Earlonne Woods facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Earlonne Woods
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| Born | August 13, 1971 (age 53) |
| Occupation | Podcaster |
| Years active | 2018–present |
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Notable work
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Ear Hustle, This Is Ear Hustle |
Earlonne Woods (born August 13, 1971) is an American podcaster and author. He is famous for helping to start and co-host the podcast Ear Hustle in 2017. He also co-wrote the book This Is Ear Hustle in 2021. Earlonne helped create Ear Hustle while he was living at San Quentin State Prison. In November 2018, the governor of California decided to let him leave prison earlier than planned. He was later hired to keep working on the podcast after his release. In November 2024, he received a pardon from California's governor. In 2020, Earlonne and his Ear Hustle co-hosts were honored as finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting.
Earlonne Woods' Early Life
Earlonne Woods grew up in South Los Angeles with his parents and older brother. His mother worked for the postal service. When he was nine, Earlonne tried to help cars pass a broken railroad crossing gate. He was arrested by local police, even though he said he was just trying to be helpful. He later had to go to juvenile court.
Earlonne faced challenges growing up. He spent time in prison when he was 17 and was released at 23. Later, when he was 25, he was arrested again. Because of past legal issues from when he was younger, this new arrest led to a very long prison sentence.
The Ear Hustle Podcast Story
While in prison, Earlonne worked hard to improve himself. He earned his General Educational Development (GED) diploma. He also took classes to learn skills like auto mechanics. He heard about a film school at San Quentin State Prison and asked to be moved there. He spent his last seven years in prison at San Quentin.
At San Quentin, Earlonne met Nigel Poor, an artist and volunteer who taught photography. They became friends. Nigel suggested they create a podcast together. Earlonne didn't know what a podcast was at first! They also brought in another inmate, Antwan Williams, to help with the sound.
They sent their podcast idea to a competition held by Radiotopia. Ear Hustle was chosen from many entries. This gave them the money to make their first 10 episodes. Ear Hustle was special because it was the very first podcast ever recorded and produced entirely inside a prison. While he was in San Quentin, Earlonne didn't get paid for his work on the podcast. However, fans would often send him money. People really liked Earlonne's role on the podcast. Reviewers said he was "warm and likable" and brought a great sense of humor to the show.
In November 2018, the governor of California, Jerry Brown, decided that Earlonne could leave prison early. The governor said that Earlonne had "clearly shown that he is no longer the man he was" and that he had "set a positive example." Earlonne later traveled to thank Governor Brown and even interviewed him for the podcast. After his release, Earlonne moved to Oakland, California. He was hired full-time to continue as a producer and co-host of Ear Hustle.
In 2020, Earlonne, along with Nigel Poor and co-host Rahsaan Thomas, was recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. This is a very important award for journalism. In 2021, Earlonne and Nigel Poor also wrote a book together called This Is Ear Hustle.
