Andrew Crystal

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-crystal-805b5962/
Contact

Professional Experience

Experienced senior researcher, political consultant, attorney, and news junkie. I'm a voracious follower of the 24-hour news cycle and understand what issues shape and drive media coverage. As a consultant, I conduct legal and opposition research for various political clients, including for legislative, judicial, and prosecutorial races. As a Senior News Producer for Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, I lead a team of researchers conducting investigative research into the modern cultural and political landscape that forms the factual backbone of an episode. I then create the initial story structure, theme, and narrative arc for the episode before handing it off to the writing team. This unique storytelling experience gives me a leg up because I understand how to carefully craft a narrative that deeply resonates with a diverse audience. In both of these capacities, I must transform complicated research into communications strategies designed to tell the most compelling, emotional, and persuasive stories that

Expertise

Researcher
7 Years
Producer (television)
4 Years
Fact-Checker
7 Years

Specialty

Politics
7 Years
Law
7 Years
Government
7 Years

Industries


Broadcasting - Ent - TV (National)
2 Years
Other
7 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

2 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (Netflix) (6-10), Kal Penn Approves This Message (Freeform) (6-10)

Other Work History

Legal & Political Research Consultant, Democratic National Committee, Global Strategy Group, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Kay Hagan

Awards

Peabody Award

Showcase

General

Hasan And Keith Ellison On Justice For George Floyd
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 6/26/2020)
On May 31st, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took over the ongoing prosecution of Derek Chauvin and three other former Minneapolis police officers for their roles in the death of George Floyd. Soon after, Hasan made a passionate plea to Keith Ellison to fight for justice in the case - and it turns out that Keith was listening. Here, Hasan sits down with Ellison to discuss the case, his decision to file new and increased charges against all four officers in the murder, and the underlying systemic racism within the criminal justice system in America. Hasan also examines the impact of recent protests around the country, Ellison's personal encounters with police brutality as a black man, and his views on the rising calls to abolish policing altogether. I conducted the background research for this interview and wrote the initial list of questions. I conducted the background research for the interview and wrote the list of initial questions.
Student Loans
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 2/24/2019)
With Americans' student debt now over $1.5 trillion, Hasan looks at how the federal government turned the Department of Education into the largest bank in America in terms of loans, and examines the department's relationship with loan servicers. These private financial companies have benefitted from Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' hands-off regulation that has made it easy for students to become trapped in debt. I was lead News Producer on this episode.
We're Doing Elections Wrong
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 6/22/2020)
How did the 2020 presidential election in America come down to Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden? Hasan illustrates why our partisan, two-party system is the result of winner-take-all elections and why ranked choice voting is a much more democratic alternative. He also talks to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) about the ideological divide in the Democratic party between moderates and progressives. I was lead News Producer on this episode.
Cricket Corruption
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 5/26/2019)
Hasan takes a look at the history and politics behind one of the biggest sports in the world: cricket. With billions of fans scheduled to tune into the upcoming 2019 Cricket World Cup, Hasan examines how the game has evolved from a sport of British colonizers into a tool of diplomacy and a force for good despite recent scandals and corruption. Hasan also explores how cricket has especially grown in India due in part to the creation of the IPL, a flashy professional cricket league founded by the infamous Lalit Modi, and how that expansion has unfortunately come at the expense of the growth of cricket in other countries. I was lead News Producer on this episode.
The Broken Policing System
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 9/9/2019)
2014 was a turning point in the national conversation around police violence after the killings of Michael Brown, Laquan Mcdonald, and Eric Garner. Five years later, Hasan examines the systems in place that protect and sometimes incentivize police misconduct in America. This episode aired before the murder of George Floyd. I was the lead News Producer on this episode.
Immigration Enforcement
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 11/25/2018)
Hasan looks at America’s immigration enforcement laws and how the Trump administration seems to ignore the growing threat of right-wing terrorism while demonizing immigrants and refugees I was the lead News Producer on this episode.
Civil Rights Under Trump
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 3/3/2019)
Hasan dissects the ways in which the Trump Administration has been systematically dismantling civil rights policies in America. From failures to enforce existing laws to undoing protections aimed at helping marginalized citizens, Hasan takes an in-depth look at the tactics the current administration is using to discriminate against those who need protection. I was lead News Producer on this episode.
Why Your Internet Sucks
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 6/16/2019)
Hasan discusses Internet inequality in the U.S. and the reasons why millions of Americans cannot get online in 2019. Even though the Internet is considered a basic human right by the UN, many poor and rural communities across the country are still left with little to no access to broadband networks. This lack of Internet access then further impacts the ability of these communities to obtain healthcare, education, and other important necessities. While Internet service providers like Comcast and Charter are largely to blame for Internet inequality in parts of the country, the FCC is making things worse by siding with private corporations at the expense of millions of Americans who lack access to what has become a vital tool for everyday life. I was the lead News Producer on this episode.
Don't Ignore The Asian Vote in 2020
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 12/9/2019)
The Asian American population has grown large enough to swing elections, but it remains one of the least politically active groups in the country. Hasan travels to Asian American communities to hear the issues that matter to voters and to sit down with two politicians running to represent them––presidential candidates Andrew Yang and Cory Booker. Hasan also reaches out to more conservative voices in the Asian American community, but gets barred from an event featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hasan Sits Down With Bernie Sanders
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 2/3/2020)
Hasan interviewed 2020 presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders for Patriot Act's episode on aging and retirement in America. Watch as Hasan and Bernie continue their conversation to further discuss the Senator's presidential campaign, foreign policy in the Middle East, student loan forgiveness, and how he plans on working with Republicans if he becomes president. I helped write the questions for this interview.
How Coronavirus Broke America
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 6/1/2020)
Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. has experienced large shortages ranging from masks and ventilators to basic food items. Hasan examines what happened to these vital supply chains, how Trump’s misuse of the Defense Production Act is contributing to their disruption, and how workers across America are being impacted. I was the lead News Producer on this episode.
Don't Sleep On Your Local Elections
(Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj 11/5/2018)
You know those local politicians at the bottom of your voting ballot with the weird sounding titles that you always skip over? Hasan explains why those local state races are just as important as the national ones. I was lead News Producer for this episode.