In 1981, 11-year-old Matt De Meritt got a phone call that would change his life. He wasn’t a child actor, or a performer of any kind. He was just a suburban kid enjoying his summer before he had to go back to school. But Matt had something no other kid had — something Steven Spielberg needed in order to embark on his most ambitious movie yet. On the Very Special Episodes podcast, Dana, Zaron, and Jason tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie!” Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. Note: This episode contains discussions of suicide. Please take care while listening. * VERY SPECIAL CREDITS Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Jake Rossen Produced by Josh Fisher Story Editor is Marisa Brown Editing and Sound Design by Mary Dooe, Jonathan Washington and Josh Fisher Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier Voice Actors are Jess Krainchich and Juliet English Original Music by Elise McCoy Research and Fact Checking by Jake Rossen and Austin Thompson Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English Special thanks to Simon Brew. Check out the Film Stories podcast! Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying Very Special Episodes, please leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.