Selected work · Show development & original music
How I Built This
The human stories behind the businesses. As a founding producer of How I Built This with Guy Raz, I helped develop the pilot and shape the show’s editorial format, production process, and sound.
Ramtin Arablouei · Founding producer · Original music & theme
NPR · Founding production work, 2015–2019
Building a show from its first idea.
Developing How I Built This brought together editorial and production work: the pilot, the interview approach, the structure of a finished episode, and the workflow needed to make the show consistently. I worked closely with Guy Raz on story structure and performance, helping shape conversations into narrative audio.
My role extended from the editorial format to the sonic identity. I composed the theme and original score, bringing music into the same creative process as the interviews and storytelling.
Three parts of the production.
Development
The pilot & format
I helped establish the show’s editorial format and interview approach, and build a repeatable production workflow. The work connected the initial concept to the practical decisions behind making each episode.
Interviews & narrative
Founders in their own words
I produced interviews with founders including Richard Branson, Michael Dell, Sara Blakely, and Yvon Chouinard, working with Guy Raz on structure and performance.
Composition
A recognizable sound
I composed the show’s theme and original score. My music portfolio includes a short excerpt of the theme in context, alongside compositions for other podcasts.
Editorial vision, production craft.
This project reflects the way I work across disciplines. Developing a show means considering the interview, the narrative, the host’s voice, and the music together. My experience spans that full process, from an initial pitch and pilot to the decisions that shape a finished episode.
I bring that combination to new podcast formats, narrative series, original scores, and collaborations with creative teams. More of my reporting and sound design is collected on the Work page.
Have a show to build?
Let’s talk about the story, the format, and the sound.