Pods Like Us

Join Marv of Pods Like Us as he chats with Arya and Claire about their children's show, Something Different. Discover why having a child ask the questions leads guests like a stuntman and a figure skater to share more openly than they would with an adult. Learn the powerful, heartfelt inspiration behind the show—celebrating people who are "something different," including a special connection to Down Syndrome awareness. The hosts share their full podcast format, from listener questions and games to their advice for new podcasters. A must-listen for kids and families looking for positive, screen-free entertainment and big inspiration.

Podcasting pioneer Elsie Escobar joins Martin Quibell to discuss the medium's transformation over two decades, from intimate community to corporate industry. Learn about the early days of podcasting, the challenges that creators face today, and why human connection still matters most. What You'll Learn The Early Days of Podcasting (00:01-08:51) ● How a fifth-generation iPod led Elsie to discover podcasts ● Finding Podcast 411 and becoming part of podcasting's first community ● Why early podcasting was dialogue-driven and deeply interactive ● The power of hearing your name mentioned on a show for the first time From Hollywood to Podcasting Freedom (08:51-14:17) ● Escaping the soul-crushing pigeonholing of the acting industry ● How podcasting offered creative freedom without visual judgment ● The transformative power of getting behind a microphone ● Why voice-only media can be deeply empowering Community vs Industry: The Great Shift (14:17-22:22) ● How podcasting evolved from "we" culture to hierarchical media ● Why early podcasters actively engaged with every listener ● The loss of dialogue between hosts and audiences ● When podcasting stopped being about community and became about assets The Video Podcast Debate (22:22-29:42) ● Concerns about podcasting becoming "another form of television" ● The danger of losing podcasting's punk rock spirit ● Why following corporate rules kills innovation ● How to preserve the freedom that made podcasting special She Podcasts: Amplifying Women's Voices (29:42-34:35) ● Creating a counterbalance to male-dominated podcasting shows ● The chemistry between Elsie and co-host Jess ● How the show evolved into authentic life conversations ● The power of women taking center stage The Modern Podcasting Burden (34:35-48:39) ● Why creating podcasts has become a full-time marketing job ● From simple "mic to RSS" to video clips, transcripts, and social strategy ● How overwhelming requirements stop creators from creating ● Finding workflows that prioritize voice over visibility AI in Podcasting: Tool or Replacement? (48:39-54:51) ● Using AI for transcription while maintaining human curation ● Why AI can't capture your unique message and positioning ● The importance of writing your own show notes and chapter marks ● Balancing efficiency with authentic care for your audience Netflix, Spotify & Distribution Deals (54:51-1:08:22) ● Why the Netflix "podcasting" deal isn't really about podcasts ● Understanding old-school media distribution in new platforms ● How one network built a multi-platform media empire ● The difference between podcast networks and podcast community What Makes a Good Podcast? (1:08:22-1:14:00) ● Podcasts as solutions to listener needs ● Why "good" depends entirely on context and timing ● The soup vs ice cream analogy for podcast consumption ● Why small, engaged audiences matter more than massive numbers The Future: Slow, Human, and Sustainable (1:14:00-end) ● Banking on slow, thoughtful content in a fast-moving world ● Why human skills will become more valuable as AI advances ● Building expansive, sustainable, and aligned creative work ● The importance of staying grounded as technology accelerates Key Quotes "The mere act of getting behind the microphone, it just does a lot to you personally, in a good way. It's your teacher." "I chose to no longer name [certain big podcasters] because we all need somebody else's name to be coming out of our mouths." "Podcasting used to be such a lift. Now it feels like it's a full-time job." "A good podcast provides the solution that I'm looking for at the time. Has nothing to do with quality, topic, format." About Elsie Escobar -Elsie Escobar is a podcasting veteran who's been part of the medium since its earliest days. Known for her work at Libsyn and as co-host of The Feed and She Podcasts, Elsie has been a guiding voice for podcasters worldwide. She's an advocate for authentic, human-first content creation and community building.   

Episode Description -Join host Marv for an in-depth conversation with Sam Sethi, entrepreneur, former tech journalist, and co-creator of True Fans. Discover the evolution of podcasting technology, the future of RSS feeds, and how blockchain-based micropayments could revolutionize creator monetization. Sam shares insights from his 30+ year journey through tech giants like Microsoft, Netscape, and BBC, and explains why podcasting 2.0 might be the industry's biggest shift since iTunes.  Key Topics Covered -Podcasting 2.0 & The New Namespace Sam explains the revolutionary metadata tags transforming podcast discovery and functionality, from person tags and chapters to location-based podcast mapping. Learn how open-source collaboration is challenging Big Tech's dominance.  The Future of Podcast Monetization Discover programmable money and value-for-value models that could replace traditional advertising. Sam reveals how listeners can earn micropayments for their attention while giving creators direct revenue streams. Streaming vs. Downloads: The Coming Shift Why the podcast industry's obsession with download numbers is outdated, and how first-party listen time data will revolutionize advertising effectiveness and creator insights.  AI in Podcasting: Hype vs. Reality Sam's take on "assisted intelligence" - where AI transcripts and automated chapters add value, and where synthetic voices fall short of authentic creator-listener relationships.  Timestamps -[00:00] Introduction and Sam's tech journalism background [02:00] From army officer to Microsoft: Sam's unconventional career path [04:00] The early days of blogging and TechCrunch Europe [05:00] COVID pivot: Building a radio station and discovering podcasting [06:00] Launching Pod News Weekly Review with James Cridland [07:00] Getting involved with Podcasting 2.0 and building True Fans [08:00] Apple finally adopts transcripts and chapters - validation for the namespace [10:00] Location tags and the future of podcast discovery [12:00] Why Sam loves technology over advertising metrics [14:00] The Spotify-Netflix deal and protecting niche podcasting [15:00] Advertising as "Emperor's new clothes" - the measurement problem [17:00] Revolutionary concept: Paying listeners to watch ads with programmable money [20:00] Value-for-value and streaming micropayments explained [22:00] Co-listening feature and building podcast communities [26:00] The Pod News Weekly dynamic: British humor and rapport [28:00] Moving from downloads to streaming: The next five years [30:00] Why listen time percentage matters more than raw numbers [33:00] The death of the download model and rise of streaming data [36:00] BBC Sounds international availability debate [40:00] The Panorama editing scandal and BBC's reputation [42:00] What makes a great podcast: Content, chemistry, and audio quality [45:00] Parasocial relationships and podcast magic [46:00] Claire Waite Brown's "Podcasting 2.0 in Practice" - essential listening [47:00] Concerns about declining podcasting 2.0 content creators [51:00] Sam's podcast listening habits: Politics, sports, and intelligent conversation [53:00] AI as "assisted intelligence" not artificial intelligence [54:00] AI voices vs. authentic creator relationships [56:00] Different AI podcast models: Editorial control vs. content farms [58:00] How to connect with Sam and True Fans  Key Quotes -"I think micropayments and wallets might take a little longer, but I can see in 2026 that catching on as well... the merit of what the technology provides and why people want it stands out very well." "The joy and the promise of podcasting is about the long tail, about the niche of podcasting... somebody who's got a niche podcast about fishing or knitting or whatever, can still have an audience." "I think advertising is the Emperor's new clothes. I think it's a scam... Who heard my ad? Oh, we can't tell you. How long did they listen to my ad? I don't know." "The download isn't irrelevant,

Can you really write a book just by talking? In this episode of Pods Like Us, Martin "Marv" Quibell is joined by Tina Dietz, founder of Twin Flames Studios, to reveal the secret "Podcast Book" method that experts are using to turn their episodes into published books in record time.  We dive deep into how to repurpose your content, why most AI writing tools fail (and how to use them correctly), and why "conversational" writing is the key to building authority. If you’re a podcaster, coach, or entrepreneur looking to scale your brand, this conversation is a masterclass in content strategy.  In this episode, you will learn: ✅ How to use your RSS feed to "write" a book without typing a word. ✅ The difference between "prescriptive" and "reflective" nonfiction. ✅Why limited podcast series can be more effective than weekly shows. ✅ Real case studies of authors hitting Amazon bestseller lists in months. SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations with the voices shaping the audio industry! ⏱TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro & Tina’s Journey from Online Radio 3:40 - Evolution: From Production to Publishing 6:06 - Why Unscripted Audio Beats Video 8:00 - Case Study: Turning 500 Episodes into a Book 12:50 - Helping First Responders: A Vital New Book 16:00 - AI in Publishing: Data Analysis vs. Generators 19:00 - Why "Purpose-Driven" Podcasting Wins 20:47 - How to Connect with Tina Dietz CONNECT WITH TINA DIETZ & TWIN FLAMES STUDIOS Website: https://twinflamesstudios.com Free Author Webinars: https://twinflamesstudios.com/webinars CONNECT WITH MARV & PODS LIKE US Website: https://themarvzone.org SPONSOR ☕ Tired of the coffee crash? Try RYSE Mushroom Coffee for sustained energy and focus. Use code PODNA15 for 15% off at https://rysesuperfoods.com  #PodcastToBook #TinaDietz #ContentRepurposing #AuthorStrategy 

Join host Martin Quibell (Marv) and a panel of industry experts as they dive deep into the impact of artificial intelligence on podcasting. From ethical debates to hands-on tools, discover how AI is shaping the future of audio and video content creation.  Guests: ● Benjamin Field (Deep Fusion Films) ● William Corbin (Inception Point AI) ● John McDermott & Mark Francis (Caloroga Shark Media)  Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 00:42 – Meet the Guests 01:45 – The State of AI in Podcasting 03:45 – Transparency, Ethics & the EU AI Act 06:00 – Nuance: How AI Is Used (Descript, Shorten Word Gaps, Remove Retakes) 08:45 – AI & Niche Content: Economic Realities 12:00 – Human Craft vs. AI Automation 15:00 – Job Evolution: Prompt Authors & QC 18:00 – Quality Control & Remastering 21:00 – Volume, Scale, and Audience 24:00 – AI Co-Hosts & Experiments (Virtually Parkinson, AI Voices) 27:00 – AI in Video & Visuals (HeyGen, Weaver) 30:00 – Responsibility & Transparency 33:00 – The Future of AI in Media 46:59 – Guest Contact Info & Closing  Tools & Platforms Mentioned ● Descript: Shorten word gaps, remove retakes, AI voice, scriptwriting, editing ● HeyGen: AI video avatars for podcast visuals ● Weaver (Deep Fusion Films): AI-driven video editing and archive integration ● Verbal: AI transcription and translation ● AI Voices: For narration, co-hosting, and accessibility ● Other references: Spotify, Amazon, Wikipedia, TikTok, Apple Podcasts, Google Programmatic Ads Contact the Guests: - William Corbin: [email protected] | LinkedIn - John McDermott: [email protected] | LinkedIn - Benjamin Field: [email protected] | LinkedIn - Mark Francis: [email protected] | LinkedIn | caloroga.com  - Marv: themarvzone.org  Like, comment, and subscribe for more deep dives into the future of podcasting and media! #Podcasting #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Descript #HeyGen #PodcastTools #Ethics #MediaInnovation