On Thu, Oct 22, 2015 at 1:22 PM, Steve Timko <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Hinting that he might end the podcast might simply be a way to build > suspense and bring more attention to the podcast, which is passing > some milestone like 20 million downloads (I don't remember the > specific number). > Part of me think Maron would be nuts to end it. Just in the last few > weeks, he added Chipotle as a sponsor. He's had a couple of others > cash advertisers. Most of his advertising is like Stamps.com or > Audible where he gets a cut when someone signs up for the service > using his promo code. Hell, I'll bet Kevin would commit acts forbidden > in Utah and a few other states to get Chipotle as a sponsor. > I'm allergic to citrus, and literally everything in Chipotle is "citrus infused," so though I'd take an ad deal with them, I could not endorse their product without lying. I'd prefer the Inland Empire's Miguel's Jr be a sponsor. > Maron also seems to be cruising on a post Obama glow. He seems to have > snagged many more big-name guests after interviewing Obama. > On the other hand, Maron has warned in the past that if he got enough > money -- and he didn't know how much that would be -- he would pack it > all in and walk away. I don't get the feeling he's getting rich from > his IFC TV show. But if he wanted to leave on top this would be the > time to do it. > On today's podcast he said he was getting office space down the road, > which suggests to me he wants to continue the podcast. I guess we'll > know when he releases the Michaels podcast. > > There is a reason comics do podcasts... it is a terrific self-promotional vehicle, and an automatic resume reel for other potential jobs. Maron uses his podcast expertly to cross-promote his stand up, his book, his TV show, etc. He's a top-tier podcaster, but I'd still doubt that the actual revenue the WTF podcasts pull in makes up a decent living wage. 'Tis folly to try to consider podcasting as a career, regardless of how many sponsors you can line up. But to use podcasts as a career-booster/enhancer... well, that's what Maron has done quite well, and what I would ultimately like to do too. I'm not trying to follow the WTF model, though of course I'd enjoy that level of success. I joke on my podcasts about the lack of sponsorship, but truth be told the "enter promocode" sort of monetization is a tax nightmare. The only comparison I would draw between what Maron does and what I do is that we both started podcasts from the standpoint of "f*ck it... I'm going to do what I want with whomever I want, and people will either like it or not." That is how I ended up chatting with Alannah "Black Velvet" Myles for my podcast episode due to be posted this coming Sunday, and how that episode became a lesson in accounting and entertainment law by a woman who was cheated out of millions in royalties but somehow managed to not grow bitter or cynical. See what I did there... I promoted my self-promotional vehicle. Very meta. -- Kevin M. (RPCV) -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
