Rosie Waterland’s Just the Gist strategy
A popular new podcast recaps both The Bachelor and now The Bachelorette. But that has been a strategy by Just the Gist podcast host Rosie Waterland and PodcastOne to build an audience before Waterland launches a new weekly podcast after The Bachelorette wraps later in November.
Waterland comes with a big following and she won an ACTA for Best Original Podcast last year for her previous PodcastOne series Mum Says My Memoir is a Lie.
What will that new Just the Gist sound like? “I will recap anything and everything to my friend Jacob,” Waterland told Mediaweek. Jacob doesn’t work in media and Waterland has fun explaining the media to him. “People in media work in a bubble where they think everybody knows as much of what is going on as they do. On the podcast I will talk about things going on in the world now and then throw in random things.
“The idea with Just the Gist is that I will give the listener just enough to get them through a dinner party conversation.”
Waterland was initially not excited about recapping more seasons of the reality show, but she admitted it’s been quite fun this year. “I like talking about silly things for entertainment.”
She hopes the audience listening for the reality recaps will stay on with the new format.
Waterland agreed her podcasts were quite long. Most run for over an hour. “I said to PodcastOne I would like to go a bit longer and ramble on! I want the recordings to be relaxed and conversational. I never plan for them to be as long as they are.”
Waterland gives the platform raw audio and asks her producer to edit out anything they think might be too self-indulgent. “They really know what they are doing,” she said.
Waterland is also a contributor to a new podcast from Mark Humphries and Dan Illich we mentioned here last week. “There are a lot of exciting guest stars on that.”
Waterland is also writing her third book, this time fiction, and she embarks on a national standup tour next February. She is also working on developing TV show concepts.
“I am just happy I can pay my rent writing funny stuff.”
Daily Mail with Acast on reality TV podcast Obsessed!
Daily Mail Australia has partnered with Acast to launch the new podcast Obsessed!
He new series dissects the biggest moments and rumours from the top reality TV shows, and examines why Australian audiences are still so obsessed with watching “normal” people find fame on TV.
The first season focuses on Love Island Australia, with hosts Josh Moss (a contestant from 2018) and Daily Mail Australia’s Crystal Andrews bringing listeners behind-the-scenes insights, news coverage and social commentary once a week.
Streaming service hayu is the launch sponsor of Obsessed!
Jessica Hunter, Daily Mail Australia commercial director, said of the new launch: “Daily Mail Australia is already the king of reality TV content, and with Obsessed! we are unlocking an exciting new platform for our audience to engage with us and our brand partners.”
Of the partnership with Daily Mail Australia, Acast Australia content director Guy Scott-Wilson said: “Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore reality TV and podcasting provides the perfect companion experience. Podcasts like Obsessed! are a great way for devout fans to go deeper with their favourite shows, and it’s great to see large reaching mastheads like Daily Mail Australia delivering well thought-out audio content for their well-established audience.”
Schwartz Media’s 7am podcast staffs up
Elle Marsh has been appointed features and field producer on the 7am podcast, with a grant from the Judith Neilson Institute.
The podcast was launched by Schwartz Media in May this year and has now published 100 episodes.
Marsh has a film and audio-storytelling background. She has worked in radio, podcasting and documentary making, previously at The Age and also for SBS, Al Jazeera, Vice and independent production houses.
Marsh said: “I’m incredibly excited to join the talented team at the 7am podcast, bringing the stories that matter straight from the field into the headphones of our listeners.”
Schwartz Media’s editor-in-chief, Erik Jensen, said Marsh would help expand the ambition of 7am and deepen the stories being told.
“With the support of the Judith Neilson Institute, Elle will help 7am follow stories into the field. She is creative and insightful and will push our storytelling in new directions.”
7am is part of the Schwartz Media stable, alongside The Monthly and The Saturday Paper.
Radio Alive: Podcasting essentials from Audiocraft, PodcastOne & ABC
PodcastOne’s Jennifer Goggin and ABC’s Kellie Riordan
One of the popular sessions at this year’s Radio Alive conference earlier this month drew together some heads of podcast organisations to get tips about what works and what doesn’t.
Kate Montague, founder of Audiocraft, had a sobering message early on for people looking for the next big thing. She spoke about just planning to have a recording that reaches a specific audience, it doesn’t have to be #1. Montague’s business hosts a podcast festival, presents live events, makes podcasts and even runs an agency. She said there are many incredible podcasts. One she recommended to listeners was Passenger List.
Jennifer Goggin, content director at PodcastOne, said she is currently looking at documentary projects and also fiction. She hinted that the platform had heard enough pitches from amateur podcasters working on their own. “For a podcast to be effective it needs to be produced.” PodcastOne has over 60 ongoing series. “Our content is evergreen – we don’t have much current affairs content.” When asked about an example of building a good show, Goggin referred to PodcastOne’s Romantically Challenged from Sami Lukis. “She now has an incredible connection with her audience. Sami has found plenty of people 40+ who are alone.”
The manager of ABC Studios, Kellie Riordan, said the ABC is also gearing up for the fiction space. “It seems like we are going back to the radio play era.” When it comes to seeking and evaluating new audio, Riordan said she is close to banning the phrase: “I have an idea for a podcast”. She added: “We look for audience opportunities. What is the audience proposition? Who is the audience you are going after?”
Mamamia and Subaru reach out to young Australian families
That’s Incredible is a new factual storytelling podcast designed for shared listening between parents and kids. Hosted by Andrew Daddo, co-host of Mamamia’s family podcast This Glorious Mess, the series features 12 episodes covering incredible stories from scaling Mount Everest to growing up in a zoo to what it would be like living on the Moon. Each story runs for 10 minutes.
Holly Wainwright, Mamamia’s head of content, said: “The whole idea of That’s Incredible is to create moments of genuine fun, connection and curiosity between kids and parents in a very ordinary, mundane part of our day. I have loved being a part of imagining this podcast with our talented podcast team and Subaru, and will love having this show live to share with my kids on our everyday car journeys even more!”
That’s Incredible is produced by Elise Cooper, and drops weekly.
Listen to That’s Incredible here.
