Laura Mayer, Executive Producer of Show Development at Midroll Media joins Lex Friedman and Chris Bannon on The Wolf Den. The three discuss Laura’s past in radio and how she defines her current role at Midroll. Laura also outlines the development process and what to look for in a successful podcast pilot.
Chris Giliberti, Head of Multiplatform at Gimlet Media joins Lex Friedman and Chris Bannon on The Wolf Den. The three discuss Giliberti's early days at Gimlet, and transition to his current position from his original role as Chief of Staff. Chris also explains his method for divining which podcast properties can be best adapted for screen as well as new emerging formats.
Colin Anderson, Executive Producer of Earwolf joins Chris Bannon on The Wolf Den. The pair discuss Colin’s background as a BBC Radio producer and how that led to a job in podcasting across the pond. Colin also describes his idea of what makes a show uniquely Earwolf, and some plans for the network moving forward.
Nathan Russell, Creative Director at UCB Comedy/Don't Think Productions and host of the UCB Digital Podcast joins Lex Friedman on The Wolf Den. The two discuss Nathan’s beginnings as an improvisor at the theater and how that eventually led to running their in-house production arm. Nathan also explains the UCB’s philosophy of trying things and seeing what sticks, and how the intimacy of podcasting lends itself to improv comedy in a way video often can’t.
Alison Hockenberry, chief of staff of Dubner Productions and executive producer of "Freakonomics Radio" and "Tell Me Something I Don't Know," joins Chris Bannon on The Wolf Den. The two discuss how Alison's background as a TV news producer eventually led her to running the "Dubner empire" by embracing the power of saying yes to things. Alison also explains the genesis of “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” and details the early trial and error period that led to the sh...
Brendan Monaghan, CEO of Panoply Media, joins Chris and Lex on the Wolf Den. The three discuss how journey from working at the digital arm of the Washington Post to podcasting at Panoply. Brendan also explains Panoply's Megaphone Targeted Marketplace and talks about the future of podcast content and listener metrics. This episode is brought to you by Thursday Boot Company (www.thursdayboots.com code: FREESHIP2DAY).
Jason Concepcion and Mallory Rubin along with producer Zach Mack from The Ringer’s Binge Mode podcast join Chris on the Wolf Den. The four explain the thought process behind the unconventional rollout as well as the the rigors of releasing ten episodes per week. They also explain how a show about Game of Thrones fits in with the Ringer’s podcasting slate, and how they differentiated Binge Mode from the many other recap shows on the market.
Max Temkin, co-creator of Cards Against Humanity and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative, joins Chris and Lex on the Wolf Den. The three discuss how Cards Against Humanity went from a game created by high school friends to a highly profitable performance art piece. Max also talks about his reasons for starting the Chicago Podcast Co-op, his role in bringing Hello From the Magic Tavern to Earwolf, and his favorite podcast ads.
Kathy Doyle, senior director of audio for Macmillan Podcasts and the long-established Quick and Dirty Tips Network, joins Chris and Lex on the Wolf Den. The three discuss the creation of QDT, from its humble beginnings with Grammar Girl, to being featured as airline entertainment. Kathy also details the creation of Tor Labs and their first podcast, the science fiction audio drama “Steal the Stars.”
Samantha Henig, Editorial Director for Audio at the New York Times, joins Chris Bannon on The Wolf Den. The two discuss the creation and challenges of her hugely successful new daily news podcast, The Daily, as well as new opportunities for short-form daily podcasts. Samantha also explains how the Times itself defines what makes a Times podcast. Plus, managing the paper's famous editorial wall between advertising and journalism. And finally, the pros and cons of fielding podcast pitches. This ep...
Aaron Lammer, co-host of the Longform Podcast, joins Chris Bannon on the Wolf Den. The two discuss the creation and evolution of the innovative website Lammer helped co-found, Longform.org, and how podcasting fits into his vision of the site's future. Lammer also talks about the decision to start a brand new show, Stoner, which highlights the ways in which creativity and pot successfully co-exist. He also addresses the challenges of pot-related-podcast advertising: what do you do when the subjec...
Bob Garfield, co-host of WNYC’s On The Media, joins Chris and Lex on The Wolf Den. Bob details the journey of his new podcast, The Genius Dialogues, from a Kickstarter campaign to its home on Audible Channels. The three also discuss podcasting business models, the advantage of host read ads, and the problem of maintaining editorial independence in an ad-driven environment.
Midroll Media CEO Erik Diehn returns to The Wolf Den. The group discusses the formation of the East Coast office, the future of Stitcher, and the value of premium content and partnerships in podcasting.
Lauren Ober hosts the only nationally syndicated public radio program about podcasts, “The Big Listen.” She joins Chris Bannon and Lex Friedman on The Wolf Den to tell how the show got started at WAMU and what it was like to get picked up by NPR. Lauren explains how she balances serving the different audiences which listen to the broadcast version of the show, compared to the podcast version. She also discusses the influence and growth of podcasting on public radio stations across the market, de...
According to executive producer Julie Shapiro, Radiotopia is a unique podcast network that she likens to a punk rock record label, bringing together independent shows to help support and grow them. But how does a show get “signed” to Radiotopia? Julie sheds some light on that, in this episode of the Wolf Den, with hosts Chris Bannon and Lex Friedman. She explains the process behind the network’s Podquest contest, in which 1,537 entries vied to be the next podcast added to the Radiotopia roster. ...
Go inside one of the most talked-about new entrants in podcasting with Hernan Lopez, a cable television veteran who founded Wondery at the start of the year. He joins the Wolf Den to discuss that transition from video to audio with hosts Chris Bannon and Lex Friedman. In fact, Hernan draws parallels between the early days of cable and podcasting, especially with regard to educating ad buyers. He explains why he started Wondery as a full-service network, and why they focused on fiction shows--inc...
The podcasting industry is often characterized as being like the “Wild West,” which is very similar to how digital publishing was regarded in the 1990s. Media analyst Ken Doctor was at the forefront of journalism’s first online forays while working at Knight-Ridder Digital, and now he turns his lens to podcasting. He sees parallels with early internet publishing, but also important differences. On this episode of the Wolf Den he tells Chris and Lex what he thinks podcasters and the podcast indus...
Max Linsky has the rare opportunity to spend time making a podcast with Hillary Clinton while she’s on the campaign trail. On this episode Max gives Chris and Lex a behind-the-scenes glimpse at that show, “With Her,” and the new podcasting company that he co-founded with Jenna Weiss-Berman (TWD #92), Pineapple Street Media. He explains the inspiration behind starting the company, why he and his co-founder decided not to take any outside investment, and what they’re looking for when hiring produc...
Rena Unger has a uniquely comprehensive view of the digital audio industry. She’s worked on the brand side, on the content side, and now helps to guide and grow the industry as as whole as the Director of Industry Initiatives at the Interactive Advertising Bureau. With her work as the lead for the IAB’s Digital Audio Committee Rena is responsible for the Podcast Upfronts which recently happened in New York City. In this edition of the Wolf Den Rena explains where the idea for the Upfronts came f...
If you've ever dreamed of starting your own podcast network, this episode is for you. Myke Hurley is a veteran podcaster and the co-founder of Relay.fm, a popular and highly regarded tech podcast network with 20 shows. He joins Lex Friedman in the Wolf Den to dig into the business of running a network. Myke tells how he built his first network out of necessity, and why he later merged it with a bigger network. But then Myke and his business partner decided to strike out on their own again with R...
What are the biggest challenges facing public radio, and how does podcasting fit into the equation? Those are just a couple of the big questions that guest Adam Ragusea tackles in this spirited discussion with hosts Chris Bannon and Lex Friedman. Adam is the host and producer of The Pub podcast from Current, the industry publication for public media, and he’s Journalist in Residence and Visiting Assistant Professor at Mercer University. He’s known for staking out strong--sometimes controversial-...
Through her WNYC podcast and radio program “Note to Self” Manoush Zomorodi is exploring how technology affects culture, the way we work and the way we live our lives. She guests on the Wolf Den to discuss how that curiosity has led to projects on her show that engaged tens of thousands of listeners to join in guided self-experiments in managing their use of personal technology, and their own information overload. Manoush also reflects on the experience of being a woman covering a male-dominated ...
Learn all about Audible's new Channels podcast line-up with Eric Nuzum, the company’s Vice President of Original Content. He joins new co-hosts Chris Bannon and Lex Friedman in the Wolf Den to explain what Channels is, and how the effort intends to grow the audience for spoken word audio by expanding the variety of content. Eric talks about how he evaluates programming and its performance, and recalls a mentor from early in his career who taught him what makes for really good content. He also ad...
Find out what’s happening behind the scenes at Midroll and Earwolf during this very busy summer, as Midroll's Erik Diehn and Lex Friedman join Adam for his very last episode hosting The Wolf Den. Adam recently stepped aside from his position of CEO and explains his reasons for doing so. He reminisces with Lex and Erik about the most fun, and the most challenging, moments of the last three eventful years. Then they take up Midroll's recent acquisition of Stitcher, addressing some of the concerns ...
On this episode Matt Lieber provides some insight on what makes his company, Gimlet Media, tick. He is the president of Gimlet, which produces popular podcasts like Reply All, Surprisingly Awesome, and Startup, the company’s first show, which also documented Gimlet’s own launch. Adam asks Matt to share what it was like to go through that experience, with so many people learning so many intimate details on the show. Matt also charts his career journey, from unexpectedly reporting on 9/11, to beco...
Dig deep into the business of podcasting with this episode of The Wolf Den, recorded live at a Fast Company Creative Counter-Conference event hosted at the Earwolf studios in Hollywood. Adam moderates a panel with Earwolf hosts Sarah Thyre (“Crybabies”) and Franklin Leonard (“The Black List Table Reads”). They answer questions from the assembled journalists, agency representatives and media industry professionals about building audience, the ethics of podcast ads, episode length, and pitching gu...
Comedian and Jersey boy Chris Gethard wasn’t quite ready to host one of the hottest and most popular podcasts around. As he explains to Adam Sachs on this episode of The Wolf Den, he thought there would be some time in the first few months to feel it out. Instead, getting featured on This American Life attracted a massive audience to his show, Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, who stuck around because of the singular mix of openness, honesty and empathy with which Chris treats the callers...
Adam gets Scott Aukerman in the guest chair for the first time as host of "The Wolf Den," along with Chris Bannon, Midroll Media’s chief content officer, to talk about the state of Earwolf and Howl. Hear Scott do his best Paul Scheer impression as he recalls the Christmas party where Paul pitched his idea for "How Did This Get Made?" and reflects on the seven-year journey of building Earwolf. Then Chris and Scott explain why the Wolfpop network was retired--with most of the s...
Laura Walker is the president and CEO of New York Public Radio, the largest public radio station group in the US, and a well-known leader in podcasting, though its flagship station WNYC. In fact, it was the first public station to release a podcast, which sparks a conversation about how podcasting fits in with the station's mission as a public broadcaster, and why the organization stuck with the medium in the late 2000s when much of the excitement around podcasting had worn off. Laura discusses ...
Hillary Frank got into radio by breaking the rules, using a boombox and an answering machine to produce a segment for This American Life. She is the host of the leading parenting podcast The Longest Shortest Time, which joined Earwolf in January 2016. On this episode of The Wolf Den Hillary tells Adam the This American Life story, and explains how working as a freelance radio producer and a difficult child birth led her to create her podcast. They discuss how her expectations shifted as the podc...
