# Geoff Edgers > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Geoff_Edgers > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Geoff_Edgers.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Edgers > Source revision: 1356629878 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American journalist}} {{Infobox writer | name = Geoff Edgers | image = File:GeoffEdgersBW.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Edgers in 2018 (photograph by Lila Hempel-Edgers) | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1970}} | birth_place = [Boston](/source/Boston), [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts), U.S. | occupation = Journalist, author, filmmaker | subject = [Arts](/source/Arts), [music](/source/music), [the Kinks](/source/the_Kinks) | spouse = Carlene Hempel | children = Lila and Calvin Hempel-Edgers }} '''Geoff Edgers''' (born 1970) is an American journalist, author, filmmaker, television host, and podcast host. He is currently the national arts reporter for ''[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)'' and was previously a staff arts reporter for ''[The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe)''. Edgers currently hosts the ''[Edge of Fame](/source/Edge_of_Fame)'' podcast, a collaboration between ''The Washington Post'' and [WBUR-FM](/source/WBUR-FM), Boston's NPR National. In addition, Edgers produced and starred in the 2010 music documentary ''[Do It Again](/source/Do_It_Again_(documentary))''. His articles have appeared in magazines such as ''[GQ](/source/GQ)'' and ''[Wired](/source/Wired_(magazine))'', and he has worked as a reporter for several newspapers, including the ''[Boston Phoenix](/source/Boston_Phoenix)'', ''[Raleigh News and Observer](/source/Raleigh_News_and_Observer)'', ''The Boston Globe'', and ''The Washington Post''. Edgers has also published children's books on [Elvis](/source/Elvis), [the Beatles](/source/the_Beatles), and [Stan Lee](/source/Stan_Lee), and co-wrote a book on Julia Child with his wife, Carlene Hempel. In 2013, he hosted a [Travel Channel](/source/Travel_Channel) reality TV series called ''[Edge of America](/source/Edge_of_America)'', and in June 2013 he was awarded a [New England Emmy](/source/New_England_Emmy) for work on a video for ''The Boston Globe''. He also hosted the military history series ''Secrets of the Arsenal'' on the ''[American Heroes Channel](/source/American_Heroes_Channel)''. Edgers joined ''The Washington Post'' in September 2014 as the paper's national arts reporter. ==Career== Edgers attended [Brookline High School](/source/Brookline_High_School) in [Brookline, Massachusetts](/source/Brookline%2C_Massachusetts){{cite web |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/brookline/news/x519374835/Tired-of-waiting-for-you-two-Brookline-HS-alums-try-and-reunite-the-Kinks#axzz1yjWfMicz |title=Tired of Waiting for You |author=Applebaum, Teddy |date=September 15, 2011 |work=wickedlocal.com |accessdate=June 24, 2012}} and graduated from [Tufts University](/source/Tufts_University) in 1992 with a degree in English.{{cite web |url=http://careers.tufts.edu/students/additional/JobsInMedia.asp#geoff |title=Tufts University - Career Services ("Jobs in Media: Tips for Seniors") |work=tufts.edu/[Tufts University](/source/Tufts_University) |accessdate=June 24, 2012 |archive-date=September 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903062124/http://careers.tufts.edu/students/additional/JobsInMedia.asp#geoff |url-status=dead }} Following his graduation he was employed as a reporter by several newspapers, including the ''Sudbury Town Crier'', ''Waltham News-Tribune'', ''Middlesex News'', ''Boston Phoenix'', and ''Raleigh News and Observer''. He worked as an arts reporter from 2002 to August 2014 for ''The Boston Globe''. His work involved covering the [Museum of Fine Arts](/source/Museum_of_Fine_Arts%2C_Boston), [Institute of Contemporary Art](/source/Institute_of_Contemporary_Art%2C_Boston), [Boston Symphony Orchestra](/source/Boston_Symphony_Orchestra), and other arts-related organizations in the Boston area.{{cite web |url=http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/resources/bio.aspx?id=4052 |title=Geoff Edgers - Boston Globe ''(BG bio)'' |work=[Boston Globe](/source/Boston_Globe) |accessdate=June 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825170259/http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/resources/bio.aspx?id=4052 |archivedate=August 25, 2012 }} Edgers has also [freelanced](/source/Freelancer) for several magazines including ''GQ'', ''[Spin](/source/Spin_(magazine))'', ''Wired'', and ''[Salon](/source/Salon_(website))''. Examples of this work include an article on [Monkee](/source/Monkee) [Michael Nesmith](/source/Michael_Nesmith)'s New Mexico symposiums (for ''Wired''){{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.12/nesmith.html |title=Think Diffident |author=Edgers, Geoff |date=December 2000 |magazine=Wired[Wired](/source/Wired_(magazine)) |accessdate=June 24, 2012}} and a series of pieces for ''Salon'', including one on [Brian Wilson](/source/Brian_Wilson)'s 2000 ''[Pet Sounds](/source/Pet_Sounds)'' tour.{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2000/08/02/wilson_3/singleton/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201183721/http://www.salon.com/2000/08/02/wilson_3/singleton/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |title=God Only Knows |author=Edgers, Geoff |date=August 2, 2000 |work=[Salon](/source/Salon_(website)) |accessdate=June 24, 2012 }} Edgers has written three children's books: ''The Midnight Hour: Bright Ideas for After Dark'' ([Penguin](/source/Penguin_Books), 1997) and four installments in the [Grosset and Dunlap](/source/Grosset_and_Dunlap) "Who Was...?" series, ''Who Were The Beatles?'' (2006), ''Who Was Elvis Presley?'' (2007), ''Who Is Stan Lee?'' (2014), and ''Who Was Julia Child?'' (2015), the last installment collaborating with his wife, Carlene Hempel. Geoff Edgers teamed up with director [Robert Patton-Spruill](/source/Robert_Patton-Spruill) in early 2008 to begin work on a film about his love of [British Invasion](/source/British_Invasion) band [the Kinks](/source/the_Kinks), headed by the two feuding brothers [Ray](/source/Ray_Davies) and [Dave Davies](/source/Dave_Davies). The documentary, entitled ''[Do It Again](/source/Do_It_Again_(documentary))'' follows Edgers throughout America and Britain on a quest to reunite the original members. Edgers meets with various personalities and Kinks fans to discuss the band, such as [Sting](/source/Sting_(musician)), [Paul Weller](/source/Paul_Weller), [Peter Buck](/source/Peter_Buck), [Zooey Deschanel](/source/Zooey_Deschanel), [Clive Davis](/source/Clive_Davis), Warren Zanes, [Robyn Hitchcock](/source/Robyn_Hitchcock), and Dave Davies himself. ''Do It Again'' premiered at the [Rotterdam International Film Festival](/source/Rotterdam_International_Film_Festival) in January 2010,{{cite web |url=http://doitagainthemovie.com/screenings |title=Screenings |work=doitagainthemovie.com |accessdate=June 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724105052/http://doitagainthemovie.com/screenings |archive-date=July 24, 2012 |url-status=dead }} and was met with positive reviews. It traveled the film festival circuit throughout the rest of 2010 (making stops at locations such as the [Independent Film Festival of Boston](/source/Independent_Film_Festival_of_Boston) and [London International Documentary Festival](/source/London_International_Documentary_Festival)) and was broadcast on multiple [PBS](/source/PBS) stations throughout late 2011 and early 2012.{{cite web |url=http://doitagainthemovie.com/news/help-bring-do-it-again-to-tv |title=Help bring "Do It Again" to TV |work=doitagainthemovie.com |accessdate=June 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322094355/http://doitagainthemovie.com/news/help-bring-do-it-again-to-tv |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://doitagainthemovie.com/news/learning-to-restart-the-dia-machine |title=Learning to restart the DIA machine |work=doitagainthemovie.com |accessdate=June 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322094403/http://doitagainthemovie.com/news/learning-to-restart-the-dia-machine |archive-date=March 22, 2012 |url-status=dead }} In 2013 the Travel Channel aired ''[Edge of America](/source/Edge_of_America)'', a TV series starring Edgers. The program, produced by Magilla Productions, involved Edgers on a search for quintessentially American forms of entertainment and fun ("strange American things in scenic American places" according to ''The Boston Globe''), as well as "a quest to see what constitutes entertainment."{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/travel-channel-kevin-michael-connolly-geoff-edgers-mikey-roe-369075 |title=Travel Channel Picks Up Three Unscripted Series |work=hollywoodreporter.com |date=10 September 2012 |accessdate=September 15, 2012}} The Travel Channel showed strong initial confidence in the series.{{cite web |url=http://bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2012/09/10/boston-globe-reporter-geoff-edgers-gets-travel-channel-gig/OkwkQ4OiK7vIHC6FpitGWM/story.html |title=Globe reporter gets Travel Channel gig |work=bostonglobe.com |accessdate=September 15, 2012}} But it failed to attract desirable demographics, and was not renewed.{{cite web |url=http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/how_to_reality_TV_star |title=The Rise and Fall of a Reality TV Star. In Nine Days |work=Esquire |date=8 May 2013 |accessdate=October 22, 2013}} Edgers was awarded a [New England Emmy](/source/New_England_Emmy) in June 2013 for work on a video for ''The Boston Globe''. He shared the award with producer Darren Durlach. The [short](/source/short_(film)), entitled "Behind the Curtain: Act One of Barbara Quintiliani's Story", is a ten-minute documentary about the success and struggles of acclaimed [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts)-based [opera singer](/source/opera_singer) [Barbara Quintiliani](/source/Barbara_Quintiliani).{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/06/02/globe-wins-four-emmy-awards/sGyTOQdaHgxtzbKdHMHx4J/story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221224732/http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/06/02/globe-wins-four-emmy-awards/sGyTOQdaHgxtzbKdHMHx4J/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 21, 2013 |title=Globe wins four New England Emmys |work=Boston Globe |accessdate=June 3, 2013}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2012/04/28/rise-fall-and-rise-opera-singer-barbara-quintiliani/pBY5I7PnIHqbyuo9qfvSGK/story.html |title=Music is now a lifeline for ailing opera singer |work=Boston Globe |accessdate=June 3, 2013}} In April 2014, he released another documentary, entitled ''5 Runners''. The 30 minute film, based on Edgers' April 2013 ''Boston Globe'' article "Chance Leaves Five Runners Forever Linked",{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2013/04/20/five-runners-who-finished-boston-marathon-first-blast-sounded/cA3KH9ms2cTCQBgR5Ci5ON/story.html |title=Chance leaves five runners forever linked |work=Boston Globe |author=Edgers, Geoff |accessdate=April 8, 2014}} documents the lives of five runners leading up to, during, and directly after the [Boston Marathon bombing](/source/Boston_Marathon_bombing). The five competitors, at the time all in the close vicinity of the explosion and directly affected by the trauma, share an ambition to run the race once more in order to achieve closure. Edgers wrote and narrated the film and shared directing duties with Darren Durlach.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3632628/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 |title=5 Runners (TV Movie 2014) |work=imdb.com |accessdate=April 8, 2014}}{{cite web |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140408006055/en/Boston-Globe-Debuts-Boston-Marathon-Documentary-5#.U0QkOFed2vP |title= The Boston Globe Debuts Boston Marathon Documentary, 5 Runners |work=businesswire.com |date= 8 April 2014 |accessdate=April 8, 2014}} ''5 Runners'' premiered at the [John F. Kennedy Presidential Library](/source/John_F._Kennedy_Presidential_Library) on April 10, followed by a broadcast on April 14 at 9:30 p.m. on the [New England Sports Network](/source/New_England_Sports_Network). In August 2014 it was announced that Edgers would leave the ''Globe'' to join ''The Washington Post'' staff.{{cite web |url=http://dankennedy.net/2014/08/01/geoff-edgers-leaving-globe-for-washington-post/ |title=Geoff Edgers leaving Globe for Washington Post |work=dankennedy.net |author=Kennedy, Dan |date=August 2014 |accessdate=September 20, 2014}} He began his new position as national arts reporter in September 2014. Since starting at the Post, Edgers had written in-depth profiles of [Eddie Murphy](/source/Eddie_Murphy), [David Letterman](/source/David_Letterman), [Norm Macdonald](/source/Norm_Macdonald), [Darrell Hammond](/source/Darrell_Hammond), [Tom Hanks](/source/Tom_Hanks), and [Ava DuVernay](/source/Ava_DuVernay), as well as lengthy pieces on the history of [Run-DMC](/source/Run-DMC)’s "Walk This Way" and a story documenting the mysterious life of a man who stole a Stradivarius violin and virtually disappeared with the instrument. A press release from the ''Post'' stated that "[Edgers] will have a broad reach to write about arts, entertainment and cultural issues across the nation" and noted that he will remain based in Boston while still reporting to a senior editor in Washington and "appearing in the newsroom frequently."{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2014/08/05/peggy-mcglone-and-geoff-edgers-join-features-staff/ |title=Peggy McGlone and Geoff Edgers join Features staff |newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post) |author=WashPostPR |accessdate=September 20, 2014}} Following on the heels of this appointment, in November 2014 a new television show hosted by Edgers was announced, entitled ''Secrets of the Arsenal''. The series features Edgers exploring the stories and provenance behind military artifacts such as a German pistol from [World War II](/source/World_War_II) or weapons from the [Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War). After premiering on December 16 at 10:00 PM Eastern, ''The New York Times''{{'}} Neil Genzlinger described Edgers' "genuine enthusiasm" for the memorabilia he investigates, stating that in the same "gung-ho" spirit of his work with ''Edge of America'', "he applies that ... passion to visiting museums and private collectors in search of artifacts with stories behind them."{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/arts/television/secrets-of-the-arsenal-an-american-heroes-channel-series.html?_r=0 |title=Old Pieces With a Past |work=The New York Times |author=Genzlinger, Neil |date=15 December 2014 |accessdate=December 30, 2014}} In January 2018, Edgers debuted a new podcast series, ''[Edge of Fame](/source/Edge_of_Fame)'', drawing on his experience as a journalist, documentary film maker, writer, and National Arts Reporter for the ''Post''. In the series, Edgers explores the lives of various celebrities and performers on the dark and humorous sides of show business. Each podcast episode focuses on Edgers shadowing a specific performer for a long period of time. Eschewing a typical one-on-one interview style, Edgers assembles a combination of interviews, testimonials, and anecdotes from various voices he encounters along the way. It was released as a collaborative effort between radio station WBUR and ''The Washington Post''. Edgers' book ''Walk this Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song that Changed American Music Forever'' was published in February 2019, detailing the famous collaboration between rock band [Aerosmith](/source/Aerosmith) and rap duo [Run-DMC](/source/Run-DMC) on their remake of the former's hit, "[Walk This Way](/source/Walk_This_Way)". The book received positive reviews across the press. In ''The Atlantic'', James Parker wrote, "The question with a book like this—a book that zeroes in on a particular happening or art moment and then extrapolates boomingly outward—is always: Is there enough there? Enough action at the core, that is, and enough concentrically moving energy to prevent the narrative from collapsing in on itself as it stretches to book length? The answer in this case, I am happy to report, is yes."{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/02/aerosmith-run-dmc-and-story-behind-walk-way/582220/ |title=How Aerosmith and Run-DMC Begrudgingly Made a Masterpiece |work=The Atlantic |author=Parker, James |date=7 February 2019 |accessdate=March 9, 2019}} The ''Boston Globe'''s Rob Sheffield called it "a cultural detective yarn," and praised Edgers' "valiant gumshoe work."{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2019/02/07/walking-that-way-turned-out-better-for-aerosmith-than-run/ZJoJR4CIHIErKzIkC70WDJ/story.html |title=Walking that way turned out better for Aerosmith than Run-D.M.C. |work=Boston Globe |author=Sheffield, Robert |accessdate=March 9, 2019}} ==Personal life== Edgers is married to Carlene Hempel, a professor at [Northeastern University](/source/Northeastern_University).{{cite web |url=http://www.northeastern.edu/camd/journalism/people/carlene-hempel/ |title=Carlene Hempel Bio |work=northeastern.edu |accessdate=January 9, 2013}} They live outside Boston and have two children together, Lila and Calvin Hempel-Edgers.{{cite web |url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/775822192/bringing-do-it-again-our-kinks-film-to-tv/comments |title=Kickstarter profile of Geoff Edgers |accessdate=June 24, 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://artsreporterabroad.wordpress.com/tag/lila-hempel-edgers/ |title=Arts Reporter Abroad (articles tagged Hempel-Edgers) |author=Edgers, Geoff |work=artsreporterabroad.wordpress.com |accessdate=June 24, 2012}} ==External links== * [https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/geoff-edgers/ Washington Post reporter profile] * [https://twitter.com/geoffedgers @GeoffEdgers on Twitter] * [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2017/09/27/darrell-hammond-was-snls-best-donald-trump-and-its-best-impressionist-ever-so-what-went-wrong/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory Losing the part: How Darrell Hammond, SNL’s best impressionist ever, found life after Trump], by Geoff Edgers. ''[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post).'' (September 27, 2017). ==References== {{reflist}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Edgers, Geoff}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:The Boston Globe people Category:Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni Category:20th-century American male journalists Category:The Washington Post journalists Category:Journalists from Boston Category:20th-century American journalists Category:21st-century American journalists Category:Brookline High School alumni Category:21st-century American male journalists --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Geoff Edgers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Edgers) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Edgers?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.