Campfire Stories

162: Campfire Series - ‘BLDGBLOG Turns 20’, with Geoff Manaugh

A conversation with Geoff Manaugh.

In this special Campfire Series episode, Geoff Manaugh joins the podcast to tell us the story of BLDGBLOG.

We discuss how he maintains an online presence while playing the algorithm games of social media and talk about the topic of content ownership and the evolution of blogging.

We also get into the creative opportunities Geoff has found by blending architecture with other disciplines, learn about his journey from blogger to author, talk about his Hollywood experiences with his fictional writing, and hear about some upcoming projects including a new book on archaeology.

Episode links:

BLDGBLOG
Geoff’s personal website
Geoff on Instagram
TRXL 008: ‘This Reminds Me of That’, with Geoff Manaugh
Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine by Nicola Twilley and Geoff Manaugh (Amazon)
Ernest (Motherboard)
We Have a Ghost (Netflix)

About Geoff Manaugh:

Geoff Manaugh is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer regularly covering topics related to architecture, design, and technology for publications such as The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, MIT Technology Review, WIRED, FT Magazine, and many others. He has taught graduate architectural design studios at Columbia University GSAPP, USC, and UC Berkeley, lectures at cultural venues around the world, and has exhibited twice at the Venice Biennale of Architecture.

In 2023, his short story, "Ernest," was adapted into the Netflix film, "We Have a Ghost," which was the #1 Netflix movie in the world for three consecutive weeks and reached #1 in 69 different countries. His 2016 book, "A Burglar's Guide to the City," was a New York Times bestseller for two consecutive months and was optioned for television by CBS Studios. His 2021 book, "Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine," written with Nicola Twilley, was named a Guardian, Time Magazine, NPR, and Financial Times book of the year. Since 2004, he has also been the author of BLDGBLOG (bldgblog.com), read by millions in the two decades since it was launched.