About

Worlds Turned Upside Down tells the story of the American Revolution as a transatlantic crisis and imperial civil war through the lives of people who experienced it.

For many modern citizens of the United States, “the cause of America” that gave birth to a new nation in 1776 and the heroic stories we tell ourselves about its founding remains “in great measure the cause of all mankind.”

But for the people who lived through it, the revolutionary era upended their lives in ways they could have never imagined. The crisis that engulfed the Atlantic world in the late eighteenth century inspired British Americans, Indigenous nations, enslaved Africans and African Americans, Europeans, and other peoples to question their loyalties, challenge authority, seek freedom, and resist revolutionary change.

Worlds Turned Upside Down is a multi-season podcast series production of R2 Studios at the Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. The series is narrated, written, and created by Jim Ambuske and is executive produced by Jeanette Patrick.

 

About the Hosts

Jim Ambuske Profile Photo

Jim Ambuske

Narrator | Writer

Jim Ambuske is Co-Head of R2 Studios. He is a historian of the American Revolution, Scotland, and the British Atlantic World. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia in 2016 and he is the author and co-author of several publications on the American Revolution, transatlantic legal history, and King George III. At R2 Studios, Ambuske serves as an executive producer of The Green Tunnel podcast. Before joining R2 Studios, Ambuske led the Center for Digital History at the Washington Library at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, where he hosted and produced the podcast, Conversations at the Washington Library and with Jeanette Patrick co-created and co-wrote the podcast series, Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. He is also a former Farmer Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Virginia Law Library. At UVA Law Library, Ambuske co-directed the 1828 Catalouge Project and the Scottish Court of Session Digital Archive Project. Follow him on Twitter @jamespambuske, or on Mastodon and Instagram @jimambuske.

Jeanette Patrick Profile Photo

Jeanette Patrick

Executive Producer

Jeanette Patrick is the Head of R2 Studios. She is a public historian and has an M.A. in Public History from James Madison University. At R2 Studios, she oversees the development and production of all the studio’s podcasts including The Green Tunnel and Worlds Turned Upside Down. Patrick previously worked in the museum industry where she played a pivotal role in creating digital public history projects. Prior to R2 Studios, Patrick worked for George Washington’s Mount Vernon, where she managed the history and preservation website content and built many digital exhibits. She also wrote scripts for audio and AR tours, live-action films, and animated videos. With Jim Ambuske, Patrick co-created and co-wrote the podcast Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Before Mount Vernon, Patrick was employed by the National Women’s History Museum, where she created a walking tour about the women who lived in Alexandria, Virginia during the Civil War, edited a series of children’s books, and directed “A Report on the Status of Women in the United States Social Studies Standards.”

Curt Dahl Profile Photo

Curt Dahl

Lead Audio Editor

Curt has been the recipient of scores of prestigious awards throughout his career including the Clio, the Mobius, the Telly, the Silver Microphone, the New York Festival Award, the Aurora, the Gabriel, the Addy, the Cine Golden Eagle, the Andy, the Hall of Fame Award from Families Supporting Adoption, and the Bronze Lion at the Cannes Film Festival. "Waterfight", a public service announcement Curt wrote and produced was listed in Random House's "100 Best Television Commercials and Why They Worked."

Dahl previously collaborated with Jim Ambuske and Jeanette Patrick on the narrative podcast series, Intertwined: The Enslaved Community at George Washington's Mount Vernon.

Bridget Bukovich Profile Photo

Bridget Bukovich

Community Engagement Coordinator

Bridget Bukovich is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media and R2 Studios. Bridget has an M.A. in Applied History and a graduate certificate in Digital Public Humanities from George Mason University. She is an expert in strategic social media management and digital marketing, with extensive experience in marketing management, community engagement, and outreach. Combining her professional experience in marketing with her education in history, she leads efforts to identify audiences for the resources created by RRCHNM and R2 Studios historians.

Amber Pelham Profile Photo

Amber Pelham

Graduate Research Assistant

Amber Pelham is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in History at George Mason University. She holds an M.A. in Public History from New York University, with a specialized focus on the preservation of local communities in the Carolinas. Amber’s research is dedicated to exploring migration patterns of African Americans within the Carolinas.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Amber is deeply committed to community engagement. She actively participates in the creation of resources aimed at fostering digital interaction within rural communities.

Grace Mallon Profile Photo

Grace Mallon

British Correspondent

Grace Mallon is a historian of the early American republic. She is currently the Kinder Junior Research Fellow in Atlantic History at the University of Oxford.