אודות פרק זה
What happens when a podcast network operator builds the entire tech stack themselves? Not as a seasoned developer, but because none of the available platforms align with their vision, values, or the needs of their creators? And how does this choice ripple through onboarding, data ownership, and creator monetization, especially when the builder’s background is media, not tech? Most networks rely on off-the-shelf platforms or outsource the heavy lifting, but building from scratch to enable real-time revenue splits and direct creator access to subscriber data is a rare, hands-on approach.
Angel Livas brings a unique perspective, with roots in terrestrial radio, public broadcasting, and major television networks. As founder of ALIVE Podcast Network focused on amplifying Black voices, she’s combined her media leadership with an operator’s mindset, now curating a network of over 100 shows and personally guiding each creator’s onboarding journey.
Listen for:
09:07 Starting a Faith-Inspired Network
12:28 Creating the Alive Podcast Network
18:49 Launching Alive Tech Platform
28:37 Promoting the Alive Podcast Network
34:39 Consulting and support for creatives
49:51 Licensing technology to other countries
CONNECT WITH GUEST: ANGEL LIVAS, FOUNDER & CEO, ALIVE PODCAST NETWORK
Angel’s podcast rec: The Exit Interview
Angel’s podcast rec:ALIVE & WELL
CONNECT WITH GREG WASSERMAN, HEAD OF RELATIONSHIPS FOR RSS.COM
Website | LinkedIn | Newsletter
Greg’s book rec: Return on Courage by Ryan Berman
Systems, Sponsors, and Partners:
Hosted with RSS.com Podcast Hosting
Produced by Stories & Strategies
Content Repurposed with Castmagic
Podcast Project Management with Northflow
Please share your thoughts and record a voice note for me using this link.
הראה הערות 🔗
תעתיק 🔗
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This is not a short game for me. I want to make
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sure the people that we're bringing to the network
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are people who are really invested in the messaging
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that they believe they're bringing to the rest
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of the world. What happens when a podcast network
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operator builds the entire tech stack for the
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network themselves? And no, they're not a developer.
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But they did it because none of the available
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platforms align with their vision, their values,
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or the needs. for their creators. How does this
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choice ripple through on boarding, data ownership,
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and creator monetization, especially when the
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builder's background is media and not tech? It's
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not the standard path. Most networks rely on
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existing platforms. I would source the heavy
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lifting. Building from scratch is rare. Building
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from scratch without a coding background and
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still prioritizing things like real -time revenue
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splits, creator -level access to scriber data,
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It's almost unheard of. Today, you're going to
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meet Angel Livas. Her journey started in terrestrial
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radio, led her through public radio at AARP,
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and across TV roles at Bloomberg and NBC. When
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a mental health podcast she produced, and with
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it, a large portion of black hosted podcasts
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were suddenly canceled, she decided not to wait
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for the perfect solution. Instead, she built
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one. The live podcast network is the direct result.
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a platform architect from firsthand production
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experience, made to fill the structural and operational
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gaps she saw affecting creators every day. From
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Angel's vision, creation, and operation of the
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Alive Podcast Network, being a tech -driven,
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values -led platform, amplifying Black creatives'
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voices. Our conversation highlights her motivation,
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challenges, operational choices, and lessons
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learned. I'm Greg Wasserman. host of Podcast
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Network Insights, this amazing show where I've
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spent 15 years in advertising sales. Since 2021,
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I've been immersed in the podcast ecosystem.
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So believe life is about time relationships.
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You never know where one conversation is going
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to lead. And I've built a lot of relationships
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and spent a lot of time with podcasters of all
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different sizes, from the solo creators just
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getting started to the heads of industry leading
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networks like my guest today. If you've ever
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wondered whether joining a network makes sense,
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or how these networks actually run, other networks
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you could explore joining, advertising with,
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partnering with, learning from, then my goal
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is to give you a real look behind the scenes
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so you can confidently navigate whether you host,
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produce, sponsor, or run a network. In this episode,
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listen closely to Angel's first -hand account
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of architecting a tech stack grounded in creator
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support and direct monetization. From why she
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rejected off -the -shelf options to how she structured
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data, support, and revenue sharing. If you've
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ever considered building something the industry
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just doesn't offer yet, you'll gain some insights
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from this conversation for sure. And stay tuned
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after the interview as there's more to this conversation
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as I share some of my key takeaways. But that
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said, time to learn from Angel Levas. All right,
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Angel, well, the show we know is called Podcast
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Network Insights. So anyone that's listening
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or anyone that's new, first question I always
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like to ask is like, when you hear the word podcast
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network, what comes to mind? What does it mean
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to you? So for me, I think ecosystem. I think
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that... Network should be a place where creatives
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have the opportunity to collaborate with like
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-minded individuals who are doing similar work
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and have tools and resources to help propel them
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all forward. So when you use that definition,
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how has that helped guide you in creating the
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Alive Podcast Network? So for me, it's been like
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our I guess my guiding light. I think there are
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a lot of different things that, you know, if
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you have been on the other side as a creative...
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if you've been on the other side as a producer,
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that you've seen, that you understand. And so
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I think the thing that has always been important
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is to make sure that people feel supported and
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not in isolation. And sometimes when you have
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the opportunity to showcase your content, showcase
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your gifts and share the information that you
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know, sometimes you just feel like you're out
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there swimming all alone. And it's like, is anybody
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hearing me? Does anybody actually understand
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what I'm going through? Or is there anyone else
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that feels like, I don't feel like getting up
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and doing the show today. And so having a system
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of people who you can actually connect with,
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relate with, and keep you motivated, I think
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is really key. So yes, that has definitely always
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been kind of like my guiding light around how
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the Alive Podcast Network was created. And so
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then goes into the, why'd you create the network
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in the first place? I mean, your backgrounds
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and the media side, you know, TV. So what made
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you create a podcast network? Yeah. So my background
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is actually in all mediums. My very first job
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in media was terrestrial radio. And then I ran
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AARP's radio department for 10 years. And so
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that was public radio. And then I've also of
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course done. Bloomberg television and BC so literally
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being able to have all of the different mediums
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under my belt and Understand all of the different
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positions like I said like from producer director
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to The creative and being in front of the camera
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or behind the mic It gives you a different lens
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and outlet of how people one respond to content,
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but then also as the supporting factor of those
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who are creating the content, what are the different
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elements that they need? And so for me, building
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a media tech company was, it was imperative that
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I ensure that creatives, one, maintain ownership
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of their content. It was really important that
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we helped amplify their voice. specifically black
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voices is our main focus. And then also making
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sure that they just had the support and resources
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to be successful. So what made you create the
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actual network? Like what was, you created a
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media company, but like what made you go into
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the podcasting, especially if you were doing
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radio, like why podcasting? Okay, so I was working
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on a show that was a podcast that we were essentially
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asked to create for a celebrity and the show
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got canceled it was a mental health show and
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At the same time that the show got canceled I
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would say about 60 % of their black hosted content
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also got canceled that were all podcasts and
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so we had a gentleman reach out who essentially
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expressed that he was kind of really reliant
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on that podcast. Like he had just been diagnosed
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with anxiety and depression. And again, it was
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a mental health show. And so he felt like he
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couldn't afford therapy. It was right in the
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heart of COVID. And so he's like, now that this
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show is gone, what am I supposed to do? And granted,
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I'm no like saving angel. But I had reached out
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to some friends that I went to Howard with and
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one of them was like, Angel, you're the person
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you're waiting for. You've done all of these
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amazing things. You've worked with so many individuals
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so you know what it's supposed to be like in
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regards to what content ownership is supposed
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to mean and how it resonates with community.
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So they were like, you should build it. And so
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that was kind of the impetus of how the Alive
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Podcast Network got started. As I say, life is
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about time and relationships, so clearly the
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relationship and the time was there. Now, if
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you look at what you then created and what you
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answered in terms of what makes a network and
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resonating with black voices, I think what I
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loved is when we first talked about your... I
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guess you're guiding values of what the network
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stands for. So when I've talked to other guests,
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you know, that are running networks, values becomes
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a big piece. What are the values that you've
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instilled and is the core for the Alive network?
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So for me, the big thing is the support, of course.
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But I think my personal values around like I'm
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a very spiritual person and to be honest, when
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I first pitched the idea, even though the story
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is very true of how the network got started,
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and I started talking to my girlfriend about
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creating the network. I was like, well, what
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if I start a Christian network and have it very
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faith -based and all the things? And she was
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like, eh, that's a little too niche. Maybe start
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a little broader, and then you can dive in. I
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kind of did that like where we have different
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sectors. So we do have like alive and faith and
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all of that. But to answer your question, I just,
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you know, I think that the values of who I am,
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like I didn't want it to be a space or a platform
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where there was just like junk. I didn't want
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it to be very messy or people talking about one
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another and it just being like this combative
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platform. I really wanted it to be a place where
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people felt alive. They felt activated after
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they listened to content. So our value stream
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really became information, innovation, and inspiration.
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While I didn't do the full -blown Christian platform,
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I was able to make sure that we still had that
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inspirational type content that we're able to
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share, as well as, like I said, the innovation
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and information. I like the three I's. Yeah,
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that has some iteration in there. Right, right?
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So when we, I mean, we've known each other for
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a number of years, but last we talked, what was
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interesting is, There's a gentleman who came
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to me and it's kind of the basis of this show
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is they're like look if I was I think what was
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the the if I'm a black podcaster Who's reaching
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X Y & Z? What network would you recommend for
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me? I'm like that's kind of the reason for the
00:11:10.220 --> 00:11:12.899
show is so I could learn more networks because
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Everyone in their mind you only go with the network
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that you know is the most popular and those are
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the media companies Uh, that doesn't mean that's
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the right fit. So naturally my answer to this
00:11:22.809 --> 00:11:25.909
gentleman was your network, not knowing any others,
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right? Um, and so I know there's other, uh, networks
00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:36.200
that cater towards black BIPOC voices. Where
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have you found kind of the niche with what you
00:11:38.580 --> 00:11:40.899
bring for a live and we can talk about the tech
00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:43.840
side later, but ultimately what you've created
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here versus anyone else that's doing it. Yeah,
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so one, I shout out all of my collaborative individuals
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and networks that are catering to the same demographic.
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A lot of them I have formed partnerships with.
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So again, I think there's room and space for
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all of us to win. So specifically around Alive,
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I feel like what our differentiating factors
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are, one, our ecosystem that we've created. Like
00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:20.759
our hosts, they have their own platform where
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they're able to collaborate with one another.
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They can set up like ad swaps. They can sign
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up to be guests on one another's show. So it's
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very much a system that supports what it is that
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each host is doing, right? In addition, of course,
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our monetization structure. It's no secret that
00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:44.700
most black hosted shows are not generating billions
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of dollars, right? And so how do you create something
00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:51.460
where they're able to really monetize where they
00:12:51.460 --> 00:12:53.580
are from the time that they start their show?
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And so when building the Alive Podcast Network,
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I was very intentional with building our own
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tech stack so that we can have that differentiator
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where anytime somebody subscribes to the network
00:13:06.850 --> 00:13:10.429
because of any show, that show automatically
00:13:10.429 --> 00:13:14.210
gets 50 % of that individual's monthly subscription
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fee. And so what that does, it just makes it
00:13:17.669 --> 00:13:23.019
very, it makes it worth it when you know that
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you're creating something and let's say your
00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.480
mom, your grandmother, your family, your friends.
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If they are willing to like rock with you and
00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:32.919
say, hey, well, I want to support what you're
00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:34.679
doing because I know the amount of time and effort
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that is going into you building this and being
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dedicated to it. And here's a place that you
00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:43.600
can actually like monetize that. And then they
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not only get to support you, but they get to
00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:50.580
have the entire portfolio of content that is
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under the Alive Podcast Network. And we have
00:13:52.659 --> 00:13:54.860
over a hundred and some odd shows that's part
00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:58.250
of the network on the audio side. All right.
00:13:58.950 --> 00:14:00.889
There's so much to unpack on that one. Let's
00:14:00.889 --> 00:14:03.970
start with the tech. The fact that you're a media
00:14:03.970 --> 00:14:07.570
person who knows all these different realms of
00:14:07.570 --> 00:14:10.169
media, and somehow you created a network, build
00:14:10.169 --> 00:14:13.809
an attack. When we look at some others that are,
00:14:13.809 --> 00:14:16.110
I guess, with a similar background to yours,
00:14:16.850 --> 00:14:19.669
they didn't build the tech, they leveraged the
00:14:19.669 --> 00:14:21.629
existing platforms that are out there, right?
00:14:22.070 --> 00:14:26.419
What made you decide... What existed didn't serve
00:14:26.419 --> 00:14:29.919
my needs I'm gonna go build because another side
00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:33.539
to that is I had Alex and Filippo from pod match
00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:36.340
and what was interesting is His background is
00:14:36.340 --> 00:14:39.460
he comes from right now building a tech company
00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:41.919
and then built the network off of that You come
00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:43.860
from a media background, but built an entire
00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:46.679
tech stack for your network. So it's interesting
00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:51.370
unpack that Yeah, so for me again because my
00:14:51.370 --> 00:14:54.669
background was in tell it television and radio
00:14:54.669 --> 00:14:57.909
Specifically public radio right you think about
00:14:57.909 --> 00:15:00.289
it from the standpoint for me. This is my thought
00:15:00.289 --> 00:15:05.090
yeah Public radio. It's listener supported so
00:15:05.090 --> 00:15:09.470
when I'm looking at the the difficulties and
00:15:09.470 --> 00:15:12.629
independent creators Having with being able to
00:15:12.629 --> 00:15:16.559
monetize their content it was a natural parallel
00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:18.639
with, well, what if I create something where
00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.639
it is listener supported and they have all of
00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:24.120
the other content that they also get to enjoy?
00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:28.399
And so that was kind of the reason behind me
00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:31.100
saying, hey, well, I'm going to build it. And
00:15:31.100 --> 00:15:35.100
so literally, so the first year that we launched,
00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:38.679
we were up for NAACP Image Award. And when that
00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:41.980
happened, we had, I had applied to Techstars.
00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:46.570
And so Within five months of building the Alive
00:15:46.570 --> 00:15:49.389
Podcast Network, we were accepted into Techstars
00:15:49.389 --> 00:15:52.750
as a portfolio company backed by JP Morgan. So
00:15:52.750 --> 00:15:56.009
then it became like... Oh, I got people riding
00:15:56.009 --> 00:15:58.889
with me who see the vision and they're like,
00:15:59.289 --> 00:16:00.669
we're going to put our money where our mouth
00:16:00.669 --> 00:16:03.929
is and we're going to invest in you. Then that
00:16:03.929 --> 00:16:07.350
gave another layer of not only credibility to
00:16:07.350 --> 00:16:09.929
like who I am, what I've done over the years,
00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:14.110
but it also gave like validation to why this
00:16:14.110 --> 00:16:18.850
is a necessity for people of color. While also
00:16:18.850 --> 00:16:21.940
making it like, hey, we see the value in people
00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:24.500
being able to monetize from the first episode
00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:29.039
that they drop. It's really interesting. The
00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:34.320
NPR public radio style listener support it. Why
00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:36.480
don't you think others are leaning heavily on
00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:39.600
that? Everybody doesn't come from that background.
00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:45.399
To the point, like you said, right? Again, this
00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:48.320
is not saying that I'm some amazing person and
00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:51.000
I just have like... You are an amazing person.
00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:53.440
It's just your own thing that you're doing. That's
00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:55.440
what I love about everyone that comes on. It's
00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:59.179
all stories. I think that for me, like I come
00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:02.159
from a very entrepreneurial background. Both
00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:04.940
my parents own businesses. That's what I was
00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:09.809
raised around and I... If I'm nothing else, I
00:17:09.809 --> 00:17:12.349
do believe that I'm a visionary. But I think
00:17:12.349 --> 00:17:14.730
the differentiator with Angel is that I'm also
00:17:14.730 --> 00:17:19.849
an executor. To a fault, probably I need to learn
00:17:19.849 --> 00:17:23.390
how to delegate more and be less of the executor.
00:17:24.190 --> 00:17:28.529
But I think that the public radio model, one,
00:17:28.730 --> 00:17:30.829
everybody doesn't understand it. Everybody doesn't
00:17:30.829 --> 00:17:33.359
have the background. But like... My undergrad
00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:35.880
is in broadcast journalism. My master's is in
00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:38.740
public affairs. And all of my other certificate
00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:41.440
programs have been around media and entertainment
00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:47.420
as well. So I have always had this understanding
00:17:47.420 --> 00:17:54.220
of what is needed from various angles. And so
00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:57.440
when you have that lens of producer, on -air
00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:04.710
talent, creative, All of the things you understand
00:18:04.710 --> 00:18:07.390
like from the listeners perspective or the viewers
00:18:07.390 --> 00:18:10.089
perspective what they're looking for But then
00:18:10.089 --> 00:18:13.369
also from the creative side you understand what
00:18:13.369 --> 00:18:16.130
their needs are to ensure that they can create
00:18:16.130 --> 00:18:20.269
great content So being someone who's built the
00:18:20.269 --> 00:18:23.009
tech stack when we've talked and we'll let everyone
00:18:23.009 --> 00:18:26.609
know like you weren't a fan of the existing listener
00:18:26.609 --> 00:18:28.549
supported platforms out there, so you built your
00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:30.920
own You weren't a fan of the hosting platforms,
00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:34.220
you built your own. If I'm a network operator
00:18:34.220 --> 00:18:37.660
right now, what should I know? Should I even
00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:39.579
go and try to do that? Is that even worth it
00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:43.720
for me or you just did it because you want to
00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:47.220
own the tech stack and what existed didn't exist
00:18:47.220 --> 00:18:50.319
for what you wanted to do? Couple different reasons.
00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:55.339
One, for what I wanted it to do. There was no
00:18:55.339 --> 00:18:57.819
other platform that does what our technology
00:18:57.819 --> 00:19:01.900
does. At the time that Alive launched our tech
00:19:01.900 --> 00:19:05.140
stack, there was no other platform where you
00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:08.559
could clip segments of your show that now exist
00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:12.799
in other platforms now. At the time when I built
00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:17.180
it, there were chat features where you can say,
00:19:17.579 --> 00:19:20.160
hey, join me in the chat at two o 'clock. That
00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:24.369
didn't exist on other platforms. When we launched
00:19:24.369 --> 00:19:29.339
in 22, I was very intentional around what I wanted
00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:33.220
to be included in the tech stack that I did not
00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:41.990
see. In addition to that, I think being on the
00:19:41.990 --> 00:19:46.069
media side, one of the greatest hurdles is not
00:19:46.069 --> 00:19:50.309
knowing what is required when developing the
00:19:50.309 --> 00:19:54.009
tech. And so for anyone who is considering it,
00:19:54.369 --> 00:19:58.509
Do not let these developers learn on your dime.
00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:03.279
Because what I learned, and this is one thing
00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.359
that I always say, it was my greatest lesson.
00:20:06.500 --> 00:20:09.119
Every developer that I talked to, I felt like
00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:11.059
I did all the things that I was supposed to do.
00:20:11.259 --> 00:20:13.220
Like, oh, you know, I interviewed them. I'm asking
00:20:13.220 --> 00:20:15.480
all the right questions. And everybody's like,
00:20:15.539 --> 00:20:17.920
oh yeah, I can do that. Oh yeah, I can build
00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:21.519
that. Oh, that's simple. But what they were really
00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:24.240
saying was, as long as you're going to pay me
00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:26.480
to figure it out, I'm going to eventually get
00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:30.559
there. That's what it translated into. And so
00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:33.039
I don't want other people to do that. I wasted
00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:36.220
a lot of money, like going with like all these
00:20:36.220 --> 00:20:38.759
different tech companies, like, and everything
00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:41.180
was, oh, I got it. Oh, we can do it. But you
00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:44.049
really couldn't, right? So that's number one.
00:20:44.089 --> 00:20:47.089
That's like number one lesson. Like make sure
00:20:47.089 --> 00:20:48.910
that the proof is in the pudding, that they've
00:20:48.910 --> 00:20:51.869
either done it before or done something similar
00:20:51.869 --> 00:20:55.769
and can actually deliver on what it is that you're
00:20:55.769 --> 00:20:59.109
saying your deliverable is. Like that's hands
00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:02.349
down number one, right? I think the other key
00:21:02.349 --> 00:21:07.549
indicator of like whether something is worth
00:21:07.549 --> 00:21:10.730
building is if there's nothing else that exists.
00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:16.150
that can do what it is that you want. And then
00:21:16.150 --> 00:21:19.690
last but not least, which was also probably most
00:21:19.690 --> 00:21:22.650
important for me, I wanted to make sure that
00:21:22.650 --> 00:21:26.470
our data and how people were using the technology
00:21:26.470 --> 00:21:30.589
wasn't just out there for anybody to be able
00:21:30.589 --> 00:21:34.869
to leverage and build and monetize off of. If
00:21:34.869 --> 00:21:37.329
anything, I wanted that to be something that
00:21:37.430 --> 00:21:40.309
the actual creator couldn't benefit from. So
00:21:40.309 --> 00:21:43.130
like in our platform, when people sign up, and
00:21:43.130 --> 00:21:45.970
like I said, like you get the monetization from
00:21:46.009 --> 00:21:51.450
your particular episode, you also have access
00:21:51.450 --> 00:21:54.190
to like their email address, where you can build
00:21:54.190 --> 00:21:59.410
your own database around the content that, around
00:21:59.410 --> 00:22:02.109
the person who is subscribing to your content.
00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:06.589
Walk me through, so... I want to join, what's
00:22:06.589 --> 00:22:09.309
the onboarding? Like what are you looking for?
00:22:09.410 --> 00:22:12.130
What is the ideal? You know, that's the other
00:22:12.130 --> 00:22:14.789
reason I started the show is everyone was talking
00:22:14.789 --> 00:22:17.190
to me about, I want to join a network and like,
00:22:17.190 --> 00:22:18.890
all right, well, instead of pointing you this
00:22:18.890 --> 00:22:22.990
way, let me go find, so what is the right person
00:22:22.990 --> 00:22:25.470
for your network? And what are the questions?
00:22:25.589 --> 00:22:28.450
What is it that you do as an onboarding experience
00:22:28.450 --> 00:22:31.789
to make sure that that is the right fit, a mutually
00:22:31.789 --> 00:22:36.650
beneficial right fit? So before anyone can join
00:22:36.650 --> 00:22:39.190
the network, I do a one -on -one call with him.
00:22:39.369 --> 00:22:41.930
We do a 15 -minute discovery call and end that
00:22:41.930 --> 00:22:44.069
because I've been doing this so long. I can tell
00:22:44.069 --> 00:22:46.950
the real reason behind why you want to be a part
00:22:46.950 --> 00:22:51.109
of the network, right? So it, one, gives them
00:22:51.109 --> 00:22:53.910
FaceTime with me as the founder, which people
00:22:53.910 --> 00:22:56.970
appreciate, but then it also gives me an opportunity
00:22:56.970 --> 00:23:00.369
to understand who is being brought to the table
00:23:00.369 --> 00:23:04.059
as a potential host as part of the network. And
00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:06.500
so in that conversation, it's understanding,
00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:09.500
well, why did you start your show? What does
00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:13.039
growth look like for you? Which is a very key
00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:16.740
indicator because if you are just like, hey,
00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:19.500
I'm trying to get to a million downloads per
00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:21.660
month so I can generate X, Y, Z amount of check.
00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:25.440
I respect your honesty, but how are you getting
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:28.400
there? Right? Like, are you creating content
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.420
that's going to do that? Right? Um, but then
00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:33.940
joining the network, you're supposed to be getting
00:23:33.940 --> 00:23:38.700
me that. Yes. And some people that is their rash.
00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:40.640
That's what they think. You know what I mean?
00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.720
Um, but then there's also. the people who have
00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:46.259
businesses and they're like, hey, I'm just using
00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:51.119
this as a lead generator. And so being able to
00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:55.160
look at that and understand, okay, well, how
00:23:55.160 --> 00:23:57.220
can we make sure that you're successful? How
00:23:57.220 --> 00:24:00.819
many people coming onto your platform looks like
00:24:00.819 --> 00:24:03.940
the revenue that you want, the growth that you
00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:07.079
want. So it's really taken the time to understand
00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:10.400
the why behind the message and ensuring that
00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:13.059
we can support them because I don't want to mislead
00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:16.279
anyone. And even though we are a platform geared
00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:19.019
to amplify black voices, we have people on our
00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:23.140
network that are not black. So we are not just,
00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:25.400
you know, oh, it's just all black everything.
00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:28.119
Like we are not exclusive. We definitely welcome
00:24:28.119 --> 00:24:31.420
all cultures. It's just a matter of like, do
00:24:31.420 --> 00:24:33.319
you want to be associated with a platform that
00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:36.980
is geared towards that as our main goal? And
00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:39.920
so I want to join. What's the cost? Is there
00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:43.099
a cost to join? Is there a monthly cost? Is it
00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:46.559
just a rev share? Have you broken down a membership
00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:50.019
to the network? Yeah, so joining our network
00:24:50.019 --> 00:24:54.140
is $350 for the year, and that covers access
00:24:54.140 --> 00:24:56.559
to our entire ecosystem. We distribute all of
00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:58.660
the major podcast directories, as well as it
00:24:58.660 --> 00:25:02.599
being available on our app. We do promotions.
00:25:03.859 --> 00:25:05.880
So one of the things that we push out of global
00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:08.619
press release monthly that highlights our new
00:25:08.619 --> 00:25:12.240
shows, of course, our social media, we have our
00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:14.849
newsletter. And then, like I said, like once
00:25:14.849 --> 00:25:18.390
you start having people sign on to the network,
00:25:18.609 --> 00:25:21.890
unlike other platforms, you get their data where
00:25:21.890 --> 00:25:25.509
you can stay in contact with the people and give
00:25:25.509 --> 00:25:28.789
them even more of what they want, because clearly
00:25:28.789 --> 00:25:30.950
they're interested in you, they're investing
00:25:30.950 --> 00:25:34.490
in you. And so treating it more like a business
00:25:34.490 --> 00:25:38.009
versus just you putting out something as the
00:25:38.009 --> 00:25:41.519
podcast, like how do you... Create this as an
00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:44.680
opportunity to build community with those who
00:25:44.680 --> 00:25:46.740
are like I said investing in what it is that
00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:49.440
you're building And so from the investment so
00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:53.509
I paid 350 for the year. I Came I came through
00:25:53.509 --> 00:25:55.930
the network because I listened to your show So
00:25:55.930 --> 00:25:59.349
now I get to choose All right some of that money
00:25:59.349 --> 00:26:02.329
is going towards you as as the show that brought
00:26:02.329 --> 00:26:05.750
me in as opposed to the platform is that? how
00:26:05.750 --> 00:26:11.750
it works so The hosts pay $3 .50 annually to
00:26:11.750 --> 00:26:16.819
be a part of the network. So the $3 .50 is just
00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:21.039
that goes to like our hosting, our promotion,
00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:25.680
like all that kind of stuff. So it's a listener
00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:30.079
subscription. So if I was a listener to get access
00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:35.000
to the content. So the listeners pay $9 .99 a
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:38.210
month. As a listener for ad -free listening.
00:26:38.349 --> 00:26:41.730
So how our platform is set up in regards to the
00:26:41.730 --> 00:26:45.849
listenership is if I want to listen to your show
00:26:45.849 --> 00:26:48.630
ad -free and Support what it is that you're doing
00:26:48.630 --> 00:26:53.230
then I pay the $9 .99 a month, right? Some of
00:26:53.230 --> 00:26:56.430
our shows like once they have ads and things
00:26:56.430 --> 00:27:00.130
like that Then we distribute the ads on the external
00:27:00.130 --> 00:27:03.369
platforms. So like the Apple Spotify I hearts
00:27:03.549 --> 00:27:07.230
So that's where the ad buys will go. So ultimately
00:27:07.230 --> 00:27:09.690
our goal is to stimulate the black creative economy
00:27:09.690 --> 00:27:13.509
and ensure that, you know, they're able to monetize
00:27:13.509 --> 00:27:15.269
their content, whether people are listening in
00:27:15.269 --> 00:27:18.509
the app through subscriptions or at buys on external
00:27:18.509 --> 00:27:22.769
platforms. So running tech, running ad as an
00:27:22.769 --> 00:27:25.680
operator, doing all of that. What's the hardest
00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:30.240
part? Today? Yeah. I mean, it's going to be different
00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:32.299
today than it was four years ago when you were
00:27:32.299 --> 00:27:35.640
launching. Yeah. I think the hardest part right
00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:40.970
now is having that breakthrough show. I think
00:27:40.970 --> 00:27:45.690
that we're doing great in regards to our retention
00:27:45.690 --> 00:27:52.359
rate is wonderful. I think having more people
00:27:52.359 --> 00:27:55.460
know about the network is definitely the hardest
00:27:55.460 --> 00:28:00.240
part. Once you have that breakthrough show that
00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:04.779
everybody wants to tune into and really just
00:28:04.970 --> 00:28:09.710
kind of crosses that bridge across all platforms,
00:28:10.569 --> 00:28:14.210
then we'll be able to have more and more people
00:28:14.210 --> 00:28:16.549
tapped into what the live podcast network is
00:28:16.549 --> 00:28:19.150
all about. So what have you found has worked?
00:28:19.309 --> 00:28:21.529
Are you doing, I guess, a sonic branding so every
00:28:21.529 --> 00:28:25.369
show gets in a live... mentioned this show is
00:28:25.369 --> 00:28:27.650
part of the Alive Network. Is there a logo that
00:28:27.650 --> 00:28:30.009
you're putting on the 100 shows? Like what have
00:28:30.009 --> 00:28:32.910
you found has helped on the market show but create
00:28:32.910 --> 00:28:35.910
that cohesive Alive, this is an Alive Network
00:28:35.910 --> 00:28:39.930
show. Yeah, so we definitely had that like on
00:28:39.930 --> 00:28:42.109
like Apple and the different platforms where
00:28:42.109 --> 00:28:45.269
you're able to build out your network. for people
00:28:45.269 --> 00:28:47.609
to know that this show is part of the Alive Podcast
00:28:47.609 --> 00:28:50.529
Network. We bug all of the shows that are part
00:28:50.529 --> 00:28:53.170
of the network because it's also a statement
00:28:53.170 --> 00:28:55.230
of pride for the creatives that are selected
00:28:55.230 --> 00:28:59.210
to be a part of the network. And so... I have
00:28:59.210 --> 00:29:01.730
a host right now that's like, it's not showing
00:29:01.730 --> 00:29:04.869
up on Apple as like I'm part of a live. And I'm
00:29:04.869 --> 00:29:08.069
like, it's there, like it's showing on our end
00:29:08.069 --> 00:29:10.490
that, you know, your show is there. So it's a
00:29:10.490 --> 00:29:13.109
really big deal for a lot of our creatives to
00:29:13.109 --> 00:29:16.849
make sure that they are kind of grouped in and
00:29:16.849 --> 00:29:18.829
they're able to highlight and show with the rest
00:29:18.829 --> 00:29:20.690
of the world that they're part of the network.
00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:24.859
So all of those things, to me, those are the
00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:27.700
simple things, right? I think the bigger thing
00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:31.660
is, again, I think our hosts do a great job promoting
00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:34.680
that they're part of the network outside of just
00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:38.380
a bug on a show graphic. But I think, again,
00:29:38.619 --> 00:29:44.509
it's more so being able to have that show that
00:29:44.509 --> 00:29:49.380
everybody wants to tap into. That's what we're
00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:53.119
working on, either creating internally through
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:57.819
Alive Studios or being able to bring in that
00:29:57.819 --> 00:30:00.519
high -level guest that's going to, or high -level
00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:03.680
creative that's going to draw in that audience.
00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:09.119
If you were, because you're unique, you're creating
00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:13.059
a marketplace in a sense for shows that pay the
00:30:13.059 --> 00:30:17.859
$350 to join and get access to this entire technology
00:30:17.859 --> 00:30:19.839
that you've kind of built. And then you've got
00:30:19.839 --> 00:30:22.859
the listener -supported side. Not everyone's
00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:24.940
doing that, right? Like most would go with like
00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:26.339
a Patreon. You're like, all right, I'm going
00:30:26.339 --> 00:30:29.920
to build this myself. Do you see that being a
00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:33.880
key factor that networks should look at is not
00:30:33.880 --> 00:30:36.940
only having their hosts pay to join and get access
00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:40.750
to whatever you're building, but also the the
00:30:40.750 --> 00:30:44.069
listener side that you've created that hopefully
00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:47.190
gets the funnel through being part of a network.
00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:51.660
Yeah. So I'm going to say every network is different
00:30:51.660 --> 00:30:55.279
and every one is created with different values
00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:58.180
and the why behind what it is that they're building.
00:30:58.359 --> 00:31:00.880
And so I wouldn't say that my way is the right
00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:05.799
way for everyone. For me, based on what I deemed
00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:09.740
as the things that were really important to me,
00:31:10.349 --> 00:31:14.269
That is, you know, like the monetization the
00:31:14.269 --> 00:31:18.490
being able to listen across platform to all of
00:31:18.490 --> 00:31:23.170
the different shows Increasing the visibility
00:31:23.170 --> 00:31:25.769
of the creative like all of those things were
00:31:25.769 --> 00:31:29.750
really key because again my why in creating this
00:31:30.069 --> 00:31:33.369
That's what I knew was missing. That was the
00:31:33.369 --> 00:31:37.460
gap that most people didn't have like Even if
00:31:37.460 --> 00:31:39.359
we look at entertainment across the board right
00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:42.720
now, outside of podcasting, most Black women
00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:46.200
don't make what men make, period, or even their
00:31:46.200 --> 00:31:50.140
white women counterparts. And so how I'm able
00:31:50.140 --> 00:31:53.680
to level the playing field in a sector of the
00:31:53.680 --> 00:31:58.400
entertainment industry is really important for
00:31:58.400 --> 00:32:01.420
me. So again, every network, that's not their
00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:05.549
why. So they have to identify why they're doing
00:32:05.549 --> 00:32:09.900
it and making sure that they're able to hit on
00:32:09.900 --> 00:32:13.140
what does your target audience need? Because
00:32:13.140 --> 00:32:15.200
your target audience doesn't need what my target
00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:20.279
audience needs. So what are the, I guess one
00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:23.000
of the things that usually comes up is, is this
00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:27.470
the right network for me? Should I join your
00:32:27.470 --> 00:32:29.730
network or should I be looking somewhere else?
00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:32.539
If I'm thinking about it through that lens, you
00:32:32.539 --> 00:32:35.380
know, and being the network operator who does
00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:38.539
the 15 minute or, you know, an onboarding call
00:32:38.539 --> 00:32:43.269
per se, like, what is something that I, I would
00:32:43.269 --> 00:32:46.190
say, nah, this isn't the right fit for me. Let
00:32:46.190 --> 00:32:49.250
me go somewhere else. You're saying what would
00:32:49.250 --> 00:32:53.089
be a turnoff? Yeah. Yeah. In a sense. Sure. Without
00:32:53.089 --> 00:32:57.630
saying, yeah. Because not, like you said, not
00:32:57.630 --> 00:33:00.410
everyone at every... Network is the right fit
00:33:00.410 --> 00:33:03.069
for the every show. So it's like all right. What
00:33:03.069 --> 00:33:06.569
isn't? What if I'm looking at it alive? I'm looking
00:33:06.569 --> 00:33:10.490
at any network for that matter. Yeah What's not
00:33:10.490 --> 00:33:15.150
gonna be the right fit for me? So I think that
00:33:15.180 --> 00:33:21.009
It's a interesting question. I think one if you
00:33:21.009 --> 00:33:24.609
don't want to make the investment in What it
00:33:24.609 --> 00:33:26.759
is that you're building? Because at the end of
00:33:26.759 --> 00:33:29.859
the day, I tell people whether you're using Alive,
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:33.559
Buzzsprout, any of these platforms that have
00:33:33.559 --> 00:33:36.519
a hosting fee, because at the end of the day,
00:33:36.819 --> 00:33:42.039
if you have a platform, you have to pay for this
00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:45.460
stuff to get stored somewhere. It's not free.
00:33:46.299 --> 00:33:49.579
And so I think that's the other part of it, that
00:33:49.579 --> 00:33:53.299
unless you're kind of really... in the know of
00:33:53.299 --> 00:33:55.380
how these things work. Like, so I have some people
00:33:55.380 --> 00:33:57.859
that are like, oh, well, it's free for me on
00:33:57.859 --> 00:33:59.660
Spotify. Baby girl, it's not free for you on
00:33:59.660 --> 00:34:01.960
Spotify. Spotify is getting their money from
00:34:01.960 --> 00:34:04.460
you. You just think it's free, because you're
00:34:04.460 --> 00:34:07.700
not paying an upfront cost, but they're making
00:34:07.700 --> 00:34:10.039
money off of you. You know what I mean? And so
00:34:10.460 --> 00:34:15.900
I think that people who don't understand and
00:34:15.900 --> 00:34:19.380
that's their mentality, we're not the right platform
00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:24.010
for you. because understanding what you're getting
00:34:24.010 --> 00:34:27.309
by having your content distributed by us versus
00:34:27.309 --> 00:34:30.710
other platforms that may be free, if you don't
00:34:30.710 --> 00:34:34.400
get that, I am not gonna take the time to convince
00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:38.039
you. That's not my job. But that's also why I
00:34:38.039 --> 00:34:41.099
have the calls, right? Because I can gauge really
00:34:41.099 --> 00:34:45.059
your why and what it is that you're doing. And
00:34:45.059 --> 00:34:49.550
so I think that each network has a value. that
00:34:49.550 --> 00:34:53.369
they're able to bring to their ideal audience.
00:34:54.269 --> 00:34:58.090
Our particular thing is, like, if your thing
00:34:58.090 --> 00:35:00.730
is, I don't want to pay anything, I just want
00:35:00.730 --> 00:35:05.570
to, we're not it for you. Because we provide
00:35:05.570 --> 00:35:08.769
consulting where our creatives are able to reach
00:35:08.769 --> 00:35:12.210
out. We do listening sessions, which me, and
00:35:12.210 --> 00:35:14.849
again, a lot of these things are things based
00:35:14.849 --> 00:35:18.510
on what I did as a producer or as a director.
00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:22.800
in regular media, right? Being able to listen
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:25.659
to your episode and understand what you did right,
00:35:25.699 --> 00:35:28.260
what you did wrong, and increase the things if
00:35:28.260 --> 00:35:31.000
you really want to grow. And those are all things
00:35:31.000 --> 00:35:34.300
that we take the time to do with our creatives.
00:35:34.619 --> 00:35:39.000
This is not a short game for me. Like, I want
00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:41.119
to make sure the people that we're bringing to
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:43.820
the network are people who are really invested
00:35:43.820 --> 00:35:46.579
in the messaging that they believe they're bringing
00:35:46.579 --> 00:35:49.909
to the rest of the world. I love that because
00:35:49.909 --> 00:35:53.510
that is, if you think about, you've been doing
00:35:53.510 --> 00:35:55.909
this and you get to see through the conversations
00:35:55.909 --> 00:35:59.829
you and I both have, but a creator is like, I
00:35:59.829 --> 00:36:03.090
want to join a network. And it's like, oh, I've
00:36:03.090 --> 00:36:05.750
hit either a download number or they even haven't
00:36:05.750 --> 00:36:07.170
hit the download number. And they're thinking
00:36:07.170 --> 00:36:10.449
about that is the way I'm going to grow. And
00:36:10.449 --> 00:36:13.190
you, myself, and most of the guests that come
00:36:13.190 --> 00:36:17.769
on this show, the continued advice is, The resilience,
00:36:17.949 --> 00:36:20.349
the grit, the hard work, you have to be willing
00:36:20.349 --> 00:36:25.630
to put it in. There's no magic wand that a network
00:36:25.630 --> 00:36:27.809
is going to provide unless you are willing to
00:36:27.809 --> 00:36:32.329
invest your own time and energy. Yeah. No, exactly.
00:36:32.730 --> 00:36:37.170
Totally. So from a monetization standpoint, we've
00:36:37.170 --> 00:36:40.969
talked about what a user is paying to join the
00:36:40.969 --> 00:36:43.409
network. You've got the ad -supported side of
00:36:43.409 --> 00:36:48.179
it. So if we look at ad sales. A lot of networks
00:36:48.179 --> 00:36:50.179
out there are either outsourcing their ad sales
00:36:50.179 --> 00:36:53.349
to someone else. You've brought that all in -house.
00:36:53.809 --> 00:36:58.929
So what's it like running ad sales as a network?
00:37:00.530 --> 00:37:04.110
So we're looking to outsource that again. Okay.
00:37:04.469 --> 00:37:07.769
There you go. Everyone listen. Yeah, like we
00:37:07.769 --> 00:37:12.449
definitely had it outsourced before. And then
00:37:12.449 --> 00:37:14.409
I stopped it because I felt like it was a slap
00:37:14.409 --> 00:37:16.929
in the face for our creatives. This is my personal
00:37:16.929 --> 00:37:22.119
opinion. Like, if somebody is coming saying,
00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:25.099
hey, we want to run ads for 20 cents, like, to
00:37:25.099 --> 00:37:26.780
me, that's a slap in the face to the creative.
00:37:27.340 --> 00:37:32.179
And so I kind of cut that. And then we started
00:37:32.179 --> 00:37:36.599
working with brands directly. And so that part
00:37:36.599 --> 00:37:43.079
of it is a lot easier in my mind. I do have some
00:37:43.079 --> 00:37:45.559
creatives that are like, hey, well, I want to
00:37:45.559 --> 00:37:48.880
expand and just have their direct ad insertions
00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:52.539
and things like that. So we're evaluating it
00:37:52.539 --> 00:37:56.980
again. However, I do personally feel like the
00:37:56.980 --> 00:38:01.800
direct ad buys with brands are better. And it's,
00:38:01.800 --> 00:38:06.019
in my opinion, easier for us to be able to...
00:38:06.380 --> 00:38:10.360
kind of monitor and build those relationships
00:38:10.360 --> 00:38:13.119
where it's not just like these automated things
00:38:13.119 --> 00:38:15.699
that again, I don't think always pay off if you
00:38:15.699 --> 00:38:21.389
have smaller listenership versus being able to
00:38:21.389 --> 00:38:23.769
have a brand that you're able to go to and say,
00:38:24.150 --> 00:38:27.090
hey, as a collective, if you are looking for
00:38:27.090 --> 00:38:31.510
a financial show, these are our metrics as a
00:38:31.510 --> 00:38:34.570
collective. where it's going to be a larger number
00:38:34.570 --> 00:38:38.150
that will be more attractive to them versus one
00:38:38.150 --> 00:38:41.449
show that may have what they're looking for,
00:38:42.789 --> 00:38:45.550
just being able to build a cross network for
00:38:45.550 --> 00:38:48.760
them. Right now, if I'm hearing that, right now
00:38:48.760 --> 00:38:53.539
your focus is strictly host read, baked in. You
00:38:53.539 --> 00:38:56.639
at one point had the programmatic, you got rid
00:38:56.639 --> 00:38:58.900
of that programmatic piece, but you're looking
00:38:58.900 --> 00:39:01.300
at potentially bringing that back in because
00:39:01.489 --> 00:39:03.630
Hey, if there's unsold inventory, there's money
00:39:03.630 --> 00:39:06.710
being left. 20 cents, it's a slap in the face,
00:39:06.789 --> 00:39:09.789
but 20 cents is better than nothing. If the host
00:39:09.789 --> 00:39:13.510
wants it. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. If the host wants
00:39:13.510 --> 00:39:16.650
it. I mean, I have some that were like, really?
00:39:17.269 --> 00:39:18.789
You know what I mean? Because if you've worked
00:39:18.789 --> 00:39:22.090
really hard to produce something and then that's
00:39:22.090 --> 00:39:27.739
what you see, it becomes like, I'm good. I mean,
00:39:27.820 --> 00:39:29.860
being someone who comes from the media world,
00:39:30.019 --> 00:39:31.940
you also understand, you know, a three, four
00:39:31.940 --> 00:39:36.119
minute ad block being just normal in media versus
00:39:36.119 --> 00:39:40.519
one or two ads that are just a host read or baked
00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:43.579
in, faked in, whatever you want to call it. Yeah.
00:39:44.139 --> 00:39:47.719
Very true. Very true. So then you'd be bringing
00:39:47.719 --> 00:39:51.679
the programmatic back into your platform. Possibly.
00:39:52.199 --> 00:39:54.300
And bringing, I guess, from a tech standpoint,
00:39:54.420 --> 00:39:57.400
the tech should already be there, right? That's,
00:39:57.440 --> 00:40:00.239
I mean, here at RSS .com, knowing how hard that's
00:40:00.239 --> 00:40:04.239
been building out an entire campaign manager
00:40:04.239 --> 00:40:11.900
and platform, that's a lot. It is. It's not easy.
00:40:12.639 --> 00:40:17.440
And, you know, that's not my ministry. And so
00:40:17.440 --> 00:40:20.820
being able to rely on others to be able to lead
00:40:20.820 --> 00:40:24.960
that sector. you know, that yeah, the advertising
00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:28.139
part has never been my ministry. And it's still
00:40:28.139 --> 00:40:31.420
not my ministry. And I'm learning to be okay
00:40:31.420 --> 00:40:39.070
with not knowing every, every aspect. But you
00:40:39.070 --> 00:40:41.550
know, that's a moneymaker. So you just got to
00:40:41.550 --> 00:40:42.989
make sure you have the right people in place
00:40:42.989 --> 00:40:46.530
to be able to lead those conversations and to
00:40:46.530 --> 00:40:52.269
do that part. Most of your 100 hosts or so are
00:40:52.269 --> 00:40:56.809
joining more for the tech, the community, the
00:40:56.809 --> 00:40:59.769
aligned on values versus the monetization side,
00:41:00.289 --> 00:41:03.750
or it's a 50 -50 split, or maybe they're joining
00:41:03.750 --> 00:41:06.489
it because, hey, they're looking at it as revenue
00:41:06.489 --> 00:41:11.829
-making. I would say all of it. Again, you have
00:41:11.829 --> 00:41:16.980
to think of it this way. This is the best example
00:41:16.980 --> 00:41:19.869
that I can give around the monetization. All
00:41:19.869 --> 00:41:23.530
right. So traditional CPM, you may get about
00:41:23.530 --> 00:41:27.690
$18 per thousand, right? Who about that? You're
00:41:27.690 --> 00:41:30.309
lucky. That's being fair. I'm being generous,
00:41:30.309 --> 00:41:36.250
okay? So for that same thousand, right? If I
00:41:36.250 --> 00:41:41.550
have a thousand people who select my show as
00:41:41.550 --> 00:41:45.070
a reason they're joining the network, that's
00:41:45.070 --> 00:41:51.519
$5 ,000 versus $18. So to discount or discredit
00:41:51.519 --> 00:41:55.840
like the monetization part of being a part of
00:41:55.840 --> 00:42:01.280
our network isn't necessarily fair because $5
00:42:01.280 --> 00:42:05.360
,000 a month versus 18 and for that same thousand
00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:09.619
hits different So our creatives who are able
00:42:09.619 --> 00:42:12.300
like I said like from the very first episode
00:42:12.300 --> 00:42:16.929
that they drop We have people that sign up to
00:42:16.929 --> 00:42:21.219
support them So if you're able to build it and
00:42:21.219 --> 00:42:23.380
keep building it and the way that our tech is
00:42:23.380 --> 00:42:26.039
built, you're not waiting on a check from us
00:42:26.039 --> 00:42:28.519
with like traditional ad sales. Like you wait
00:42:28.519 --> 00:42:32.699
for so many times before you get exactly with
00:42:32.699 --> 00:42:35.840
our platform. As soon as that person makes that
00:42:35.840 --> 00:42:38.840
transaction fee and they say, okay, this is a
00:42:38.840 --> 00:42:41.820
person that I've selected. It automatically splits
00:42:41.820 --> 00:42:44.079
on the backend of our tech where that person
00:42:44.079 --> 00:42:47.329
is able to see it and their host portal. And
00:42:47.329 --> 00:42:50.110
then it hits their bank account and it's completely
00:42:50.110 --> 00:42:53.699
automated. So the monetization part is real.
00:42:54.059 --> 00:42:55.880
Like we're not going to discredit that part.
00:42:56.320 --> 00:42:59.400
I think it's a collectively whole experience
00:42:59.400 --> 00:43:03.179
that people want. And that's the value of being
00:43:03.179 --> 00:43:08.719
a part of the Alive Podcast Network. monetization
00:43:08.719 --> 00:43:12.539
is ads and it looks at it as no, it's creating
00:43:12.539 --> 00:43:15.639
engagement with our audience and they're paying
00:43:15.639 --> 00:43:20.019
for that success, which as we all know, most
00:43:20.019 --> 00:43:22.079
of us as podcasters are always trying to say,
00:43:22.579 --> 00:43:25.440
hey, like and rate me, you know, send me a review.
00:43:26.599 --> 00:43:29.400
they know that there's this monthly fee that
00:43:29.400 --> 00:43:32.360
is going not only to them specifically, but they
00:43:32.360 --> 00:43:35.619
have access to all the 100 shows in support of
00:43:35.619 --> 00:43:38.519
what the network brings. Then yeah, I could see
00:43:38.650 --> 00:43:41.570
the biggest question I would have then is, I'm
00:43:41.570 --> 00:43:44.489
joining your network. Hey, Angel, what are you
00:43:44.489 --> 00:43:46.769
doing to help grow the network? Because ultimately,
00:43:46.889 --> 00:43:49.550
the more you grow the network, the more potential
00:43:49.550 --> 00:43:52.150
opportunity I have for me. Yeah. Absolutely.
00:43:53.309 --> 00:43:57.449
And easily, easily I can say, I do interviews
00:43:57.449 --> 00:44:03.489
like this. I write for Inc. I am able to speak
00:44:03.489 --> 00:44:06.489
at a number of different events, like monthly,
00:44:07.010 --> 00:44:09.750
where I'm able to highlight what the live podcast
00:44:09.750 --> 00:44:12.289
network is all about and the value it brings.
00:44:12.670 --> 00:44:15.969
And even if we look at politically what the media
00:44:15.969 --> 00:44:18.469
scene is looking like right now, people want
00:44:18.469 --> 00:44:22.269
to support black media, period, right now, right?
00:44:23.559 --> 00:44:26.780
That's another value that they have because not
00:44:26.780 --> 00:44:29.659
only do they get to support their favorite creative,
00:44:29.780 --> 00:44:32.420
but they also get to support a black media company.
00:44:33.860 --> 00:44:36.800
How do we get, how do we get the voice and the
00:44:36.800 --> 00:44:39.719
name out there more? I mean, yes, you joke, come
00:44:39.719 --> 00:44:42.550
on shows like this, but ultimately like. That's
00:44:42.550 --> 00:44:45.550
what I love about the podcast ecosystem is we
00:44:45.550 --> 00:44:48.030
all look at each other as not competitors But
00:44:48.030 --> 00:44:50.789
it's ultimately we're supporting of each other.
00:44:51.030 --> 00:44:52.809
I mean I go on your show You got my show and
00:44:52.809 --> 00:44:55.289
that's we don't look at it is can't have you
00:44:55.289 --> 00:44:58.469
taking my audience. No, it's great Great, right.
00:44:58.469 --> 00:45:02.010
So what do you feel the industry can do a better
00:45:02.010 --> 00:45:04.130
job and supporting what you're doing and the
00:45:04.130 --> 00:45:08.409
voices you're trying to I guess elevate Honestly,
00:45:08.409 --> 00:45:11.210
I think it's more just showcasing some of the
00:45:11.210 --> 00:45:15.949
content Like, I remember I met a young lady who
00:45:15.949 --> 00:45:19.789
was over, like, the listing for, like, Apple
00:45:19.789 --> 00:45:22.269
podcasts where they showcase, like, oh, Black
00:45:22.269 --> 00:45:24.690
History Month, it's this. Now, granted, this
00:45:24.690 --> 00:45:26.250
is just an example, and I don't feel like it
00:45:26.250 --> 00:45:29.010
should just be Black History Month. But it was
00:45:29.010 --> 00:45:32.289
like, oh, yeah, like, we need Black -hosted shows,
00:45:32.289 --> 00:45:35.530
you know, and being able to highlight us in,
00:45:35.530 --> 00:45:38.389
you know, the top shows to listen to. But then
00:45:38.389 --> 00:45:42.210
there's never a follow -up. or you have the conversations
00:45:42.210 --> 00:45:45.690
face to face with individuals, but you don't
00:45:45.690 --> 00:45:49.530
actually execute on what you say. I think that
00:45:49.530 --> 00:45:52.150
is like one of the biggest issues that I've seen
00:45:52.150 --> 00:45:54.969
in our industry where if I'm standing in front
00:45:54.969 --> 00:45:57.349
of you, it's, oh my God, this is so amazing.
00:45:57.489 --> 00:46:01.449
Oh my God, I'm gonna, and then I'm gonna turns
00:46:01.449 --> 00:46:03.809
to dead air. Like you don't answer your phone.
00:46:03.849 --> 00:46:07.309
You don't respond to emails. And so I think that
00:46:07.309 --> 00:46:11.309
a lot of times it's based on community, it's
00:46:11.309 --> 00:46:15.070
based on who you know. And so if you have met
00:46:15.070 --> 00:46:17.849
me one time and we don't have the opportunity
00:46:17.849 --> 00:46:21.329
to have a personal follow up to get to know you,
00:46:22.429 --> 00:46:24.909
then it ends. And so I think it's just really
00:46:24.909 --> 00:46:27.010
being able to say like, hey, like this person's
00:46:27.010 --> 00:46:29.449
really doing some dope things. How do we put
00:46:29.449 --> 00:46:33.070
them in front of our audience? Most people aren't
00:46:33.070 --> 00:46:35.809
necessarily willing to do that. It's fair enough.
00:46:36.710 --> 00:46:39.429
I mean, we're recording this here in August,
00:46:39.570 --> 00:46:41.769
but I just did a recent post that literally was
00:46:41.769 --> 00:46:45.550
talking about how do I do, how do I be a better
00:46:45.550 --> 00:46:49.329
partner for the partners that I work with? Because
00:46:49.329 --> 00:46:51.530
the way my brain is, is always thinking like,
00:46:51.670 --> 00:46:54.849
all right, case in point, how your name, and
00:46:54.849 --> 00:46:57.230
I think it had been years since we've, we talked
00:46:57.230 --> 00:47:00.530
before that, that asked this question. I'm like,
00:47:00.610 --> 00:47:04.179
all right. Only only black podcast network. I
00:47:04.179 --> 00:47:06.780
would know that would be relevant for this would
00:47:06.780 --> 00:47:10.760
be angels Yeah, and so yeah, it's ultimately
00:47:10.760 --> 00:47:13.679
just making sure it's top of mind. I think that's
00:47:13.679 --> 00:47:16.519
part of the reason I have this show Yeah, and
00:47:16.519 --> 00:47:20.760
I think for individuals who are constantly trying
00:47:20.760 --> 00:47:24.559
to get their name out I think posting especially
00:47:24.559 --> 00:47:28.440
on LinkedIn where people see your content, but
00:47:28.599 --> 00:47:31.159
outside of your immediate community, the people
00:47:31.159 --> 00:47:34.480
who are following you just like it. Your light
00:47:34.480 --> 00:47:37.260
gives access to other people in your network
00:47:37.260 --> 00:47:41.519
to see what people are doing. And so sometimes
00:47:41.519 --> 00:47:44.360
it's just very small things like that that can
00:47:44.360 --> 00:47:47.800
make a huge impact and difference for networks
00:47:47.800 --> 00:47:50.420
as a whole. Well, we're running out of time here,
00:47:50.420 --> 00:47:54.340
so a few extra questions. Yeah. One I love is
00:47:54.889 --> 00:47:59.710
what's one question that running a network You
00:47:59.710 --> 00:48:02.460
wish someone would have asked you. Would I do
00:48:02.460 --> 00:48:08.559
it again? Would you do it again? I would. I would.
00:48:10.260 --> 00:48:13.980
I would. I wish I knew the things that I know
00:48:13.980 --> 00:48:22.659
now. But I absolutely would with some different
00:48:22.659 --> 00:48:26.420
things kind of built from the beginning. And
00:48:26.420 --> 00:48:29.119
so that goes to the, I guess my standard question
00:48:29.119 --> 00:48:33.039
is, Telling your present self today, starting
00:48:33.039 --> 00:48:36.380
a network, knowing what your past self already
00:48:36.380 --> 00:48:39.340
knows, what would you do today to start a network?
00:48:39.920 --> 00:48:44.289
What would I do today? You're starting a network.
00:48:44.630 --> 00:48:47.230
Angel, I have an idea. I'm gonna start a network.
00:48:47.570 --> 00:48:53.170
What would you do? I would name an angel. Honestly,
00:48:53.570 --> 00:48:58.829
I would name an angel, but I would... I would
00:48:58.829 --> 00:49:01.730
have done my tech stack differently from the
00:49:01.730 --> 00:49:05.610
beginning, number one. And there's still some
00:49:05.610 --> 00:49:10.590
things that I want to do in my tech stack that
00:49:10.690 --> 00:49:14.190
I think would be super fun. And yeah, like I
00:49:14.190 --> 00:49:16.750
would. What would you do? What would your tech
00:49:16.750 --> 00:49:19.150
stack do differently? I can't tell you because
00:49:19.150 --> 00:49:22.469
then somebody else is going to do it. I mean,
00:49:22.690 --> 00:49:25.869
Angel, let's be honest, the whole, we talk about,
00:49:25.969 --> 00:49:28.670
here's how to do a podcast, here's what to do,
00:49:28.670 --> 00:49:31.070
X, Y, and Z, then the day we can give everyone
00:49:31.070 --> 00:49:33.469
all the answers, they still, A, have to go do
00:49:33.469 --> 00:49:36.449
it, and B, even if they go do it, which we know,
00:49:36.489 --> 00:49:39.550
as you just said, they're not going to, the way
00:49:39.550 --> 00:49:41.610
they do it is not gonna be the same way that
00:49:41.610 --> 00:49:44.269
you do it, because A, we've got the unique voices,
00:49:44.289 --> 00:49:47.309
and B, it's gonna be the engineers you get versus
00:49:47.309 --> 00:49:49.650
the engineers they get. I mean, there's so many
00:49:49.650 --> 00:49:53.329
variables there. So here's the thing. I would,
00:49:54.780 --> 00:49:57.940
but the other elements that I did, the big boys
00:49:57.940 --> 00:50:02.610
went back and did. And that's the difference.
00:50:03.449 --> 00:50:08.730
Like startup media tech versus the big boys media
00:50:08.730 --> 00:50:12.010
tech, they can do a whole lot faster. They have
00:50:12.010 --> 00:50:15.110
more money. Then it will take me the time to
00:50:15.110 --> 00:50:18.670
build out. So I would have to hold those things.
00:50:18.849 --> 00:50:28.590
However, I will say, I also eventually want to
00:50:28.590 --> 00:50:32.670
be able to license our technology to other countries
00:50:32.829 --> 00:50:37.650
for them to be able to, like for instance, Canada.
00:50:39.070 --> 00:50:41.489
I've had a number of conversations with people
00:50:41.489 --> 00:50:44.670
who are like, they feel like they're losing their
00:50:44.670 --> 00:50:50.409
French content and entertainment. And so being
00:50:50.409 --> 00:50:54.710
able to license the platform for them to be able
00:50:54.710 --> 00:50:58.030
to have content and conversations that speak
00:50:58.030 --> 00:51:01.769
specifically to their demographic. Yeah, I want
00:51:01.769 --> 00:51:04.030
to be able to have those things from the onset.
00:51:04.269 --> 00:51:08.050
I would have liked to. That's interesting. Instead
00:51:08.050 --> 00:51:12.090
of just the one, here's my network, it's... I'm
00:51:12.090 --> 00:51:14.690
building a tech company that ultimately, cause
00:51:14.690 --> 00:51:16.289
we didn't get to touch on it, but you're also
00:51:16.289 --> 00:51:18.550
in the TV side. So part of the network is also
00:51:18.550 --> 00:51:21.530
the distribution on TV, not just the podcast
00:51:21.530 --> 00:51:25.250
side, right? Yeah. And the studio now. So yeah.
00:51:26.170 --> 00:51:30.260
So multiple facets. Um, let's see here. We've
00:51:30.260 --> 00:51:33.719
got, we haven't touched on this, so I guess I'll
00:51:33.719 --> 00:51:37.659
have to ask it. Yeah. You have a podcast. Uh
00:51:37.659 --> 00:51:42.260
-huh. Uh, besides your own. Which I want you
00:51:42.260 --> 00:51:43.900
to drop that as well because we'll have that
00:51:43.900 --> 00:51:46.179
in the show notes But like what's one podcast
00:51:46.179 --> 00:51:48.199
you think more people should be listening to
00:51:48.199 --> 00:51:54.420
I have a few I Think so we have one show on the
00:51:54.420 --> 00:51:59.900
network called the exit interview Which is a
00:51:59.900 --> 00:52:06.289
show that is all around Most often black Educators,
00:52:06.289 --> 00:52:09.469
they may not get their final interview if they
00:52:09.469 --> 00:52:14.789
leave a school And so this particular podcast
00:52:14.789 --> 00:52:17.789
actually gives them the opportunity to have their
00:52:17.789 --> 00:52:21.210
final interview with the school before. I mean,
00:52:21.250 --> 00:52:23.130
even though they're already fired or let go,
00:52:23.130 --> 00:52:29.829
whatever. And I think it's very enlightening
00:52:29.829 --> 00:52:33.289
to understand certain things that educators go
00:52:33.289 --> 00:52:37.909
through, especially if you have children. So
00:52:37.909 --> 00:52:41.809
I definitely think that is definitely worth a
00:52:41.809 --> 00:52:46.960
listen. We have so many really good shows on
00:52:46.960 --> 00:52:52.679
the network. We'll have the links to the network,
00:52:52.679 --> 00:52:55.139
of course, and the pages, so you'll all have
00:52:55.139 --> 00:52:58.159
to go check out Daylight Podcast Network and
00:52:58.159 --> 00:53:01.780
not only Angel's show, but the show, what was
00:53:01.780 --> 00:53:04.079
it, Exit Interview? The Exit Interview, and my
00:53:04.079 --> 00:53:08.630
show is called Alive and Well. where it's completely
00:53:08.630 --> 00:53:11.570
geared towards three elements that I think are
00:53:11.570 --> 00:53:14.730
really key to garnering success, which is mind,
00:53:14.769 --> 00:53:17.429
body, spirit. And so everything that we talk
00:53:17.429 --> 00:53:21.090
to people about is how do you utilize or what
00:53:21.090 --> 00:53:25.150
are the things that you do mentally to stay sharp,
00:53:25.650 --> 00:53:31.280
to keep moving forward. Body wise like what are
00:53:31.280 --> 00:53:33.420
your eating habits? How do you do self -care?
00:53:33.599 --> 00:53:35.719
What are your what are your what are your regimens
00:53:35.719 --> 00:53:39.820
for to keep you good and whole? And then spiritual
00:53:39.820 --> 00:53:42.420
I told you earlier. I'm a spiritual person So
00:53:42.420 --> 00:53:45.480
I'm always curious to know like, you know, what
00:53:45.480 --> 00:53:49.539
do you do to make sure that you are? Remaining
00:53:49.539 --> 00:53:52.980
spiritual or do you have any spiritual beliefs
00:53:52.980 --> 00:53:56.099
and if not, that's fine, too but like how do
00:53:56.099 --> 00:54:00.050
you handle or you know, look at things from a
00:54:00.050 --> 00:54:04.690
spiritual lens to garner success. So, yeah. There
00:54:04.690 --> 00:54:08.210
you go. And on the flip side, because we always
00:54:08.210 --> 00:54:10.909
hear that there's so many podcasts, too many
00:54:10.909 --> 00:54:12.989
podcasts, but no one complains about too many
00:54:12.989 --> 00:54:16.590
books or too much music. Right. Right. So I always
00:54:16.590 --> 00:54:18.670
like to ask, you know, what's one book, could
00:54:18.670 --> 00:54:20.909
be anything, could be a kid's book, could be
00:54:20.909 --> 00:54:22.829
one that you read all the time, but like, what's
00:54:22.829 --> 00:54:24.849
one book that you would recommend to people get
00:54:24.849 --> 00:54:28.530
their hands on? Um, it's actually older. I'm
00:54:28.530 --> 00:54:30.429
sure I feel like most people have probably read
00:54:30.429 --> 00:54:33.469
it. Um, I felt like Mel Robbins book was really
00:54:33.469 --> 00:54:39.400
good. Um, crap. What's the name of it? The, it's
00:54:39.400 --> 00:54:43.019
green and white. Well, having the show notes,
00:54:43.239 --> 00:54:47.260
but yeah. Her book is really good. And then also
00:54:47.260 --> 00:54:49.460
we actually just recorded our audio book here
00:54:49.460 --> 00:54:52.679
at the studio called The Pivot by Ashley Davis.
00:54:53.119 --> 00:54:55.739
Definitely recommend that. It's like. Um, coming
00:54:55.739 --> 00:54:59.280
out in audiobook form for 9 -11 and it's about
00:54:59.280 --> 00:55:02.239
her being in the White House during 9 -11. Oh,
00:55:02.239 --> 00:55:06.000
wow. So that's a really good one too. Based off
00:55:06.000 --> 00:55:08.400
of a podcast or she just went straight into an
00:55:08.400 --> 00:55:11.500
audio book? No, she just, she has a hard copy
00:55:11.500 --> 00:55:14.380
of the book that's currently out, but the audio
00:55:14.380 --> 00:55:20.420
book will be out, um, uh, for 9 -11. Oh, the
00:55:20.420 --> 00:55:21.860
let them theory. Yeah, I told you it was Marina
00:55:21.860 --> 00:55:28.599
White. Yes, the let them theory. So is Meg Robbins
00:55:28.599 --> 00:55:33.510
book? Mel Robbins. Mel Robbins. Sweet. Well,
00:55:33.510 --> 00:55:36.889
is there anything else that we didn't get to
00:55:36.889 --> 00:55:38.909
touch on that you want to share? I mean, at the
00:55:38.909 --> 00:55:41.210
end of the day, we get it. You should be coming
00:55:41.210 --> 00:55:43.530
to Angel and finding what she's doing not only
00:55:43.530 --> 00:55:46.050
as a creator, but also as an operator. She's
00:55:46.050 --> 00:55:47.789
not going to give you all the secrets because
00:55:47.789 --> 00:55:50.409
let's be honest, she wants to license the technology
00:55:50.409 --> 00:55:54.969
to you later on. But is there anything that we
00:55:54.969 --> 00:55:57.969
should know about the the world of podcast networks?
00:55:58.710 --> 00:56:02.789
I just think that if you have a vision for a
00:56:02.789 --> 00:56:06.710
podcast network or what it is that you've built
00:56:06.710 --> 00:56:10.530
for your target demographic, just keep building.
00:56:11.269 --> 00:56:13.849
And no matter what obstacles kind of stand in
00:56:13.849 --> 00:56:16.710
your way, just know that there's somebody out
00:56:16.710 --> 00:56:19.130
there that needs what it is that you've built
00:56:19.130 --> 00:56:22.059
or that you're currently building. That's it.
00:56:22.400 --> 00:56:25.500
Seems to be a common theme from most of my operators.
00:56:25.500 --> 00:56:27.860
It's like they didn't see it They want and build
00:56:27.860 --> 00:56:30.659
it and there's just a natural entrepreneur spirit
00:56:30.659 --> 00:56:34.019
that comes from What you're creating what you're
00:56:34.019 --> 00:56:36.619
doing because someone else wasn't doing it. You
00:56:36.619 --> 00:56:42.860
got to do it. Yeah Exactly. So and angel is there
00:56:42.860 --> 00:56:46.360
There's the messy and the beauty. Oh my gosh,
00:56:46.360 --> 00:56:52.400
it's it's real messy and get real ugly When you
00:56:52.400 --> 00:56:55.360
have people reach out to you and say, thank you
00:56:55.360 --> 00:56:57.920
so much for having the foresight to build this,
00:56:58.239 --> 00:57:01.539
and I know that my voice belongs here, it's a
00:57:01.539 --> 00:57:03.860
beautiful thing. I think that's the perfect way
00:57:03.860 --> 00:57:08.079
to end it. Thank you so much, Angel. This has
00:57:08.079 --> 00:57:11.500
been great, and I appreciate seeing what you've
00:57:11.500 --> 00:57:13.280
been building over the last number of years,
00:57:13.500 --> 00:57:17.389
but knowing more about it today. Of course. Thank
00:57:17.389 --> 00:57:20.230
you, Greg, for having me. Well, you've made it
00:57:20.230 --> 00:57:22.670
this far and I really appreciate it. Like truly,
00:57:22.809 --> 00:57:24.969
most of us don't make it to the end of the podcast.
00:57:25.409 --> 00:57:27.349
But if you give me a few extra minutes of your
00:57:27.349 --> 00:57:29.730
time, I want to share some of my takeaways from
00:57:29.730 --> 00:57:32.409
my conversation with Angel. If we come back to
00:57:32.409 --> 00:57:35.670
the beginning, I set up this idea of what actually
00:57:35.670 --> 00:57:38.250
happens when a network head chooses to build
00:57:38.250 --> 00:57:40.929
the tech stack from scratch. Not because she's
00:57:40.929 --> 00:57:44.449
a developer, because nothing else out there supported
00:57:44.449 --> 00:57:47.929
her values or her creators the way she envisioned.
00:57:48.389 --> 00:57:51.889
most networks would never touch the code. Angel
00:57:51.889 --> 00:57:54.909
got hands -on, and it changed everything downstream.
00:57:56.309 --> 00:57:58.369
Besides that, here are a few other things that
00:57:58.369 --> 00:58:00.929
I walked away with from this conversation. First,
00:58:01.369 --> 00:58:03.710
how essential the network's own subscription
00:58:03.710 --> 00:58:06.630
model is to their business, and their identity.
00:58:07.210 --> 00:58:09.510
I mean, Angel built a system where half of each
00:58:09.510 --> 00:58:13.489
listener's $9 .99 monthly fee goes directly to
00:58:13.489 --> 00:58:16.650
the creator who brought them in, as in how most
00:58:16.650 --> 00:58:19.000
networks operate. It's a completely different
00:58:19.000 --> 00:58:21.679
blueprint than just running ads or asking people
00:58:21.679 --> 00:58:24.619
to sign up for the outside platforms. It changes
00:58:24.619 --> 00:58:26.699
how you look at what a podcast network can make
00:58:26.699 --> 00:58:29.539
possible for its creators. Second, the economics
00:58:29.539 --> 00:58:32.420
are just different. For example, a thousand listeners
00:58:32.420 --> 00:58:35.780
subscribing through a live could pay out $5 ,000
00:58:35.780 --> 00:58:38.800
a month a show. Now compare that with a typical
00:58:38.800 --> 00:58:43.429
$18 CPM. That's a huge gap. Most creators wouldn't
00:58:43.429 --> 00:58:45.869
expect that kind of return, especially since
00:58:45.869 --> 00:58:48.670
it's fast moving over at the Alive network. No
00:58:48.670 --> 00:58:50.449
waiting for months to get paid like you would
00:58:50.449 --> 00:58:53.409
with traditional ad models. It really pushes
00:58:53.409 --> 00:58:55.909
you to rethink what types of monetization actually
00:58:55.909 --> 00:58:59.590
supports creators long -term. And the third thing,
00:59:00.170 --> 00:59:02.809
the reality of building tech is a non -technical
00:59:02.809 --> 00:59:06.349
founder. We all know that that would be a challenge,
00:59:06.550 --> 00:59:08.829
but Angel was upfront about the pain points.
00:59:09.369 --> 00:59:11.590
While there was hiring devs who over -promised
00:59:11.590 --> 00:59:14.530
but didn't deliver, or the real risk of letting
00:59:14.530 --> 00:59:17.849
others learn on your dime. That's a layer most
00:59:17.849 --> 00:59:20.309
people don't talk about. I've had guests with
00:59:20.309 --> 00:59:22.929
technical backgrounds, so to hear Angel doing
00:59:22.929 --> 00:59:25.389
this without that background and some of her
00:59:25.389 --> 00:59:27.650
learnings is helpful for anyone listening and
00:59:27.650 --> 00:59:31.309
thinking of a network operation. There's a lot
00:59:31.309 --> 00:59:33.469
to sit in with this conversation, and I'm curious
00:59:33.469 --> 00:59:37.019
what you learned. Once again, thank you for tuning
00:59:37.019 --> 00:59:39.639
in. The show wouldn't be possible with some of
00:59:39.639 --> 00:59:41.760
the amazing companies and sponsors, so I have
00:59:41.760 --> 00:59:44.619
to say thank you. The show is produced by the
00:59:44.619 --> 00:59:47.260
incredible team at Stories & Strategies. If you
00:59:47.260 --> 00:59:49.460
don't know Doug and Emily, I suggest you reach
00:59:49.460 --> 00:59:52.820
out and learn what they do. I'm using RSS .com
00:59:52.820 --> 00:59:55.460
for my podcast hosting because, well, podcast
00:59:55.460 --> 00:59:58.880
hosting is more than just storage. RSS .com provides
00:59:58.880 --> 01:00:01.920
so many features to ensure a great podcast. Easy
01:00:01.920 --> 01:00:05.039
to use, maximum distribution, a community to
01:00:05.039 --> 01:00:09.000
learn from, monetization solutions, video, and
01:00:09.000 --> 01:00:12.409
so much more. They have a plan that works great
01:00:12.409 --> 01:00:15.090
for podcast networks, not just individuals like
01:00:15.090 --> 01:00:18.909
me. Systems and processes are key for consistency
01:00:18.909 --> 01:00:21.929
needed in podcasting, which is why I use Northflow,
01:00:22.130 --> 01:00:25.349
a dedicated podcast project management tool built
01:00:25.349 --> 01:00:29.190
for podcasts by podcasters. We all know the power
01:00:29.190 --> 01:00:32.050
of repurposing, which is why I lean on Cast Magic
01:00:32.050 --> 01:00:34.829
to help me with my show notes, my scripts, with
01:00:34.829 --> 01:00:38.090
the assets that I give to my guests. So check
01:00:38.090 --> 01:00:41.710
out all these links in the show notes. And then,
01:00:41.710 --> 01:00:44.170
lastly, to all those who have rated and reviewed
01:00:44.170 --> 01:00:46.949
and reached out to me with comments, make sure
01:00:46.949 --> 01:00:50.429
you do so. I appreciate it. As I say, life is
01:00:50.429 --> 01:00:53.139
about time and relationships. You have no clue
01:00:53.139 --> 01:00:54.820
where one conversation is going to take you.
01:00:55.000 --> 01:00:57.139
This is why I'm able to have this show and provide
01:00:57.139 --> 01:00:59.920
you these conversations. That's why I love networking.
01:01:00.659 --> 01:01:03.260
You have no clue where listening to these conversations
01:01:03.260 --> 01:01:06.179
will take you now or in the future, but I can
01:01:06.179 --> 01:01:09.340
guarantee you... If you listen now, your future
01:01:09.340 --> 01:01:13.090
self will thank you. I live on LinkedIn, reach
01:01:13.090 --> 01:01:15.570
out, let's connect. To those of you who've already
01:01:15.570 --> 01:01:17.969
done so, I appreciate it. The conversations have
01:01:17.969 --> 01:01:20.909
been incredible and I look forward to more. As
01:01:20.909 --> 01:01:23.630
we talked about, Discovery podcast is difficult,
01:01:23.710 --> 01:01:26.570
which is why every Monday I release three podcasts
01:01:26.570 --> 01:01:28.949
I think people should listen to and have a monthly
01:01:28.949 --> 01:01:31.690
newsletter. So please go ahead and subscribe
01:01:31.690 --> 01:01:33.389
and you'll find some great shows that you'll
01:01:33.389 --> 01:01:36.409
be able to listen to besides this one. Speaking
01:01:36.409 --> 01:01:39.030
of which, subscribe where you listen. New episodes
01:01:39.030 --> 01:01:42.289
come out of Podcast Network Insights every Thursday,
01:01:42.610 --> 01:01:45.469
wherever you consume podcasts. Until next time,
01:01:45.929 --> 01:01:46.829
I appreciate you.