10 Years of 20K! How It All Began

The 10th anniversary of *Twenty Thousand Hertz* traces the evolution of host Dallas Taylor from a struggling trumpet player to a professional sound designer and podcaster. After experiencing debilitating performance anxiety, Taylor pivoted to audio engineering, working in live television and eventually founding his own sound agency, DeFacto Sound. The podcast emerged from a period of professional instability, serving as a creative outlet that grew into a successful, independent production. Key milestones include the early, unpolished pilot episode, the pivotal endorsement from Roman Mars of *99% Invisible*, and the transition from a corporate-driven career at Discovery to building a sustainable, mission-driven media project. This oral history highlights the intersection of technical craft, business resilience, and the pursuit of meaningful edutainment, culminating in a reflection on the challenges of maintaining creative independence over a decade of production.