaningful of their own, seemed like the perfect idea for their show."
Taking a sneak peek into behind-the-scenes of Ahead of Its Time, it becomes clear the most challenging part was to find the right guests, because very often there was only one person who could share the firsthand experience, and the production of the episode fully depended on their presence. "Ironically, this twist of fate forced us to find different tech and inventors who we had not thought to cover when the show was first conceptualized. In doing so, we discovered new stories that ended up being some of our favorite episodes of the entire series," says David.
Subscribe on your favorite platform
You can subscribe by following Ahead of Its Time on any streaming platform of your choice and get alerts each time a new episode is released. Enjoy the show!
