PodMov Daily: Wednesday, February 5

Episode 136: Your Midweek Update

4 Steps to Make the Most of Any Conference

This Wednesday’s guest article from entrepreneur and investor Jennifer Grimson is all about conference strategy. After spending 25 years in executive sales, the host of personal finance podcast Micro Empires has developed a structured approach to productive networking.

When trying to make lasting connections in a business setting, a vague game plan won’t cut it. “Conferences provide very little time to make a positive impression and meet with the right people,” Grimson writes. “I am a believer that if you aren’t going to be effective, don’t bother getting out of bed.”

The article explains how to identify networking goals, the components of a winning elevator pitch, and more crucial elements of event success. Above all, Grimson emphasizes the importance of a positive headspace: “Confidence is infectious and fosters trust […] I encourage you to ‘borrow’ the confidence you need.”

PM's Weekly Community Recap: Keynotes and Countdown

This week’s PM community update unveils another Evolutions keynote. Renowned storyteller Shannon Cason, host of Homemade Stories and The Trouble, will take the stage alongside Joe Loya of The Score: Bank Robber Diaries and Peabody Award-winning journalist and producer Ben Adair of Western Sound.

Next week’s coming fast, and rates for the remaining handful of Networking and Professional Podcaster passes increase Tuesday at midnight. In other event news, PM is partnering with Storyboard to introduce an Evolutions Virtual Ticket. For no additional cost, all attendees will be able to access audio for each session in their ticketed track.

Sony Music Partners with UK Producer Somethin' Else

Sony Music has struck a deal with Somethin’ Else, “the U.K.’s biggest independent audio and podcast producer.” It’s a major step to increase Sony’s stake in podcasting following similar partnerships across the industry.

“Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which will see Sony Music and Somethin’ Else develop original, not-necessarily music-related podcast shows across multiple genres,” reports Billboard’s Richard Smirke.

The London-based Somethin’ Else is responsible for some of Britain’s top shows, including David Tennant Does a Podcast With…, and The Last Post. The company prepared for global expansion with the recent opening of its first stateside office in New York.

Beyond the Microphone: Podcast Magazine Has Arrived

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Readers will find independent ratings and reviews of under-the-radar shows they should be listening to, top selections in Off The Charts, and the Podcast Magazine Hot 50 — the only chart created by fans, for fans.

The inaugural issue features Glynn Washington of Snap Judgment, Spooked and Heaven’s Gate. For a limited time you can secure a free, lifetime subscription. Click here, enter your name and email, and you’re in.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Waiting room: In Hot Pod, Nick Quah assesses “irregularities in the time it takes between uploading episodes and seeing those episodes appear on the Apple Podcasts directory.” An unclear email from the company has increased uncertainty among users.

• Stay awhile: Office supply retailer Staples has unveiled a “new store format that highlights podcasting, community events and coworking spaces.” 6 locations in the Boston area now feature podcast studios available by appointment.

• Numbers game: Spotify and Complex have produced an 8-part documentary podcast series, Infamous: The Tekashi 6ix9ine Story. Hip-hop journalist and radio host Angie Martinez hosts the “deep dive into the rise and fall of 2018’s biggest rapper.”

• Done that: The power of self-imposed deadlines can work wonders for creatives responsible for consistent projects. Writer, editor, and professor Roy Peter Clark explains how an artificial deadline banishes anxiety as a “practical lifeline for productivity.”