Washington won the Public Radio Talent Quest sponsored by
Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which had more than 1,400 entries. Shortly after winning, he and longtime creative partner Mark Ristich developed the
Snap Judgment radio program, which first aired on NPR stations nationwide in July 2010.
Snap Judgment now airs weekly on over 450
public radio stations and is downloaded over one million times each month. Inspired by his own experience growing up in an apocalyptic cult, in 2018 Washington joined forces with Pineapple Street Studios to create the popular ''
Heaven's Gate'' podcast -- which later became the basis of HBO Max's docuseries ''Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults''. Inspired by
Snap Judgment's popular annual Halloween specials, in 2017 Washington launched the
Snap Judgment spinoff podcast,
Spooked. The program quickly soared to the top of the podcast charts and was named one of the “Top 10 New Podcasts of 2017” by Podtrac. “The response to
Spooked proved overwhelming and a real testament to how much we love the unknown,” said Washington. “There’s nothing scarier or more mesmerizing than a real-life ghost story. These encounters stay with listeners beyond each episode and ask audiences to question their own reality.” Adding to the "Snap Judgment LIVE" touring show roster, Washington and Ristich recently expanded the Spooked universe with the acclaimed "Spooked LIVE" stageshow, and plans a multi-city run in 2025. In 2023, Washington's Snap Studios was acquired by public media powerhouse
KQED in San Francisco. Snap Studios has since launched a string of podcast hits including "Mind Your Own With Lupita Nyong'o" (lauded by the New York Times as one of the Best Ten Podcasts of 2024), and "Fire Escape", hosted by veteran Snap Judgment producer Anna Susssman and named as one of Mashable's 20 Best Podcasts of 2024. Snap Judgment's "A Tiny Plot" (hosted by Shaina Sheely) was lauded by The New Yorker Magazine as one the best podcasts of 2025. From 2007 until 2010 Washington was the Director of
Young Entrepreneurs at Haas (YEAH), a Center within
University of California, Berkeley's
Haas School of Business. ==References==