The Founder Crude Roots was founded by Cody Liska, an independent journalist and podcast host whose work explores the people, places, and ideas that shape our lives. For more than a decade, he has reported on stories across Alaska and beyond, producing long-form interviews, narrative journalism, and documentary-style audio projects that focus on culture, history, science, adventure, and the human experience. He is the host of Crude Conversations, an independent interview podcast featuring artists, athletes, academics, explorers, and thought leaders, and Chatter Marks, a podcast of the Anchorage Museum. His journalism and audio work have been recognized with over 30 journalism awards.

Exhibitions & Museum Work Cody’s work has also been featured as part of permanent and long-running museum exhibitions. From 2019 to 2020, episodes of Crude Conversations were featured in listening chairs within the Anchorage Museum’s Art of the North galleries. Beginning in 2026, Chatter Marks became part of an ongoing interstitial audio-visual exhibition at the Anchorage Museum, introducing visitors to conversations about Alaska, culture, history, art, and the rapidly changing North.

The Philosophy Crude Roots grew from the simple belief that every life contains stories worth preserving. Through professionally recorded legacy interviews, Crude Roots helps individuals and families capture memories, experiences, values, and family history in the speaker’s own voice. These conversations become a lasting archive, one that allows future generations to hear not only what their loved ones thought and experienced, but how they laughed, reflected, and made sense of the world around them.