Compiled by Tess Connery and Grace Gollasch
Shining bright with Chloe Fisher and Ellidy Pullin for season four of Darling, Shine!
Last month, LiSTNR released the fourth season of Darling, Shine!, the podcast created and hosted by best friends, Chloe Fisher and Ellidy Pullin. The partnership also means that the entire back catalogue of Darling, Shine! is now available on LiSTNR.
The podcast was born when Fisher and Pullin – wife of late snowboard champion Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin – found themselves facing events that turned their lives upside down: widowhood and fertility challenges.
Delving into womanhood, grief, fertility, friendship, and everything in between, Darling, Shine! provides listeners with a judgement free place to find information on topics that might be hard to broach.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke to Fisher and Pullin about partnering with LiSTNR and looking ahead to season four.
How did the partnership with LiSTNR come about, and what made you say yes to jumping on board with them?
“Our beautiful producer Brittany had her second baby in the midst of Darling, Shine!’s rise last year. We decided this was the perfect time for us to farewell our beloved Britt, and a great opportunity to see what magic we could make with LiSTNR.”
It’s season four of Darling, Shine! How has the podcast evolved in the time that you’ve been doing it?
“We always love to think of ourselves as a very ‘home brand’ podcast in that we keep our chats very raw and real, kinda as if you’re in the back seat listening to your two best friends chat on your drive to work. As our stories evolve, we find ourselves including many guest’s on our show now, that comes with such incredible insight and learnings.”
You two cover some very raw topics, is it daunting at all being so open with people on such a public platform?
“I think sometimes we forget that thousands of people (now) know our deepest darkest thoughts, it’s pretty crazy. Sometimes we meet people on the street and we are totally taken aback by how much they know about us. But for the most part, we are so overwhelmed with the response, and countless stories of how our chats have positively impacted people’s lives. We are so proud of this platform and it feels so rewarding knowing other people going through things in their own life can now feel less alone when tuning into Darling, Shine!.”
You recently won 5th place in Listener’s Choice at the Podcast Awards. What does feedback like that mean to you?
“Feels like first place. We nearly fell off our chairs!!! It’s so rewarding to hear the sheer amount of people who are going out of their way to vote for our little ‘home brand’ podcast. We love our listeners so much, and we are so grateful for the connection they feel with us.”
What do you hope listeners get from Darling, Shine!?
“We want our listeners to feel lighter and like they have a safe place in us. We strive to continue to bring people together literally and physically; through our Facebook Community we are doing just this – Some are widows from other sides of the world, some are going through IVF at the exact same time, some are waiting for heart transplants together. The list goes on. We hope later in the year to do ‘live’ events across Australia where we get to actually meet our listeners, connect and hear their stories.”
[Listen to Darling, Shine! here]
Lleyton Hewitt stars on TennisWorthy Podcast
The International Tennis Hall of Fame has released the inaugural episode of its TennisWorthy featuring Class of 2021 inductee and Australian tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt.
Hewitt is a Wimbledon champion, US Open champion and two-time Davis Cup champion. Known for his competitiveness, he is the youngest player to ascend to the ATP Tour’s world No. 1 ranking, which he achieved at age 20. He won 30 career singles titles and remains dedicated to his country’s tennis legacy as Australia’s current Davis Cup team captain.
On the podcast episode, esteemed tennis journalist Chris Bowers and Hewitt discuss the unrelenting drive, intensity, and ‘never say die’ attitude that he credits for his immense success on and off the court.
Hewitt’s early beginnings as an athlete (in a different sport than tennis), to his mentality on the biggest stages and the Aussie traditions he holds dear, listeners can learn about the qualities and values that helped build his Hall of Fame career.
Acast finds programmatic advertising spend in podcasts to triple by 2027
Acast has released the results of its industry study that surveyed the knowledge and feelings of US marketers about programmatic advertising in podcasting.
According to the research, only 42% of US marketers said they have a detailed understanding of programmatic advertising, yet nearly 60% have bought ads programmatically before.
The study, which Acast conducted in order to understand the sentiment and overall knowledge that US marketers and advertisers have towards programmatic advertising, revealed that just 39% of respondents could correctly define programmatic ad buying.
Despite these misconceptions, respondents said they expect the share of podcast advertising bought programmatically to nearly triple by 2027.
IAB Australia announces the 2023 Audio Summit
The IAB Australia Audio Summit will return to Sydney and Melbourne in March, presenting the latest trends, research, and best practice information for anyone buying or selling streaming audio and podcast advertising.
The event will launch of the latest Audio Advertising State of the Nation research, and cover streaming audio and podcast revenue trends, audio case studies and lessons from brands and agencies and audio experts outlining the lastest industry developments and how to optimise your audio media investment.
Speakers include Gai Le Roy, CEO, IAB Australia, Ford Ennals, CEO, CRA, Richard Palmer, director of market development, Triton Digital, Jax Young, marketing manager, BWS, Brooke Pilton, executive partnership director, BRING Agency, Nat O’Shea, client partner – retail, Spotify, Adrian Bingham, head of sales AUNZ, Spotify.
SBS’s bilingual podcast, Ugly Ducklings returns for season two
SBS’s first bilingual podcast is back for a second season.
Season two of The Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine (Scarrafoni in Cucina) returns in Italian and English to introduce six new dishes for the adventurous eater, such as sea urchin gonads, stew with chocolate and wild boar, and risotto with a stinging weed.
A line-up of new guests will share their expertise in the world of Italian food, including award-winning Melbourne chef Alberto Fava, Sicilian food truck owner Pino D’Addelfio, TV chef, author and former food director of Australian Women’s Weekly, Lyndey Milan, and the inimitable queen of TV cooking, Nigella Lawson.
SBS Italian producer Massimiliano Gugole said the podcast started from a love of weird and wacky food.
“During the first season I talked about a typical dish from Verona – pearà. Not even people from neighbouring cities knew about it. When they saw a picture, they thought it looked like vomit but I, like all Veronese, love it!” said Gugole.
[Listen to The Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine here]
Spotify reports all-time high revenue due to investment in podcasting
Spotify has released its Q4 2022 results, reporting nearly a half billion dollars in ad revenue last quarter, an all-time high, thanks in part to its heavy investments in podcasting last year.
In response to the results, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said on Twitter,” We ended 2022 strongly despite a challenging year. Expect us to move faster with more intensity of effort, driving even greater efficiency in 2023.”
Ek has argued that podcasts help retain users and boost advertising revenue, which is why Spotify’s heavy investments in the medium are worth it long term.
Last week, Ek announced a new executive restructuring that saw Spotify’s longtime chief content and advertising business officer, Dawn Ostroff, who led its podcast push for the past four years, leave the company.
In the note about the company’s organisational changes to Spotify employees, Ek said, “Because of her efforts, Spotify grew our podcast content by 40x, drove significant innovation in the medium and became the leading music and podcast service in many markets.”
Additionally, the company laid off podcast staffers and cancelled 11 original shows in October.
Stellar editor-in-chief Sarrah Le Marquand named host of Something To Talk About podcast
Stellar, the Sunday magazine, has announced its podcast Something To Talk About returns this weekend with new host Sarrah Le Marquand, News Corp Australia’s national entertainment editorial director and editor-in-chief of Stellar.
With Le Marquand leading the conversation, Something To Talk About will align more closely with Stellar editorial than ever before, promising even greater access to the names and faces Australians love.
The weekly podcast will complement and dive further into the magazine’s features, using Stellar’s recognised conversational style – bold and brave and with a good peppering of humour and fun.
Le Marquand said that as Stellar enters its seventh year, it has established an unrivalled reputation as the leading platform in the Australian media for exclusive interviews, breaking news-features and headline generating fashion shoots.
[Listen to Something To Talk About here]
