New Media Show (Audio)

In New Media Show #689, I’m joined by Jim Louderback, publisher of Inside the Creator Economy and former CEO of VidCon and Revision3, to explore what the next phase of the creator economy means for people building media businesses. Jim and I have lived through several shifts at the intersection of media and technology. This conversation connects the early days of video podcasting with today’s AI tools, changing audience habits, and the search for a lasting creator business. More ways to create and distribute content bring opportunity, but they also raise questions about attention, ownership, and trust. Digital Jim and the Human Premium We start with Digital Jim, the AI version of Jim that turns his human-written newsletter into short videos. Jim explains how the team at Popcorn uses his words, an AI voice, and a visual avatar to help him reach audiences on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. He still writes the newsletter and reviews the videos before sharing them. That experiment leads to one of the episode’s central ideas: the human premium. Jim’s hypothesis is that, as audiences encounter more AI-generated media, they may place greater value on recognizable human voices, imperfect conversations, and experiences with real people. We discuss what that could mean for audience relationships, advertising, and in-person events. Podcasting in a Bigger Creator Economy We revisit Revision3, Diggnation, and the early use of short clips to introduce people to longer shows. Video podcasting and distributing a conversation in several formats have a longer history than today’s debate sometimes acknowledges. Jim describes an audio-plus approach: people can listen when that suits them, while video creates another way to discover and experience a show. We also discuss why creators spread their work across platforms, how short-form awareness differs from monetization, and the risks of depending on one platform’s rules. Could Personalized AI Media Disrupt YouTube Our platform conversation moves from Netflix’s interest in creator programming to a bigger question: What could disrupt YouTube? Jim suggests that a major technological shift, rather than another similar video service, could open the door. His audience-of-one idea goes beyond recommending existing videos. We explore the possibility of media generated specifically for an individual, along with what Jim calls robo-social relationships with AI characters that respond to and remember their users. We debate these predictions, including how they might compete for time people currently spend with human creators. Your Identity and Archive Have Value We discuss the business value of a creator’s name, image, likeness, voice, and archive. I share my experience exploring Royall.ai and receiving inquiries about using past New Media Show conversations as AI training material. That raises questions about guest permission, licensing, tracking use, and maintaining control over future uses of a creator’s work. Jim also describes an audio watermarking approach he has encountered, while acknowledging that he has not independently established how well it works. The discussion is about taking identity and content rights seriously as new business models emerge. Live Shopping and the Next Media Business Jim explains what he wants readers to get from Inside the Creator Economy: timely reporting, his interpretation of the news, and ideas they can question. We talk about the differences between email subscribers, LinkedIn newsletter subscribers, and the audience numbers platforms report. We then explore global creator markets, Whatnot, live shopping, and the role of personality and audience participation in commerce. TBPN’s combination of a live show, a focused audience, and widely distributed clips gives us another example to examine. We close with local AI tools and a practical encouragement from Jim: keep experimenting. My key takeaways: Use these tools to expand what you can create, while giving people a reason to connect with you. Your ideas, judgment, and relationships shape the value of the media business you build. Key topics How Digital Jim turns a human-written newsletter into AI video The human premium and the value of real audience relationships Video podcasting’s history and an audio-plus approach Multi-platform distribution, short clips, and platform dependence Netflix, YouTube, and media generated for an audience of one Robo-social relationships and competition for audience attention Creator identity, archive licensing, AI training, and permission Newsletter measurement, global creator markets, and live shopping Whatnot, TBPN, and building a focused media business Local AI tools, creative judgment, and continued experimentation Chapter timestamps 00:00 Welcome to New Media Show 689, and the creator reset 01:00 Meet Jim Louderback and watch Digital Jim 03:00 How Popcorn produces Jim’s AI newsletter videos 06:00 Bringing podcasting and the creator economy together 10:00 Audio plus video and reaching audiences in more formats 13:00 Multi-platform distribution and creator business risk 17:00 The human premium in an AI media world 24:00 Younger creators and the changing meaning of podcasting 27:00 AI visuals and turning audio into video experiences 30:00 Netflix and the value of creator programming 32:00 What could disrupt YouTube 34:00 Personalized media and the audience of one 37:00 Robo-social relationships and AI companions 43:00 Human creativity and the limits of average content 44:00 Royall.ai and capturing a creator’s digital identity 47:00 Archive licensing, AI training data, and guest permission 49:00 Watermarking, content control, and future use 53:00 Inside the Creator Economy and newsletter measurement 57:00 Global creator markets and live shopping 58:00 Whatnot, collectibles, and audience participation 01:02:00 TBPN, live shows, and the power of distributed clips 01:06:00 AI platforms, local models, and new media tools 01:08:00 Keep experimenting and closing thoughts Guest Jim Louderback Jim Louderback publishes the weekly Inside the Creator Economy newsletter and produces, curates, and moderates creator events around the world. He is the former CEO of VidCon and Revision3, and his career also includes leadership and editorial roles at Discovery Digital Networks, TechTV, and PC Magazine. Jim Louderback: https://louderback.com/ About Jim: https://louderback.com/about/ Inside the Creator Economy archive: https://louderback.com/blog/ Subscribe to Inside the Creator Economy: https://louderback.com/subscribe-to-my-weekly-newsletter/ Host Rob Greenlee Rob Greenlee is the founder of Trust Factor Lab, host of New Media Show, and a 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair. His work connects podcasting, video, creator platforms, audience trust, and the media business. 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/ 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 draft these show notes from the completed Episode #689 transcript and edited the full show. Rob Greenlee retains editorial responsibility. The New Media Show is human-hosted with human guests; this episode also includes a disclosed AI-generated Digital Jim video demonstration. The post The Creator Reset: AI, Trust and What Comes Next | Jim Louderback #689 first appeared on New Media Show.

Your podcast can be available everywhere and still be hard to find. So who controls its future: the creator, the audience, or the platform? In New Media Show #688, Rob Greenlee welcomes back James Cridland, Editor of Podnews, co-host of the Podnews Weekly Review, and a 2026 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, for a conversation about what Podcast Week in New York City revealed about our industry. We compare notes on the IAB Podcast Upfronts, CreatorFronts, and a very different NYC Podcast Movement. James also shares his experience at the Sounds Profitable Business Summit. The week had plenty of energy, but it also exposed real differences in how creators, platforms, and advertisers see podcasting’s future. Podcast Movement’s Terminal 5 venue brought challenges around meetings, exhibitor space, and crowding. James argues that the headphone-based sessions worked better than expected. We also reflect on Tom Webster’s tribute to Todd Cochrane and why the industry still needs people willing to speak up when something is wrong. Podcasting has expanded its distribution. That doesn’t mean it controls where people discover shows. Sounds Profitable: Tom Webster’s presentation leads us into YouTube, Spotify, and Netflix, where podcasts compete with much more than other podcasts. James Cridland also cautions against confusing whether someone has ever used a platform with where they regularly listen. A major part of our conversation is measuring media consumption. James challenges the IAB’s approach to audio and video, while making another important point: tearing down the download without a workable replacement can undermine the business we already have. James offers a proposal worth discussing: share advertising revenue with podcast apps that provide useful consumption data. James argues that apps need a financial reason to invest in discovery and better listening experiences. I raise the concern about taking revenue from creators, and we explore whether growing listening could make that trade worthwhile. Rob and James also discuss open RSS, HLS video, and Podcasting 2.0 as ways to expand access. That includes discovery built around places and local interests, along with AI production tools that help humans make better content. Adding video should not make the audio listener a second-class audience. The conversation still needs to work when someone cannot see the screen. The question is how we keep podcasting open to a wide range of voices while competing in a much bigger media world. More reach matters. So do audience trust, creator choice, and a business that can sustain the work. Key Topics – Podcast Week NYC: the business summit, upfronts, CreatorFronts, and Podcast Movement – Remembering Todd Cochrane and the value of speaking up – Platform discovery versus open podcast distribution – Audio and video measurement, advertiser trust, and the download – James’s proposal to share revenue with podcast apps – Netflix, YouTube, and rising video production expectations – Open RSS, HLS, and location-based podcast discovery – AI production assistance and respecting the audio listener Guest: James Cridland Editor of Podnews, co-host of the Podnews Weekly Review, and 2026 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee. – Podnews Daily Newsletter and Podcast: https://podnews.net – Podnews Weekly Review: https://weekly.podnews.net 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 Inductee & Chair: 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 draft these show notes from the completed Episode #688 transcript, and I hand-edited for clarity and accuracy. The conversation and perspectives are human-led, and Rob Greenlee retains editorial responsibility. The New Media Show is human-hosted with human guests. The post Podcasting’s Identity Crisis: Who Controls Podcasts Now? | James Cridland #688 first appeared on New Media Show.

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.

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.