Beyond Underwear and Mattresses: Scaling a Multimillion Podcasting Business

There are a lot of reasons why Man in the Window wasn’t an easy show to make. It is about a serial rapist and murderer in California. There were tons of characters and thousands of documents to sift through. And the main character was “Society” with a capital S. LA Times Investigative Reporter Paige St. John and senior producer and editor Karen Lowe explain how this unwieldy print journalism project became a compelling hit podcast that pushes the boundaries of the true crime genre. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com. 

In the ever-expanding podcast universe, there are SO many tools that you can use to find and grow your audience. NPR’s Mathilde Piard shares insights won from helping grow their podcasts and tactics for finding new ears that can work for indies and network shows alike. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California.You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

Diosa Femme and Mala Muñoz have used their podcast Locatora Radio to create community in East LA. They explain how to take a podcast out of the studio and into real life and why it’s well worth doing with your listeners. Diosa and Mala’s podcast is about creating a safe space for survivors of sexual assault, so they’ll mention that in this episode. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

If we can agree that it’s imperative to identify a target audience before making a new podcast, why do things still get so fuzzy when we talk about reaching “diverse” audiences? Cristina Kim, producer of Truth Be Told; Tonya Mosley, host of Truth Be Told and co-host of Here & Now; Kameel Stanley, Senior Producer of The City; and Berry Syk, the creator of Podcasts in Color have experiences that span decades, coasts, cultures and mediums. Their candid conversation is filled with lessons learned and strategies to intentionally make podcasts for and by people of color. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

Avery Trufelman, producer of 99% Invisible and host of Articles of Interest and Nice Try! endeavors to answer the age old question: Where do you get your ideas from? What comes next after you have an idea and feel that buzzy spark? Avery breaks down how one of her favorite episodes of 99% Invisible, “The Pool and the Stream”, came to be plus all the twists and turns along the way. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com. 

Death, Sex & Money is a podcast that delves into the things that people think about a lot, and need to talk about more. Host and managing editor Anna Sale and producers Anabel Bacon and Katie Bishop explain how they get not just their guests but their listeners to open up to them about tricky topics -- and how those listener-driven episodes create community. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

Getting your foot in the door can be hard. For a person of color, it can be even harder. Producers Keisha “TK” Dutes and Gabrielle Horton explain how they’ve helped each other throughout their careers - from putting each other up for jobs to a well-timed pep talk or a reality check - in a trickle-up conversation about how we build supportive community and create new blueprints for leveling up. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

One in four American adults is disabled. Bri M., host and executive producer of Power Not Pity, shares ideas on how we can make our podcasts accessible and tell stories that don’t reduce people with disabilities to being one-dimensional sources of inspiration. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

As the podcasting industry grows into a billion dollar ad business, the field is open for women and nonbinary professionals to lead innovation on the revenue side. Katie Sprenger and Caila Litman from Vox Media discuss the challenges ahead for producers of all kinds as podcast advertising continues to evolve in the context of the broader digital advertising landscape. Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.

When you’re in the freelance game, taking yourself seriously when it comes to managing your business is crucial. Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, CEO of Lantigua Williams & Co., gives you her no-bullshit, hard won guidance on how to be truly professional about your money and avoid common yet disadvantaging errors, from incorporating as an LLC, to digital invoicing and negotiating rates.  Links to additional resources: - “What Podcasting Pays Now” (Werk It Festival) - AIR Media’s Indie Toolbox - The slideshow of this presentation is available online here Hosted by Dessa, Werk It: The Podcast is the ICYMI version of the live event. Both the festival and the podcast are produced by WNYC Studios and are made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with additional support from the Annenberg Foundation. Event sponsors for Werk It 2019 include Luminary, Spotify, Spreaker, Acast, Himalaya, and the Women’s Foundation of California. You can find more information at werkitfestival.com.