A Refreshingly Curious Adventure through Our Divided America

<p>Peter Santenello has been documenting his world travels on YouTube for nearly two decades, but it wasn’t until he moved in with a family in the Ukrainian countryside that he really began to hone his storytelling approach.&nbsp;There were no flashy edits or celebrities, just visits with locals talking about their home, and his Ukraine series quickly gained an online following in that country.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>When the pandemic hit, Peter moved home to the United States and wondered if his formula could work there too – and that’s when his audience really exploded.&nbsp;Now with more than 4 million subscribers, Peter travels around the country chronicling all sorts of micro-cultures that “the media fails to capture,” showcasing places at various points of the economic cycle, some booming, and others left out of prosperity and struggling to hold on.&nbsp;</p><p>He joins Anna to talk about transitioning to US-based videos, what makes his approach unique, and why curiosity beats expertise.&nbsp;</p><p>You can watch all of Peter’s videos on his YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PeterSantenello" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>@PeterSantenello</em></a>, and his new book<em> </em><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/your-fellow-americans/id6754248733?itscg=30200&amp;at=1000l38Mz&amp;ct=death_sex_money" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Your Fellow Americans: Dispatches from Across the Country We Call Home</em></a><em> </em>is out now.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>This episode was produced by Andrew Dunn.&nbsp;</p><p>Get more <em>Death, Sex &amp; Money</em> with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of DSM and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the <em>Death, Sex &amp; Money</em> show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/death-sex-money/id870688022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0yKEWqaqfaAKlSjYnDuisy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. Or, visit <a href="https://slate.com/death-sex-money-plus?utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=plus_pod&amp;utm_content=Death_Sex_Money&amp;utm_source=episode_summary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">slate.com/dsmplus</a> to get access wherever you listen.</p><p>If you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deathsexmoney/?hl=en" rel="noopener norefer