New Media Show (Video)

Getting views, streams, and downloads is not the same as building a business. Subscribers aren’t automatically customers, and a successful YouTube channel doesn’t necessarily mean you have built something sustainable. In New Media Show #687, Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee talks with Creator, Educator, Author, and Entrepreneur Roberto Blake, founder of Awesome Creator Academy, about what comes after becoming a content creator and why more creators need to think of themselves as independent media companies rather than defining themselves by one format or platform. Roberto argues that being a podcaster, YouTuber, streamer, or blogger is increasingly just a distribution choice. The bigger issue is the value you create, the audience relationship you build, and what you actually own. We get into the shift from audio-first thinking to broader creator media, why professionalism is more about preparation and performance than polished production, and how AI is changing the economics of being a creator. Roberto sees some of the strongest uses of AI in the operational work around content, including research, data analysis, transcription, organization, editing workflows, and other tasks that can free creators to spend more time on judgment, ideas, and relationships. A major part of the conversation is about turning attention into a real business. Roberto describes his framework as “reach, reputation, revenue,” or in a business context, “traffic, trust, transaction.” Getting attention is only the beginning. The real value comes from earning trust and then creating products, services, memberships, intellectual property, or other business models around that relationship. We also talk about what creators should own. That includes their brand, intellectual property, expertise, direct audience relationships, and the parts of the business that can survive changes at YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or any other platform. Roberto breaks creator businesses into three broad paths: entertainer, lifestyle brand, and thought leader, with different revenue and growth opportunities for each. The conversation goes much deeper into AI, human creativity, likeness rights, AI labeling, and synthetic AI media. Why Roberto believes the bigger risk isn’t simply AI-generated entertainment, but the potential misuse of synthetic media by institutions or people trying to manipulate audiences. The larger point is simple: Creators should stop thinking only about the next piece of content and start thinking about what they are building around it. Key Topics: – Moving from content creator to independent media company – Why podcasting, YouTube, and streaming are becoming distribution choices – Audio-first versus audio-only thinking – Professionalism versus production polish – Using AI for creator operations, research, editing, and workflow – Reach, reputation, and revenue – Traffic, trust, and transaction – Building direct audience relationships – Owning your brand, expertise, and intellectual property – Entertainer, lifestyle brand, and thought-leader business models – Building revenue beyond platform advertising – Why taste and personality may become more important as AI lowers the skill barrier – Human authenticity and real-world connection – AI likeness, voice cloning, and long-term IP value – AI labeling and the risks of treating every use of AI the same way – Awesome Creator Academy and Roberto’s approach to creator growth Guest: Roberto Blake Creator, entrepreneur, educator, and founder of Awesome Creator Academy Roberto Blake https://robertoblake.com Awesome Creator Academy https://www.awesomecreatoracademy.com YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@robertoblake Host: Rob Greenlee New Media Show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow Rob Greenlee https://robgreenlee.com Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee Podcast Hall of Fame https://podcasthall.com New Media Show https://NewMediaShow.com Adore Network Audio https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio/ Adore Network Video https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video/ Apple Podcasts Audio https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649 Apple Podcasts Video https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647 AI Disclosure AI tools helped organize and edit this episode and create the above show notes from the completed Episode #687 transcript. The conversation, perspectives, editorial direction, and final editing were performed, and responsibility for the episode remains human-led. The New Media Show is human-hosted. The post Don’t Just Make Videos: Build a Creator Media Company | Roberto Blake #687 first appeared on New Media Show.

Podcast media creator publishers may already have more revenue opportunity than they realize. The challenge is not always finding more listeners. It can be understanding what inventory is actually available to sell, what to sell, whether campaigns will deliver, and where revenue is being lost. In this episode #686 of the New Media Show, Rob Greenlee talks with Sean Howard, CEO and co-founder of Flightpath.fm, about the growing complexity behind new media podcast advertising and why better forecasting, campaign management, publisher data, and revenue optimization are becoming more important. Sean explains how Flightpath grew out of a problem he experienced from both sides of the business. As an ad buyer, he found that publishers often did not know how much inventory they really had available. As a publisher, he saw the same problem from the other side: uncertainty about whether sold campaigns would actually deliver. Flightpath was built to bring those pieces together through traffic management, prediction, pacing, and cross-platform revenue visibility. The conversation also gets into dynamic ad insertion and the value of the podcast back catalog. Sean argues that publishers relying too heavily on baked-in ads may be leaving significant revenue on the table because listeners keep consuming older episodes long after release. Rob and Sean also discuss a larger issue facing content creator publishers today: platform dependence. As podcast companies expand across multiple hosting platforms, YouTube, Spotify, video, HLS, and other distribution systems, publishers need better access to their own data and a clearer understanding of the business risk that comes with relying too heavily on any one platform. The bigger question is whether the next stage of media and podcast revenue growth may come not only from finding more audience, but from better understanding and monetizing the audience publishers already have. Discussion Highlights – Hidden revenue in existing podcast inventory – Why forecasting and campaign delivery remain difficult – Dynamic ad insertion and back-catalog monetization – Frequency capping, pacing, and ad performance – Publisher ownership and access to data – Platform risk and using multiple hosting platforms – YouTube, Spotify, HLS, and video monetization – AI and revenue optimization – Flightpath’s role as a publisher intelligence and traffic management layer – Why better data can help sales and operations make better decisions Key Topic Timestamps: 00:00 Hidden revenue opportunities publishers may already have 01:00 Sean Howard and what Flightpath does 03:00 Why Flightpath was built around forecasting and campaign delivery 05:00 Fragmented platforms and the growing complexity of monetization 07:30 HLS, open standards, and the return of video podcasting 11:00 Audio and video advertising collide 12:30 Using publisher data to identify campaign and platform problems 15:00 Why publishers need access to their own data 17:00 Dynamic ad insertion and the untapped value of the back catalog 19:00 Spotify, YouTube, and changing control over ad inventory 21:00 Choosing a hosting platform is becoming a business risk decision 23:00 Why publishers may need to work across multiple platforms 26:00 Measuring hosting platform performance and revenue impact 27:30 Publisher autonomy and Flightpath’s platform strategy review 31:00 Forecasting, pacing, and Flightpath’s Revenue Optimizer 35:30 Where AI fits into forecasting and sales recommendations 38:00 Podcast platforms evolving into intelligence and decision systems 39:00 Using publisher data with AI and LLMs 43:00 Advertising, subscriptions, Spotify, and YouTube 44:00 Apple video, Spotify, and the HLS opportunity 46:00 Podcasting becomes a more professional media business 48:00 Why publishers need an independent intelligence layer 50:00 Who Flightpath is built for 53:00 Flightpath onboarding and supported platform integrations 55:00 Closing thoughts and where to learn more Guest Sean Howard CEO and Co-Founder, Flightpath https://flightpath.fm https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanhoward Host Rob Greenlee Rob Greenlee Website: https://RobGreenlee.com Listen and Watch New Media Show https://NewMediaShow.com Adore Network Audio https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio/ Adore Network Video https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video/ Apple Podcasts Audio https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649 Apple Podcasts Video https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647 AI Disclosure AI tools helped organize and edit this episode and create the above show notes from the completed Episode #686 transcript. The conversation, perspectives, editorial direction, and final editing were performed, and responsibility for the episode remains human-led. The New Media Show is human-hosted. The post Hidden Revenue: What Media Publishers Are Leaving Behind | Sean Howard, Flightpath #686 first appeared on New Media Show.

One year ago today, on September 8, 2025, we lost Todd Cochrane. Todd was my longtime co-host on the New Media Show, a podcast builder from the medium’s earliest days, and one of its strongest advocates for independent creators, open RSS, ownership, and direct connection with audiences. Looking back on these conversations, what stands out most is how consistently Todd fought for what he believed mattered. He never forgot why podcasting was different in the first place: it removed barriers, gave creators more control, and made it possible to build real communities without asking gatekeepers for permission. He also understood that none of it came easy. Todd often talked about “sweat equity,” doing the work, building something from the ground up, and earning an audience’s trust over time. That was who he was. What makes this video especially difficult to watch is the ending. In what became his final New Media Show appearance, Todd signed off the way he always did, expecting there would be another episode: “We’ll see you next time.” I wish there had been a next time. Todd’s voice, his ideas, and the impact he had on podcasting are still very much part of the conversation. Remembering my friend and New Media Show co-host Todd Cochrane today. June 4, 1964 – September 8, 2025 More remembrances of Todd Cochrane: New Media Show: Remembering Todd Cochrane, Podcast Hall of Famer and Blubrry CEO A special New Media Show episode with Adam Curry, Mike Dell, Rob Walch, and me remembering Todd’s life, personality, career, advocacy for independent podcasting, and his impact on the medium. New Media Show remembrance https://newmediashow.com/2025/09/ Podnews: Obituary: Todd Cochrane James Cridland and I worked together on this obituary covering Todd’s life, Navy career, Geek News Central, Blubrry, open RSS advocacy, the Podcast Awards, New Media Show, and his wider impact on podcasting. Read the Podnews obituary: https://podnews.net/article/todd-cochrane-obituary Blubrry Podcasting: Blubrry Founder Todd Cochrane: In Memoriam The company Todd founded remembered him as the heart of the Blubrry community and said it is committed to continuing his mission of supporting podcasters and independent creators. Read Blubrry’s remembrance https://blubrry.com/podcast-insider/2025/09/09/blubrry-founder-todd-cochrane-in-memoriam/ Geek News Central: Geek News Central Mourns the Loss of Todd Cochrane Todd’s longtime show and publication remembered its founder, host, and driving force, as well as his impact on technology, podcasting, and the people around him. Read the Geek News Central remembrance https://geeknewscentral.com/2025/09/09/geek-news-central-mourns-the-loss-of-todd-cochrane/ Podcast Movement: In Memory of Todd Cochrane Dan Franks reflected on Todd’s early support of Podcast Movement, his willingness to challenge the industry, and his commitment to independent podcasters. Read the Podcast Movement tribute: https://weekly.podcastmovement.com/p/in-memory-of-todd-cochrane Sounds Profitable: Remembering Todd Cochrane Tom Webster shared a personal remembrance of Todd, including how Geek News Central was the first podcast he listened to nearly two decades earlier and how Todd’s belief in creators shaped both his work and his business. Read Tom Webster’s remembrance: https://soundsprofitable.com/article/remembering-todd-cochrane/ Podnews Weekly Review: Remembering Todd Cochrane James Cridland and Sam Sethi looked back on Todd’s career and included material from an earlier conversation with him about how he began podcasting in 2004 and what the medium meant to him. Listen to the Podnews Weekly Review remembrance: https://weekly.podnews.net/1538779/episodes/17833228-remembering-todd-cochrane-and-apple-testing-new-chapters PodBiz: When Independent Voices Shape an Industry: Remembering Todd Cochrane Recorded before Todd’s passing, this conversation captures him in his own words as he discusses monetization, independent creators, audience trust, and why serving listeners has to come before chasing revenue. Listen to the PodBiz episode https://shows.acast.com/podbiz/episodes/remembering-todd-cochrane podCast411: Todd Cochrane Interview from March 2005 Remastered Rob Walch remastered his original March 2005 interview with Todd, offering a rare chance to hear Todd near the very beginning of the podcasting era. Listen to the remastered 2005 interview https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-podcast411-learn-about-pod-27564388/episode/411-item-0022b-todd-cochrane-294330497/ podCast411: Memorial to Todd Cochrane on New Media Show Rob Walch also shared the New Media Show memorial conversation with his podCast411 audience. Listen to the podCast411 memorial feed drop https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-podcast411-learn-about-pod-27564388/episode/memorial-to-todd-cochrane-on-new-294330496/ Podcaster News: Remembering Site Founder Todd Cochrane The site Todd founded remembered his drive, fearlessness, generosity, and desire to help other people succeed. Todd Robert Cochrane obituary Todd’s family obituary provides the personal record of his life, including his Michigan roots, 22 years of Navy service, family, technology interests, and the people he left behind. Read Todd’s obituary: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/45326462/todd-robert-cochrane The New Media Show continues today with Todd very much a part of its foundation. The conversations have changed, the industry continues to evolve, and there are still plenty of things I know Todd and I would be debating. I still miss having him on the other side of that conversation. The post Remembering Todd Cochrane, One Year Later first appeared on New Media Show.

As AI makes it easier to create more content, human relationships may become more valuable, not less. In Episode #685 of the New Media Show, host and Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee talks with Alex Sanfilippo, founder of PodMatch and host of Podcasting Made Simple, about why relationships between hosts, guests, audiences, collaborators, and communities are becoming an increasingly important part of podcast growth. The conversation explores podcast guesting, better host-guest matching, AI-assisted workflows, audio and video podcasting, RSS and HLS, creator-owned communities, and why direct audience relationships matter as large platforms gain more control over discovery and monetization. Human Connection Wins Alex built PodMatch around a simple problem: podcast hosts could find guests, but finding the “right guest” and managing all the administrative work surrounding an interview took an enormous amount of time. The goal is to automate the work around the conversation without automating the human connection itself. Rob and Alex discuss why great podcast conversations create relationships that can continue long after an episode is published. Better Guests, Better Conversations A strong podcast guest should arrive ready to lead with value, not simply promote a book, company, or product. Rob and Alex discuss why: – Every interview should feel different – Guests should bring something new to each conversation – Hosts need to listen rather than simply read questions – Generic AI-generated pitches are easy to recognize – Guest and show alignment matters more than volume – Meaningful conversations are more likely to be shared Alex also explains how PodMatch is using AI to improve host-guest alignment while reducing research and administrative work. Audio, Video and the Changing Podcast The conversation expands into the growing convergence between podcasting and YouTube. Alex remains audio and RSS-focused but believes podcasting and YouTube are increasingly influencing each other. Podcasting brings depth and long-form conversation while YouTube brings visual discovery and engagement. Rob and Alex also discuss the HLS video format, alternative enclosures, separate audio and video feeds, and why the current publishing ecosystem can still feel unnecessarily complicated for creators. Build Relationships You Own As major platforms change algorithms, monetization rules, and distribution policies, creators have another reason to develop direct relationships with their audiences. Newsletters, private communities, memberships, events, collaborations, and other owned audience pathways can turn large platforms into discovery and recruiting channels rather than the entire creator business. Alex sees this community layer becoming an increasingly important part of PodMatch. Discussion Highlights – Why human connection becomes more valuable as content expands – How PodMatch matches podcast hosts and guests – Solo, co-hosted, and interview podcast formats – Podcasting versus YouTube content strategies – RSS, HLS, audio and video podcast distribution – What defines a podcast in 2026? – Why guests should lead with value – Creating unique conversations instead of repeating talking points – Why generic AI podcast pitches fail – Using AI to improve guest-host alignment – Podcast collaborations, review swaps, and podrolls – Building creator-owned communities – Turning platforms into audience acquisition channels – Why trusted relationships may be the creator’s strongest long-term asset Chapter Markers 00:00 When content becomes unlimited, human connection becomes scarce 01:45 Introducing Alex Sanfilippo and PodMatch 03:25 Why podcast conversations matter 07:10 Guests, co-hosts, and solo podcast formats 13:05 Podcasting meets YouTube 17:00 Finding the platform where your audience lives 20:25 Audio, video, RSS, and HLS complexity 27:25 What is a podcast now? 30:05 Why podcast guests need to lead with value 33:00 Every interview should be different 35:20 Listening creates better conversations 38:15 Why unique interviews get shared 41:15 The problem with AI-generated podcast pitches 44:20 Finding real guest-show alignment 48:45 Why Alex has become more selective about guesting 50:40 Using AI for PodMatch alignment 54:35 Podcast collaborations, reviews, and podrolls 57:15 Podcast relationships become communities 58:45 Building audiences beyond rented platforms 01:03:00 Creating relationships with your true fans 01:05:15 Community and the future of PodMatch 01:06:20 Where to connect with Alex 01:07:00 Closing thoughts About Alex Sanfilippo Alex Sanfilippo is the founder of PodMatch, a platform that connects podcast hosts and guests while streamlining the administrative work around podcast interviews. He also hosts Podcasting Made Simple, where he helps independent podcast hosts and guests grow their influence, audiences, and businesses. Guest Links PodMatch https://podmatch.com Alex’s free podcast host and guest resources https://podmatch.com/free Podcasting Made Simple https://podmatch.com/episodes About the Host Rob Greenlee is a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, Chair of the Podcast Hall of Fame, Founder of Trust Factor Lab, and longtime new-media executive, creator, strategist, and industry leader. Listen and Watch New Media Show https://NewMediaShow.com Adore Network Audio https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-audio/ Adore Network Video https://www.adorenetwork.com/show/new-media-show-video/ Apple Podcasts Audio https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-audio/id392545649 Apple Podcasts Video https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-media-show-video/id392545647 AI Disclosure AI tools helped organize and edit this episode and create the above show notes from the completed Episode #685 transcript. The conversation, perspectives, editorial direction, and final editing and responsibility for the episode remain human-led. The New Media Show is human-hosted. The post Human Audience Growth in the AI Era | Alex Sanfilippo #685 first appeared on New Media Show.

AI can now reproduce a person’s face, voice, movement, and likeness with increasing realism. The bigger question is becoming: Who gets to control that identity, authorize its use, and potentially get paid when it has commercial value? In Episode #684 of the New Media Show, Host Rob Greenlee talks with Anne Kavanagh, co-founder of Royall.ai, about building a new permission and licensing layer around human identity. The conversation is not about stopping or being anti-AI. It is about establishing something that has largely been missing: proof and authorization before use. Your Identity Becomes an Asset You Control Royall.ai is developing what Anne describes as a biometric vault where people can register elements of their identity, including voice, face, likeness, and body motion. Those assets can be fingerprinted and watermarked, creating the foundation for detecting use, approving or rejecting it, and potentially licensing it commercially. That changes the discussion from simply asking whether AI can clone someone to asking whether the person actually gave permission. A creator could potentially say: Use my voice for this campaign, but only for six months. Allow my likeness to be used to train this model, but pay me. Do not use my identity for this purpose at all. The central principle is simple: You own you. Protection and Opportunity The same technology designed to identify unauthorized use could also create legitimate new markets for human identity. Anne describes a future where AI companies, studios, agencies, platforms, and brands could license verified human data rather than simply collecting material from the public internet. Creators could choose whether their voice, face, movement, or content can be used for AI training and receive compensation when they opt in. This becomes especially important as synthetic media becomes indistinguishable from human media. Rob also raises another possibility: as AI-generated content becomes abundant, verified or certified human-created content may itself become more valuable. Podcast Archives Create Another Rights Problem The discussion gets particularly relevant to podcasting. A podcast owner may control thousands of hours of archived conversations, but that does not necessarily mean the owner has the right to license every guest’s voice for AI training. Rob explains that the New Media Show archive has previously attracted interest for conversational AI training, but licensing complete conversations would require permission from the guests whose voices appear in them. Royall.ai is exploring infrastructure that could help identify those participants, request consent, manage permissions, and create licensing transactions across large content libraries. That could become a significant issue as decades of podcast, video, music, and creator archives become valuable training material. Discussion Highlights – Who should control your voice, face, and digital likeness – Creating a biometric identity vault – Consent before AI use – Detecting unauthorized likeness and voice usage – Licensing human identity for AI training – Getting creators paid for authorized use – Deepfakes, scams, and identity theft – Why trust is critical to biometric infrastructure – AI disclosure versus AI-assisted creation – The rise of verified human-created media – Creator contracts and synthetic likeness rights – Licensing podcast archives for AI training – Why guest consent matters – Royall.ai as an identity and permission API layer Chapter Timestamp Markers 00:00 Who controls your likeness and voice identity? 03:00 Introducing Anne Kavanagh and Royall.ai 07:00 How the idea behind Royall.ai developed 09:00 Verified identity, authorization and licensing 10:00 Creating a biometric vault for voice, face and motion 18:00 Detection, reporting and takedown tools 20:00 Opting into AI training and getting paid 24:00 Building a training-grade voice model 28:00 Identity protection becomes an economic opportunity 34:00 Why this is a human issue, not just a creator issue 38:00 Deepfakes, students, scams and identity theft 40:00 The trust challenge of storing biometric identity 43:00 Building a registrar for human identity and likeness 45:00 Royall.ai as part of the technology stack 48:00 The principle: You own you 53:00 AI tools, disclosure and audience trust 59:00 Could certified human content become premium? 01:02:00 Synthetic podcast hosts and transparency 01:04:00 Creator contracts and consent for AI training 01:05:00 Licensing podcast archives and guest voices 01:08:00 Who controls your existing content libraries? 01:11:00 How Royall.ai early access works 01:14:00 Public images, copyright and identity ownership Anne Kavanagh Guest Links Royall.ai is currently onboarding users through an early-access process, with registration, fingerprinting, watermarking, detection capabilities, and enterprise/API integrations discussed toward the end of the episode. Royall.ai https://royall.ai Host, Rob Greenlee and Show Links New Media Show https://newmediashow.com New Media Show on YouTube https://youtube.com/@TheNewMediaShow Rob Greenlee https://robgreenlee.com Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee Podcast Hall of Fame https://podcasthall.com AI Disclosure AI tools helped organize and edit the episode to remove filler words; this description was created from the completed full transcript of episode #684. The recorded conversation, human performances, perspectives, editorial direction, and final responsibility for the episode remain with Rob Greenlee and Anne Kavanagh. The New Media Show is human-hosted. The post Own Your Identity: Who Controls Your Voice, and Likeness? | Anne Kavanagh, Royall.ai #684 first appeared on New Media Show.