🥊Final Round: Serial vs. Undisclosed🥊
Thriller Zaya & Secondhand September, +Just added/Charts
Hey Poddy People,
It’s been two years this month since I left the Himalaya podcast app in SF and moved back home to LA to start this garage startup Great Pods. Thanks for joining the ride.
Updates:
Accelerator Update: I interviewed with the Long Beach Accelerator. It was a great conversational interview. I may not get it, but what I did like was the immediate concrete feedback and solutions vs. the generic email rejection other accelerators/investors give. You know the one, it’s the same when applying for a job: “We’ve had an overwhelming amount of applications, but...”
Racing: Seems to be a couple of new F1 shows in the mix from podcast studios. Added the Will Arnett one from Wondery, Sports Illustrated, and Headgum. Gotta cash in on that rising popularity of F1.
Analytics: Archetypes by Meghan Markle/Spotify is holding as the most visited page last week, but the numbers are dropping and it could be because of the hiatus for the Queen’s funeral.
Sounds Fun: If you’re in LA, and around 3 PM PT TODAY in Burbank, Dolby Labs is running an open house. The Eventbrite is here. I’ll be there soaking in the sound.
Elephant in the room: Hard to escape the news, but Adnan, the subject of the ever-so-famous Serial podcast, was released Monday. Sarah Koenig was there. Rabia was there. More in my picks below. It gets juicy.
Voting Update: Weekly Charts win! Added at the end of the email.
On to my picks this week…
Podcast: Zaya
Genre: Thriller, Fiction, Drama
Publisher: Realm, Inanna Sarkis
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Fiction Drama podcasts would be getting a nice marketing boost from the influencer, actress, fitness entrepreneur, and now podcast creator, Inanna Sarkis. The first two episodes are out, and we were able to get some reviews. Great Pods did get a shoutout last week on her Instagram which was nice.
Michael Bergonzi • Audio Drama Reviews
“Zaya surprised me with how well paced and attention grabbing it was throughout the first episode. There are so many ways this could go and that detective work on part of the listener is the bread and butter of the genre. Thus far, Zaya delivers on that aspect.”
Reet Arora • Ri Reviews
“The writing is well-paced and hooks you into the mystery from the start.”
I did listen to both episodes and had a good time. The first episode ends with a twist, while the second episode is setting us up, for something. Do I really trust Gaby? Mike’s right about our own detective work as a listener.
I thought this was a good Call To Action^. If you know, you know.
#FreeAdnan or #FreedAdnan
Undisclosed vs. Serial
Recap: Adnan Syed was serving a prison sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae-Min Lee when he was 17. Rabia, his childhood friend, and a lawyer herself approached Sarah Koenig (This American Life) with the story and the creation of Serial happened. The true-crime podcast was an explosion for podcasting space and the true crime genre for the nation.
Side Note: I’ve edited the newsletter so I made a blog post with more information and tweets here.
Podcast: Undisclosed
Genre: True Crime, News
Publisher: Undisclosed
This podcast, from Rabia and her legal friends, was made post-Serial season 1 to rectify many of the missing pieces from Serial and it’s a lot more detailed. On September 15th, they released a new episode describing what could potentially happen on the day of vacating Adnan’s sentence. This includes new laws and new evidence. It is/was a good update.
In addition to that, they re-released three past episodes this week on the evidence and audio clips that weren’t in Serial. What’s new? Rabia did record a new 5-minute intro with additional updates.
Julie Scharper • Baltimore Sun
“What "Undisclosed" offers is what lawyers do best -- a precise analysis of the myriad legal issues surrounding the case. It's also a reminder that most legal work is tedious and detail-driven, not like courtroom drama presented in TV.”
Side Note: There is a camera crew following Adnan around for a follow-up episode to The Case Against Adnan Syed on HBO in 2023.
Podcast: Serial
Genre: True Crime
Publisher: Serial Productions
There are still people that have not listened to Serial in my friend’s circle. For a lot of us, regardless of the missing pieces, at the time, it was groundbreaking and a gateway to podcasts. With controversy abound, it’s not as perfect as we once thought. As mentioned above, information and evidence were left out of the storytelling that Rabia shared with the Serial team. Drama.
Sarah was at the courthouse, mic in hand, and released a new 15-minute update that has been ruling Apple’s charts. You might think they acknowledged Rabia’s persistence in presenting the new evidence to them, but it was mainly glossed over. Did they correct some of the reporting? Nope. The storytelling is still amazing and the Twitter comments are juicy. The nostalgia of that piano theme and Mailch(k)imp included was nice to hear.
Sarah Weinman • BuzzFeed
“[Episode: Adnan Is Out) Listening to that episode was a deeply strange experience. It felt quaint, like a time capsule in which we were still stuck in fall 2014. True crime has evolved as a genre, for good and for ill. Koenig’s first-person narration, meant to present herself as approachable and fallible, instead revealed the inherent naivete of her perspective as a white woman reporter.”
Look, I don’t watch the Real Housewives or a reality TV equivalent, but for podcasts, this might be as close as I get.
Honorable Mention: Recycle - Hot Buttons
Podcast: Hot Buttons - Episode Specials: Secondhand September
Genre: Fashion, Society
Publisher: Post Script Media
I’ve featured Hot Buttons before, but this is a quick one. It’s Secondhand September, didn’t know it was a thing until now, and I’m always looking for ways to recycle or reuse. Heck, I just got this Hawaiian shirt from Goodwill, which I will wear this weekend! Hot Button has 3 episodes dedicated to this month. It’s fashion sweetie.
Just Added:
If I Go Missing the Witches Did It
Badlands Cola A Strange Audio Drama
Weekly Charts: Most Visited Podcast Pages (9/12/22-9/18/22)
1. Archetypes (Meghan Markle)
2. The Letter
3. Trojan Horse Affair
4. My Dad Wrote A Porno
5. Smartless
Stay safe, be empathetic, stay hydrated in this heat, and be kind!
Listening with you,
Captain Ron
Great Pods is your best friend in podcast discovery. Get immersed in engaging critic reviews and ratings to make finding your next podcast fun. Tell a friend!