Nate DiMeo

Nate DiMeo (born 1974) is an American podcaster, screenwriter, and author based out of Los Angeles, and the host of the podcast The Memory Palace.^[1] He is also the author of Pawnee: the Greatest Town in America (2011) and The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past (2024). He was a finalist for the 2012 Thurber Prize for American Humor.^[2]

Nate DiMeo
DiMeo in 2024
Born	1974 (age 50–51) Providence, Rhode Island
Alma mater	Rhode Island College (BA)
Occupation(s)	Podcaster and author
Known for	The Memory Palace
Spouse	Leila Gerstein
Children	1

After spending a decade working in public radio, DiMeo created his own podcast centered around lesser-known historical narratives. The show has been received with critical acclaim and was nominated for a Peabody Award in 2016.^[3]

Early life and education

DiMeo was born in 1974 in Providence, Rhode Island. His parents, John and Judy DiMeo, were special education professors at Rhode Island College.^[4]

After his birth, the family moved to Rehoboth, Massachusetts, where he was raised. He suffered from Graves' disease as a teenager.^[5] He attended Rhode Island College, graduating in 1997.^[4]

Career

After college, DiMeo played guitar for the Providence indie rock band Bermuda. An organizing effort to save the city's Safari Lounge venue led to an interview with WBUR, where DiMeo eventually secured his first job in public radio.^[6]

He moved to Los Angeles to become an editor on the public radio show Marketplace. He began reporting on air as well as writing for various television shows, including Parks and Recreation and The Astronaut Wives Club.^[6][7]

He began producing short history-based audio vignettes on the side, mostly at first for his own growth and enjoyment. The first episode of what became The Memory Palace aired in November 2008, and the show became sufficiently popular (and financially viable) that he could work on it full time. The show joined Radiotopia in 2015.^[5] From 2016 to 2017, the Metropolitan Museum of Art named him artist-in-residence, and he produced several Memory Palace episodes highlighting aspects and properties of the museum.^[8]

In 2024, DiMeo released a book of vignettes adapted from The Memory Palace.^[9]

Personal life

DiMeo is married to television writer and producer Leila Gerstein. They live in Los Angeles with their daughter, Quinby.^[5]

References

1. "About". The Memory Palace. September 6, 2008. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
2. "Past Thurber Prize Winners and Finalists". Thurber House. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
3. "The Memory Palace". Radiotopia. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
4. Brown, Gita (2024-06-10). "From Podcast to Book, Alum Shares Little-Known Tales of American History". Rhode Island College. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
5. Larson, Sarah (25 January 2018). "'The Memory Palace': History in Escapist Vignettes". The New Yorker. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
6. Patinkin, Mark (2024-11-03). "Nate DiMeo's RI roots shaped hit podcast, new book". Providence Journal. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
7. "PG Interview: Nate Dimeo of "Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America"". PopGurls. 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
8. Barone, Joshua (27 October 2016). "A Podcast Finds A Home, Delving Into Met History". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
9. Brady, Michael Patrick (2024-11-18). "Nate DiMeo recasts his quirky podcast histories for the page". WBUR. Retrieved 2024-12-26.