KARISSA VALENCIA: In my dream world, national parks would be run and operated with Indigenous teaching. So Spirit Rangers has a whole family of Indigenous park rangers and they’re the ones leading the charge and taking care of our parks and sharing our knowledge and just have that leadership. So it was very important to me to have that.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Welcome to We Disrupt This Broadcast. I’m your host, Gabe González. Now I’m gonna ask you a quick question before we start this episode. What comes to mind when I read the following list? It’s just three items. All right. A singing purple dinosaur. A friendly neighbor in a cardigan. A rabbit with an affinity for explosives. Odds are at least one of them just conjured a very specific image in your mind. That’s because the television we watched growing up, especially as young children, can leave an indelible mark on our memory. Early on TV can shape how we see and understand the world.
For today’s episode, we’ll be talking about an animated series that not only appreciates that responsibility, but dares to imagine new possibilities for what communities can look like rooted in the folklore, art and traditions of Native Americans. Spirit Rangers follows three Native American siblings from the Chumash and Cowlitz tribes, who through the power of special necklaces, transform into magical animals to protect the national park they call home. The series creator and showrunner, Karissa Valencia, has received critical acclaim for the series’ representation of Native Americans, both onscreen and in the production process, making Spirit Rangers a first of its kind series, broadening the types of characters and communities kids will remember beyond their early years.
Spirit Rangers has been nominated for 10 Children and Family Emmy Awards and was nominated for a Peabody Award in 2025. So when we come back, we’ll be talking to Karissa Valencia about how her heritage inspired the series, the influence of her favorite animated shows growing up, and why it was important to consult with Chumash and Cowlitz leaders before the series ever reached our screens.
We’ll also talk to comedian and writer Joey Clift about his time working as a writer on Spirit Rangers and how the media landscape has changed for Native creators like him. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be back with Karissa. After the break.
CLIP: Spirit Rangers
Come and gather around. Listen to the story. Here in Xus Park, where the spirits play. Someone must protect Chumash territory. Who will hear the call to save the day? Here come the Spirit Rangers (oh, yeah!) Here come the Spirit Rangers (oh, oh!) Here come the Spirit Rangers (yeah)
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Welcome back. We’re here with our first guest, Karissa Valencia. Karissa is a writer, author, showrunner, and producer. She’s best known as the creator and executive producer of the Netflix animated series, Spirit Rangers, which we’ll be talking about today.
Hey, Karissa, welcome to We Disrupt This Broadcast. How are you today?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Thanks for having me. I’m doing great.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: So let’s dive right in. You’ve got a pretty extensive history writing for kids tv. What kind of children’s media were you drawn to when you were younger?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Ooh, good question. Yeah, little Karissa. She loved Fantasy, Action, Adventure. I loved Spirited Away, Sailor Moon. I’m a nineties baby, so like of course all the Disney princesses were played in my household. And I’ve just always had a love for animation because you can literally do anything in animation. You could be anything. You can go anywhere. And that is just the perfect place for imagination. So it’s just always inspired me and I’m very jealous that I can’t draw. I am not an animation artist, but on the writing side.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: I was very much a nineties kid as well. But I’m wondering if you, like myself, felt that there was kind of something lacking. If there was a sort of uniformity in the voices or the types of characters we saw on screen, were there any gaps where you were like, “oh, I don’t see this”?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Well, the biggest gap was definitely seeing my own heritage reflected back at me. So my family is half Chumash, half Mexican. And our representation in Hollywood, and especially animation just hasn’t been present at all or accurate. The very first person I ever got to meet in Hollywood was when I went to my tribe’s powwow when I was around like eight years old, and Irene Bedard was there signing Pocahontas DVDs. And it just made my whole day, year, week, like I couldn’t believe she was there. She looked just like her character. She looked like my family. It was like such an important moment as a kid to realize just how important representation matters. It was such a big deal for us to meet her, and I still have that DVD/VHS somewhere.
But Pocahontas, the story was not accurate in any way. But at least knowing that person who voiced her was Indigenous, like gave me hope that like Indigenous people are in Hollywood. We just need more folks behind the screen. So that’s really what motivated me to get myself into writing and get behind the camera and create those stories that uplift our voices and our stories.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: So I’m wondering, how was working on shows before Spirit Rangers shows like Dora the Explorer and Doc McStuffins, which were pretty groundbreaking in terms of representation, how was that influential to your understanding of animation and developing Spirit Rangers?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Yeah, it was hugely influential. When I came out to the industry. I just wanted to make Sailor Moon, older YA animation stuff like I loved Gargoyles or like anything stop motion, like dark fantasy stuff. So I really had my nose in the air actually about preschool. I was like, “That’s baby stuff. How am I gonna work on this?” But when I started working at Disney Junior and met Chris Nee, who was also an executive producer on Spirit Rangers, she really opened my eyes, and Disney Junior as well as a whole, opened my eyes to preschool content and how sweet it is and how this audience deserves good content too. It doesn’t have to just be rainbow garbage. It is really sweet and aspirational and is an opportunity to show the world how we wish it is so, or wish it could be. So it just really inspired me.
I had the idea for Spirit Rangers on my computer and it was a two page document. Originally it was a YA horror, same thing, set in a national park about our folklore, which is very scary. But after working on preschool shows and seeing that those same nuggets of learning to be brave, defending your community, protecting each other, all those came out in preschool storytelling, it just fit perfectly. Like it just was like this light bulb moment. I was like, this is supposed to be your preschool show. So that is kind of how that all came about.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: What was your kind of guiding light when you created those first two pages? Did you have a kind of mantra or something that got you through and was like, “okay, this idea is the one that I’m really gonna work on”?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Yes. I had definitely this like burning fire of wanting to like do right by my community and give us Indigenous heroes in a modern space. Like that was definitely what drove me. But it wasn’t like when I pitched the show to Netflix, I didn’t say, here’s your next Indigenous show. I was like, this is your next superhero fantasy adventure that all kids are gonna love. ‘Cause that was something I wanted to lean into is like, while this is a show for my community and made by my community, we also want other non-Native folks to see us as heroes too. Or like wanna see Kodi, Summer, and Eddy and be their friend. So it was such a cool. Such a cool way to like balance approaching the story in that way, and I think alleviated some of the pressure that I was feeling.
It had been so long since there had been Indigenous folks in animation. It was us and Molly of Denali, which is also another very cute show. So I think like taking that pressure off myself and just making sure I’m making myself laugh. I’m thinking about what would little Karissa have wanted to see. And I grew up hearing stories, that it’s probably why I’m such a big fantasy head now is like all my tribal stories are about like how the dolphins are our siblings, or how the king of the ocean is the Swordfish God. Like we just have deep lore that is connected with nature and I wanted to celebrate that in a modern space and give myself permission to adapt those folktales too.
We don’t have to be prison to how they used to be told because stories would’ve evolved. So that was really fun too. Bringing the writers in to give them a refresh and an update. How can we tell that same story for the modern kid today?
CLIP: Spirit Rangers
I don’t see anything.
Me neither.
Me-threether and I have Hawkeyes.
What are we looking for anyway?
The swordfish people.
the Chumash, have always honored the swordfish. They would chase whales to shore to help your ancestors hunt for food.
But now the swordfish people are friends with the whales. Every Swordfish Day, they welcome the whale spirits to play finball. It’s tradition.
I love sports, but what’s a tradition?
A tradition is something people like to do the same way, over and over and over and over again for a long time.
Oh. Like trick or treating or a birthday party?
That’s right. And our Swordfish day tradition is to take out the boat and look for swordfish people. Hopefully we’ll get a glimpse of ’elye’wun. He’s the leader of the ocean.
Cool. Awesome.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: So were there any specific cultural elements from your upbringing that informed the very unique visual style that we see on Spirit Rangers? When you sat down with animators, what were some of the things that you were pulling from?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Yeah, it was, this was the best part ever for me ’cause I really got to pull from my own tribe. I think, you know, we’re a tiny California tribe. We’re in Santa Barbara County. And I think that so far there’s been a lot of representation of Native folks in like maybe the Arctic region or the Plains area. So it was really cool to bring some California Native representation to screen.
So in the show you’ll see lots of rock art. We have lots of ocean stories. I think there’s this misconception that like, you know, Native people, we all lived in teepees, but our houses were not, they were like dome shaped called ‘aps, and that’s how we designed the tree house for the show. It was in that shape. It was very awesome and like, the underscore even has voices from my actual family who are singing and chanting and doing the tribal language in the background.
So it is very Chumash up in there, in that show, which I just am so proud of. It just makes it very distinctly Californian. At the same time, how I formatted the show was that spirits can visit every episode. So it’s kinda like creature of the week, and when chatting with my artists who were primarily based in France they got, you know, the US history lesson that they never asked for.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Oh, wow.
KARISSA VALENCIA: Of all these 500 tribes. So when we had a new spirit visit, I wanted all of their tribal markings to be reflective of the region that they’re from. So if we had Thunderbirds come down, they had really thick you know, Crescent Moon shape, coastal Salish style, kinda like a totem pole, to represent their region.
So when they’re chatting with a condor spirit from California who’s got more rock art, we can see the differences a bit. This might go over a preschooler’s head, but maybe it won’t. Maybe they will see, just that little bit of Natives are not all the same. There are over 500 federally recognized tribes and we each have such beautiful art, music, and different cultures and traditions. So that was my small way of getting it in there.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: So when it comes to depicting that, did you feel any responsibility to speak to tribe members, your family, your elders, about how to frame or translate this folklore into kids animation?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Yes. I love this question because I feel like a lot of times Native folks have just been left out of that conversation when making Native content. So this was a way that I’m very proud of how we Indigenized our production, which was bringing in tribes from the get go. Like once Spirit Rangers got green lit, I really wanted to base the tribe or the family of characters on my tribe. So I went to my elders. We had a big meeting with our elders council and the culture committee, and I went to them and said, this is what I want to do. Like, would you support me? Would you be able to provide language and art? And this is how I think we can get our, you know, our culture stories out there. And I was so nervous, I was curious what they were gonna say, but they were thrilled. They were so excited for this opportunity and said yes. And it was very emotional and they were, they’d been with me from like that very first day of work. They were on board and wanting to help.
And another area was after chatting with the room about what could reflect a current Native kid, we wanted to make the family multi tribal, so we decided to bring in another tribe. And I asked my writers if anybody would wanna go to their own tribes and ask the same thing. And Joey Clift, who was one of our staff writers and consulting producers, went home to the Cowlitz, did the same thing, had a seven hour meeting with his elders, and they also said yes, which we were just so thrilled. So now these two tiny tribes represented our Skycedar family. And then all of the writers, when they brought in the stories from their own regions and tribes, they also asked elders or sought permission from their tribes so that we could tell their stories. It was a very beautiful process and just so Indigenous in the way that it is so community forward.
CLIP: Spirit Rangers
Good shape, extra leafy.
And extra yummy. But I won’t know for sure until I have another two or three…hundred that is! Hey!
If we’re gonna celebrate Xutash harvest, we need enough acorn flour brownies for everyone.
Wait! The Samala celebration for Fall Harvest is today?
That’s right. For some families today is called Thanksgiving. For us, it’s a day to celebrate the amazing, incredible, and delicious Californian foods. I’m so excited. Woo.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: I think one thing that really stood out to me is that Spirit Rangers highlights our national parks and a connection to nature, specifically, right. It’s part of what’s built into the series. So why was it important for you to show kids a connection to nature and animals for them to start thinking about that at a young age?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Yes. The setting for the national park is, I guess it’s pretty personal in a way. ’cause I was thinking about an experience I had when I was a kid. So being from California, I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by so many national parks. I went to all of them, and they just feel magical. You just feel like there’s creatures living in here. There’s endless exploration. That feeling of awe is something I hope to inspire when kids turn on Spirit Rangers and wanna get them outside. But as a little Native kid going to these national parks, there was one field trip we had in elementary school. And we went to a national park and they were talking about my tribe in the past tense. They were saying like, “Hey, so the Chumash used to live here and they were once doing this. And you know, back then they did this,” like, just talking about my whole community as if we just didn’t even exist anymore. And that was such a like, it’s so confusing as a kid to be told you’re not here anymore, but you’re literally standing right there.
So just that erasure in national parks really stuck with me. And when I was thinking about where to set Spirit Rangers, it occurred to me like I had never met an Indigenous park ranger at that time. Now I’m very happy to say I’ve met a few, which is super cool. But back then I hadn’t. And I was thinking, you know in my dream world, national parks would be run and operated with Indigenous teaching.
So Spirit Rangers has a whole family of Indigenous park rangers and they’re the ones leading the charge and taking care of our parks and sharing our knowledge and just have that leadership. So it was very important to me to have that. And then again, just kind of goes to my mission of showing that not all tribes are the same, just like national parks, like all of them are so different. They’re cared for by these different communities that have their own certain teachings that are specific. So it was a really cool way to make like the Disneyland of national parks in Spirit Rangers.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Yeah. That’s amazing. And I think you touched on another theme that really stood out to me watching the series: Spirit Rangers demonstrates what living in a healthy community could look like. Right? It’s kind of our world, but it feels a bit different. You see characters resolving problems from a place of understanding. We’re putting the right people in charge. We’re emphasizing being stewards of the land. So in imbuing the series with this, what do you think that reflects about your hopes for younger generations, for what you hope the world looks like for them?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Oh yeah. Children really are the future, and I just, if this show could inspire a kid to not squish that spider or kick that rock, or want to go see a waterfall, like I think. Getting that kid to love nature is what’s gonna make them super annoying adults being like, how come you’re not recycling? Or, how come we’re not composting? Like I think it can start so young.
So seeing a new wave of eco warriors is something I hope to see, ’cause that is just an age old Indigenous teaching, but I think it’s just around the world, there are so many great folklore about our connection with nature. And I’ve learned a lot about storytelling through folklore, and I think it’s like why I’m still super passionate about protecting our parks and our land. So that’s what I’m hoping for the next wave of kids.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Absolutely. Yeah. Some really badass park rangers being formed right now. I hope so. Now, Karissa, we talked about the other animated series that you’ve written on, but this is your first time creating and show running a series. Is that correct?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Yes. Yes it is. I think Spirit Rangers is a good example of this allyship that needed to happen to get a new wave of Indigenous talent in, including myself, there was over a hundred Indigenous folks who worked on this. Primarily, it was our first time. We all had something to prove and we wanted to do a good job.
And I think being an Indigenous showrunner, I had so much pressure on myself, like many sleepless nights, and it just was, I’m very grateful to my writing team who we got to chat a lot about the pressures and stuff. And there was one day it just kind of hit me that like, “this isn’t gonna be the only Native show out there for kids”. Like we’re gonna mess up. But that next show after us, they’re gonna do it better. And there’s gonna be more.
Like we can’t represent all of, you know, indigeneity, but giving myself that permission to be like, there’s gonna be other shows after us. It’s okay. Just make this show that you know how to do.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: I love that though. You swung the door open and made sure it stayed open behind you, right?
KARISSA VALENCIA: Yes.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: It’s crucial. Crucial work to do. Thank you so much, Karissa, for joining us to talk about this series. We are so thrilled for our audience to hear about it and hopefully learn more about this series through this interview.
KARISSA VALENCIA: Thank you so much for having me, Gabe. This was really fun. Thank you.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Absolutely. Thank you.
Okay. As a Sailor Moon buff, I might be biased, but it was an absolute delight talking to Karissa about Spirit Rangers. It is always so impressive to me when creators see a lack and channel that feeling of exclusion into groundbreaking art. There’s a lightness and joy talking to Karissa that is so clearly the energy with which she’s imbued Spirit Rangers. Like, yes, it’s a series for kids that employs some really funny comedians in their writer’s room, but there’s also a relentless optimism to how the show views the world around us. It cherishes community over rugged individualism. It makes connecting to nature feel important and fun and even magical.
It trusts its young protagonists with a big responsibility. And even when they make mistakes, they’re offered room to learn and grow. I’m excited to talk more about the series with our next guest, Joey Clift, after the break. He’s a writer on Spirit Rangers as well as a comedian that’s worked on a lot of projects centering Native voices.
So we’ll also zoom out a bit and talk about the media landscape. What did it look like before and what’s changed to make a show like Spirit Rangers possible? We’ll be back in a sec with Joey Clift.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Hi everyone. We are back with our next guest, Joey Clift. Joey Clift is a Native American comedian, TV writer, director and producer. He created, directed and wrote Gone Native, a Webby Award-winning Comedy Central digital series, and he’s best known for his contributions to Spirit Rangers and Molly of Denali, as well as his animated short film Pow, which came out this year.
Hi Joey. How are you?
JOEY CLIFT: Hey, Gabe. Yeah, thanks so much for having me. I’m so excited to be on this podcast. I have to say, I have my Peabody certificate that I received in the mail, and I’m going to get it blown up to the size of a building and just put it on the side of the apartment I live in so everybody knows.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: You absolutely should. It’s a “for your consideration” for something you’ve already been awarded for. It’s perfect.
JOEY CLIFT: Yeah, for sure, for sure.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: So Joey, you’ve worked on a lot of different comedy projects, many of them in animation, so I’m curious what drew you to working on Spirit Rangers? What is your origin story behind working on the show?
JOEY CLIFT: My story prior to Spirit Rangers, I was somebody that was more in the Los Angeles alt comedy space, doing a lot of stuff at places like the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. And writing for kids TV wasn’t necessarily something that was just like kind of on my purview. You know, it’s hard to think about writing for kids when you’re doing black box comedy shows at 2:00 AM in front of four drunk people.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, of course.
JOEY CLIFT: But I had a few small credits writing for a couple of animated series. And you know, I gotta say I was like a little bit skeptical going into it just because I’m so used to kind of coming from more of the hard comedy space. But when Karissa pitched the show to me, which was: it’s Power Rangers meets Sailor Moon, but Native. I was like, I don’t care what age group that is, I’m in, you know?
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Wait, that’s an amazing comp to have. That absolutely captures the vibe in a way. I could not articulate it. I love that.
JOEY CLIFT: You know, like Karissa jokingly called it the Native Avengers, and it was when we broke it down as this amazing opportunity, it’s like, yeah, how could you not say yes to that? You know?
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, definitely. Spirit Rangers does have a lot of Native folks working, you know, in front of and behind the animated camera. But I’m wondering how do you feel that dynamic is reflected in not just the show, but also the process behind the scenes? Does it feel different than other gigs you’ve worked?
JOEY CLIFT: Yeah, it was so beautiful working with, you know, an all Native writers room and so many Native folks, you know, in front of and behind the camera on the show. You know, in terms of community, it was so beautiful to just share space with so many other Native folks existing, you know, in the 2020s when we were working on this show.
I mean, an example would be when it was announced that the Washington D.C. NFL team that, you know, previously had a name that was not great for Native folks, when it was announced that they were changing their name, I think that was announced like during a Spirit Rangers writers room meeting. So we were able to like, celebrate that together.
When it was announced that Deb Haaland was named Secretary of the Interior, that was when we were in a Spirit Rangers voiceover recording session and like, literally like we had to pause the session so that everybody could like cry, you know, and cry tears of joy, ’cause it was such a historic, she’s the first Native person ever to serve in a secretary level position in US presidential cabinet.
And to share space with a lot of other Native folks that understood the complexities and beauty of these moments was just so cool. And I mean, you know, Karissa and I, we refer to it as like, “Oh there was just always a little bit of Native magic sprinkled over the show”, and a lot of like beautiful serendipity in us just being able to share space together over several years.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, regarding the complexity, as you mentioned, you don’t have to speak for the many tribes that exist in the United States as the one person in the room, you’re not expected to kind of be the quote unquote Native voice because there are so many around you.
JOEY CLIFT: Yeah. Like one of the episodes that I wrote was about Native sports mascots and another episode that I wrote was about why it’s important the United States government like honor its treaties with tribes, you know, all in a show for four year olds, which is so cool that we got to do that. But what empowered me as a writer to tackle these complex subjects that had, I’m sure never been covered in like kids animation before, was that Karissa really led this amazing writer’s room where we could have like a group think about it. We could say like, okay, what do we collectively as a room of Native folks from all different tribes want to say about this subject?
And I just have to say, we could not have made this show without Karissa Valencia at the forefront showing us how to do it. This was the first kid show in the history of US animation, created by a Native person, with an all Native writers room and a ton of Native folks working on it in front of and behind the camera.
And one of the beautiful aspects of working on this show is that we got to figure out kind of what that meant together; and for us to be able to navigate that together in that not only are we making a show that you know is hopefully making Netflix and the Netflix viewing audience happy, but we’re also making a show that like our elders would like.
It’s like the “representation sweats” is a term that we use a lot, and to be able to navigate that with Karissa and with Karissa’s help, learning how to navigate that was just something that, you know, it was just so cool. And I often say that working for Spirit Rangers for me wasn’t just a career highlight, it was a life highlight to get to, you know, tell Native stories in this way.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: I’m wondering, have you received any feedback from your target audience? Have you heard from any kids on how they feel about Spirit Rangers?
JOEY CLIFT: Something that Karissa and I joke about a lot is the people that we were most worried about and the most stressed about reactive to Spirit Rangers was not Netflix executives, it was not critics. It was our communities. You know, are our tribes gonna like this? And something that’s been so beautiful about it is I remember the first time, one of the first times that we presented Spirit Rangers to my tribe, there were elders that were full on just like crying as they were saying how proud of me and the show that they were.
A lot of members of my tribe have sent me pictures of their kids who are within the Spirit Rangers kind of viewing age audience, watching the show with just absolute awe on their eyes. And I have like full- on ugly cried hearing, you know, the positive reaction that people have had to the show. And, you know, I’ve heard so many great, you know, responses from kids, adults, parents, you know, talking about how much they love the show and specifically for Native folks, like how much it means to them that the show exists.
And something that I think is so cool about Spirit Rangers is when Karissa and I were kids, we didn’t have anything like this growing up that showed just, you know, authentic modern day Native people existing and being happy in the world. And for Native kids, it’s like, they’re not watching it with that lens, they’re just watching it as like, “oh, this is a really cool show, and the dad kind of reminds me of my uncle,” you know?
And then meanwhile their parents are behind them like crying as they’re explaining to me like, “Oh, like our kids just like this as a show. And they don’t have to think about how they didn’t have this growing up. They just get to have this growing up”. And you know, that’s an aspect of this that I just really appreciate.
And yeah, I mean, it’s something that I’m, you know, as a comedian and somebody who you know, goes around and does shows and gives talks, oftentimes Spirit Rangers is mentioned as part of my bio when people bring me out on stage. And every time Spirit Rangers is mentioned, there’s like an audible like gasp and applause from the audience just on the mention of Spirit Rangers.
One of my favorite responses to Spirit Rangers was shortly after the show came out, I went to my tribe’s powwow in Southern Washington. And there was a kid that came up to me that must have been like, I’m gonna say seven or eight or something like that. And he very shyly asked me like, “Did you work on Spirit Rangers“?
And then I was like, “Yeah, I did”. And then he was like, “Oh, my sister likes that show”, but in a way that it was clear that he liked the show, but thought it was too young for him. Yeah. And then I was like, “oh, thanks”. And then I gave him a Spirit Rangers patch that you can sew onto a uniform. And I was like, “Here you go. Here’s a gift for you”. And he, the look on his eyes was truly like Santa Claus just visited him, you know? So yeah, just, I’m seeing so much love from Native and non-Native folks in my community and other people’s communities, and it’s just, it’s so impactful and I’m so proud to be a part of the show.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Absolutely. Thank you for being here. And before I let you go, I’m wondering is there anything we can be on the lookout from you coming up?
JOEY CLIFT: I sold a book that I’m very excited about.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Amazing.
JOEY CLIFT: That’s gonna come out October of 2026. It’s called-
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Congratulations.
JOEY CLIFT: Oh, thank you. It’s called, We’ve Been Here the Whole Time: A Not So Sacred Guide to Indian Country, Native History, and our Present, Too.
It’s through Andrews McMeel Publishing. It comes out in October of 2026, and it’s like a comedy satire book about all the Native history that you did not learn in high school. So it’s sort of like if The Onion or The Daily Show wrote a book about Native history. So definitely if you’re listening to this, pre-order it, pick up a copy and you know, I promise. It’s funny and good.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: I love that. The title is spectacular and I’m sure that your voice alone is enough to draw folks. That’s very exciting. I cannot wait to read it. Thank you for sharing that and for sharing a little bit more about your work and your experience on Spirit Rangers. Thank you for swinging by the podcast today.
JOEY CLIFT: Oh yeah. Thanks so much for having me, Gabe. I appreciate it. And if you could help me set up the giant Peabody certificate I’m putting on the side of my apartment, I would really appreciate it.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Absolutely. I can’t wait to see the installation.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Alright, well thank you to both of our guests, Karissa Valencia and Joey Clift for joining us today.
A big takeaway for me this episode was understanding the urgency of contemporary Indigenous stories. As both of our guests mentioned, Native history is often taught as something fixed in the past, giving many non-Native Americans an antiquated and sometimes stereotypical idea of the communities Indigenous to our country. So how brilliant and necessary to not only have a show that’s inclusive of Native talent and driven by a deep, cultural understanding across several tribes; but also reaches kids with current, imaginative and relatable characters. Stories of Indigenous kids today linking the past to the present.
But most importantly, Spirit Rangers is just a great show. It is beautifully animated, very thoughtfully written, and honestly quite engaging for any age or audience.
Thank you again for joining us and before we let you go, we’ve got one pending duty. Because the Peabodys are decided unanimously. Every episode will bring you the quote that we chose unanimously as our most disruptive moment:
KARISSA VALENCIA: Getting that kid to love nature is what’s gonna make them super annoying adults being like, “how come you’re not recycling?” or “How come we’re not composting?”
GABE GONZÁLEZ: Next time on We Disrupt this Broadcast, we’ll be talking to TV legend, John Wells, executive producer of the show that has everyone clocking in for a shift at America’s most riveting emergency room, The Pitt.
JOHN WELLS: We’re very fortunate that we have four full-time, practicing ER physicians who rotate through the show, so there’s somebody on the set at all times to make sure what we’re doing is real and realistic. And then we have anywhere from eight to ten working emergency room nurses who come in and work with us in between their shifts and are actually, when you see the nurses who know what they’re doing in the trauma scenes, they’re all real ER nurses. And so it makes a huge difference.
GABE GONZÁLEZ: We Disrupt This Broadcast is a Peabody and Center for Media and Social Impact production hosted by me, Gabe González, with on air contributions from Caty Borum and Jeffrey Jones. The show is brought to you by executive producers, Caty Borum and Jeffrey Jones. Managing producer Jordana Jason. Writers: Sasha Stewart, Jordana Jason, Bethany Hall, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, and myself, Gabe González.
Consulting producers Jennifer Keishin Armstrong and Bethany Hall. Researcher, Riley McLaughlin. Graphic designer: Olivia Klaus. Operations producer: Varsha Ramani. The marketing and communications team: Christine Drayer and Tunishia Singleton. From PRX: the team is Terrence Bernardo, Jennie Cataldo, Edwin Ochoa and Amber Walker. The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.