Interview, Fireside Chat
Alex Blumberg of Gimlet Media
- Plans include continuing limited series development while evaluating profitability models, alongside systematic story sourcing, internal piloting, and acquisitions of existing content.
- Content strategy prioritizes "showrunner types" capable of leading vision, seeking recruits with creativity, curiosity, and empathy who complete trial assignments to demonstrate editorial thinking.
- Editorial standards aim for objectivity, representation of underrepresented communities, and a balance between being informative and entertaining to fulfill buckets of companionship, storytelling, and learning.
- Acquisition criteria generally require podcasts to have independently reached 100,000 downloads, with an expectation that the company can multiply audience size, improve quality, and facilitate expert cycling for acquired hosts.
- Specific project expectations include The Pitch host Josh Muccio progressing to the next level, the ABC sitcom Alex Inc. launching this winter, and the Homecoming adaptation starring Julia Roberts launching in 2018.
- The outlook anticipates a growing podcast ecosystem with increased mainstream awareness and ad dollars, driven by competition from major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Tune In, and a need for robust marketing as the industry matures.
- Discovery challenges persist, with listeners found primarily on other podcasts, while YouTube is identified as highly effective for video segments that dwarf audio listen numbers and facilitate sharing compared to isolated audio content.
- Revenue and advertising models are expected to improve with better analytics, potentially raising inventory prices, with direct response advertisers serving as a market test for pricing formulas.
- Production and development plans involve avoiding concepts that are too complex for required frequencies or lack host passion, noting that host enthusiasm is critical for success as seen with The Nod.
- Content focus areas include a dominant true crime landscape, room for diverse formats like online findings and single-case follows, and an emphasis on emotional honesty and listening as fundamental interview building blocks.