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Contents
History
Reception
Guest hosts and collaborations
Episodes
Series
The 99% Invisible City
Live performances
External links
References
BrandWiki/99% Invisible

99% Invisible

title99% Invisible
hostingRoman Mars
languageEnglish
updatesActive, weekly
length< 10 minutes (early seasons) < 60 minutes (later seasons)
productionRoman Mars (2010–present) Sam Greenspan (2010–17)
audio formatMP3
list episodesList of 99% Invisible episodes
beganSeptember 3, 2010
genreArts · design · architecture
ratingsAll audiences
providerPRX (radio) Radiotopia (podcast)
urlhttp://99percentinvisible.org/
num episodes625 (as of April 2025)
fetchwikidataALL

99% Invisible is a radio show and podcast produced and created by Roman Mars that focuses on design.[1] It began as a collaborative project between San Francisco public radio station KALW and the American Institute of Architects in San Francisco. PRX has distributed the show for broadcasting on a number of radio stations and as a podcast on the Radiotopia network.[2] On April 28, 2021, Roman Mars announced in an introduction of a re-released episode that 99% Invisible had been purchased by Sirius XM and marketed as part of its Stitcher Radio brand.[3]

History

The name of the show was derived from a quote by Buckminster Fuller that, "Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable."[4]

In 2014, 99% Invisible began its fourth season, the first in which it had a weekly release schedule.[5]

As of 2024, show staff includes Executive Producer Kathy Tu; Design Director Kurt Kohlstedt; Senior Editor Delaney Hall; Director of Sound Swan Real; Senior Audio Engineer Martín Gonzalez; Supervising Producers Christopher Johnson and Vivan Le; as well as Producers Chris Berube, Emmett FitzGerald, Joe Rosenberg, and Lasha Madan as well associate producer Jeyca Medina Maldonado.[6] Former staff include Sam Greenspan, Katie Mingle, Sharif Yousseff[7][8][9] and Avery Trufelman. Trufleman left to host "Articles of Interest," "Nice Try!" and "The Cut" podcasts.[10]

In April 2021, the company that produces the show (99% Invisible Inc.) was acquired by SiriusXM.[11]

Reception

Critical reception has generally been very positive, with the show garnering acclaim from many notable radio producers and media outlets. Ira Glass of This American Life described the show as "completely wonderful and entertaining and beautifully produced,"[12] and Jad Abumrad has said the show "has a kind of rhythm and musicality that you don’t normally find in radio or podcast storytelling."[13] In 2013, Yahoo! News included 99% Invisible on its list of "best podcasts you aren't listening to but should be,"[14] and Miranda Sawyer of The Observer highlighted the show, saying "it's just great."[15]

The creator and host of 99% Invisible, Roman Mars, was included in Fast Company's Most Creative People list of 2013 for his work on 99% Invisible,[16] and included on the Most Creative People in Business 1000 in 2014.[17] He is known for his casual way of talking, often laughing during discussions.

As of January 2014, the show was listed in the top fifty podcasts of the iTunes Top Podcasts chart.[18] In 2014, the show had greater than 4,000 listener ratings on iTunes and upwards of 97% gave the show five stars.[19] The show's 2014 episode Structural Integrity was one of nine award winners at the 2015 Third Coast International Audio Festival.[20]

In 2017, 99% Invisible was named as one of the "50 best podcasts" by Time magazine.[21]

Awards

Guest hosts and collaborations

99% Invisible has produced a variety of episodes in collaboration with other producers and radio shows. "The Political Stage", episode 63, was a collaboration with Andrea Seabrook and DecodeDC that focused on the production of campaign trail events.[30] Episode 84B, called "Trading Places with Planet Money," was made with NPR's Planet Money podcast and discusses commodity trading in the context of the 1983 film Trading Places.[31]

Episodes

Series

Articles of Interest

In September 2018, producer Avery Trufelman, released a six-episode series within the 99% Invisible feed focused on the design of clothes. Articles of Interest was initially published as part of the show before later being spun off under the ownership of its producer. Another six episodes were released in June 2020.[32][33]

According to Need

In December 2020, the show released a six-episode series According to Need about homelessness and solutions to homelessness produced by Katie Mingle. 99% Invisible received the duPont-Columbia Journalism Award for the series.[22][34][35]

Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast

In 2021, 99% Invisible produced a five-episode series titled Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast to distinguish it from the film of Judas and the Black Messiah. The podcast produced by delved into both the making of the film, and the history of the Black Panther Party that the film was about.[36]

Not Built for This

In August 2024, the show debuted a six-episode series titled Not Built for This, produced by Emmett FitzGerald and discussing how the dynamics of climate change are playing out around the United States, using specific real-world examples to highlight present and ongoing impacts.[37]

Adapt or Design

Starting in March 2025, 99% Invisible released a multimodal series dubbed Adapt or Design, produced by Kurt Kohlstedt, covering assistive designs and adaptive technologies for functionally one-handed persons. The project started with 12 articles (split across three mini-series) and culminated in a keystone audio episode.[38]

Hidden Levels

In October 2025, 99% Invisible and WBUR's "Endless Thread" produced Hidden Levels a six-part series about how video games left the arcade and started reshaping the real world. Roman Mars and Ben Brock Johnson host it.[39]

The 99% Invisible City

In October 2020, Kurt Kohlstedt and Roman Mars released The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the book reached The New York Times Best Seller list in its first week of release.[40]

The book received critical acclaim for its ability to make complex civil engineering, city planning, and architectural concepts accessible. Kenneth T. Jackson, reviewing for The New York Times, described it as "altogether fresh and imaginative when it comes to thinking about urban spaces,"[41] while a starred Kirkus Review praised it as a "bible for the urban curious."[42] It was further featured on NPR's Science Friday and named a best book of the year by the Financial Times.[43]

Following English-language rollouts in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, the book was translated into several languages, including Spanish, Czech, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.[44] Mars and Kohlstedt were unable to travel for a physical book tour due to COVID 19, but were interviewed remotely by Hank Green, Seth Godin, Alexis Madrigal, and Kristen Meinzer as part of an alternative virtual book tour.[45] Mars also recorded the audiobook version.[46]

Beyond its commercial success, The 99% Invisible City has been adopted into the permanent collections of major academic libraries, including those at UC Berkeley and Yale University.[47][48] It is utilized as a foundational text in university curricula across multiple disciplines, including Urban Planning and Geography at San Jose State University and Architecture at the University of Toronto's Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.[49] In a professional context, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has incorporated the book and its associated lectures into its Continuing Education Services (CES), allowing licensed architects to earn professional development credits through its study.[50]

Live performances

In 2017 and 2018, the program participated in the "Radiotopia Live" theater tours. The 2017 West Coast tour featured Roman Mars and Avery Trufelman performing at landmark venues such as the Ace Hotel and the Moore Theatre in Seattle.[51] A centerpiece of these shows was a live rendition of "This Is Chance!", a story featuring Trufelman as Alaskan journalist Genie Chance during the 1964 Alaska earthquake.[52]

The 2018 East Coast tour included stops at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston and The Town Hall, featuring a segment on Fröbel's Gifts produced by Kurt Kohlstedt and co-performed with Mars.[53] This performance explored the influence of early childhood education, specifically the invention of kindergarten, on modernist architecture and featured guest appearances from journalists Mara Liasson and Kim Severson.[54]

External links

References

  1. 1.About: 99% Invisible Is About All the Thought That Goes Into the Things We Don't Think About 99% Invisible, PRX, 2014-01-31, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  2. 2.Patrick Kowalczyk, Anusha Alikhan. PRX Launches Radiotopia, New Podcast Network of Story-Driven Public Radio Shows by Industry's Best Emerging and Established Talent Public Radio Exchange, PRX, 2014-02-04, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  3. 3.Reggie Ugwu. SiriusXM Is Buying '99% Invisible,' and Street Cred in Podcasting The New York Times, April 26, 2021^
  4. 4.Tim Belonax. 99% Invisible: Roman Mars Design Envy, AIGA, 2013-01-08, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  5. 5.Kickstart Season 4- Weekly! 99% Invisible, PRX, 2013-10-23, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  6. 6.About: The Staff 99% Invisible, PRX, retrieved 2020-12-06^
  7. 7.Paolo Uggetti. Speeding up Your Podcasts Won't Solve Your Problems The Ringer, 2017-08-02, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  8. 8.Zander Aloi. Growing up Arab American in West Virginia With Sharif Youssef WVPB, 2016-11-27, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  9. 9.Charlie Herman, Julia Press, Sarah Wyman. The House That Sears Built Business Insider, 2020-11-04, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  10. 10.Avery Trufelman: Host of the Cut and Nice Try! Vox Media Podcasts Network, Vox Media, retrieved 2020-12-06^
  11. 11.Ashley Carman. SiriusXM acquires Roman Mars' 99% Invisible and a bigger stake in the podcasting world The Verge, 2021-04-26, retrieved 2021-04-26^
  12. 12.Roman Mars Is 99% Invisible Eyes In, 2013-04-04, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  13. 13.Steph Harmon. Featured Podcast: 99% Invisible Junkee, Junkee Media, 2013-03-17, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  14. 14.Rob Walker. The Best Podcasts You Aren't Listening to but Should Be Yahoo News, Verizon Media, 2013-07-29, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  15. 15.Sawyer. Rewind Radio: 99% Invisible The Guardian, Guardian News & Media, 2013-05-25, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  16. 16.Jason Feifer. Most Creative People 2013: 63. Roman Mars Fast Company, 2013-05-13, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  17. 17.Most Creative People in Business 1000: The Complete List Fast Company, 2014-01-29, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  18. 18.iTunes Store iTunes, Apple, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  19. 19.99% Invisible by Roman Mars iTunes, Apple, retrieved 2014-02-17^
  20. 20.And the Gold Goes To Third Coast International Audio Festival, 2015, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  21. 21.Eliana Dockterman. The 50 Best Podcasts Right Now Time USA, 2017-03-30, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  22. 22.Winners of 2022 duPont-Columbia journalism award announced AP News, 2022-02-09, retrieved 2025-12-01^
  23. 23.Kevin Goldberg. Announcing the winners of the 2019 Discover Pods Awards Discover Pods Awards, 2019-11-21, retrieved 2022-04-05^
  24. 24.Kevin Goldberg. Announcing the winners of the 2021 Discover Pods Awards Discover Pods Awards, 2021-10-19, retrieved 2022-04-05^
  25. 25.Webby Winner: 99% Invisible - Radiotopia Webby Awards, 2016, retrieved 2022-04-05^
  26. 26.People's Voice Winner: 99% Invisible - PRX Webby Awards, 2017, retrieved 2022-04-05^
  27. 27.Hear Guggenheim Staff and 99% Invisible's Roman Mars on the Museum's Architecture Webby Awards, 2020, retrieved 2022-04-05^
  28. 28.Academy of Podcasters: Past Winners Academy of Podcasters, Podcast Movement^
  29. 29.2017 Finalist Academy of Podcasters, Podcast Movement, August 23, 2017^
  30. 30.The Political Stage 99% Invisible, 2012-12-10, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  31. 31.Ladislav Sutnar + Trading Places with Planet Money 99% Invisible, 2013-07-16, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  32. 32.Articles of Interest 99% Invisible, PRX, retrieved 2019-12-01^
  33. 33.Articles of Interest Listen Notes, 2025-12-03, retrieved 2025-12-14^
  34. 34.According to Need 99% Invisible, retrieved 2025-12-01^
  35. 35.Katie Mingle. According to Need Listen Notes, 2024-08-14, retrieved 2025-12-14^
  36. 36.Judas and the Black Messiah Podcast Apple Podcasts, retrieved 2026-02-08^
  37. 37.Emmett FitzGerald. Not Built For This 99% Invisible, retrieved 2025-12-13^
  38. 38.Kurt Kohlstedt. Adapt or Design 99% Invisible, retrieved 2025-12-13^
  39. 39.Hidden Levels, new series from Endless Thread and 99% Invisible www.wbur.org, retrieved 2025-12-02^
  40. 40.Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers The New York Times, October 25, 2020^
  41. 41.Kenneth T. Jackson. How the City Works The New York Times, November 4, 2020^
  42. 42.The 99% Invisible City Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2020^
  43. 43.Exploring The Invisible Architecture Of Cities With Roman Mars Science Friday, November 20, 2020^
  44. 44.Kurt Kohlstedt Kurt Kohlstedt, retrieved 2025-11-29^
  45. 45.The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design 99% Invisible, retrieved 2025-11-29^
  46. 46.Q&A: From Podcast to Print, Roman Mars Discusses The 99% Invisible City Metropolis, 2020-10-09, retrieved 2021-01-23^
  47. 47.The 99% invisible city : a field guide to the hidden world of everyday design UC Berkeley Library, retrieved December 25, 2025^
  48. 48.The 99% invisible city : a field guide to the hidden world of everyday design Yale University Library, retrieved December 25, 2025^
  49. 49.The School of Cities and the Daniels Faculty present The 99% Invisible City University of Toronto Daniels Faculty, November 2020^
  50. 50.AIA Continuing Education: The 99% Invisible City American Institute of Architects, retrieved December 25, 2025^
  51. 51.Radiotopia Live Tour: LA, SF, Portland & Seattle 99% Invisible, April 24, 2017^
  52. 52.Based on segments performed live during the 2017 West Coast tour. This Is Chance: Anchorwoman of the Great Alaska Earthquake 99% Invisible, May 16, 2017^
  53. 53.Radiotopia Live: East Coast Tour Radiotopia, May 2018^
  54. 54.Based on segments performed live during the 2018 East Coast tour. Froebel's Gifts 99% Invisible, May 16, 2017^