Episode
Tommy Andres on The Eye of the Fighter
- Podcast
- Origin Stories
- Published
- Jan 21, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1838
- Processing state
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Summary
Tommy Andres is an audio journalist whose work has spanned This American Life, CNN, and Marketplace, where he spent years as a senior producer. More recently, he’s focused on deeply reported, limited-run narratives, including Third Squad After Afghanistan , which was shortlisted for a National Magazine Award and won an Edward R. Murrow Award. He also served as executive producer on We Came to the Forest . In this episode, Andres talks to Matthew about The Eyes of the Fighter , a two-part story he hosted and produced for Sports Explains the World . It begins with a home invasion in the middle of the night and turns inward, as Andres tries to understand how Jermaine Thompson, a former wrestler and amateur MMA fighter, ended up inside his Atlanta home. The search takes him through wrestling gyms, MMA, and a spiral of addiction and pain. He also reflects on what it’s like to report on your own life, how body-camera footage challenged his memory of what happened, and the discomfort of turning someone else’s lowest moment into a story. “Did he fully know this was going to turn into a real thing? That’s a scary place to be,” Andres says. “Because you start asking yourself: did I help this guy or did I hurt this guy? The whole point of the piece is I’m rooting for him. And then you wonder if you just used him to get a story. That extractive feeling makes me uncomfortable.” To connect with the team and gain access to behind the scenes content, join our community at joincampside.com . You can also find us on Instagram , TikTok & Youtube . Have a question, guest recommendation or just want to say hi? Email us at [email protected]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-inf…