some work by Ryan Kailath

I'm a reporter for shows like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace, 99% Invisible, and more. I've also produced podcasts for The New York Times, NPR, ESPN and others. It's pronounced [KY-law-th] 🙂

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Business Insider

BI brought me on as senior editor on their economy desk, overseeing a team of reporters covering the job market, student loans, and the intersection of culture and the economy.

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I was looking for a job and then I found a job

WNYC brought me on as culture & arts reporter for broadcast as well as its news website Gothamist. I've married my MBA and business reporting background to the beat with stories like:

• how SantaCon blew its seven-figure charity donations fund on bad crypto bets, Burning Man parties, and a documentary about pelvic exams. Its founder was subsequently indicted for fraud in federal court. Three Oscar- and Emmy-winning production companies reached out about adapting the piece as a feature doc. • how the Tin Building is losing more than $100,000 a day and shed a third of its workforce following a surprise internal immigration check. My reporting was cited widely from the Wall Street Journal to New York Magazine. • how changes to NYC's outdoor dining program upended the business model for restaurants that relied on the extra seats. Our most-read story of 2024.

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Knight-Bagehot Fellowship + MBA

I was one of 10 mid-career journalists selected for the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia Business School—an intense academic year studying accounting, statistics, economics, corporate finance, capital markets, data analytics and negotiation. I stayed on after the fellowship and earned my MBA. I also hosted programs at Columbia’s storied radio station WKCR and took elective courses in French translation, Indian cinema and advanced sound production.

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The Sum of Us

For Higher Ground, the production company of Barack and Michelle Obama, I reported, wrote, edited, and/or produced four of the nine episodes of The Sum of Us, an extension of Heather McGhee’s book of the same name.

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The Megaplex!

I reported for 99% Invisible on how a movie theater construction boom in the late 1990s created so many new screens so fast, it actually changed the distribution model of Hollywood, and thus changed the types of movies that got made.

There are many theories as to why 1999 was the best movie year ever, but we're here to propose-- it was the architecture. @ryankailath explains in the new @99piorg https://t.co/N11Do2M9XV

— Roman Mars (@romanmars)

March 16, 2021

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New SOC

NPR brought me on as a reporter on the business desk, based in the New York office.

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BEHIND THE SCENES

KUOW brought me on as an editor, fielding pitches, making assignments, and editing daily radio stories for 10 reporters.

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CHANGING WORKPLACE

NPR pulled me in for some coverage of issues affecting the way we work post-COVID.

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GET WIRED

I helped WIRED Magazine and Condé Nast to launch their new show Get WIRED.

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The COVID Tracking Project

I got back to the U.S. in March to find all my projects cancelled. So I picked up a little work and a lot of volunteering: reporting on the Gulf Coast states (my former stomping grounds) for The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project.

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Paying the bills

2019 was my first year freelancing! There’s a lot of pressure on freelancers to highlight all the big stuff we did. But we talk less about the gigs we took to make ends meet. I did plenty of those last year, from hosting a podcast for The Webby Awards to field recording for The Weather Channel; producing an impeachment podcast and a personal finance show. And even *whispers* tape syncs! Here’s to getting paid. Now I’m headed to India for a month of family time and a little reporting. See you in spring.

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How Doctors Uncovered the Vaping Crisis

As a freelancer, I stepped in last-minute to one-off produce this episode of the Gimlet/WSJ collaboration “The Journal.”

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The Sterling Affairs

I helped make ESPN 30 for 30′s five-part series “The Sterling Affairs,” in collaboration with Western Sound.

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In Albany, I’m RK

I spent a few weeks covering as a legislative correspondent in the New York State Capitol. Stories from the Capitol Bureau air on 10 NPR stations, from WNYC to WBFO. Just two of MANY clips below.

• https://www.wxxinews.org/post/legislation-lets-most-police-agencies-decide-whether-release-mugshots

• https://www.wxxinews.org/post/former-ny-senator-states-have-enormous-amount-power

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The Argument

I spent the fall launching "The Argument"—an opinion section podcast from The New York Times. I created the process and workflow, on-boarded the hosts, delivered the pilots and worked on early episodes before handing off the project.

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Apple’s historic milestone

When Apple became the first public company to be worth $1 trillion, NPR pulled me in for ongoing coverage, including spots, features, web posts, and a live hit on Morning Edition / Up First.

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Fake Amazon Reviews

For NPR, I met the people who write fake Amazon reviews for cash, and put one of them on the radio. I also got Amazon to go on tape, which is rare. I actually reported this story two months prior to its airing, but it was held by NPR's lawyers.