Now & Next Podcast E02 – Pacific Content on the Audio Renaissance
What’s fuelling the podcast boom? In this episode, we take a closer look behind the scenes of this audio renaissance with Steve Pratt and Dan Misener of the BC-based podcasting company Pacific Content.
When most of us weren’t looking, audio made major strides toward becoming a new force in the media landscape, in the form of podcasting.
Now, instead of being transmitted through radio frequencies, audio is being delivered over the Internet. But this is about more than just a change of delivery mechanism, it’s a change in what’s possible when schedules, formats and regional audiences can be worked around.
It took over a dozen years from the time the technology was created until it hit any sort of critical mass, but podcasting is today an undeniable phenomenon. Not only that but its tentacles are expanding beyond audio into adjacent industries, with podcasts being spun off into other media formats, including TV shows and feature films.
In this episode, we met with Steve Pratt and Dan Misener of the Vancouver-based podcasting company Pacific Content, one of a new generation of companies that are poised to seize the new opportunities opening up in the world of on-demand audio.
In this episode we talk about:
• What’s behind the podcasting renaissance (4:25);
• The challenge of getting people who have never listened to a podcast to do just that (13:55);
• Podcasts being turned into TV shows and other formats (21:15);
• Investors’ increasing interest in podcasting (26:20).
Here’s an extract of the interview. Full transcript of the conversation is also available.
"There's a huge amount of opportunity right now and the barrier to entry is so low and that there are increasing number of ears on this medium. And places like Hollywood are looking to podcasting or audio storytelling almost like a farm team, right? If you're looking for original IP that you might license or auction for a movie or for a television series, radio and audio is a relatively low cost way to experiment and try new ideas. And I have seen that up close and personal just in the attendance of industry events over the past couple of years." – Dan Misener, Head of Audience Development at Pacific Content
Useful Links
- An article by Recode on a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau focusing on advertisers and podcasts;
- A blog post by Steve Pratt titled Where is podcasting’s Family Feud?;
- An article on how Gimlet had their series Homecoming turned into a TV show starring Julia Roberts;
- Another article by The Hollywood Reporter on the case of Wondery, the podcasting startup behind Dirty John and Business Wars, that raised $5 million from a group of investors led by Greycroft, Lerer Hippeau Ventures and Shari Redstone's Advancit Capital.
About Now & Next
Now & Next is a podcast featuring in depth interviews with experts for a closer look at emerging trends and the digital transformation of the media & entertainment industry. Now & Next is produced by the Canada Media Fund and is hosted by Leora Kornfeld.
*Please note that a French adaptation of the podcast is currently in development and will be released in the upcoming months.