PodMov Daily: Friday, November 15

Episode 88: Week Download Complete

Esquire's ‘Aural History' of Podcasting from Veteran Voices

In a far-reaching retrospective, Esquire Middle East tells podcasting’s origin story through the voices of early key players. The “aural history”  begins when the medium was known as “autoblogging” and concludes with a hopeful peek into the future.

The article does go into the oft-cited ‘controversy’ of the exact definition of a podcast, but keep reading. Dave Winer, referred to as “The Podfather,” and Carl Malamud, the founder of Internet Talk Radio, lend fascinatingly candid commentary to the chapter.

Adam Curry, the founder of PodShow, casually describes Steve Jobs’ proposition: ‘Listen, I want to put podcasting into iTunes and take it into the iPod. Is that OK?’

Voices from across the industry build up to the present, which Ira Glass calls “an odd and ridiculous moment for podcasting.” Whether you’ve followed the medium since the mid-2000s or just arrived last week, it’s easy to see his point.

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Automated Ads in Podcasting: Risks, Rewards, and Dedicated Holdouts

The Wall Street Journal reports on tension surrounding the rise of programmatic advertising in podcasts. Barstool Sports Chief Executive Erika Nardini has been a vocal advocate for familiar, host-read ads. In fact, Barstool is set to make over $22 million in ad revenue this year and “refuses any podcast ad formats except live reads.”

“The programmatic advertising now seeping into podcasting could erode that intimacy,” writes Sahil Patel of Nardini’s philosophy. “Others worry ad tech will encourage publishers to pack podcasts with more commercials, because it’s easier with automation than doing more live reads.”

Patel reviews corporate developments, a current breakdown of ad spending, and opinions from industry executives. Essentially, “the trick is figuring out how to apply ad tech to podcasting without breaking what’s working.”

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Adam McKay's Hyperobject Industries to Develop Original Podcasts

Deadline reports that the film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor Adam McKay will be getting further into podcasts with his new production company Hyperobject Industries.

Hyperobject recently struck a “five-year TV deal with HBO and a first-look Paramount deal for feature films” and has now aligned with Three Uncanny Four Productions. The podcast company from Adam Davidson, Laura Mayer and Sony Music Entertainment will round out “an exclusive joint venture to develop original podcasts,” writes Mike Fleming Jr.

The venture will focus on scripted and unscripted programming which will begin launching next year. McKay and Davidson have collaborated on podcasts several times before, producing the investigative podcast Broken: Jeffrey Epstein and co-hosting Gimlet’s Surprisingly Awesome for nearly a year.

PM Sessions: Hear the Brand-New Season 4 Trailer

Happy Friday, readers, made happier with the brand-new Season 4 trailer for Podcast Movement Sessions. We’ve just dropped a minute-long teaser for fresh documentary episodes from producer Ted Woods.

This upcoming season focuses on the Society, Culture, and Advocacy track of PM19, featuring behind-the-scenes conversations with Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor of Ear Hustle and some of the biggest names in True Crime.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Many thanks: The recently launched Modus Hub has included this very publication in its directory of industry news resources. The site for reviews, articles, and podcasting guides was created by product designer Bojan Joncic, backend developer Jan Thurau, and “product and podcast aficionado” David Cibis.

• Stepping out: Renowned shoe designer Stuart Weitzman illuminates his career path to Riane Puno on her podcast Alma Matters. The interview series for students and professionals seeking vocation recently began its second season with Rebecca Rittenhouse, star of Hulu’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”

• Connect more: Leading podcast hosting provider Blubrry has launched a Podcast Network plugin for WordPress, which is a “free add-on feature of [its] professional level plan.” Pro customers can use the integration to “create and share a network with other podcasts outside of the Blubrry hosting realm.”

• Quick stats: Podcast Business Journal reports findings from a new Nielsen study on podcast listener demographics: “The average age of the podcast listener is 39” with an average salary of $87,000. “76% of podcast listeners work full-time or part-time” and 90% “also listen to radio every week.”