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Why do People I (Mostly) Admire Has A Boring Host Yet Irresistible Podcast?
I will sometimes watch a Ted Talk or listen to Ted Talks Daily. The topics are fascinating -- robots, sex and imagination, microdosing, and whatever the hell the Spermageddon is. The speakers match that dynamism in their manner, tone, and intellectual muscularity.
Now imagine this. A stodgy, flat-lined, toned economics professor has a podcast in which he holds conversations with smart, captivating people who are apt to shoot insights into the audio verse at a rapid-fire pace.
How could a podcast like that succeed?
The answer is a definitive "I have no idea," but it does.
Launched in August 2020, People I (Mostly) Admire finds University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt, co-author of the best-selling Freakonomics books, interviewing a wide array of thinkers, researchers, government leaders, authors, and the occasional celebrity.
In fact, in 2021, Adweek announced its third-annual Podcast of the Year Awards, and it chose People I (Mostly) Admire in the Best Interview Podcast category.
If you don't know, Levitt is the co-founder of Freakonomics, which is a collaboration between writer Steven Dubner and University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt, who have achieved success in publishing, radio and podcasts. Freakonomics was an early podcast adopter and has a loyal and sizable fan base.
In People I (Mostly Admire), Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt takes the podcasting reins and interviews some of the most interesting, unorthodox people around.
“The perfect guest for me is someone who's not only wildly intelligent, but also a little bit off the rails,” Levitt says. “Someone who thinks differently and who doesn't care at all how the world perceives him or her.”
Levitt has spent decades as an academic economist, “studying strange phenomena and human behavior in weird circumstances.” Now, in People I (Mostly Admire) he turns his curiosity to something new: interviewing some of the most interesting, unorthodox people around — from actresses to athletes, authors to inventors.
This is not your typical interview podcast, however, First, Levitt's vibrant mind and insightful queries encourage guests to go well beyond cursory responses and prepared talking points. Second, Levitt's roster of guests focuses on mental acuity and high-intensity intelligence instead of vapid oversharing about celebrity life. To his credit, Levitt is not only simply interested in eliciting responses from his podcast guests, but also in "fracking" for illumination and comprehension.
Take, for example, Levitt's first episode with Harvard psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker, where Pinker speaks frankly about enraging people on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Levitt isn't a flashy interviewer and has a modulated tone and patient speaking cadence along with a willingness to draw out his guests into discussions that reveal something about them personally and a state of the world we live in.
After almost four years, how has Steven Levittsurvived in podcasting?
First, his guest list is top-notch, first-class, possibly genetically enhanced like Khan on Star Trek, and capable of thought bubbles that are beyond our comprehension.
His October 27, 2023 episode with data scientist Nate Silver should be required listening for all political enthusiasts. Listen to his March 1,2024 episode with "The Power of Habit" author Charles Duhigg, who wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Duhigg has written a new book, Supercommunicators," which I highly recommend.
In that episode, Levitt goes full disclosure and shares how the book helped him understand his own conversational weaknesses.
In one of my favorite episodes, Levitt tackles the criminal justice system. Talk about your tough nut to crack. On the episode, Levitt talks to Clementine Jacoby, who went from performing in a circus to founding a nonprofit that works to shrink the prison population.
Here's Levitt on the episode: "Clementine Jacoby started her nonprofit called Recidiviz around the same time I started my RISC center at the University of Chicago. We’re both trying to change criminal justice. And she’s having a lot more success than I am. I’m curious to hear how she’s made so much happen so quickly."
For people who think that locking more people away in prison will magically reduce crime, listen to this episode for a more thoughtful and ultimately more effective approach.
In many ways, Levitt is the academic equivalent of Lt. Columbo on TV. Levitt doesn't impress, and nor does he stand out with his dynamism or verbal skills. But his Columbo-like "oh, just one more thing" and deceptively profound questions ensure that no guest lets his guard down around Levitt.
If you like theatrical interviews with the pretense of scientific accuracy and the cherry-picking of low-hanging data, then listen to those two-hour Joe Rogan shows.
If, however, you understand the rigor of scientific investigation and the preference for data over confirmation bias, listen to People I (Mostly) Admire with Steve Levitt.
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Open To Debate On TikTok; Unbreakable Podcast With Former Baseball GM; Scripted Emo Prom Night Podcast
Today we have three podcasts that span the genre universe of podcasting. First up is Open To Debate, which is the superb debate podcast that teaches the media how to hold civilized and informative debates instead of partisan screaming matches. Then, one of the best podcasts dealing with mental health issues, Unbreakable with Jay Glazer talks with the former General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team about his mental health journey. Finally, the very creative Audio Up studio offers listeners a unique scripted fiction podcast.
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With the Senate currently poised to take up the just-passed House bill forcing China-based parent company ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a national ban, tying it to a broader package sending aid to Israel and Ukraine to speed its passage, nonpartisan debate podcast Open to Debate recently shared a debate on a very timely question: "Should The U.S. Ban TikTok?"
Foreign policy and defense expert Kori Schake argued Yes. Director of the Internet Governance Project Milton Muellera argued No. Emmy-winning host John Donvan moderated. And several journalists including Forbes' Emily Baker-White, whose data was improperly accessed by ByteDance employees, joined to ask questions.
Kori Schake, arguing Yes, said:
“There are two concerns about TikTok. The first is the data being amassed and potentially used as surveillance by China. Second is the potential for it to be a propaganda tool by what its artificial intelligence and algorithm bounce into our feeds. As people increasingly use it as a media platform, China has the ability to censor and boost content on it, which it did during the Hong Kong protests and which it does over Xinjiang repression. What TikTok has said is, ‘We won’t do it anymore.’ I don’t think we ought to take that as a definitive answer. I think we’re right to be concerned about the potential for that kind of manipulation. I think there is the basis for legitimate concern about the Chinese government, manipulation of media content, and collection and use of data.”
Milton Mueller, arguing No, said:
“This is really a political case, a foreign policy case. There are people who believe in decoupling from China, and they’re going to interpret any Chinese company, any economic connection between the US and China as a threat. This is exactly what I’m challenging. I think TikTok is a perfect example of how a foreign company can come and introduce competition and valuable services into the American market. They can provide a form of platform communication that Americans love and benefit from and they can create economic value. There’s really no evidence that this is harming the United States.”
Listen to the Open to Debate episode "Should The U.S. Ban TikTok?" wherever you get podcasts, via WNYC, or at opentodebate.org.
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On Unbreakable with Jay Glazer: A Mental WEALTH Podcast,” host Jay Glazer welcomes former Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim, who opens up for the first time about going to rehab while serving as G.M. of the team, and the issues he was battling that led him to make changes in his life.
On why he’s telling his story now:
… “it's funny because when I walked into the room to do this podcast, I felt that sort of, not anxiety, but sort of that little bit of excitement, actually, to be able to tell my story, and hopefully, my story helps someone …maybe somebody else out there, maybe another general manager, maybe another athlete can say, ‘you know what, here's just another guy that has had his issues along the way and was able to talk about it and to be open and honest.’”
On what led him to go to rehab during the season:
“Here I am making the most money I've ever made in my life. You know, more than I could ever imagine making as a young man, living my dream as a general manager, and I was still unhappy. …I'm sitting there trying to ask myself, what's wrong with you? Just get out of this funk. And it was not easy to do, and I couldn't get out of it, and it just got darker and darker. I got more depressed. And really the culmination of what really happened, it probably was the worst part of it, was my inability to sleep. I got to a point where I couldn't even shut my brain off. So, I couldn't sleep. I was taking Xanax, I was taking Ambien just to sleep…”
On the darkness he felt:
“…one thing I learned… which was a great learning lesson for me in the treatment centers, sometimes for guys like ourselves or ‘Type A,’ alpha males, guys who are so driven to be the best, you know, it can become a real predicament whenever you get into a situation where when is it enough? And you know, that's kind of how it was for me. …Money is not enough. How many cars do I need? How many houses do I need? How many things do I need? How many suits do I need? How many watches do I need? Just nothing was gratifying anymore either.”
On what he’s learned as he continues his mental health treatment:
“…the day I walked into the treatment center as the General Manager of the Arizona Cardinals. Knowing that that changed everything in my life. Could have been for the good, bad, or whatever anybody else thought about it. But when I walked out that other end, 45 days later, I found out who Steve Keim was. I liked who he was. And I embraced the things that he did in the past. I forgave him for the things he did in the past. And more than anything, I found a way to love him again.”
On former Arizona Cardinals executive Terry McDonough’s accusations against the team:
“Oh, it's just unfortunate to me, you know, because again, as I said, the stress that I carried that I was trying to keep people happy in every sort of compartment. And that really would tear at you whenever you knew that people couldn't get along. And there were things that went on behind the scenes that maybe only I knew about, or some others knew about, that they were just tough to know that I couldn't fix certain things. Because I always felt like I was the kind of guy that my mentality was always, you know, be part of the solution, not part of the problem, and keep everybody's attitude in the right direction, and roll your sleeves up at the door and check your ego there, and that sort of thing. But it's unfortunate, you know, we had a good run and, you know, I'm still rooting for the organization because again, a lot of people there that I care about.
On whether he’s happier now or when he was a GM:“Oh, I mean, much happier now. Much happier. Yeah, I mean, you know, when the paychecks stop coming in and fans stop screaming, there's certainly an evolution of life that changes for you. Things slow down, and you miss certain parts of your life in the past. But at the same time, you can finally, again, appreciate the small things. As we said, you know, at a point in time, how many cars, how much money, whatever it is, how many watches. Now, you know, to go on a walk and to see a beautiful day and appreciate that, it changes everything.”
On whose decision it was to get help:
“Leading up to it, you know, I had enough people, again, friends, family, coworkers, Cardinals Owner Michael Bidwill even came, our owner came and sat with me multiple times and said, ‘hey, you know, you don’t seem like yourself.’ And I didn't know what it was, but I'd also didn't try to hide from it. I told him straight up, ‘yeah, I'm not doing good. I don't know what's wrong with me.’ And you know, he was great and supportive. There's a difference between acknowledging and saying, ‘hey, I don't know what's wrong with me and I'm not perfect,’ versus ‘I really need some help.’"
Listen the full conversation HERE.
Below are some highlights from the conversation, and the full interview can be accessed HERE.
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– SiriusXM and Audio Up Inc. are taking listeners back in time to 2005 with their new scripted podcast series, Emo Prom Night. The launch is part of a new slate of podcasts set for release throughout the year, with Emo Prom Night being a raunchy, coming-of-age scripted series that will debut May 8th on the SiriusXM app and wherever podcasts are available.
The series was written and created by Audio Up CEO Jared Gutstadt, and stars recording artist Mod Sun and rock group Beauty School Dropout. Emo Prom Night will also feature new original music from both. The series revolves around three best friends; Dallas (voiced by Beauty School Dropout lead singer Colie Hutzler), Cos (voiced by Beauty School Dropout guitarist Bardo), and Tyson (voiced by Beauty School Dropout bassist Beepus Burdett), who embody the emo music culture from the mid-2000s, and make an Emo pact and vowing to not drink, do drugs or lose their virginity during their senior year of high school. This all changes when prom night comes around, and the cast of characters is challenged to keep their emo vows intact.
The series stars Mod Sun as the narrator, and music contributions from Grammy winning and multi-platinum songwriter Sam Hollander, known for his collaborations with the likes of Panic! at the Disco, Weezer, Blink-182, Boys Like Girls and Gym Class Heroes among many others.
Check out the first official trailer HERE.
"The episodes arrive just in time for prom season,” notes Gutstadt. “They series is heartfelt and hilariously entertaining, and the music is absolutely incredible. It's one of our best examples of integrating music and storytelling, and we can't wait for the world to hear it."
The announcement marks an expansion of the creative programming and strategic agreement between Jared Gutsatdt’s Audio Up Media and SiriusXM, an alignment that was originally announced in October of 2022.
“Emo Prom Night” is set for release on May 8th and will be available on the SiriusXM app and all other major U.S. podcast platforms.
Audio Up has built an ecosystem of premium entertainment content within the music and audio space. The company is led by Audio Up CEO Jared Gutstadt and produces and releases fictional scripted podcasts, a Marvel-like universe of musicals, and one-on-one interview formats.
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SmartLess Podcast Welcomes Presidents Biden, Obama & Clinton
SMARTLESS’ UNITES PRESIDENTS BIDEN, OBAMA, AND CLINTON FOR HISTORIC PODCAST INTERVIEW
While one former president is in court defending himself against hush money payments to a porn star and to a Playboy playmate, three other Ex-POTUS's discuss gun violence, foreign relations, Biden’s re-election campaign, what they miss about being in office, the State of the economy, passing the baton Between Presidencies, and more on the Smartless podcast.
SmartLess hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes have brought together three U.S. Presidents, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton, for a historic podcast interview.
The momentous episode is available early on Amazon Music/Wondery+ here. It will be wherever podcasts are available on Monday, April 29.
The podcast interview was recorded in-person recently with the hosts and the Presidents in New York City.
SmartLess with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity.
The award-winning podcast was launched in July 2020 and is consistently among the top five most listened-to podcasts monthly. Guests have included Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Don Cheadle, Larry David, Greta Gerwig, Idris Elba, Kristen Stewart, Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez, and many more.
INTERVIEWS CLIPS AVAILABLE HERE:
Sean Hayes: Do you all miss something specific about holding office, obviously except for you because you’re in office, but do you guys miss something?
President Biden: I miss not having an office.
President Obama: Well, look, everybody talks about Air Force One.
Sean Hayes: Yeah, sure.
President Obama: Marine One. It’s pretty convenient, I won't lie. But I’ll tell you the thing I miss the most. Remember those music concerts I used to do at, you can basically invite anybody, and you have this concert and I mean we got you know Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney.
Sean Hayes: Everybody will show up.
President Obama: They’ll show up. And they do these rehearsals the night before a lot of times and you can kinda sneak down and could just sit there and watch Mick Jagger practicing with BB King or something on a blues night. I do miss that.
President Clinton: I miss the fact that they don’t play a song when you walk in a room anymore.
Sean Hayes: We should’ve done that today.
President Clinton: I was lost for three weeks when I left office. But let me tell you something serious, this is one reason that I so badly want President Biden to be re-elected. What I really miss is the job. Not doing it, I'm glad, I believe in the two-term limit strongly, but what I learned was on the worst day, when nothing was going right, problems are everywhere, there was still something you could do that would make somebody's life better. There is no job like that on earth.
Sean Hayes: I love that.
Clinton: And I want somebody..
President Obama: Who appreciates it.
President Clinton: …that I trust to make the most of that every day. Cause they’ll be bad days no matter who gets elected. But he’ll get up and he’ll start thinking about that. And I think his opponent will be thinking about…
President Obama: Himself.
President Clinton: …yeah, who I can get even with, who I can send away. Joe Biden will make the best of the bad days.
Jason Bateman: And the team that you have assembled and your comfort with deferment. For me personally, I love leaders that have the confidence to hire those that they respect, that might make them a little nervous.
Will Arnett: And also not to think that you're the…
President Obama: That you’re the smartest guy…
Will Arnett: Yeah, that you’re gonna have every…. We had leaders like that in the middle part of the last century who were put into government by presidents of old, and they made a lot of decisions that they thought they were right about, and they were terrible people. And when that happens, when you think that you’ve got all the answers, is the moment you don’t.
Jason Bateman: Like Ron Klain, bringing us out of COVID. It’s just on and on and on, the way in which you’ve surrounded yourself with the absolute best this country has to offer.
President Biden: I made a commitment, having an administration that looks like America. I have more women in my cabinet, I’ve appointed more Black Circuit Court judges than every other president combined in American history. I’ve kept my commitment about putting a Black woman on the Supreme Court. I’ve had an opportunity to go out and get the best people - and by the way, I sometimes pick up the phone and ask these guys who they think are the best people. And I’m looking for people that most of all, not just are good, but care about what they’re doing.
Jason Bateman: Whereas the other guy is only hiring people that won’t talk back and that’s…
President Biden: Oh mine talk back.
CLIP 2 - Download Here
Sean Hayes: What are the issues coming up that people are focusing on that you believe are the wrong things, or they may be the right things, and what should they be focusing on?
President Biden: I think they should be focusing on a couple of things. Number one, we’re gonna, in the second term, God willing, we’re gonna make sure that we do something about gun violence in this country.
Will Arnett: Yes.
President Biden: The idea that we allow assault weapons to be sold, and magazines with 100 rounds, is just bizarre.
Will Arnett: Well, President Biden, I’m so glad to hear you say that because that was gonna be my other question. Which is, the Democrats never say we want to take your guns away.
President Biden: Absolutely not.
Will Arnett: You never said that, you said we gotta be smart about what’s going on.
Jason Bateman: You don’t need to kill a deer with an AR15.
Sean Hayes: Right.
President Biden: The Second Amendment, when I taught law school, the Second Amendment wasn’t absolute ever. You weren’t able to have a cannon when you were, you know, the liberty is ordered with the blood of patriots. I mean, it’s a bunch of crap.
This episode of Smartless will be available wherever you get your podcasts on Monday, April 29.
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A New Weekly Wellness Podcast “A Really Good Cry” Premieres
There are some podcast topics that are so expansive that there is always room for another podcast that carves out its own special niche.
I assume that's why iHeartPodcasts and Radhi Devlukia have premiered A Really Good Cry. The marketing pitch is: "The weekly podcast that will take listeners through a journey to unlock their emotions and use them as tools to understand themselves better and truly embrace the power of a really good cry."
Episode one is available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.
Host Radhi Devlukia will share wellness tips, surprising revelations and never-before-heard personal stories, conversations around self-awareness and growth, education around what we eat and how it affects our mind and body and how to identify, process and move through our emotions daily, and so much more. The podcast will also share unique perspectives from a range of special guests including celebrities, scientists, subject experts such as Tia Mowry, Dr. Ramani Durvasula, Cleo Wade, Tan France and more. With each episode, A Really Good Cry will equip listeners with the knowledge and tools necessary to embark on their own journey towards emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental wellness.
“I am so excited to launch this podcast. It’s a mixture of things I’m curious about, learning in my life and a place to let your guard down and feel all the waves of emotions we go through in life,” said Radhi Devlukia. “Emotions are meant to be felt, processed, and released and I’ve created this podcast as a safe space to hopefully help people do that in their lives. You’ll laugh, you'll learn, you’ll grow, and you’ll have a really good cry!”
Radhi Devlukia is a plant-based cook, mission-driven entrepreneur and the co-founder of the adaptogenic tea brand JUNI. With her background as a dietitian and nutritionist and her studies in Ayurveda, Radhi shares everything from her recipes, health tips, wellness videos, natural skincare and beauty and how to live a conscious lifestyle.
Radhi Devlukia is known to be passionate about building a health and wellness community to encourage people to understand themselves, their environment, and everything they put on or in their body, better. She has been featured in Women’s Health, Forbes, Today Show, Access Hollywood and for her recipes, new line of teas, and using conscious cooking and living to get the most out of life.
Radhi grew up in Watford, UK, qualified as a dietitian and nutritionist, and shortly after getting married, moved to NYC where she did her yoga teacher training, started her education in Ayurveda and began to share what she was learning with her online community.
Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India. Treatment options are varied and can include yoga, acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage therapy and dietary changes.
Radhi now lives in between LA and London with her husband Jay.
Jay Shetty is the host of the popular podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty, which is a mental health podcast.
“Actively cultivating a lifestyle that is focused on positive mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever,” said Will Pearson, President, iHeartPodcasts. “With our scale and reach, we hope A Really Good Cry will help listeners around the world find the comfort and inspiration they need to help navigate the internal challenges they may be facing and find their happiness.”
A Really Good Cry will join iHeart's existing roster of shows focused on mental health and wellness, including On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Therapy for Black Girls with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, The Black Effect Podcast Network’sChecking In with Michelle Williams, Pushkin’s The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, and “A Slight Change of Plans” with Dr. Maya Shankar, Navigating Narcissism with Dr. Ramani, and Unbreakable with Jay Glazer.
Check out A Really Good Cry. Radhi Devlukia's expertise in yoga, cooking, teas, nutrition, and Ayurvedic medicine may offer listeners a unique view of health, and wellness.
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Three Podcasts About Dreams: ScienceVs; Nerdpreneur; Speaking Of Psychology
Sigmund Freud published The interpretation Of Dreams in 1899 and revised it multiple times. It took almost 100 years to disavow many of the conclusions from Freud's opus.
Today, we know more about dreams thanks to knowledge acquired in the field of neuroscience.
Research shows we remember on average one to three dreams per week. However, not everyone is equal when it comes to recalling dreams. People who say they never dream make up around 2.7 to 6.5% of the population. Often, these people used to recall their dreams when they were children. The proportion of people who say they have never dreamt in their entire life is very low: 0.38%.
Dreams fascinate us, and anything that fascinates us often find its way into a podcast, or better yet, multiple podcasts. In this article, we are going to review three recent podcasts that covered dreams. Two of the podcasts take a scientific view of the dreams we have when we are asleep. One podcast takes a deeply philosophical view of the dreams we have when we're awake. Dreams about what we want our lives to be.
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Let's start with Science Vs, which is a long-running show from Spotify Studios that finds out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. The podcast does the hard work of sifting through all the science, so listeners don't have to, and cover everything from 5G and Pandemics, to Vaping and Fasting Diets.
Hosted by science journalist Wendy Zukerman, Science Vs takes on the fads, trends, and opinionated mob to find out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between.
In the show's March 21, 2024 episode, Zukerman and her team covered dreams. One of their guests, Professor Francesca Siclari, a neuroscientist at Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, said "…And a lot of people associate this stage of sleep — REM — with dreaming… and not just people, but scientists had wrongly thought for ages that we really only dreamt in REM sleep and that’s because if you look at what’s going on in the brain, we had this really neat and tidy story"
Then, Professor Bob Stickgold and his team launched a sleep / dream experiment where they had people to play Tetris over a couple of days. Then just as the test subjects were going to sleep, the team would wake them up and say – "what was going on in your mind just before we woke you up??? And what do you know?"
Stickgold admits: "They just saw Tetris pieces floating down."
Zukerman concludes: "This all suggests is that while we might remember the vivid and weirdo dreams we have ... most of the time through the night, we're dreaming about stuff that's happened to us ...that we've seen."
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"At Nerdpreneur we have fun conversations with people turning their weird passion into a successful business! We interview entrepreneurs from around the world to discover the hacks, tools, and mindsets that turn nerd passion into full-time income."
I have recommended the Nerdpreneur podcast for nerds and non-nerds. The podcast has highly capable, smart, playful, and insightful co-hosts and fascinating guests, who have transformed their passion into a business.
The podcast boasts that it "interviewed dozens of niche professionals from all over the world, including board game designers, dice retailers, D&D content creators, tarantula breeders, and even a German zombie magician!"
In the April 10, 2024 episode, Chris Saunders and Frank embark on a profound exploration of dreams and aspirations. They delve into the significance of not just dreaming, but actively pursuing those dreams with clarity and intention. Highlighting the transformative power of dreams, the conversation covers various categories, from personal to professional aspirations, emphasizing the importance of setting actionable goals and embracing growth. The episode is underpinned by the powerful message that those who dare to dream with their eyes open possess the potential to bring about real change.
The exercise in the episode is based on the work of Matthew Kelly, as outlined in his book The Dream Manager.
Dream Categories Discussed: Personal Aspirations: Insights into the value of personal growth and the pursuit of happiness through achieving personal dreams.
Professional Goals: Strategies for setting and achieving professional milestones, emphasizing the journey of entrepreneurship and career advancement.
Creative Dreams: Exploring the desire to create and share art, music, literature, and other forms of creative expression.
Adventure Dreams: Encouraging listeners to seek out new experiences and adventures, from travel to unique hobbies.
Financial Dreams: Practical advice on setting financial goals, from becoming debt-free to making strategic investments.
Legacy Dreams: The importance of creating a lasting impact, whether through charitable actions, community involvement, or inspiring others.
Spiritual Dreams: Reflections on the pursuit of inner peace, spiritual growth, and the search for meaning.
The guys end with this quote: "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." – T.E. Lawrence
I loved the episode because it expands our view of dreams as not just a strange experience while asleep, but an active, awake motivational drive to find ourselves, improve ourselves, and define ourselves. During the episode, Chris and Frank share some of their dreams, including six-pack abs! Kudos to Chris and Frank for a superb episode.
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Speaking of Psychology is an audio podcast series highlighting some of the latest, most important, and relevant psychological research being conducted today.
Produced by the American Psychological Association, the objective of these podcasts is to help listeners apply the science of psychology to their everyday lives.
The host of the podcast is Kim Mills, who is the senior director of strategic external communications and public affairs for the American Psychological Association (APA), where she has worked since 2007.
On episode 258, Mills welcomed Mark Blagrove, PhD, who is a professor of psychology and the director of the sleep laboratory at Swansea University, U.K. He studies sleep and dreaming, and his research interests includes sleep and memory consolidation, the relationship between what happens in our waking life and our dream content, and how sharing our dreams with others can build empathy.
In the episode, Dr. Blagrove talks about sharing dreams: "there’ve been several papers written on the benefits of that to people and to their friendships and relationships of sharing the dreams to other people and the greater closeness that results as a result of that. There’s even then been work done on the motivations for sharing dreams and the fact that they can be shared for entertainment or out of a wish to find out more about the dream, or because the other person is in the dream, and so they want to share it for that reason."
When Mills asks if there is a difference between non-REM dreams and REM dreams, Dr. Blagrove responds: "Yes, there are qualitative differences. The non-REM dreams are shorter, they may have fewer emotions, fewer characters, fewer scenes, and there is a dispute, a debate goes on about that because if you control for the length of the dream in words, then short rapid eye movement, sleep dreams are very similar to long non-rapid eye movement dreams.
Dr. Blagrove continues: "One theory says that actually the REM and non-REM dreams only differ in terms of how long they are, there’s that difference, and they don’t actually have any qualitative difference. They don’t really have any qualitative difference. As you get nearer to the end of the night, the non-REM dreams start to look more like REM dreams. They start to get longer, they start to get more bizarre and with more characters. And so there are all of this multitude of factors coming in that affect the dreams across the night.
Finally, Mills wants to know if animals dream.
Dr. Blagrove: "So there is that type of circumstantial evidence that non-human animals might be having dreams that they’re reacting to during the night. After all, these animals quite possibly have a level of possibly even daydreaming, you could say, similar to us, or imagery going on similar to us. And so possibly it would seep over into their sleep to have dreams as well."
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I hope you enjoyed this article about three podcasts dedicating episodes to dreams.
Sweet Dreams.
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Two New Podcasts: Family Therapy and I Choose Me W/Jenny Garth
One For the Mind : The Other For Your Soul
************************************************************************iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God’s The Black Effect Podcast Network announced, “Family Therapy: The Podcast” hosted by Psychotherapist Elliott Connie, a new original series that will document a family’s journey to healing through live group and individual therapy sessions. Over the course of sixteen weeks, Connie and the participants will examine their lives, relationships, hardships, successes, short-comings, and pathways to personal growth as they seek healing and progress.
“We are excited to announce ‘Family Therapy: The Podcast’ and share this incredible journey with listeners,” said Dollie S. Bishop, President of Creative Development and Production, The Black Effect Podcast Network. Elliott Connie is a brilliant counselor and our hope is that this series will entertain, educate and empower people to prioritize mental wellbeing and strengthen familial bonds.”
In episode one, listeners will be introduced to Dr. Elliott Connie and the family – Jay, David, and Freddie, as they rediscover themselves and begin the journey to healing.
Elliott Connie, MA, LPC is a purpose-driven hope dealer with a mission to end the stigma surrounding mental health care. With his superpower of asking the right questions, Elliott has helped thousands of individuals, couples, and families move towards their desired futures. He has authored or co-authored five books, including "The Art of Solution. Focused Therapy,” “Solution Building in Couples Therapy,” “Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Clients Managing Trauma,” ”The Solution Focused Marriage,” and “The Solution Focused Brief Therapy Diamond.”
“Family Therapy” premiered on April 17 with new episodes available on Wednesdays. This podcast sounds a lot like Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel. If so, it's using an excellent template because Perel's podcast is one of the best.
Listen to episode one HERE
The Black Effect Podcast Network gives rise to emerging and established content creators and storytellers whose perspective and creative vision have been marginalized and overlooked, while serving an audience that has been underserved.
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If you're into Beverly Hills 90210, then this new Jennie Garth podcast is for you. Garth already hosts 9021OMG alongside her BFF and former co-star Tori Spelling. Coincidentally, Spelling has a new podcast called Misspelling.
Like Spelling, this second Garth podcast is about her personally, not the TV show.
It's called, I Choose Me with Jennie Garth. The first episode premieres on April 30, 2024.
Listen to the official trailer now here.
The title of Garth’s new podcast, I Choose Me, is a nod to one of the most memorable moments in Beverly Hills, 90210, when Kelly Taylor found herself in a love triangle with Brandon and Dylan and was forced to choose one man. Kelly said, “I choose me,” and those three words became a powerful statement of self-respect and one that stayed true to Jennie in real life.
Here's the marketing pitch for this new podcast: "Jennie Garth became synonymous with Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills 90210 when she uttered these three words: I Choose Me."
"What started as a line in a script became Jennie’s formula for fulfillment, and she wants to share it with you. The I Choose Me Movement is the ultimate form of self-care and self-love. Be the star of your own life and watch the world around you improve."
Garth wants listeners to join her as she continues her quest for contentment and gratitude.
To be fair, I've listened to Garth's 9021OMG podcast. She's good. Her voice is crisp and clear, and she exudes a certain genuine enthusiasm.
For those interested into Garth's "I Choose Me" mantra, the show can offer support, guidance, and self-improvement modalities.
Garth asserts: "Choose health, choose healing, choose happiness….come along and live by the words I Choose Me!"
So, you can choose Jennie Garth on April 30.
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Why Did These Podcasts Die? Why Podcasting Should Care About Canceled Shows?
Why do podcasts die? And how do they die?
On TV, series cancellation is a very public event, with numerous network announcements and media articles. Sometimes, these announcements of cancellation even generate a tsunami of protest and the show is "uncanceled" and brought back, such as Chuck on NBC. Or the show is picked up by another network or streaming service, like Lucifer going from Fox to Netflix.
Sadly, podcasts die quietly. It almost begs the existential question: If a podcast dies and no one knows, has it really died? After all, its archives can live on for years.
By contrast, popular TV shows can have multiple lives in reruns. Travel to any TV market throughout the U.S. and you can find Seinfeld, Friends, and The Big Bang Theory reruns. I think we all know the tale of the original Star Trek TV series on NBC from 1966-1969 that was canceled and then resurrected in reruns, where it blossomed and became one of the most popular and profitable entertainment franchises in history.
Sadly, podcast archives, or reruns to use the TV vernacular, have little or no second shelf life. That's a shame because there are some terrific podcasts that were canceled that can be still enjoyed via their archives.
In this article, we will discuss two podcasts that I have reviewed in the past that are no longer "alive." No new episodes are being made or planned as far as I know.
Sadly, unlike Theresa Caputo, I cannot communicate with podcasts that "have passed on."
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First up is Internet Urban Legends, which was released in April 2021. This series was from Spotify and Parcast, in collaboration with Wheelhouse DNA, and was hosted by beauty gurus and internet sleuths, Loey Lane and Eleanor Snitchery. The marketing line was: "they scour the web for the most chilling unsolved mysteries that have plagued the curious with endless questions. Paranormal and true crime obsessives can follow Loey and Eleanor’s journey into the unknown as they investigate the Internet’s biggest mysteries in search for the truth."
Each episode, Loey and Eleanor took a deep dive into one big story, investigating clues and conspiracy theories that surround the paranormal tale to try to determine if it is a hoax or a haunt.
Snitchery is known for her stunning cosplay on Instagram and TikTok, transforming herself into super-glam versions of Luigi, Harley Quinn, and the like. Lane is known for projecting a body-positive image and combines fashion and beauty advice with paranormal material on her popular YouTube channel.
The two are good friends in real life, so their chemistry was genuine, and the show was interesting and quirky.
The debut episode featured the terrifying story of “The Watcher House” in the small town of Westfield, New Jersey; the second episode chronicled the horrifying TikTok Tyson Chandler’s stalking encounter that went viral and got downright paranormal.
The show ran from April 2021 until March 2023, when Spotify pulled the plug on the show, along with 10 other shows, and the Gimlet and Parcast production companies.
In March 2023, Spotify also canceled How to Save a Planet, Crime Show, and Medical Murders, Every Little Thing from Gimlet and Female Criminals, Crimes of Passion, Dictator, Mythology, Haunted Places, and Parcast’s Horoscope Today.
The last episode of Internet Urban Legends was about trees and the petrified forest. This message was included on the Spotify episode page of the podcast. "This is the last episode of Internet Urban Legends. On behalf of everyone here at Parcast, we thank you for listening!"
In this case, we know why this podcast was canceled. It was part of Spotify's "boy, did we screw up podcasting, and now we're desperate to fix it" strategy.
Was this a great show? No, but it was a good show with a decent audience, engaging social media hosts, and a lively topic.
As manager of Ear Worthy, a publication that promises its readers podcast reviews, recommendations, and industry trend articles, I receive numerous marketing pitches for new podcasts, or podcasts beginning a new season.
Why don't I, or other podcast review sites, receive marketing pitches for terrific podcasts that have been canceled but still possess a high interest level, a uniquely fascinating topic that isn't covered by other podcasts, or charismatic hosts?
After all, one of my favorite all-time podcasts is Spectacular Failures with Lauren Ober, which ran for two seasons a few years ago. The story of high-profile business failures is still pertinent.
Seinfeld and Friends reruns are everywhere on broadcast, cable, and streaming TV, whether I want them or not. Why can't Spotify continue to make money from a canceled podcast and, at the same time, offer listeners a show with a proven track record?
These episodes of Internet Urban Legendsare available in the archives
and, for listeners with a taste for true-crime, the paranormal, and social media celebrities, this show is a perfect match.
Why doesn't Spotify advertise the archives of this show? They can add new programmatic ads to monetize the show and continue to find new listeners. Just like broadcast TV plays Last Man Standing, The King of Queens, and Mike And Molly.
How about limited-series podcasts? These shows are typically single-topic podcasts with anywhere from five to 12 episodes. These podcasts can be some of the most powerful shows in the podcast industry.
Take, for example, The Nightingale Of Iran. The show ran from February 2024 until April 2024 with nine episodes and two bonus episodes. It is an exquisitely crafted and moving show about family, geopolitics, and the consequences when these two elements clash.
What if I told you that a Jewish singer was a national celebrity in the nation of Iran? You'd probably scoff and head to a fact-checking service to confirm my inaccuracy. With the socio-political and religious events in the 40 years, you'd be right in answering, "impossible"
However, politics is like the weather in its capriciousness and shifting winds. Back in the 1950s, Tehran under the Shah was a cultural center of the world and called the Paris of the Middle East.
It was a golden age for Jews in Iran. In the 1950s, a religious Jew – Younes Dardashti – became a national celebrity, singing at the Shah’s palace and on the radio. In the 1960s, his son Farid became a teen idol on TV. They were beloved by Iranian Muslims.
Younes Dardashti was so famous that he was known as The Nightingale Of Iran. The nightingale is the official national bird of Iran.
In medieval Persian literature, the nightingale's enjoyable song has made it a symbol of the lover who is eloquent, passionate, and doomed to love in vain. In Persian poetry, the object of the nightingale's affections is the rose, which embodies both the perfection of earthly beauty and the arrogance of that perfection.
But at the height of their fame, Younes Dardashti and his Farid left the country. Why? Why would a revered entertainer and his teen idol son leave a nation? Would Taylor Swift bolt from the U.S. for Sweden or France? Not without Travis Kelce!
It has always been a mystery to host Danielle Dardashti and her sister Galeet. Danielle and Galeet are the granddaughters of The Nightingale Of Iran.
Why did their family leave Iran at the height of their fame? Now, in this enthralling documentary podcast series, the sisters reveal painful secrets unspoken for generations.
This nine-part podcast will be relevant for years, even decades. But how can listeners find it after its initial run? Other than Danielle and Galeet Dardashti, who will be promoting this podcast?
It's a show with a strong and poignant message about family, inclusion, living together, and the roots of racial hatred.
The show should not be forgotten after April 2024. And, to be fair, there are thousands of ear-worthy limited run podcasts that deserve either reincarnation.
I hope that important people in podcasting receive this message and develop a system by which either canceled podcast series or limited-run podcasts can be revived with new programmatic ads to monetize them, and re-released to podcast fans who deserve the full breadth of the content podcasting has to offer. Not just the flavor of the month.
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Defiant & Status Untraced Podcasts Premiere; 2024 IABC Upfronts Hosts Announced
In this article, we have a new politics podcast from a Brooklyn Dad. Then, a new true-crime podcast about a missing tech entrepreneur, and finally, the announcement of the hosts for the 2024 IAB Upfront in May where we'll hear about all the new podcasts coming our way.
If you're old like me, you can compare the "Upfront" to receiving the September new season issue of the TV Guide magazine and making sure you were the first in your family to read it.
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Audio Up, a leading podcast production company, has just released a new series featuring a devout member of the Democratic Party who boasts 1.3 million X (Twitter) followers, Majid Padellan. He is apparently known as Brooklyn Dad Defiant. (Yo, you talkin' to me?) On this new show, Padellan will talk to the political types and try to make sense of anything Donald Trump says, while repudiating MAGA political propaganda.
The podcast's producers note: "It is the place to come for those not only seeking answers, but the roadmap, engaging and educating listeners along the way."
The show will air weekly and began April 15th with the first guest Frank Figliuzzi who is the former Deputy Assistant Director of Counterintelligence for the FBI.
The Defiant Podcast is out on all platforms now.
Stream the first episode HERE.
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In 2016, survivalist and world traveler Justin Alexander went missing in the Parvati Valley while on a spiritual trek into the Himalayan Mountains.
While the circumstances of his disappearance point to murder, a chilling message he left behind throws everything into question: “I should return mid-September or so. If I’m not back by then, don’t look for me.”
Four years later, host and true-crime newcomer Liam Luxon is introduced to Justin's story and embarks on an investigation into the mysterious case.
Status-Untraced is a 10-episode journey that explores the secrets the Valley holds, the stones left unturned, and what really happened to Justin Alexander.
The show premiered on April 17, 2024, with the first two episodes. The following eight episodes will roll out weekly.
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The 2024 IAB Podcast Upfront is a must attend marketplace event that brings brands, agencies, and media buyers together with leading audio and podcast companies to explore podcasting’s ability to delight audiences and create superior marketing opportunities for advertisers.
Essentially, the Upfront is an event where podcast companies introduce new shows. In the broadcast TV world, it was when celebrities and execs announced their new fall schedule. Of course, no one cares now. But since podcasting is such a decentralized world with numerous podcast networks, finding new shows for eager listeners is like a needle in a haystack that's inside another haystack, that's...you get the idea.
The dual foundation of the event is a preview of new show content and a spotlight on the power of podcast hosts to command the attention of listeners and influence them in ways that enable meaningful and authentic alignment for brand partners.
The 2024 IAB Upfront will be hosted by YAP Media's Jenn Kutcher of The Gold Digger podcast and Rachel Rodgers of the Hello Seven podcast. Hala Taha, podcast host of the Young And Profiting podcast, is the Founder and CEO of YAP Media, an award-winning podcast production and social media agency for best-selling authors, top podcasters, influencers, and CEOs generating over $2M in revenue in its first year. YAP Media Podcast Network fuels the growth and monetization of network podcasts.
The 2024 IAB Upfront happens on May 9th in New York City.
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Hot Pod Goes Cold; Substack & Spotify Team Up; IAB’s Digital Advertising Report
Podnews reported lastweek that Hot Pod, one of the longest-running newsletters about podcasting, is to suspend publishing. Lead reporter Ariel Shapiro has announced that her last week with its owner, The Verge, will be next week. Deputy Editor Jake Kastrenakes added: “We won’t have a new writer in place by next week, so we’re planning to put Hot Pod on hiatus while we figure out next steps.”
The publication’s writers, Ariel Shapiro, Ashley Carman, and Nick Quah, have been a vital part of the industry since 2014 and Podnews reported that "Hot Pod inspired them to produce this daily newsletter in 2017."
I'd like to start a campaign to convince The Verge to hire one of these three people to take over Hot Pod. All three are tremendously talented and know podcasting
The three are Arielle Nissenblatt, Wil Williams, and Samantha Hodder.
First, Arielle Nissenblatt is well-known and highly regarded in podcasting circles. In today's fragmented media world, there are TikTok celebrities, Instagram influencers, and YouTube stars who are unknown outside their media universe. If you've been involved in podcasting in any way over the last few years, you know Arielle Nissenblatt.
"I've been working in the podcast space since early 2017 when I started a podcast recommendation newsletter called EarBuds Podcast Collective,"Arielle notes. "Since then, I've managed podcast studios, worked as an in-app curator, gone to school for audio production, produced several podcasts, run successful marketing and PR campaigns for several dozen shows, have organized podcast communities on Twitter, Discord, and Slack, and much more."
Arielle confesses to "love working in and around audio because it's my favorite way to consume content. I want to help more people find their next favorite podcast."
Arielle is the founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective, a podcast recommendation newsletter. She is on the community team at Descript, an AI-powered video and audio editing software service. She hosts three podcasts, Trailer Park: The Podcast Trailer Podcast, Feedback with EarBuds and Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You with Arielle and Ned.
Then we have Wil Williams, who is currently a marketing specialist for Tink Media. Williams has written for Discover Pods, Polygon, Vulture, and The Takeout. She has appeared on KQED's Forum, WAMU's 1A, Slate's ICYMI; has cried listening to Wolf 359's "Memoria" at least five times.
Williams is also the CEO of Podcast Problems LLC (If you have a podcast, you have problems), and you should read her website if you are a podcaster. You can read her articles there, including Your Podcast Needs Better Show Notes, Your Podcast Needs Better Metadata and my favorite, How I Know So Much Shit.
Williams also writes and manages the Substack Podcast Marketing Magic. When it comes to podcast journalism, Wil Williams is one of the very best.
Then we have Samantha Hodder, who is a multihypenate -- someone who does several different jobs in the entertainment industry—and does them well. Her Substack newsletter Bingeworthy is the mother ship for narrative podcast opinion, review, trends, and analysis. Hodder began the newsletter in September 2022 and has already amassed an impressive following.
Samantha is an award-winning audio producer and writer. She has been making media across multiple formats for over two decades. She publishes regularly on Mediumand on Substack. Her narrative storytelling podcast This is Our Time launched in 2017. It is a memoir-based story about an all-women’s expedition to Antarctica for women. Season 2 was featured in the Hot Docs Podcast Festival in 2021. She works as a freelance podcast producer, editor and narration script advisor. This year, she began to teach and mentor students at TMU and OCADU in narrative podcasting.
She also works with other writers and creatives one-on-one to help them find a winning narrative structure for their projects. To see if this approach could be helpful to your work, find her free 5-day email course Find Your Fish, which draws on lessons from screenwriting, podcasting, journaling and mindful meditation.
Over the last two decades her writing has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines and her interactive work has premiered at festivals internationally. She was the recipient of the Al Waxman Calling Card for her first documentary, The Mantelpiece, which was broadcast on TVOntario, and premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Festival in 2004. Her short film The Nothingness That Is Everything opened in Venice, Italy in 2018.
And if all this information doesn't persuade you, Samantha is from Canada.
So I ask The Verge to consider these three talented women for the role at Hot Pod. This esteemed publication deserves a person with a deep knowledge of podcasting and a lifelong passion for audio.
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Before I extol the virtues of this latest collaboration between Substack and Spotify, I must confess that I am a little wary. Spotify entered podcasting in earnest four years ago, and since then has created an industry-wide asset bubble that since has burst, purchased accomplished podcast studios like Parcast and Gimlet and dismantled them with no remorse, and produced and released a lot of crap.
So, we'll see how this goes.
Podcasters on Substack are collectively earning more than $100 million in annual revenue, a number that has more than doubled in the past year. The number of active podcasters on the platform has also more than doubled in the same time span.
And it’s not just that new opportunities are available to podcasters bringing their shows to Substack—it’s benefiting existing Substack publications too. Those writers and creators who have added audio and/or video to their Substacks grow their revenue more than 2.5 times as fast as those who haven’t.
Substack makes it dead simple for anyone to independently create, publish, distribute, grow, and monetize a show.
“We used to have two different feeds, one for our paying subscribers and one for everyone to listen to free shows,” says @Alex Kirshner, a host of @Split Zone Duo, the biggest sports
podcast on Substack. “We were looking for a way to put everything under one roof and make the experience as easy as possible for the people who pay us for our work. Moving to Substack from Patreon has let us do that and been very, very good for our growth in not
even half a year.”
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The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing.
I know that's a mouthful, but the IAB holds an annual in-person and virtual meeting introducing new podcasts from some of the largest podcast networks.
The IAB's report on advertising revealed that digital advertising revenues reached a record-high of $225 billion, increasing by 7.3% year-over-year overall (YoY) between 2022 and 2023, according to the newly released “IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report: Full Year 2023,” conducted by PwC.
The report found that Q4 saw the highest growth rate of 12.3% from the year prior (4.4%), with revenues rising to $64.5 billion.
“Despite inflation fears, interest rates at record highs, and continuing global unrest, the U.S. digital advertising industry continued its growth trajectory in 2023,” said David Cohen, CEO, IAB. “With significant industry transformation unfolding right before our eyes, we believe that those channels with a portfolio of privacy by design solutions will continue to outpace the market. For 2023, the winners were retail media, CTV, and audio, which saw the highest growth.”
Audio advertising also saw a robust expansion, growing 18.9% to reach $7 billion. It is still the fastest-growing channel, albeit at a slower pace than last year.
I know that most podcast fans have little interest in advertising trends and finances, but ads pay the bills for many podcasts.
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Check Out These Substack Podcast Newsletters For Podcasters & Listeners
As the podcasting industry has grown in popularity, so have the resources dedicated to keeping listeners and superfans informed.
Substack has been a key resource for podcast information, news, industry updates, reviews, and trends. Indeed, there are several "go-to" resources for those interested in podcasting or podcast listening.
If you are interested in becoming a podcaster, or a better podcaster, Substack has a host of resources for you. And, if you are a passionate listener of podcasts and are always on the hunt for a new show, Substack has you covered with some excellent newsletters on podcast reviews and recommendations.
Check out these Substack podcast resources.
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Samantha Hodder's Substack newsletter Bingeworthy is the mother ship for narrative podcast opinion, review, trends, and analysis. Hodder began the newsletter in September 2022 and has already amassed an impressive following. You can subscribe to Bingeworthyhere.Bingeworthy is a listener-supported newsletter.
Samantha is an award-winning audio producer and writer. She has been making media across multiple formats for over two decades. She publishes regularly on Mediumand on Substack. Her narrative storytelling podcast This is Our Time launched in 2017.
Here's how Hodder explained Bingeworthy: "Everyone knows that pickleball is not tennis, and it’s not badminton. Even if you’ve never played pickleball, you know not to bring a badminton racquet to that game. That’s because you know pickleball is its own sport, with its own rules…ones that are both similar and different to its neighboring sports.
"I want the same thing for podcasts. But I want Bingeworthy to help us see narrative podcasts as their own thing. Not chatcasts. Not celeb gossip. Not short news segments. Narrative podcasts, or narrative audio, or narrative storytelling…whatever you want to call it…is its own thing."
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Joe Casabona is a podcast systems coach who helps busy solopreneurs take back their time. Some even say he perfectly blends content creation and technology like it’s the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had (he says that).
Joe is also the host of the Podcast Workflows podcast. Podcasting has many masters, but few true gurus. Joe is one of them.
His podcast, Podcast Workflows, is recommended listening for any aspirational podcaster.
Joe says: "I started this Substack to provide insights into how to improve your podcast systems and workflows — allowing you to create and grow a high quality podcast by showing you how to best spend your limited time.
Joe shares: "Recently, I was asked how I can run my business, produce 3+ podcasts, and raise 3 kids (we welcomed our 3rd in December 2021). It’s all thanks to my workflows. I save 12 hours per week because of how much I took off my plate. Of-course, I know that what I did then may not work now. That's why I started Podcast Workflows. So I can see what works now."
You'll get deep dives into how popular podcasters create their shows, industry news, experiments, and tutorials about automations, tools, and productivity.
Recently, Joe has renamed his Substack and created an exciting new logo. Stay tuned.
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If you're looking to be a better podcaster, but you don't have time to go through hours and hours of advice, Be a Better Podcaster is for you. As a complementary publication to the popular One Minute Podcast Tips podcast, this newsletter brings you tips you can use on your podcast, with advice on improving your recording, editing, publishing, sharing, growing, networking, and more.
This includes what hardware and software you should use, and how they'll help you and your show, no matter where you are in your podcasting journey. And if you want more specific tips just for you and your podcast, check out the Magic Mic Membership on the Substack site.
One Minute Podcast Tips is designed for people who want to be better podcasters. Considering that millions are either podcasting now or have tried their hand at podcasting, that's a potentially large and motivated audience.
Host Danny Brown makes good on his promise to help people "be a better podcaster in just a minute a week."
Brown is the Head of Podcaster Support and Experience at Captivate.fm, "the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetization platform for the serious indie podcaster."
Check out One Minute Podcast Tips for expert help with your podcast.
Danny Brown is one of the most knowledgeable people in the field. Plus, he's from Canada, where podcasting is booming.
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If you're interested in podcasting in Canada, be sure to check out the Pod The North Substack newsletter by Kattie Laur.
Pod the North is a free, biweekly newsletter aimed at uplifting the Canadian podcast ecosystem and fostering community. In each issue, you’ll find ecosystem commentary (to keep you in the loop), podcast recommendations, opportunities for your podcast ($$$ and notoriety!), and digestible interviews with Canadian podcasters who you need to know about.
Kattie Laur is an Award-Winning Freelance Podcast Producer, Consultant, and Writer based in the Greater Toronto Area.
Last October, Kattie hosted a live anniversary celebration of Pod the North in Toronto. I'm sure there'll be more live events to come.
You can reach Kattie: @Podkatt (Twitter, Spotify, and Goodpods) | @ PodtheNorth (Bluesky)
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Podcast Marketing Magic is your podcast marketing concierge. The folks at Tink Media "make podcast marketing relatable, digestible, and accessible for podcasters at any stage of creation. Oh, and for making it super fun, too!"
This newsletter was started by Tink Media founder Lauren Passell and has grown to include the voices of Shreya Sharma, writer of
Audio Currents and Shreya’s Audio Affairs, and Devin Andrade, writer of Podstack. Shreya and Devin are podcast marketers at Tink Media and support the editorial production of Podcast Marketing Magic.
One of the most esteemed podcast journalists is also part of the team, and that's Wil Williams.
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Into The Podverse by Tony Doe is "your gateway to the dynamic world of podcasts with a uniquely African perspective." Formerly known as "Podcast Related: This Week In The Podverse," they have rebranded to create a unified brand that encapsulates the essence of who we are and what we bring to your podcasting experience.
Into The Podverse delves into the latest releases, industry news, and emerging trends, offering a comprehensive view that reflects the richness of the podcasting world from a Nigerian and African standpoint. Its mission is to be your go-to destination for podcasting insights. Whether you're a podcaster looking to stay ahead of trends, an industry professional seeking valuable perspective, or someone simply curious about the diverse and exciting African podcast landscape, Into The Podverse with Tony Doe has you covered.
Tony Doe is a Radio and Podcast Consultant with international experience and extensive media knowledge.
You can subscribe here.
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BlkPodNews is the official newsletter of the Black Podcasters Association. Its mission is to provide informative news and resources to Black podcast creatives and professionals, connecting them to industry-related news, events, educational resources, and more - all from a Black perspective.
Their goal is to become the go-to source for the latest information and insights from the Black creatives and professionals within the podcast industry.
The Black Podcasters Association ensures that its members are prepared to capitalize on the early growth and momentum of the podcasting industry as it continues to evolve.
They are looking for contributors and content submissions to our newsletter. Contact them at [email protected] to apply.
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The Podcast Critic Newsletter -- Great Pods by Captain Ron is billed, quite accurately, as "the Rotten Tomatoes for podcasts." With Captain Ron at the helm, you'll get weekly podcast recommendations from professional critic reviews.
Captain Ron says: "Finding podcast recommendations can be difficult. Great Pods is making it easier with one Critic review at a time"
Great Pods features weekly podcast recommendations from:
Critic Reviews and Ratings
Occasional Top Lists from various publications
Our journey as a podcast resource startup
Podcasts w/ reviews that were just added to the site
Coming Soon trailers
They are a team with over 10 years of experience in the audio/podcast industry. Their ecosystem includes this newsletter and greatpods.co (if you don’t want to wait for the newsletter recs!)!
Captain Ron encourages you to take a look and send them feedback and suggestions.
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The Johnny Podcasts Newsletter offers insights about podcasting, content, production from a podcast producer who "has actually done shit."
Johnny's proposition to his subscribers is simple: "Every Monday Morning. One Email. Only about podcasting."
Johnny says: "I write something interesting about the world of podcasting. These could be tips on improving your audio, how to improve as a host, or something relevant going on in the culture, and its impact on podcasting."
Johnny also shares some short thoughts on one news story that happened recently that affects the podcast industry and share a link so you can read it, too. They're usually short, and Johnny is proud to proclaim that "I am very picky with what I deem as valuable to your time."
Johnny also posts content to his YouTube channel, to help subscribers be a better podcaster.
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There are many more Substack newsletters about podcasting worthy of your time, such as the superb Podcasts Recapped, and there are many more in their startup phase. You can access them here.
Substack has just announced a package of upgrades to empower the next generation of podcast and video shows on Substack.
Substack podcasters can now sync and distribute all their free and paid episodes to Spotify. This highly requested feature makes a podcast instantly available and discoverable via the Spotify network, making it easier than ever to reach and monetize your audience.
I would make Ear Worthy into a podcast, but I've been told that I have the voice of Lina Lamont, the silent-film actress in Singing In The Rain, whose voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Even the webcam on my laptop won't turn on because it doesn't care for the image in front of its lens.
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The Question Of Ukraine Funding On The Latest Open To Debate Podcast
The question of Ukraine funding hits at the core of what America wants to be now and in the future. Are we returning to the isolationism before World War II or fighting against the tyranny of dictators, demagogues, and enemies of personal liberty?
The new episode of the nonpartisan debate series Open to Debate (formerly known as Intelligence Squared U.S.), in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, is a debate on the question "Should Congress Stop Funding the War in Ukraine?"
Arguing YES are political scientist John Mearsheimer, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and retired Lieutenant Colonel Daniel L. Davis, awarded two Bronze Stars during his 21-year service in the U.S. Army. They argue the war is unwinnable for Ukraine and continuing aid diverts necessary resources that could go toward domestic priorities, such as curbing immigration. They also question whether the funds are being used efficiently and whether providing military aid is genuinely contributing to a path toward peace.
Arguing NO are German Marshall Fund president Heather Conley, who has also held positions at the American National Red Cross and the State Department, and Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs; Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Vice Chair, Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy & Security. They believe that the U.S. has a moral obligation to support Ukraine in its time of need, it sustains alliances while serving strategic interests, and it demonstrates the U.S.’s support of democratic values and sovereignty.
The Open To Debate podcast plays a critical role in our society today.
All of us should keep an open mind to solve the complex problems we face as individuals and as a nation. Being open to debate is a gesture of respect for the good faith arguments of those we disagree with, for the intelligence and integrity of those who watch or listen, and for the value of debate done right.
The mission of Open to Debate is to restore critical thinking, facts, reason, and civility to America’s public square. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded people to engage with others holding opposing views on complex issues.
Listen to Open to Debate wherever you get podcasts or watch the video version at opentodebate.org.
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Three iHeart Podcasts For Women: Fashion: Past-Due Female Recognition; Katie
If TV can do it, why can't podcasting. Networks like Lifetime and Hallmark program shows that appeal to women. Therefore, it's only fair that iHeartPodcasts has several excellent podcasts for women.
To be clear, podcasting has podcast networks that are female-owned, such as Critical Frequency and Earios.
First up is Climbing In Heels, which just returned every Friday for season three. If you didn't know (I did not), Rachel Zoe is recognized as one of Hollywood’s most powerful fashion authorities. She welcomed audiences into her fast-paced life as an A-list stylist on her Bravo show, The Rachel Zoe Project and her fashion brand is known globally. The podcast's marketing pitch is: "Host Rachel Zoe’s podcast Climbing In Heels promises to be your weekly dose of glamour, inspiration and fun!"
I listened to an episode with celebrity stylist Dani Michelle, whose clients include Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner. Zoe is a sold host, keeping down the melodrama in favor of sharing her expertise and that of her guests with her listeners. The January 2024 episode with Kroma wellness founder Lisa Odenweller discussing health and nutrition was informative, and kudos to Zoe for not turning it into a Kroma commercial spot.
I think the best episode is the March 29, 2024, show with actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano on the hit HBO TV series The Sopranos. While Sigler continued to work in the entertainment industry after the show ended, she was diagnosed with MS, which she didn’t share publicly for 16 years. Zoe does a superb job as host, as Sigler discusses her career, motherhood, and MS.
Season three promises, "Conversations with incredible women across many industries, from models and beauty industry stars to doctors, entrepreneurs and TV personalities, and Rachel will be sharing her insight and knowledge of her over 20-year career in fashion."
Next, we have Womanica. Here is their marketing pitch: "Historically, women have been told to make themselves smaller, to diminish themselves. Some have used that idea to their advantage, disappearing into new identities. For others, a disappearance was the end to their stories, but the beginning of a new chapter in their legacies."
I listened to several episodes and loved the show. Its premise of women not getting the attention, respect, adulation, and recognition they deserve for their contributions is inspired and so overdue.
Every episode starts with the title "Disappearing Acts." Then the five-minute episode highlights a woman whose contributions have been overlooked by history and society.
There's an episode on Fanny Eaton (1835-1924), who was a model and muse for dozens of iconic paintings from the pre-Raphaelite era. Her face can be found in museums around the world, and yet she remains unnamed and overlooked even today. Jean Ritchie (1922-2015) was the mother of folk music. She was an instrumental voice in the American folk music revival of the 1940s and 60s, and introduced a traditional dulcimer sound to a wider audience. Sophie Germain (1776-1831) was a French mathematician and physicist who contributed to the study of acoustics, elasticity, and number theory. She was forced to assume a fake male identity to have her work taken seriously, but her efforts paved the way for further breakthrough discoveries in mathematics.
Take your pick. It's a daily show. Womanica is a podcast for everyone. For all those male-oriented podcasts where the host whines about men playing second fiddle to women and minorities, please listen to some of these episodes about women who made major contributions for little or no recognition.
Finally, we have Katie Couric. Unlike other celebrities jumping on the podcasting bandwagon like carpetbaggers and scalawags, Couric began her podcasting career long before it was cool to be in podcasting. Ten years ago, a celebrity starting a podcast often elicited a "what happened to their career" comments.
Couric has done a nice job with her show. Last week, iHeartPodcasts
and Katie Couric Media announced the launch of the ninth season of Next Question with Katie Couric.
The marketing pitch is: "Katie is back on the mic for a new season, promising listeners intimate and unexpected conversations with some of the world’s most interesting and influential people."
The season premiere serves up Couric with Kris Jenner to talk about Kardashian-Jenner stuff. If you're into that, you'll love it.
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Arts Educators Save The World: Mentors From The Classroom
ARTS EDUCATORS SAVE THE WORLD is a weekly podcast that brings successful artists together in conversation with their mentors.
See below for all the reasons this podcast is desperately needed in the U.S. right now.
Let me start with: There is no diplomatic way to phrase this. Being a teacher in the U.S. sucks right now. Worse than that, it seems like it's only going to get worse.
Let me summarize: Teachers are underpaid and even more underappreciated. Teachers are attacked by parents who call them "groomers." Teachers are scapegoated by entitled parents who raise entitled children who, of course, are perfect and can do no wrong. Teachers are mandated by parents and school boards who know nothing about teaching, to adhere to strict rules on what they can and cannot teach. Teachers are now expected to teach sanitized versions of their subjects.
Finally, if students act up or out, then somehow the teachers are to blame.
I have a teaching degree and taught adults and remedial classes to inner city teens. What I'm proud of most was that I was able to connect with some students who avoided the gangs, drug addiction, and a dependent lifestyle. These students are successful at their jobs, prosperous and productive members of society.
TheARTS EDUCATORS SAVE THE WORLD weekly podcast is all about how teachers, especially arts teachers, became mentors for notable people.
This podcast reminds extremist politicians, activist parents, education administrators, and others that teachers play a critical role in shaping our society and the future.
Season One of the show welcomed guests such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Robert Lopez, Josh Radnor, Annaleigh Ashford, and more.
Here are some quotes from the well-known people about their mentors:
“My elementary school music teacher is the reason I’m here.”
– Lin-Manuel Miranda, Season 1, Episode 1
“Having a formative mentor at that vulnerable place, when I knew I wanted to say something, but I didn’t quite know what it was yet. That was enough.”
– Josh Radnor actor (How I Met Your Mother) , Season 1, Episode 3
“That feeling that we got in that classroom – where something would finally click, where you understood a word in a different way, where you had an effect on somebody – all the surprises, the discoveries, those are more exciting than anything else.”
– Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live) Season 1, Episode 7
The host of this podcast, Erica Rosenfeld Halverson is a professor, an author, an actor, and the Mayor of Whoopensocker. She is Professor of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studies arts education and teaches the next generation of teaching artists and classroom teachers who learn to share their artistic superpowers with the next generation of geniuses!
Her book How the Arts Can Save Education: Transforming Teaching, Learning, and Instruction shows how we can fix our broken system of schooling by reimagining teaching and learning using the arts. Erica has founded two community arts outreach programs, Playmakers Lab in Chicago and Whoopensocker in Madison, WI. Erica has been blessed with incredible arts mentors, including the late Jacques d’Amboise who founded the National Dance Institute, where Erica first encountered the power of arts education for all.
Halverson does some heavy lifting here as the host. She's an excellent host who infects listeners with her enthusiasm and passion. Her podcast partner is Alek Lev is a writer, director, podcast producer, and American Sign Language interpreter. Podcasts include Meeting Tom Cruise and Private Joke: The Official How I Met Your Mother Podcast. He wrote and directed the recent release, WHAT?, a black-and-white, silent feature film about a Deaf actor struggling in Hollywood. And he’s interpreted for three presidents, two Broadway shows, and one Beatle.
The show -- ARTS EDUCATORS SAVE THE WORLD -- began in late August 2022 and just began its second season in the winter 2024.
What will you hear on this podcast? Lin-Manuel Miranda may be the biggest name on the podcast, and his two-part episode was exhilarating. Don't miss it. It will be undeniable proof that teachers can have an outsized impact on our lives, especially someone as talented as Mr. Miranda.
Another don't miss episode is a recent one with actor Bradley Whitford, probably best known for the TV show The West Wing. In the show, Whitford meets with his mentor from Madison East High School, Paul Milisch, the producing director of theater. Whitford raises fundamental questions about arts education in our public school system when he asks, "Are we expanding opportunity, or are we preserving privilege?"
In a format break for the podcast, two shows look at arts teachers in TV and film. For TV, the podcast talks with actress and teaching artist Christina Anthony about Glee and Abbott Elementary.
For the film review episode, the podcast talks with Slate's film critic, Dana Stevens about Dead Poets Society, Camp, Whiplash.
Both episodes are superb and worth the 45 minutes of your time.
ARTS EDUCATORS SAVE THE WORLDcan offer a more complete understanding of the critical role that arts education and arts teachers play in the development of our youth.
Who will be our next Lin-Manuel Miranda? Who will be the next mentor to our most famous actors, writers, and musical artists?
Listen to be inspired by how these educators and mentors changed the lives of the artists... that change ours.
Remember that, “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see.”
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What True-Crime Podcasts Have Taught Us About Our Criminal Justice System
The other day, I discovered a true-crime podcast about true-crime podcasts. I think that means that podcasting may have jumped the shark.
Although there are some fabulous true-crime podcasts, I am always afraid that podcasting will become the Discovery's ID Channel or HLN's Forensic Files of the audio world.
Podcasting has so much more to offer than true-crime. Everything from factual science like Science Vs to traditional entertainment like Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me! to shows for underrepresented voices like Democracy-ish.
Don't get me wrong here. I do love the true-crime genre. My personal favorites are Criminal, Killer Queens, and The Murder Sheet. My least favorite is Crime Junkie because of its derivative proclivities.
Listeners do love these true-crime podcasts. Last week, the Dateline NBC podcast began its subscription service on Apple podcasts and has exceeded all expectations.
Despite my constant whining about the exploding number of true-crime podcasts (they procreate faster than fruit flies), true-crime podcasts have identified and highlighted crucial weaknesses and a few strengths in our justice system.
What can we learn from all these true-crime podcasts? Key themes resonate in these shows repeatedly.
The police arrest, and prosecutors convict, a disturbing number of innocent people.
Founded in 1992 by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. The Innocence Project is inundated with requests from incarcerated people and their families.
Innocent people being arrested by the police and then prosecuted despite their innocence is a key theme of many true-crime podcasts.
Depending on your source, between three and six percent of people currently in jail are innocent. That's fertile ground for true-crime podcasts. Especially since more than 2,800 people have been exonerated of crimes that they were imprisoned for in the last 30 years. That number is apparently the floating ice that hides the iceberg.
Even more disturbing is that four of every 100 people sentenced to death are innocent, but only half that number are eventually exonerated.
The six primary reasons for wrongful arrest and conviction are mistaken witness or eyewitness identification, false confession, false or misleading forensic evidence, or its misapplication, perjury or false accusation, informants, official and government misconduct, and inadequate legal defense.
Innocent people being convicted of a crime is the second most popular theme of true-crime podcasts, after unsolved cases.
Podcasts like Serial and other true-crime shows continue to demonstrate that police and prosecutors arrest and convict people who are innocent.
Why are innocent people arrested and convicted? See below.
Racism is a primary reason that people are wrongly accused and convicted.
No one knows how many innocent blacks were arrested and convicted for crimes they did not commit in the nearly 100 years of Jim Crow. Nowhere is racism more explicit than the 2019 film Just Mercy starring Michael B. Jordan as young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson who represents poor people on death row in the South. Featured is his work with Walter McMillian, a black man who had been wrongfully convicted of the murder of a young woman.
True-crime podcasts to their credit often highlight this major flaw in the justice system. For example, although blacks make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, 49 percent of wrongful conviction exonerations involve black defendants.
The justice system also has a class prejudice.
In many cases, innocent people in jail are there because of inadequate or negligent legal counsel.
In effect, there don't have money to hire a lawyer or hire a good one. Not having a lawyer in our justice system typically leads to a plea deal (despite innocence) and then we're back to why so many innocent people are in prison.
For example, until April 2022, Maine was the only state that had no public defenders. Thanks to an exhaustive investigation by ProPublica, state lawmakers were finally pressured to secure money to hire Maine’s first public defenders. Now it will have five -- for the entire state. In January 2022, the Public Defenseless podcast with Hunter Parnell also exposed this serious legal flaw.
Rich people make out much better than people with little access to expensive and time-consuming legal care. There are multiple true-crime podcasts about real-estate heir and serial killer Robert Durst. Podcasts such Jury Duty and The Jinx followed his trial and ultimate life-sentence conviction in 2021. Durst died in prison earlier this year.
Durst's case was ultimately satisfying because, for a change, a rich person didn't get away with a crime. In Durst's case, heinous, violent crimes.
True-crime podcasts can and will run their own investigations. Sometimes, their podcast even leads to identifying the perpetrator and to a conviction.
For example, the subject of Australian true-crime podcast, The Teachers Pet, Chris Dawson has recently been found guilty in the Australian Supreme Court of murdering his first wife, who vanished more than four decades ago. Hedley Thomas, an Australian journalist, investigated the case in a successful 14-episode podcast containing what he claimed was new evidence. The podcast was released in 2018 at the same time as the local police had started re-investigating Lynette Dawson’s disappearance.
Forensics is a double-edged sword: It helps to identify the guilty person with DNA, but also is not as scientifically bulletproof as crime TV shows depict
For instance, in the episode #147 of the Junk Science podcast, host Josh Dubin covered the pseudo-science of blood spatter pattern evidence. In episode 11 of the Adam Ruins Everything podcast, host Adam Conover discussed outdated forensic techniques such as bite mark analysis, with Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation at the Innocence Project.
In the Stuff To Blow Your Mind iHeart podcast, the episode was titled, "What if bad science put you in prison for a crime you didn't commit"
In the Heartland Daily podcast, economist Roger Koppl discussed the inherent problem of the government’s monopoly on crime labs, pointing to institutional incentives for experts in a variety of fields. From fingerprint analysis to DNA matching, Koppl estimated that 20,000 individuals are wrongly convicted each year in the United States because of faulty forensic evidence.
Then we have true-crime podcasts that report how forensics science, especially DNA genealogy and public databases, have caught murderers who otherwise never be caught and convicted.
The DNA:ID podcast, for example, looks at crimes solved by genetic genealogy, and examine the connection - if any - between the victim and the killer, and why the crime occurred.
Numerous true-crime podcasts covered how the Green River Killer and Golden State Killer were finally caught with DNA evidence.
True-crime podcasts can -- and do -- offer us more of a Webb telescope view of our justice system than we've ever had before. Despite podcast networks cooking up as many true-crime podcasts as we can humanly stand, true-crime podcasts often provide several valuable services.
First, these podcasts continue to focus on the unacceptable number of innocent people serving sentences for crimes they did not commit.
Second, these podcasts remind us -- and we need the reminder -- that racism infects the core of our justice system, from police to prosecutors to penitentiaries.
Third, these podcasts highlight how rich, powerful people (those traits tend to go together) can "game" the justice system due to money, influence, and authority.
Fourth, we have to be cautious about swooning over fictional and documentary-style forensics TV shows because they can -- and do -- position forensics as somehow beyond reproach and incontrovertible evidence. DNA evidence can be subject to secondary transfer, where DNA from the accused can be transferred to someone else who carried it to the scene. Further, lab mistakes with DNA have been made and exposed by true-crime podcasts.
Unlike some TV "police" reality shows that overdramatize routine police work and reinforce racial and class stereotypes, true-crime podcasts have, for the most part, presented their audience a more balanced view of the criminal justice system.
photo of crime scene tape.
In 2019, Dan Taberski and the team behind Missing Richard Simmons podcast investigated COPS — the longest running reality show in TV history — and its cultural impact on policing in America with his Running From COPS podcast. It was not a flattering portrait of the TV show, with Taberski revealing how show producers orchestrated arrests and often overruled law enforcement.
So we end this article, with a question.
Why do listeners digest so many true-crime podcasts like competitive eaters ram down hot dogs at an eating contest?
Earlier this year, Chistine Persaud of Digital Trends explained it this way: "The answer leans to part escapism, part morbid curiosity. Ironically, while true crime is rooted in fact, watching these terrible tales about events that took place decades or even just a few years ago offers a strange sense of satisfaction that maybe things are and will be OK, because, well, they could be worse."
Photo Credit: Kat Wilcox
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"Fine" Dining: All You Can Eat Podcast Feast
The "Fine" Dining podcast has a fascinating premise. "The search for the most mediocre chain restaurant in America." As podcast topics go, this one serves up all kinds of possibilities. You can play this one straight like a New York Times food critic or for laughs. Or play both sides of the fence with comedy and drama.
The podcast's stated mission is: "The hilarious search for the most mediocre chain restaurant in America. Host Michael Ornelas hits popular spots like IHOP, Texas Roadhouse, & Chili's to find the perfectly average 5-out-of-10 "fine" dining experience."
The podcast's website offers its origin story: "The year was 2016. Michael was sitting in an Outback Steakhouse, having just purchased a GoPro camera, and thought it might be silly fun to wear it on his head and document the chain restaurant experience from that perspective. He'd then rate it on a scale of 4 to 6, because 'that's what chains deserve, and they know it.' It was a dumb idea that he didn't actually do, but the idea remained."
The show began in October 2022, and you have to give it up for creator/host Michael Ornelas because he produced 40 episodes in the show's first season.
In 2019, Ornelas met season one co-host Garrett Zwerk at a Pokémon Go PvP tournament held in a Burbank food court, and the two immediately hit it off. Three years later, that silly idea to review chain restaurants on a scale of mediocrity popped back into Michael's head, and he pitched it to now-close friend Garrett as a podcast premise. "Fine" Dining was born.
After season one, Ornelas announced that his co-host Garrett Zwerk left the show. As Ornelas notes on the website: "Garrett left in August 2023 to pursue other endeavors. He was killed off not once but twice in the finale episode of season one, but the only thing certain about his fate is that he will be missed."
So what do you do when your partner in the creation of a podcast leaves? After all, what did Steve Jobs do after Steve Wozniak left Apple? Well, Jobs struggled mightily for several years and then achieved historic success.
Ornelas didn't miss a beat, setting up season two to be a special guest every episode as his co-host. That's worked out well for the show and listeners. So far, Ornelas has welcomed a comedian, podcaster, wrestler, and even a magician as a co-host with positive results.
What's a typical episode of the podcast like? First, sonically, there is a lot going on. Ornelas seems to abhor silence or quietude, so listeners are treated to a musical about Olive Garden, a Hooters-themed Super Bowl video episode, and audio dramas, character work, and wildly creative skits out the wazoo.
Ornelas says: "They've become a staple of the voice of the show."
You get a sense of the show right away, when a female voice says, "From this point forward, the word cheese will be bleeped because Michael finds it offensive."
Although a comic blend between comedians John Mulvaney and Gary Gulman, Ornelas is quite good at reviewing these chain restaurants. His criteria are as follows: atmosphere, service and food. He has a good critical eye for mediocrity in restaurants, and in select examples, excellence.
I enjoy the history of these chains because as bland as their brand and food may be, some of their origin stories are wild. I love hearing about the Blake brothers, who developed Friendly's in Springfield, MA in 1935. Talk about sibling rivalry.
My favorite episodes so far include Texas Roadhouse, TGI Fridays, Red Robin, and The Cheesecake Factory.
In part two of the Friendly's restaurant visit, Ornelas waxes sarcastic on the decision by private equity's Amici Holdings to offer a Jonas Brother themed ice cream treats. Ornelas cackles: What genius came up with that idea? Who is going to drive to a Friendly's because there is Jonas brother-themed ice cream treats, except for the Jonas's.
Ornelas works hard and smart to involve listeners, create a listening community, monetize his show, and even offer eating-out tips. Michael Ornelas is a hard -working independent podcaster.
Ornelas says; "Fine Dining: The Search for the Most Mediocre Restaurant in America, is now live wherever you get your podcasts.
Remember, it's tough out there in the mean streets by your local Applebee's. Stay safe and check out our five Survival Tips for Casual Dining."
I did, and the tips are helpful and include choosing the right seat, when to eat and this gem: Monday is the worst day to eat out because on Tuesday the restaurant gets a new supply of food, so Monday diners are eating the leftovers.
Check out The "Fine" Dining podcast. Even though the podcast reviews barely adequate chain restaurants, the podcast itself is a superb feast of restaurant reviews, cultural appraisals, quirky, often absurdist humor.
You don't need a reservation to listen to the podcast.
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Bingeworthy: The Art & Craft Of Narrative Podcasts
The word "binge" has gone through numerous transformations over the last 50 years. At one time, it was used primarily as an adjective before "drinking" and "eating." The connotation of "binge" was negative.
Then "binge" suddenly became imbued with new meaning at the beginning of the 21st Century, and that negative stigma dissipated.
That's when Netflix began releasing a season of episodes for its original series on one day. Suddenly, a new meaning was born for "binge." Actually two. You could "Netflix and chill" and then "binge" an entire season in a day or a few days. Calling in sick to complete the media binge was acceptable.
Thankfully for podcasters, award-winning documentary filmmaker, narrative podcast producer and cultural critic Samantha Hodder added the term "binge" to podcasting.
Her Substack newsletter Bingeworthy is the mother ship for narrative podcast opinion, review, trends, and analysis. Hodder began the newsletter in September 2022 and has already amassed an impressive following.
You can subscribe to Bingeworthy here.Bingeworthy is a listener-supported newsletter.
Here's how Hodder explained Bingeworthy: "Everyone knows that pickleball is not tennis, and it’s not badminton. Even if you’ve never played pickleball, you know not to bring a badminton racquet to that game. That’s because you know pickleball is its own sport, with its own rules…ones that are both similar and different to its neighboring sports.
"I want the same thing for podcasts. But I want Bingeworthy to help us see narrative podcasts as their own thing. Not chatcasts. Not celeb gossip. Not short news segments. Narrative podcasts, or narrative audio, or narrative storytelling…whatever you want to call it…is its own thing.
"And my goal with Bingeworthy is to help celebrate that thing. That space. Those stories, the people who make them, the craft that becomes them and the underlying industry that makes that all happen."
Samantha Hodder is called a multihypenate -- someone who does several different jobs in the entertainment industry—and does them well.
Samantha is an award-winning audio producer and writer. She has been making media across multiple formats for over two decades. She publishes regularly on Mediumand on Substack. Her narrative storytelling podcast This is Our Time launched in 2017. It is a memoir-based story about an all-women’s expedition to Antarctica for women. Season 2 was featured in the Hot Docs Podcast Festival in 2021. She works as a freelance podcast producer, editor and narration script advisor. This year, she began to teach and mentor students at TMU and OCADU in narrative podcasting.
She also works with other writers and creatives one-on-one to help them find a winning narrative structure for their projects. To see if this approach could be helpful to your work, find her free 5-day email course Find Your Fish, which draws on lessons from screenwriting, podcasting, journaling and mindful meditation.
Over the last two decades her writing has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines and her interactive work has premiered at festivals internationally. She was the recipient of the Al Waxman Calling Card for her first documentary, The Mantelpiece, which was broadcast on TVOntario, and premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Festival in 2004. Her short film The Nothingness That Is Everything opened in Venice, Italy in 2018.
So what kinds of articles are published in Bingeworthy?
We have the Bingeworthy's Top 23 narrative podcasts for 2023. As Hodder notes: "Carefully tracked, noted and measured, the inaugural Bingey List aims to highlight the best shows of the narrative podcast world and shine a light on an amazing body of work." Included in hr list is her # 2 (and my #1) Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's.
In her most recent newsletter post, Hodder discusses three podcasts she's listened to, including Ripple. Hodder notes: "Part environmental caper, part climate actuality doomsday report, part good old-fashioned door-knocking journalism. For those who think they recall the largest oil spill in North America, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill off the Gulf Coast of Alabama in 2010, but can’t exactly remember all the horrid details, this series is here to remind you."
I have listened to this investigative podcast, and Hodder is prescient. The podcast is powerful in its observations, disturbing in its revelations, and insightful in its solutions.
Then Hodder interviews Claire Tighe about the freelancing, which is essentially employment without a net.
Check out Bingeworthy. It's custom-built for fans of narrative podcasting. Samantha Hodder is a superb journalist with a quick wit, an inviting writing style, and an innate sense of "bingeworthy" podcasts.
In summary, Bingeworthy offers reviews, critiques, insights, and discussions about the art and craft of narrative podcasts.
Hodder's goal is a noble one: "To bring narrative podcasts out from the fringe shadows; To make them a subject of critical discussion; To see them recognized as their own storytelling format."
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