Résumé · Selected experience
Ramtin Arablouei
Journalist. Host. Producer. Composer. Sound designer.
I’m a Peabody and Ambie Award-winning (Best Production and Sound Design, sponsored by Dolby) co-creator of NPR’s Throughline and founding producer of How I Built This. My shows have reached millions of people and achieved commercial success and critical acclaim. TIME named Throughline one of the 100 best podcasts of all time. Vulture critic Nick Quah praised “the kind of ambition that makes you turn your head and go, ‘Holy sh*t.’”
I’ve handled every facet of podcast production at the highest level: pitching ideas, writing scripts, narration and voice work, story editing, production, sound design, music composition, fact-checking, and video editing.
Experience
2019–2026
Throughline
Co-Creator, Co-Host & Producer
- Co-created and grew a narrative podcast reaching more than five million monthly listeners, connecting history to the forces shaping contemporary life.
- Led story development, reporting, scripts, editorial review, and production—from the first question to the final mix.
- Directed interviews and coached contributors; managed parallel productions with editorial, standards, legal, and audience teams.
- Composed original music, built cinematic soundscapes, and extended the show into live events and short-form video.
2015–2019
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Founding Producer
- Developed the pilot and helped define the show’s editorial format, interview approach, production workflow, and sonic identity.
- Produced interviews with founders including Richard Branson, Michael Dell, Sara Blakely, and Yvon Chouinard, working closely with Guy Raz on structure and performance.
- Composed the theme and original score; helped build a repeatable production process for a show that reached more than ten million monthly listeners at its peak.
Immersive experiences
Studio Z+R
Co-Founder · Composer & Sound Designer
- Co-created Animalcule with laser artist Zak Forrest at Museum Fiasco, AREA15 in Las Vegas.
- Developed original music and spatial sound for an evolving environment of light, motion, and microscopic worlds.
2019–Present
Journalism & Cross-Platform Production
- Reported and produced work for NPR News, All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and other national outlets; contributed essays to The Atlantic.
- Covered politics, international affairs, culture, and systems of power across audio, broadcast, digital, and live formats.
- Produced and narrated video, including NPR’s recycling documentary with more than 1.1 million YouTube views.
2012–Present
Composition & Sound Design
- Created themes, scores, and sonic identities for How I Built This, TED Radio Hour, Wild Card, The Indicator, 544 Days, and other acclaimed podcasts.
- Composed, edited, mixed, and mastered audio across major media productions; created immersive sound for a Dolby-sponsored exhibition based on Throughline’s “David v Goliath.”
Awards & recognition
Best Production and Sound Design · Sponsored by Dolby · “David v Goliath”
“Soleimani’s Iran” was included in NPR’s finalist portfolio for Audio Reporting.
Lowell Thomas Award runner-up · “The Ghost in Your Phone”
Creative leadership
Show and format development · Editorial direction · Team coordination · Host and guest coaching · Production systems · Audience strategy
Production craft
Scriptwriting and editing · Studio and field recording · Sound design · Composition · Mixing and mastering · Video and social production
Education
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
B.A., History & Psychology · cum laude · 2005
Tools & languages
Pro Tools · Descript · Reaper · Ableton Live · Adobe Audition
English and Farsi: fluent
Azeri/Turkish: proficient
Have a show to build, a team to lead, or a new creative direction to explore? Let’s talk →