In an era where the same talking heads are seemingly dominating modern journalism, Brooklyn’s favorite newcast, ‘Going Down With Ella Yurman’ is there to bring back independent journalism to the forefront of each of its productions, one episode at a time
If you’ve never heard of ‘Going Down’, the show first started with comedians Ella Yurman and Reid Pope, who first met through the Brooklyn Comedy scene. They got together and decided it was time to form their own queer-fronted news show and ‘queer late night’ television, for good. And so ‘Late Stage Live’ would be born and broadcast on YouTube, soon becoming ‘Going Down’ with Ella Yurman, where the show took on new life, becoming the beloved program we know today.
At the heart of the show, it’s D.I.Y first and foremost. The show is filmed at BRIC, the public access studio in Downtown Brooklyn, where volunteer staff, including camera operators, writers, and countless others, volunteer their time to help produce ‘Going Down’. Each episode is filmed in front of a live studio audience, where they’ll discuss everything in the news, from the Lugi Mangione case to that of Conde Nast’s attempt to unionize N.Y.C journalists. They also feature a wide variety of artists.
Over the course of the show, they’ve featured 10+ unique bands across a variety of genres, including the bands Palehound,Frankie Cosmos, and local trans-fronted rock duo Um Jennifer? , whose theme song for ‘Going Down,’ ‘Can You Live With Yourself?’ sets a perfect tone for each episode of the show, with its witty lyrics, and can’t-do attitude.
They bring a much-needed optimism in a time where the news-cast is more divided than ever, LGBTQ+ diversity is lacking across our newsrooms, and the contemporary news is becoming divided, divisive, and incendiary day by day. The ‘Going Down’ crew manages to mitigate that, episode by episode, with offbeat humor and exemplary journalism.
If you are interested in tuning in, those episodes can be found here.
I'm from Plano, Texas. As an advanced technical theater student at Plano East Senior High, I have a deep passion for physical media, particularly collecting records and CDs. I'm also an avid member of my high school's tech crew, where I spend much of my time building and assembling, which fuels my creativity. When I'm not in the classroom shop crafting the next set piece, you can find me vibing to the eclectic sounds of Le Tigre, They Might Be Giants, and Mazzy Star.
