Rico Gagliano is a radio reporter, producer and host. Along with Brendan Newman, he’s heard on Marketplace’s bi-monthly “Small Talk” segment, asking the show’s staff and reporters what odd and under-the-radar news stories they’ll be talking about at dinner parties over the weekend. Gagliano also co-created and co-hosts American Public Media's popular radio show and podcast The Dinner Party Download, for which he’s interviewed guests including Spike Lee, Venus Williams and Sir Richard Branson. Gagliano filed his first freelance story with Marketplace in 2001 and his pieces also appeared on The Savvy Traveler and All Things Considered. He joined Marketplace full-time in 2004, spending several years as an international field reporter filing stories from England, Ireland, Sweden, The Netherlands, South Korea and India. He also wrote, performed and produced most of Marketplace’s “Marketplace Players” comedy sketches. Prior to joining Marketplace, Gagliano was a television writer serving as a staff writer on shows for ABC, MTV and Fox Family, as well as his sketch comedy troupe “The Ministry of Unknown Science” which shot two pilots for Spike TV and the Sci-Fi Network. Gagliano’s writing has appeared in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, L.A. Weekly, and The Village Voice among others. In 2009, Rico interviewed Mary Chapin of folk trio The Chapin Sisters for KPCC-FM’s program “Offramp.” That episode went on to win the “Best Public Affairs Show” award from both the L.A. Press Club and the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California. Gagliano is a magna cum laude and golden key honors society graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where he received his bachelor’s degree in film studies. He also received his master’s degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Gagliano currently resides in Los Angeles where he is an amateur photographer and guitar player.