Podcast Perspectives

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) can be a confusing organization for the podcasting industry. They’re an influential player that many recognize by name, but it's not often clear to the everyday podcaster what they actually do.The IAB’s main objective is to develop and establish the ‘rules and regulations of podcasting’ – namely determining how we measure key metrics within the industry, such as 'what is a download'. The determinations that they make can have enormous trickle-down effects in the industry. In this episode I speak with the IAB Director of Audio and Video Matt Shapo, who walks me through the intricacies of the organization's mandates. Matt explains how the IAB’s rules get made, what their goals are for podcasting, and why everyone in the industry should care about what they do.To find more about the IAB’s role in podcasting, you can visit iab.com/podcasts. You can find Matt on LinkedIn. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wonder Media Network was founded in 2018 to “introduce empathy into politics, business, and culture.” Since then, they’ve grown into a sizable independent network, creating award-winning originals and branded series for clients. To walk me through the secrets to Wonder Media’s success, I talk with their Head of Development, Emily Rudder. Emily has been at Wonder since 2019, and has held a variety of roles from production to marketing. Emily shares Wonder Media’s history, her approach to development for shows at all stages, and the network's monetization strategy in 2024.To find more from Wonder Media Network you can visit their website wondermedianetwork.com. You can find Emily online on LinkedIn or Twitter @EmRuddz.I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 27-year-old Slate Magazine just had its most profitable year ever, and it credits podcasting for much of its success. Slate has been publishing podcasts since the 2005 launch of Political Gabfest, and they’ve built on that success ever since. Today, they have dozens of successful shows, a thriving subscription business in Slate Plus, and they recently acquired Death, Sex & Money from WNYC.To learn how Slate achieved this, I’m chatting with Alicia Montgomery, their Vice President of Audio. Alicia was a public radio veteran before moving to Slate in 2020, where she now leads their content strategy. Alicia walks me through Slate’s history in podcasting, the strategy which led them to this moment, and their future in audio.You can find Alicia online on LinkedIn and Twitter @AMontgomery_998. For more from Slate you can visit their website slate.com where they have all their print and audio content. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In March of 2023 the podcast agency Maximum Fun announced the company would convert to a worker-owned model. At the same time, Maximum Fun’s founder, Jesse Thorn, would be stepping down as CEO after nearly 20 years at the company (though would still work at MaxFun).On this episode, I'm checking in with their current CEO Bikram Chatterji to see how things are going. Bikram and I discuss why the company made this move, what it means to be a worker-owner, and the implications that the new model has on Maximum Fun’s business and Culture.For more from Maximum Fun you can visit their website maximumfun.org. Between March 18 and March 29, 2024 they are running their annual listener fund drive. If you’re interested in donating you can visit maximumfun.org/join. You can find Bikram on LinkedIn or Twitter @chattbot. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro If you want to learn more about Maximum Fun and other cooperatives in podcasting:MaxFun’s website: https://maximumfun.org/co-op/Recode Media podcast with Jesse Thorn: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2mdaW9qFFpr4nrvyyA36isThe Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the launch of Up and Vanished Season 1 in 2016, Tenderfoot TV has steadily grown into one of the most impactful companies in the podcast industry.To explain how Tenderfoot TV got to where it is today, CEO Donald Albright joins me to talk about Tenderfoot’s unique approach to podcast marketing, how they leveraged the success of Up and Vanished to develop partnerships across the industry, and how they’re measuring success in 2024.You can find more from Tenderfoot TV at their website tenderfoot.tv and check out the Season 4 of Up and Vanished wherever you get your podcasts. Donald is on LinkedIn and Twitter @dalbright03. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Peterson is betting big on the podcast industry in 2024. The ex-iHeart executive founded DWNLOAD Media, a podcast roll-up aimed at buying and operationalizing existing podcast companies to compete with the giants in the space. He’s currently in the early stages of development, pitching investors and audio companies on the idea.To promote his venture, Chris recently released the 2024 DWNLOAD Report, a white paper arguing that podcasting is undervalued and will continue to grow. Chris and I dive deep into the arguments he makes in the report, clarifying why he’s so bullish on podcasting, and how DWNLOAD media would help create a sustainable and thriving industry. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I’m chatting with Dusty Weis, Founder and President of the B2B podcast production company Podcamp Media. Podcamp is a small but mighty firm based in Wisconsin. They largely works with companies, brands, and trade associations also based in the Midwest. Dusty does for brands what typically takes a whole team – from conceptualizing to producing shows for his clients.Dusty's background is in radio, where he began his career as a journalist and producer. He saw firsthand how the industry weathered the enormous contraction caused by the 2008 crash. Dusty walks me through his history in the radio industry and what podcasters can learn from it. We also chat about why he moved into B2B podcasting, his approach to production, and how he leverages his original show Lead Balloon to bring in new business.To find more from Dusty you can visit podcampmedia.com, follow him on Twitter @dustyweis, and check out his original series Lead Balloon, a podcast about PR disasters. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The antiquated radio drama is making a comeback, now rebranded as “fiction podcasts,” and agencies like QCODE Media are leading the way in making these shows marquee programming. Their production is up there with the best, the artwork has the iconic look of an HBO original, and they’ve cast A-list Hollywood stars like Rami Malek, Kerry Washington, and Matthew McConaughey, to name a few.To find out why and how QCODE is investing big on fiction podcasts, today I’m chatting with their Chief Strategy Officer, Steve Wilson. Steve is a veteran of the podcast industry. He spent 15 years at Apple, where he was one of the first (and for a time only) employees at Apple Podcasts. In 2020 he moved to QCODE where he now directs their strategy.On this episode Steve walks me through what production looks like in the fiction podcasts space, the opportunities presented to the genre via derivative IP, and his take on the state of the industry. To find more from QCODE you can visit their website qcodemedia.com. You can find Steven on Twitter @StephenWilson. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re shifting our focus away from podcasts and toward its sister industry: audiobooks. While the explosive growth of podcasting has dominated headlines in the audio world, the audiobooks market has slowly and steadily grown alongside it. Today, the international audiobook industry can claim $5 billion in revenue, while podcasting boasts around $2 billion.So how did this happen? What can we in podcastland learn from our colleagues in audiobooks? And how will the two industries blend and collaborate in the future? To cover all this today we have a panel from all levels of the audiobook industry: – Michele Cobb, Publisher of AudioFile Magazine, a publication which reviews audiobooks. She’s also the Executive Director of the Audio Publishers Association (APA). – Landon Beach, an independent author who’s worked with narrators Scott Brick and Suzanne Elise Freeman to adapt his novels into audiobooks. His most recent titles are Blue Hour Sanction and Narrator.– Sean McManus, President of Dreamscape Media, an independent audiobook publisher. He’s also the president of the APA.I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music and podcasting, in many ways, are a natural combo. Today, they’re often even consumed on the same platform. The music podcast subgenre is brimming with opportunity for interesting new collaborations, formats, and technologies. The result: this niche within podcasting is producing some of the most innovative projects out there.Today I’m chatting with Brady Sadler, co-founder and CEO of Double Elvis, a podcast agency at the forefront of this subgenre. Brady co-founded Double Elvis with his partner Jake Brennan, host and producer of the hit Disgraceland. Now they and their team produce a suite of shows about the music industry and pop culture.On this episode we get into the mechanics behind Double Elvis’s production, how they approach co-productions, and the unique challenges and opportunities of making podcasts about popular (and very legally protected) music.To see what Brady and Double Elvis are working on you can check out their website doubleelvis.comI’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate:– Show Page and Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods– Email: listen@thepodglomerate.com – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podglomerate– Twitter: @podglomerate – Instagram: @podglomeratepods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices