The team behind the winning podcast — “Red County, Blue County, Orange County,” — from left: Dean Jon Gould, Mimi Ko Cruz, Matt Coker and Han Parker. Photo by Karen Tapia. Mike Madrid pictured below.
Host Mike Madrid, Dean Jon Gould and communications team honored
UC Irvine School of Social Ecology’s podcast “Red County, Blue County, Orange County” has won a fourth award — the Award of Distinction from the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA).
The school was among the winners of AIVA’s 32nd Annual Communicator Awards, including NBC, Gedeon, UCLA, Fortune Media, Critical Mass, The Walt Disney Company, The Alamo, Special Olympics, Oliver Wyman, Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Pfizer, SFC Group, United States Postal Service and many others.
Breaking through in an era of content overload is no small task, AIVA announced in a press release. “It requires the right message, medium and moment. This season’s winners got it exactly right, spanning campaigns, video series, annual reports, podcasts, websites, immersive experiences, brand style guides and beyond.”
Last year, “Red County, Blue County, Orange County” won the 2025 Orange County Press Club award for Best Audio Storytelling/Podcast, a silver award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the CASE Best of District VII Award.
The special six-episode podcast, hosted by the school’s Senior Fellow Mike Madrid, delves into how Orange County has changed over the decades and where it’s heading. It aired last year on the school’s website and on Politicology.
Madrid, a veteran political consultant and a cofounder of The Lincoln Project, interviews former Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Democratic State Senator Tom Umberg, Republican Huntington Beach City Councilman Tony Strickland, Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, Nguoi Viet TV host Christina Bich-Tram Le, former Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times political reporter Jean Pasco, political consultant Stuart Spencer and School of Social Ecology Dean Jon Gould.
The podcast’s guests talk about Orange County’s future and how it is a microcosm of political change happening in the rest of the country.
“Orange County is a look into the future,” said Madrid, who named the podcast. “What we’ve learned through this podcast series is that the future is neither a red county, blue county or an orange county. It’s truly a purple county.”
Gould agreed, adding that the podcast offers lessons for the country. “What we’re seeing is the future of America right here in Orange County,” he said. “If you want to have a sense of what may be happening elsewhere in the country in the years ahead, pay attention to what’s been happening here and is still happening here today.”
He said the podcast shines a spotlight on the county as a microcosm of political change and it exceeded his expectations, “thanks to Mike Madrid and our school's communications team who produced the highly educational program.”
Credits
The podcast producers were Madrid, Mimi Ko Cruz, director of communications, and Han Parker, digital media manager. Cruz, Parker and Matt Coker, social media manager, served as the podcast editors.
Episodes
Listeners can tune in to “Red County, Blue County, Orange County” on the podcast website.