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The Collators

Mark Lockwood, Howard Atkin

Dive into the philosophy and practice of analysis and information sharing, with insights from leaders in tech, academia, intelligence and beyond on how they make sense of the world. Hosts Mark and Howard draw on experience in intelligence, law enforcement and academia to unpack the ideas and methods that shape understanding. Thoughtful but accessible, it's a podcast for anyone who wants to sharpen their thinking in a complex, fast-changing world.

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  • 24 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 13 min
  • English

Episodes 24

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  • S2 · E4
    February 19 · 1 hr 13 min

    Making Sense: Interview with Deborah Osborne

    Mark and Howard are joined by Deborah Osborne. Retired intelligence analyst and educator whose career spans the Buffalo Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service. A wide-ranging conversation about what analysis actually is, why the profession so often struggles to define itself, and what "good" looks like in practice. Debbie's journey into the craft is anything but linear (she didn't become an analyst until her forties), and that outside perspective shapes a sharp critique of how the role is taught, labeled, and valued.

  • S2 · E3
    February 17 · 1 hr 43 min

    Standards Matter - With Jeremy Levin

    There's an old joke in intel. Three analysts, six opinions. Well in this pod, three intelligence nerds walk into a podcast and end up debating about standards, ethics, and the limits of what humans can explain about their own thinking. Jeremy Levin (analyst, trainer, and long-time intelligence practitioner) sits down with Mark Lockwood and Howard Atkin to discuss how analytic standards evolved from "guild" practice into codified frameworks like ICD 203.

  • S2 · E2
    February 5 · 1 hr 11 min

    Trust me, I'm a doctor - Dr James Wilson

    Dr. James Wilson returns to the collators, and this time the topic is trust. Jim shares what it's like when families walk into the clinic sceptical, anxious, or armed with competing "expert" advice, and how he had to rethink his own approach: less authority-as-command, more humility, disclosure, and coaching. Mark and Howard connect the dots to policing, courts, and the wider attention economy where simple narratives spread faster than complex truths. Together, they ask a hard question: if trust is falling everywhere, how do we rebuild it without surrendering expertise?

  • S2 · E1
    January 25 · 1 hr 14 min

    The madness of our times

    What does a banking crash have to do with frontline services quietly collapsing a decade later? In this episode, Mark and Howard are joined by award-winning political scientist and economist Mark Blyth (Brown University) to trace the "breadcrumb trail" from 2008 to today's brittle institutions, hollowed-out state capacity, and a politics increasingly powered by distraction — mostly in the UK, but with familiar echoes across the West. Warning: This was recorded late on a Friday night and the conversation got… enthusiastic at times. Apologies for the salty language, but we're talking about difficult issues and with deep feeling. https://thecollators.com for more

Showing 21–24 of 24 episodes