The trajectory of the independent podcast producer
Since becoming an independent producer in 2018, I’ve always written about my experience. Tips, tricks, successes and failures. It all started with a solo podcast experiment, The Ghost In My Room; an attempt to learn what it’s like to produce a podcast without any kind of media organization support. Since then, the podcast industry has drastically changed. Distribution networks are no longer clamoring for content. They are producing their own, or buying up other content creators for millions of dollars.
In 2019 the International Association of Arson Investigators hired me to create a podcast that would shine a light on the work of arson investigators. We came up with a “true crime” podcast in collaboration with ATF. ARSON tells the story of the teams who take down the firesetters. “True Crime” is in quotes because it’s not your traditional true crime show. It’s a documentary style story that pretty much keeps the host in the background. IAAI is a non-profit, so in order to keep costs low, we chose a local story, and I would report, host and produce the series. This time around I also had a fantastic team of freelancers to help with editorial, reporting and engineering.
COVID threw a wrench in production. Like most reporters, I was unsure how to go on with all the interviews that needed to happen. I watched NPR closely to see what best practices they would use to continue the work. And when they started going back out into the field, I did as well. Like all reporters, I washed my equipment, wore a mask, interviewed people from a distance, or used software like Riverside.FM, Zencastr and Zoom. I mailed USB mics to guests, and rigged ways to tape land line phone calls when that’s all we could coordinate.
In 2021, my client and I decided to try to find a distribution partner for ARSON. IAAI’s goal has always been to have a wide -reaching audience. Making money was never the goal. The podcast was to bring awareness to their organization and the little-appreciated arson wing of ATF.
With a pilot in hand, I spent months reaching out to well over 20 networks. At this point we were pitching a 6-part series of episodes 30–45 min long. With no shortage of arsons, this would be a seasonal podcast with an endless supply of stories. Several networks were interested and loved the idea of the series. They liked that it wasn’t your traditional true crime podcast…they liked that we had the resources of IAAI and ATF. They liked our first story…the task force who took down the notorious DC Serial Arsonist. They did NOT like the number of episodes. And they especially didn’t like my insistence that IAAI retain the intellectual property rights.
We found one network that seemed like a perfect fit. Initial zoom chats with the founders left us feeling hopeful. But when their lawyer sent us the proposal, our contract advisor said it was the most predatory contract she had ever seen. They were going to give us the fee I needed to complete the series, but the network wanted to take 100% of the IP even though I was reporting, hosting and producing. There was a chance for shared derivatives in the future, but since we were working with ATF, a government organization, we really couldn’t lose control of this branded podcast. We all walked away from a bitter negotiation.
We continued on with a modified budget. And after two years, my team and I ended up producing 7-episodes, released independently on January 31st. I’m grateful to Apple Podcasts for promoting our show and seeing the value in independent production. But my frustration with podcast industry as a whole, has left me utterly dismayed
Exhausted from the hustle, I have now started a producer position with a kind and talented team who produce fiction and non-fiction podcasts. The world needs more super heroes right? I’ve paired down my work with Platform Media, and I still hold out hope that the right distributer will partner with IAAI to bring ARSON to a larger audience. I’m also hoping to find someone to support production of The Reluctant Phoenix, hosted by the incredibly talented Jeff Simmermon. And I am no longer taking on new clients for consultation. Oh, and the network we almost signed with, sold their content to Amazon for an alleged $100 million.
It’s only February, but 2022 has brought me a huge professional shift. With the successful launch of ARSON, and my new job, I once again feel hopeful that we can navigate this ever -changing industry. I hope that there will always be room for innovation, creativity, space to fail, reinvention, diverse voices and value placed on independent work.