PodMov Daily: Thursday, October 31

Episode 77: Your Thursday Podthoughts

Recommended by Humans: HBO Max to Include Curated Podcast Discovery

Variety reports that curated podcast recommendations will be part of the upcoming video subscription service HBO Max. “Podcasts will be available via the HBO Max mobile app, which will be pre-loaded on phones sold to AT&T customers, and available for download to everyone else,” writes Janko Roettgers.

The team behind HBO Max is heavily emphasizing human curation over algorithms. WarnerMedia executive vice president Andy Forssell positions the strategy consistent with HBO’s “Recommended by Humans” ad campaign from this past summer: “For us, this is a multi-year mission to innovate and deliver human-centric discovery.”

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Launching Today, SPKR Aims to Streamline Podcast Content Curation

The new podcast listening app SPKR launches today. Andy Schuon, the former programming head for MTV, VH1, MTV2, and others, is at the helm as CEO. Forbes’ Joshua Dudley spoke to Schuon, who “believes SPKR will allow content creators to connect with their audiences in the way that matches the behavior of their listening.”

“SPKR Live is kind of like the top 40 of podcasting,” Schuon tells Dudley. “It takes different genres and mixes them together in a microcosm of other SPKR channels.” Overall, the idea is “curating podcast sound similar to radio singles in a way that allows for the acceleration of the adoption of podcasts,” writes Dudley.

Discovery and search issues are growing pains Schuon thinks the app will heal. It doesn’t try to determine what the listener wants to hear by steering them. “Listening behavior is different,” he says. “It needs to connect to an audience.”

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Tom Segura On the Your Mom's House and the Evolving World Of Podcasting

James Keith of Complex UK caught up with comedian Tom Segura, one of the reigning veterans of the podcasting space. Segura and his wife, fellow comedian Christina Pazsitzky, have hosted Your Mom’s House, “an irreverent to the extreme show,” since 2010.

In their conversation about touring, superfan guests, and the state of podcasting, Segura is optimistic. Addressing the ‘peak podcast’ question, he’s not buying the assumptions. “There’s no reason why more and more people aren’t going to be creating high quality content,” he says. “So I think we’re at the beginning of it.”

Your Mom’s House is just one part of Segura’s podcasting presence. “We’re producing a lot of other shows, which we’re having a lot of fun with,” he says. “We’re basically doing a version of what those big platforms do. I want you to get lost on my channel.”

Come One, Share All: Your Podcast Horror Stories

“What better way to get into the ~𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕~
than some good ol’ horror stories? What’s your
#PodcastHorrorStory? 🎙
— Podcast Movement (@PodcastMovement)
October 30, 2019

No terror is too great — give us your #podcasthorrorstory! From frightfully awkward interviews to equipment malfunctions that make you want to hide under the bed, share away.

The pumpkin cat is just icing on the cake, or should we say, candy in the bag.

Cheers,

Team PM

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Here's what else is going on:

• Dream guests: In April 2020, Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris of Still Processing will become the first podcasters to visit the University of Pennsylvania as part of the Kelly Writers House Fellows program. Director Julia Bloch describes the duo as “kind of a dream” for students interested in podcasting.

• Sea change: In Hot Pod, Nicholas Quah details the newest project of Kaitlin Prest, creator of The Heart. The LA-based Mermaid Palace will be developing podcasts, including collaborations with CBC and Radiotopia, but is “an organization modeled more after dance or theater companies.”

• Business school: Ian Faison, CCO of Mission.org, will be delivering a live webcast on November 27. “Why Podcasting is the Ultimate ABM Strategy” positions the medium as effective engagement tool in account-based marketing. Find out if your business should start one or become a sponsor.

• Full steam: Stuff To Blow Your Mind host Robert Lamb has developed a dystopian sci-fi podcast The Second Oil Age. The upcoming release is the latest scripted original produced by iHeartRadio. Deadline reports that the show is “already being set up for a television adaptation.