Our Team
Andrew Iden
Andrew started his journalism career at 17, when a local newspaper editor handed him the reins to the sports page. In the years (who’s counting?) since, he’s been a writer, producer, news editor, podcast host, podcast producer, and content strategist.
Andrew jumped into audio in 2017, when he started his first podcast, The 2180, a series about the men and women who hike America’s most famous footpath, The Appalachian Trail. He’s loved audio ever since, and was part of the team behind Down The Hill: The Delphi Murders, one of the most successful podcasts in the CNN Audio portfolio. He’s equal parts production and editorial, and loves jumping into tape to find the good stuff.
A huge fan of the Baltimore Orioles, Andrew also is an avid bluegrass music fan, and loves a good, deeply reported feature story to read on a Sunday morning. He’s written about baseball in rural Virginia, has told stories of the heroin and fentanyl crisis in West Virginia, and once spent three days in an Arizona jail for work. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Jessica and their dog, Jack.
DESERTED ISLAND ALBUM: At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band
Dan Szematowicz
Dan has spent his entire career in the audio world in a number of roles. He’s been a producer, editor, and was a manager at CNN Radio, where he twice won an Edward R. Murrow award for best use of sound. He also spent three years in public media, as an Executive Producer at Marketplace.
He and Andrew collaborated in 2019 to produce Down The Hill: The Delphi Murders, for CNN/HLN which spent nearly a month as a #1 podcast on Apple Podcasts, and was a Webby Honoree for best writing.
A writer and producer, Dan is also the production guru at Cold Open Media, the authority on all things meters, modulation and microphones. Dan is also a musician and loves jazz, Yacht Rock, and is the in-house Star Trek expert. He lives in Tampa, and loves the Chicago Cubs.
DESERTED ISLAND ALBUM: Revolver, The Beatles
Clark Goldband
Clark has spent his entire career in news and television production, as a reporter, producer, editor and a number of other hats he was asked to wear over the years.
The majority of his career was at HLN, CNN’s sister network, where he covered news of the day, as well as some of the most memorable true crime cases of the last two decades. He’s reported on crime, legal and justice stories across America, written and produced documentaries, and is the in house expert on guest booking, editorial quality control and talent management.
A native of New Jersey, Clark now lives in Atlanta with his family, where he roots for the Braves, the Falcons, and serves as the Cold Open Media authority on all eras of the WWE.
DESERTED ISLAND ALBUM: The Joshua Tree, U2