What’s a Podcast?: The Revolution Redefined

"Stop Apologizing": Lex Friedman on Why Podcasting Will Always Evolve and Why That's a Good Thing

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re sitting down with Lex Friedman [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfriedman/] (not to be confused with Lex Fridman), one of podcasting’s original builders and a leader who’s shaped the business of podcasting since Day 1. Before launching his own consulting business, Lex played a part in nearly every major chapter of the industry, including Chief Business Development at Midroll [https://www.linkedin.com/products/midroll-media-midroll/], Chief Revenue Officer at ART19 [https://www.linkedin.com/company/art19-inc-/], Head of Podcast Partnerships at Amazon, and Head of Podcast Strategy at Wondery [https://www.linkedin.com/company/wondery/]. Along the way, he’s helped define how ads get sold, how shows get funded, and how podcasting itself gets defined. In this episode, Lex opens up on what made podcast ads such a “win-win-win” from the start, why early pitches were simply “talk radio…on demand,” and how a listenership of “completionists” continue to set podcasts apart. He even drops an acoustic guitar analogy to explain why the word podcast isn’t going anywhere, no matter how the platforms try to rebrand it. "Stop apologizing for podcasting being what it is—because it’s clearly working." —Lex Friedman The conversation covers: Ad Load Tipping Points, Completionist Behavior, Consolidation and Mega-Deals, and more. Let’s go. Watch the conversation on Youtube: https://youtu.be/HjDmqUiBSQg

How We Built This: Guy Raz on Intimacy, Independence, and What's Worth Preserving in Podcasting

This week’s archival pull from What’s a Podcast? The Extended Interviews features one of the voices that helped build the podcast industry as we know it: Guy Raz. Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road) sits down with the creator of How I Built This to talk about how we built this—i.e. how podcasting went from media exile to mainstream power player—and what’s worth protecting as the lines between audio, video, and algorithm blur. “[As a listener], you’re giving me your time—and your time is more valuable than money.” —Guy Raz The team is talking: The Podcast Intimacy Advantage, Video as an Add-On, Goodbye to Gatekeepers, and more.  Let’s dive in.

Podcast to Primetime: How Evan Shapiro Turned Audio into TV and What’s Next

This week on “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews,” Evan Shapiro [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshap-media-cartographer] (renowned Media Universe Cartographer [https://eshap.substack.com/]) brings his latest industry map [https://eshap.substack.com/p/media-universe-maps-2020-2025] to share with Dan Granger [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangranger] (CEO, Oxford Road [https://oxfordroad.com/] & Veritone One [https://www.veritoneone.com/]) how and why podcasts should expand into other mediums.  At IFC [https://www.ifc.com/], Evan pioneered the podcast-to-TV pipeline (Comedy Bang Bang, WTF with Marc Maron [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC2F78CC83512F1AC]). Now he navigates uncharted media waters with his show The Media Odyssey [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMediaOdyssey]. He’s a perfect guide for this podcast voyage.  The team is talking: In Creators We Trust, Podcasting’s New Identity, Audience Connection, and more. Let’s dig in. “[Podcasting] was the first form of the creator economy.” * Evan Shapiro [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshap-media-cartographer] (renowned Media Universe Cartographer [https://eshap.substack.com/])

"Kill the Word 'Podcast'": The Roost's AJ Feliciano on How Video Blew Up the Medium in Every Sense

Kill the word podcast? Our guest votes yes. This week on “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews,” Dan Granger [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangranger] (CEO, Oxford Road [https://oxfordroad.com/] & Veritone One [https://www.veritoneone.com/]) hosts AJ Feliciano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianjfeliciano/] (former GM of The Roost Network [https://www.roostnetwork.com/]) for a deep dive on how The Roost became the in-house “media company of tomorrow.” AJ is all-in on 360 content. He even built a flywheel [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adrianjfeliciano_evolutions-podcasting-podcast-activity-7059986313525039104-Ez9h?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop] for how podcasts can pivot into video so they can “pump [distribution platforms] with all types of content.” Oh. And in the podcast vs. simulcast debate? He’s 11/10 “simulcast.”  Dan and AJ are also talking: Be a Mini-Disney, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Find What Clicks, and more. Let’s get into it. “Simulcast doesn't put itself in a box necessarily. When I'm talking to creators or fans and I say the word ‘simulcast,’ they see it’s in multiple places. It just sort of clicks immediately without having to explain it.” – AJ Feliciano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianjfeliciano/] (former GM of The Roost Network [https://www.roostnetwork.com/])

Star Trek in the Basement: Why Podcasting Still Needs its Indie Creators with John McDermott

This week, in a podcast studio, somewhere on the final frontier, Dan Granger [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangranger] (CEO, Oxford Road [https://oxfordroad.com/] & Veritone One [https://www.veritoneone.com/]) and John McDermott [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcdermott6/] (Co-Founder, Caloroga Shark Media [https://caloroga.com/]) boldly go where nobody’s gone before, to discuss how there’s plenty of room in podcasting for celebrities AND friends to talk Star Trek and beyond. This episode of “What’s a Podcast? - The Extended Interviews” is sponsored by Claritas [https://claritas.com/]. “I'm not the anti-video guy. I just want to stick up for, hey, there's nothing wrong with heading down to the basement and talking about Star Trek with your friends.”  * John McDermott [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcdermott6/] (Co-Founder, Caloroga Shark Media [https://caloroga.com/]) The team is talking: Jimmy Buffett’s Business Model, YouTube’s Numbers Game, Podcast Peer Pressure, and more. Let’s voyage in.