💛Good Grief, not Charlie Brown's version
Anderson Cooper, Celeb True Crime, Stalkers, +Just Added, Charts & More
Hey Poddy People!
I tell you all the time in the newsletter. Just when you think you don’t have enough content, things just happen, and it’s full. In this week’s newsletter:
Bootcamp Update, New Data, and User Testing
3 New Recs
Just Added Count: 17
Weekly & September’s Charts
Ads Test - Apollo
Bootcamp: FoundersBoost LA started this week. Week 1 of 6.
New subscribers should know that Great Pods is a startup website and we are looking to accelerate our startup with various programs to assist that growth. This includes bootcamps!
It was mostly introductions and a 30-second pitch practice with feedback. I did get some actionable items with the assignment of Customer Discovery. More on that below. Next week is the 60-second pitch practice with the topic of Pitching Skills & Presentation Pitch Decks.
Customer Discovery: I’m looking to do a new round of customer/website zoom interviews! For your time I have a $20 gift card or Venmo cash if interviewed. Casual to everyday listeners. Sign up here. Forward it to friends! Listeners only, please.
New Data! This week I wanted to know which critic writer had been most clicked on in September since the percentage of click-throughs increased to 25%. Found it.
Silicon Valley (SV) Podcasts - H/T to Keelin for sending this along our startup journey because it had to do with podcasts and startups. Adam Rogers, Business Insider, wrote a story about SV’s podcasts and influence from Venture Capitalists. It’s a decent read, and I agreed and disagreed with a few points he made. It’s behind a paywall, but they posted clips on their Twitter.
My #1 agreement with the article: Learning No. 5: The secret of successful startups is there is no secret - Fact. It took me 5+ years to realize this when I was in the Bay. Build a foundation and go. Anyone can.
Ads: Yes, I’m running some Ads tests this month for the newsletter. After two years of bootstrapping, I have to support it somehow!
TV to Podcast: Arthur is getting his own podcast! Read about it here.
Podcast: All There Is w/ Anderson Cooper
Genre: Personal Journal, Conversation
Publisher: CNN
I dare you not to shed a tear or feel something. I did not expect to listen to this podcast until YouTube comments were appearing from listeners. All of which was so heartfelt in the response to the podcast.
Ugh. I took a deep breath and listened to the episode with Late Night’s Stephen Colbert. Damn it. The articulation of both Anderson and Stephen was two masters of the chat medium at work. The hesitation, the pauses because of the trembling in their voices, and the sniffles are all very real. I couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed. When I listen to media personality-driven podcasts, this is what I hope for. The pulling back of the curtain is something I WISH another popular podcast would get better at.
When Anderson started his conversation about grief, I immediately remembered this clip from Andrew Garfield’s interview with Stephen about losing his mom and how he processed grief. A couple of moments later, Anderson pulled up the clip! I’m glad he did.
Then I remembered one of the greatest lines from a Marvel show, Wandavision.
What is grief, if not love persevering.
Everything about this podcast episode was just so beautiful. I can see why people commented the way they did. It’s an episode I will always have in my back pocket. It was just that good. I gotta go now.
Joshua Dudley • Forbes
“All There Is feels like a dam bursting with emotions that can overwhelm you if those feelings aren’t spoken out loud and processed...a conduit for those emotions we didn’t know we were still dealing with. Listen to it, and see if you don’t find yourself thinking of your own losses and discovering new ways to grieve in healthy ways so you aren’t overcome by it.”
Podcast: Can I Tell You A Secret?
Genre: True Crime, Technology
Publisher: The Guardian
On the heels of the first-hand hand stalker story of Shelagh Fogarty of Britain’s, LBC, The Follower, comes another stalking story, cyberstalking to be specific, from The Guardian.
About: What happened when this cyberstalker wreaked havoc across the internet and ruined people’s lives. And why did he do it? Can I Tell You A Secret - a Guardian podcast series about obsession, fear, and the lives we lead online.
Everything you’d expect like police inaction and the frustration the build-up brings is definitely all there. From the innocent early days of Facebook to now in the influencer era. This time, there is an interview with the cyberstalker Matthey Hardy. I have yet to reach that episode yet.
Patricia Nicol • The Times UK
“This is a well-told, even-handed tale. When Kale talks to Hardy’s neighbours, a sad picture of an isolated, autistic loner emerges.”
All episodes were released on launch.
Podcast: Kim Kardashian’s The System: Kevin Keith
Genre: True Crime
Publisher: Spotify
It’s actually not that bad. I don’t think I need to tell you who Kim Kardashian is. However, she is serious about wrongful convictions in the US and has been going to law school while advocating for the release of certain inmates. Adnan is a prime example of that inspiration and I applaud that.
Kim and her audio team have really honed in on the structure of this podcast with their true crime homework. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s clean with Serial-esque storytelling. Interviews with Kevin and family members abound. It did get better in episode two, where one cousin is recorded saying Kevin definitely murdered the three people involved.
Audio note: There is a bit of vocal fry from Kim as she tries to give a calming narration. But I overlooked that.
Gina Wurtz • Screen Rant
“The System is heavily produced, proving Kim has put a lot of effort into her show in order to be taken seriously and get her message across. Everyone has a right to dislike Kim for whatever reason they choose, but The Kardashians star's new podcast has everyone talking about Kevin's case, and this is exactly what he and his family wanted.”
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Just Added:
Listening
The Carlötta Beautox Chronicles
Restart
The Tower
King Kirby
Head Noise
Cold Cases
The Author’s Anathema
True Justice
Witnessed: Mystic Mother
Battleground: Ukraine
Bunga Bunga
What The Hell, Navya!
Fantasy Football Today
From the Oasthouse: The Alan Partridge Podcast (Series 2)
Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio - Fake Baseball for Sleeping
Huberman Lab
Top 5 Weekly Podcast Pages
1. Archetypes
2. Hoaxed
3. All There Is w/ Anderson Cooper
4. Call Her Daddy - Trending up because of Hailey Bieber vs. Selena drama
5. Trojan Horse Affair
Top 10 Monthly Podcast Pages from September
1. Archetypes
2. Trojan Horse Affair
3. The Letter
4. My Dad Wrote A Porno
5. Bjork: Sonic Symbolism
6. Hoaxed
7. Smartless
8. Missed Fortune
9. All There Is w/ Anderson Cooper
10. Le Monstre
Stay safe, be empathetic, stay hydrated, 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!