In this episode, we explore creative projects that attempt to reconstruct the past—at least a version of it. Plus, we take a look back at some personal moments from the first 10 years of Kickstarter, as told by creators and backers.

Say Something Bunny

Interdisciplinary artist Alison S.M. Kobayashi came across a seemingly mundane audio recording of a family gathering in 1950s Long Island. It was garbled, filled with obscure references, and she set out to unlock its mysteries. Her unique one-woman show, based on six years of research on this recording, has garnered rave reviews and played to sold-out audiences since 2017.

Roger Peltzman

Norbert Stern’s career as one of the most promising concert pianists in 1930s Europe was cut short when he and his family were captured by the Nazis, along with other Jews, and sent to Auschwitz, where they ultimately perished. His nephew Roger Peltzman, an acclaimed pianist himself, decided to travel to Brussels to record a program of the Chopin pieces that were Norbert’s speciality in the concert hall where he regularly performed.

10 Years of Kickstarter

To help us celebrate our 10th birthday, we asked some other creators who have brought ideas to life with Kickstarter to share some memories—snapshots from different points in their Journeys. Here’s who we heard from:

• Emmely Elgersma—creator of the world’s largest papier-mache sculpture

• Hank Willis Thomas & Eric Gottesman—creators of The For Freedoms 50 State Initiative

• Zoe Mendelson—cocreator of Pussypedia

• Paul Saisset—screenwriter of Paris Est à Nous

• Alice Oseman—creator of Heartstopper

• Eu-wen Ding—cofounder and CEO of Lumos

• Taneka Stotts—cocreator of The Beyond and ELEMENTS Anthologies

• Lucien Zayan—founder and director of The Invisible Dog Art Center

• Raja Feather Kelly + the feath3r theory

• Ema Ryan Yamazaki—director of Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators

• Joel Hodgson—creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mst3k/bringbackmst3k)

• Simone Giertz—creator of The Everyday Calendar

• Tom Putnam—cofounder of Beeline

• Stevie Ronnie—creator of 'and for you (love)'

• Sandy Honig, Mitra Jouhari, and Alyssa Stonoha—the comedy trio Three Busy Debras

Gifts From the Grave

Peter Hicks tells the story of what happened when he introduced Kickstarter to his father, Ray Hicks.

Goodbye, Zakiya—we love you!

Sadly, this is the last episode of Just the Beginning featuring producer and cohost Zakiya Gibbons. She’s off to work with WNYC’s wonderful podcast Nancy. She'll also continue her work building a directory of people of color working in the audio industry(site coming soon!).

Find a full transcript with photos here.