Best Nathan Wesley Smith Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 24: Wesley Yin-Poole (Director of News at IGN) 57:30

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8M ago57:30

57:30

Wesley Yin-Poole is in charge of the news desk over at IGN and has been reporting on the games industry for almost two decades at this point. He's also been a mentor of mine ever since our days working together at Eurogamer where he helped shape some of my very first stories, while he himself published some incredible work on the rise and fall of L…

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Episode 23: Jason Schreier (Author of Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, And Future of Blizzard Entertainment) 1:22:21

12M ago1:22:21

1:22:21

Jason Schreier is a games reporter for Bloomberg, best known for his extensive reporting on the volatile reality of AAA game development. On today's episode we'll be talking about his latest book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, And Future of Blizzard Entertainment and the frankly horrifying number of interviews he needed to complete over the course of …

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Episode 22: Nicole Carpenter (Senior Reporter at Polygon) 50:28

1y ago50:28

50:28

Nicole Carpenter has been reporting on the games industry at Polygon for the last five years, where she's perhaps best known for her coverage of unions and the increasingly vital role they're playing in shaping the future of video game development. In fact, not only has she reported on this subject diligently over the last few years, she also wrote…

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Episode 21: Grant Stoner (Accessibility & Disability Reporter) 44:04

1y ago44:04

44:04

Grant Stoner is a freelance reporter who specializes in covering accessibility and disability across the games industry in his work. Among other work, he writes a monthly column for IGN where he recently examined how the mass layoffs ripping through the games industry have affected disabled game workers, in particular. This is a great example of wh…

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Episode 20: Sarah Parvini (LA Times) 35:07

1+ y ago35:07

35:07

Sarah Parvini was a games reporter at the LA Times until just a few months ago, having been among those who were hit by a staggering round of layoffs at the paper earlier this year. In fact, the publication is meant to have shed around 20% of its newsroom in one fell swoop. Journalism is in a rough state, folks. In this episode you'll hear guest ho…

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Episode 19: Chelsea Reed Miller (IGN Creators Guild) 46:07

1+ y ago46:07

46:07

Chelsea Reed Miller is a video editor for IGN and a spokesperson for the IGN Creators Guild, a brand spanking new union that's been officially recognized by IGN's parent company just a couple of months ago. In today's episode, you'll hear guest host Nicole Carpenter talk to Chelsea about what that means for people working at one of the biggest publ…

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Episode 18: Quintin Smith (People Make Games) 1:14:25

1+ y ago1:14:25

1:14:25

Quintin Smith is one third of People Make Games, although hopefully you already knew that. Outside of his work with us, he's also known as the co-founder of board games behemoth Shut Up & Sit Down and now, as of just a few weeks ago, he's started something brand new, exploring the world of TTRPGs. It's called Quinns Quest and it's extremely weird a…

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Episode 17: Stephen Totilo (Reporter at Game File) 1:14:17

1+ y ago1:14:17

1:14:17

Stephen Totilo has been a games journalist for two decades now, making him one of the most experienced people in the field. His career spans a stint at MTV News as its first ever games reporter, nine years as Kotaku's Editor-in-Chief and until recently, he wrote a twice-weekly gaming newsletter for Axios. Today, Stephen is looking to strike out on …

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Tamsey Smith: Season 3 Finale! 50:51

2y ago50:51

50:51

It's a tradition that the last episode of every season is me and my wife Tamsey reflecting together and sharing stories that will help you have a more hope-filled perspective. In this episode Tamsey shares a bit of her journey over the past year as her business as grown, and we together tell the story of how we were homeless a couple of times with …

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Lisa Whittle: Resting in the Fact God Knows 41:11

2y ago41:11

41:11

Lisa Whittle is a best-selling author, speaker, teacher and podcaster but my favorite attributes about her are that she is a Pastor's kid who loves Jesus, is real, and is kind. With all she has going on Lisa has always found a way to pause and encourage me throughout the years and it has been a tremendous blessing to me. I'm so grateful she made ti…

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Justin Porter: Failing Forward & Dreaming Again 46:39

2y ago46:39

46:39

My buddy Justin Porter is on the podcast this week... and this time, as a guest! After helping cohost the show for 2 years, Justin is on to bigger things and comes back to give an update on his journey. You will be challenged, inspired and impacted by the honest, transparent way in which Justin shares his journey. It has not been easy, but he helps…

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Episode 16: Nathan Grayson & Riley MacLeod (Just launched Aftermath) 57:28

2y ago57:28

57:28

Nathan Grayson and Riley MacLeod have just launched a brand new, worker-owned games publication called Aftermath, along with some other ex-Kotaku staff you'll recognise. As in, today, right now! Chris grabbed them for an interview a few days ago to talk about the challenges that come with starting something fresh, crowdfunding and what being "worke…

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Ben Finch: Following God in Life and Work 47:52

2y ago47:52

47:52

My amazing friend Ben Finch joins me this week from Athens, Tennessee where we talk about our 25 years of friendship, his amazing journey to becoming a world-renowned photographer, and how seminary almost made him lose his love for Jesus. You will be challenged, inspired and amazed as Ben shares stories from photographing weddings for the President…

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Carlton Beall: Living With Legacy In Mind 39:12

2y ago39:12

39:12

My buddy Carlton Beall joins me this week from Lebanon, Tennessee where we have a conversation about his fascinating entry into business and then how God challenged him to be intentional in his parenting. Carlton has been a true friend to me through the years and his generosity and example have challenged me to be a better man, husband and father. …

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Special Update Edition 15:11

2y ago15:11

15:11

Hey Everybody! It's Nathan and just wanted to give you a short update as we take a pause from the weekly episodes to simply catch you up on what has been happening this season on The Best View in Town. I promised several links in this special update edition so here you go... But first, here's the BEST WAY to get ALL the content I create and that is…

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Donnie Floyd: Serving On The FrontLines of NASCAR 42:25

2y ago42:25

42:25

Donnie Floyd has one of the most amazing jobs in the world. He serves as the Chaplain for Hendrick Motorsports where he serves the hundreds of employees on the HMS team by caring for their spiritual and emotional needs. From baptizing people in the pond out front of the complex to walking with employees through tragedys and giving convocations befo…

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JJ & Tiffany: Stewarding The Storm 42:58

2y ago42:58

42:58

JJ and Tiffany Johnson are some of my heroes. It's not just because they weathered a shark attack that took Tiffany's right arm, but because of how they have chosen to respond to that tragedy by stewarding the storm they faced and turning it into a ministry to glorify Jesus. My wife Tamsey joins me to interview this amazing couple. You will be shoc…

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Wayne Atcheson: Revival Fire at 81 Years Old 36:11

2y ago36:11

36:11

Billy Graham was born and buried in Charlotte, North Carolina which is why the Billy Graham Library is located here. If you have never been you should definitely go as it is absolutely incredible. My guest today, Wayne Atcheson, was the first director of the Library and is a lifelong lover of God with a heart for Revival. Wayne and I met a few year…

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Reward Sibanda: UpperRoom, WorldVision, and the "Glocal" Church 34:48

2y ago34:48

34:48

Such a great guy with such a great name! Reward and Nathan met 8 years ago and recently reconnected at the Ignite Movement National Summit. Reward travels the country with World Vision as the Senior Advisor for Church and Community Relations and until recently served as an Associate Pastor at UpperRoom in Dallas, TX. Reward's heart for people, for …

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Skyler Farley: Bridging the Gap 39:06

2y ago39:06

39:06

Skyler Farley serves with a Campus Ministry called Ignite Movement that serves college students on University Campuses around America. Skyler and his wife Courtney serve the campus of Charlotte University through Ignite and are a tremendous blessing to know and spend time with! You will be encouraged and challenged by today's chat where he and Nath…

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Derrick Hawkins: Discovering a Promised City in Prayer 38:35

2y ago38:35

38:35

Derrick Hawkins has been gifted by God to be a leader, a pastor, and a prayer warrior. In today's episode he shares with Nathan about his journey in prayer and how God has used his life story to shape him for the next exciting season of his life as he and his wife prepare to plant Promise City Church. Derrick has been a dear friend over the last de…

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Nikita Koloff: Wrestling With What's Next 38:50

2y ago38:50

38:50

Nikita Koloff may be the Russian Nightmare from the professional wrestling world but he says he become the "devil's nightmare" after giving his life to Jesus in October of 1993. After winning world championships and being inducted into the hall of fame, Nikita began to set his sights on life after wrestling which had its twists and turns and ultima…

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Episode 15: Patricia Hernandez (Former Editor-in-Chief at Kotaku) 1:03:16

2y ago1:03:16

1:03:16

Patricia Hernandez is now the former Editor-in-Chief of Kotaku, having been fired from the position just a few days ago. In today's episode we're going to be talking to her about what's happened and digging into the increasingly strained relationship between Kotaku's editorial team and the company which owns the site itself, G/O Media. "I can't rea…

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Episode 14: Rebekah Valentine (Senior Reporter at IGN) 1:01:51

2y ago1:01:51

1:01:51

Rebekah Valentine is a Senior Reporter at IGN and an instrumental figure in the site's latest ambitions to establish itself as a true home for longform video games reporting. She's also just been on the ground at Summer Games Fest, the potential successor to the games industry's biggest, flashiest trade show, E3. How do the two shows compare from a…

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Episode 13: Double Fine PsychOdyssey (2 Player Productions) 58:18

2+ y ago58:18

58:18

2 Player Productions is a documentary crew that's been embedded with Double Fine Productions for more than a decade now, having first come onboard in order to follow the development of Broken Age and create the Double Fine Adventure series. However, it's their latest work that's absolutely knocked my socks off. Double Fine PsychOdyssey is, quite si…

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Episode 12: Tyler McVicker (Formerly Valve News Network) 1:08:38

2+ y ago1:08:38

1:08:38

Tyler McVicker has been utterly obsessed with Valve for more than a decade now, having reported on almost every scrap of news, speculation and datamined morsel to come out of this famously secretive company at the heart of the games industry. Having just published our own report on the reality of working at Valve, with its "flat" structure, no mana…

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Episode 25 Celebration! BONUS EPISODE 42:15

3y ago42:15

42:15

We actually made it to 25 episodes! Who would've ever thought I'd be that consistent and you'd stick around that long?! In all seriousness, this is a special episode where I, Nathan, just share a bit of the journey of getting the show started, sharing about some of the special moments over the first two seasons AND share the amazing story of the mi…

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Nathan & Tamsey - Remembering God's Faithfulness in Hard Times 49:57

3y ago49:57

49:57

We are finishing season 2 with a conversation between Nathan and his wife Tamsey where they share some of their story of how they keep their focus on God's goodness in the midst of the challenge. In this episode they share a bit of how they ended up in North Carolina and how God sustained them when each of them lost a parent. You can find Nathan & …

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Jean Gadotti - Trying While Trusting God's Peace 44:51

3y ago44:51

44:51

Pastor Jean Gadotti and Nathan have been friends for over 25 years. What started out as an unlikely friendship centered around playing guitar turned into a partnership where they both help Pastor the same church, The Refuge, on two different continents! Jean shares his story of coming to America as a teenager and later returning to his native Brazi…

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Jay Stewart - Staying the Course and Stewarding the Gift 41:26

3y ago41:26

41:26

Pastor Jay Stewart has been in full-time ministry for nearly 40 years. For the last 20 of those years he has been Nathan's Pastor. In this episode they share some of their stories and talk about what a life of consistency looks like in a world that is constantly on the move. Jay gives some insight into how to navigate being misunderstood, and share…

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Temitope - Setting Tables and Horizontal Worship 43:28

3y ago43:28

43:28

Becoming comfortable in your own skin is more than a self-esteem issue, it's a relationship with God issue. We are all created in God's Image and are beautifully and wonderfully made. While we may not all be living in that reality and reflecting His glory, the truth remains. When we do accept and delight in the fact that God made us with great inte…

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Wren Aaron - Becoming Who You Could Be 39:15

3y ago39:15

39:15

Wren was ministering to so many people through public education and coaching high school students that God eventually had him become a pastor at one of the largest churches in America. Wren and Nathan have been friends for over 20 years and in this episode they share some of their story as friends and the power of becoming who you could be if you j…

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Benite Juene - Always Look To Add Value 38:44

3y ago38:44

38:44

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% unemployment and the average person making only $700 a year. But my friend Benite Juene who was born and raised there refuses to let that be what defines the people who live there. He is always looking for ways to add value. In this episode Nathan has Benite share his story of how he i…

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Ken Pounders - Telling Your Story 38:39

3y ago38:39

38:39

Ken Pounders has overcome debilitating addiction and he and his wife Sonya help others do the same! Now, Ken not only leads a recovery ministry for men battling addiction but has served as a missionary and disciple maker around the world for decades. In this episode Nathan invites Ken to share some of his story, and offer hope and encouragement for…

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Episode 11: Sam Greer (Just made a video for People Make Games!) 1:11:02

3y ago1:11:02

1:11:02

Sam Greer is a freelance games critic, having previously worked for Glass House Games and GamesMaster magazine. More recently, she worked with People Make Games (that's us!) on an incredible video about the lack of working class people employed in the games industry. That's what we'll be talking about in today's episode. "I think when we talked abo…

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Dr. Joy Greene - Preparing for the Miracle 42:58

3y ago42:58

42:58

Dr. Joy Greene is our guest this week and she is bringing a bit of her Joytime ministry to The Best View In Town. Dr Joy is on over 2000 radio stations world-wide spreading encouragement and you will get a taste of that in our conversation today. All of us are believing for something. Perhaps God is getting us ready for our breakthrough in ways we …