Max Saakyan — Uncovering Roots Podcast — Interview

In our first post of 2024 we’ve interviewed Max Saakyan, creator of Uncovering Roots, a podcast that shares lesser-known stories of extraordinary people from around the world.

Uncovering Roots launched in December 2023 with a three-part series about Arshaluys Mardigian, also known as Aurora Mardiganian, who survived the Armenian Genocide, escaped to America, and ended up as an actress in Hollywood.

And in the spirit of the podcast, let’s wrap up this intro, and have Max tell us about it!

When did you start listening to podcasts and what was the first you were a fan of?

I started listening to podcasts years ago, and I first got hooked on the likes of 99% Invisible and This American Life. I found the investigations that the producers went through fascinating. More recently, Serial has produced some great stories. A podcasting network I was really fond of and really inspired me to make this podcast was Kerning Cultures, (but) they sadly shut down.

What first drew you to Aurora’s story?

Aurora Mardiganian’s story is simply unbelievable. What she went through during the Armenian Genocide when she was just 14, for two entire years, was traumatic enough. But then she was forced to relive her trauma in a film that was based on her story…