RISK!

Format

Each episode of the RISK! podcast starts with an introduction from Kevin Allison. In his introduction, Allison updates listeners about upcoming events that relate to the show and he also introduces that week's theme. Past themes include "Unintended," "New At This," and "Met on the Net."

The show then continues with theme-based first-person narratives, both humorous and serious. RISK! initially focused on stories from celebrity guests but moved to incorporate more stories from everyday people, told with behind the scenes coaching from Allison and his team. The stories from the podcast are usually a combination of material from Kevin Allison, the live show, listener submissions and work from The Story Studio, the storytelling school that the RISK! team created. These stories are often followed by interstitial music or sound collages created by the RISK! team or listeners.

RISK! is known for featuring stories that defy social taboos, such as stories about sex and traumatic events. RISK! stories can be humorous, scary, or tear-jerking. Some stories can be explicit and come with content warnings beforehand. The show has featured many storytellers with LGBTQ or other minority identities.

Live shows

The live version of RISK! debuted as a weekly show at Arlene's Grocery in New York City on August 6, 2009. The theme of the premiere show was "Strange Sex: Our Wildest Encounters" and featured stories from Marc Maron, Jessi Klein, Margot Leitman, Jonathan Kesselman, and was hosted by Kevin Allison. The weekly show moved to Joe's Pub in October 2009. Featured performers at the Joe's Pub performances include Margaret Cho, Rachel Dratch, Andy Borowitz and Janeane Garofalo.

In 2010, RISK! began monthly live shows in both New York City and Los Angeles. The New York shows are hosted by Kevin Allison, and the shows in Los Angeles are hosted by David Crabb. Currently, live shows can be seen at Caveat in New York City or at various venues in Los Angeles.

Other notable live guests have included Kurt Metzger, Trevor Noah, Samantha Bee, Bowen Yang, Julio Torres, Ilana Glazer, Dan Savage, Sasheer Zamata, Joe Lo Truglio, Kumail Nanjiani, John Hodgman, Jenny Slate, Maria Bamford and Eric Andre.

On tour

The RISK! live show frequently tours around the US as well, with occasional international dates. Kevin Allison hosted a live show during SXSW in Austin, Texas in 2012. The live show has traveled across the United States including to Chicago, Illinois, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, Brown University and over 40 other cities in the USA, Canada and UK.

Online shows

When live events were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, RISK! moved to an online show format to continue supporting its staff of 20 including six full-time employees. Storytellers broadcast from their homes and 400-600 guests tuned in for each online show.

''RISK!'' book

In 2018, the book RISK!: True Stories People Never Thought They’d Dare To Share was released, featuring 37 stories of defining moments in the tellers' lives, 31 of which are popular stories from the podcast and six are bonus stories. Storytellers in the book include Aisha Tyler, Marc Maron, Michael Ian Black, Lili Taylor, Ts Madison, Dan Savage, Jonah Ray, and Jesse Thorn.

References

References

1. "About Us". Kevin Allison Presents: RISK!.
2. "Chris Castiglione and Jeff Barr join the RISK! team.". Kevin Allison Presents: RISK!.
3. Hagen, Paul. (2017-05-31). "Comedian Kevin Allison Gets Storytellers to Take a RISK!". [[Metrosource]].
4. Gamerman, Ellen. (2018-07-16). "Podcasts Hit the Books". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
5. Everett, Cristina. (2017-05-09). "Going IRL: Live podcast shows to attend this summer (and beyond)".
6. (2010-08-30). "A Podcast for the Weirdo in All of Us". [[Slate (magazine).
7. Kerr, Breena. (2017-03-05). "The 10 Best Sex Podcasts for Whatever You're Into". [[Esquire UK]].
8. McCarthy, Sean L.. "Kevin Allison: Not afraid to take a comedy RISK!". the comic's comic.
9. "Kevin Allison of "The State" presents RISK!". Joe's Pub.
10. Mancusco, Anne. (2009-10-08). "Spare Times". [[The New York Times]].
11. "Tour - RISK! podcast".
12. "Kurt Metzger Performs at the RISK! Live Show on 2016-06-16".
13. "Stories About Samantha Bee".
14. "Stories by Bowen Yang".
15. "Stories About Julio Torres".
16. "Stories by Ilana Glazer".
17. "Stories About Dan Savage".
18. "Stories About Sasheer Zamata".
19. "Stories About Joe Lo Truglio".
20. "The 500th Episode".
21. "Shake-Ups - RISK! podcast".
22. "Stories by: Jenny Slate".
23. "Stories by: Maria Bamford".
24. "Stories by: Eric Andre".
25. "SXSW Comedy: RISK! True Tales, Boldly Told hosted by Kevin Allison (The State) and featuring special guests". SXSW Inc.
26. (9 November 2017). "The three things you need to know today in Chicago: Thu, Nov 9".
27. (2017-06-01). "The Mind Behind the Stories: Q&A with Kevin Allison".
28. "RISK! {{!}} Bridgetown Comedy Festival". Bridgetown Comedy Festival.
29. Gaskin, Alex. (2017-01-12). "Kevin Allison, Host Of The Risk! Podcast, Talks About The Power Of Telling The Truth Onstage.". Central Track.
30. "Risk! Live Podcast".
31. "Risk! Live Podcast".
32. (2018-05-16). "City Lights: Author Paula McLain; Storyteller Kevin Allison".
33. "RISK! Comes to Brown University!". Kevin Allison Presents: RISK!.
34. Zinoman, Jason. (2020-04-20). "Can You Make Money in Live Comedy Right Now? Some Producers Say Yes". [[The New York Times]].
35. Dudley, Joshua. (2020-03-28). "The 'RISK!' Show Must Go On With First-Ever Livestreaming Performance". [[Forbes]].
36. Gordon, Doug. (2019-03-16). "Comedian Kevin Allison On How Taking Risks Leads To Authenticity (And A Hit Podcast)". [[Wisconsin Public Radio]].
37. "RISK! True Stories People Never Thought They'd Dare to Share". [[Publishers Weekly]].
38. (2019-10-10). "Kevin Allison Looks Back on 10 Years of RISK!". [[The Interrobang]].