Podshape burst into life in March 2020 when launched by former Nova Entertainment executive Jay Walkerden and his wife Katie Mattin. Both are former employees of Nova Entertainment. Walkerden was running the Nova Brisbane station and was the network’s head of podcasting. Mattin was on-air at the station.
“What a brilliant time to be starting a podcast business,” Walkerden remembered this week talking to Mediaweek. “It was actually a good time because audience numbers were going through the roof for podcasts.”
The audio company has just announced its latest title, Behind the Drapes, featuring MasterChef winner Brent Draper and his wife Shonleigh.
Recalling his first release, Walkerden said: “The first podcast we made had a whopping 23 downloads in the first week. Three years later Podshape has done just under 23m downloads.”
Although Podshape is a proud independent, the company has a sales partnership with Nova Entertainment. “We make all the decisions though about what we release and when we release. We also have our own sales team, but the opportunity to also utilise Nova Entertainment was an opportunity we agreed to earlier this year.”
Podshape co-founders Kattie Mattin and Jay Walkerden
Branded audio content
As Walkerden was a former head of podcasting at Nova Entertainment, he started the business with plenty of ideas. As Podshape grew, Walkerden and Mattin started to work on plans for partnerships with brands and podcasts.
“Brands know lots of things about themselves and their customers, but lots of brands don’t know what they sound like. We now deal a lot in that space and we have become something of an audio creation company now. Right now we are working with TAFE Queensland on an interactive podcast. We have worked with Queensland Police, Metricon Homes and Amazon among others.
“We ask brands what is the challenge they are trying to solve and is a branded podcast right for them, or is there something else? Do they really need a branded podcast, or could it be another type of audio.”
Podshape originals
Working with brands doesn’t mean that Podshape is pulling back from its original series. “They work side by side,” said Walkerden. “The insights we gain from our originals in terms of genres, consumption and more can be used for brand ideas.”
The Podshape portfolio is diverse, but there seems to be more crime and lifestyle content than anything else. “We have a crime series called The Garden of Eden which is doing amazing numbers. We are 13 episodes into Eden Westbrook’s amazing story and there are about another five episodes as new information continues to come to light.
“The health and wellbeing content is where Podshape started. We were about shaping the world through stories. The latest we have in that space is Brent Draper and his wife Shonleigh. In 2020, season 13 of MasterChef Australia, he quit the series halfway through because of mental health issues. He returned this year and won it. The series is Behind the Drapes [get the pun!] and it looks at life as they see it. There’s a little bit about MasterChef, a bit about mental health, a bit about family, friends and living life to the fullest.”
Podshape has sponsorship support for the new series. Podshape started a relationship with Draper during his first appearance on the show and then reconnected when he returned a second time. “We are getting known for producing quality content and being easy to deal with,” said Walkerden.
Although they want growth, Walkerden and Mattin like being a boutique podcast business. “There is space for businesses like ours where we are hands-on creating quality content while at the same time, we are able to work with big brands. We have a small but nimble team.”
Podshape has studios in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and records audio and video daily. “In my previous roles [with Nova Entertainment] there were lots of back-to-back meetings. What I liked most though was being able to connect with the talent. Katie is the same, she also hosts podcasts and loves working with the talent too.”
Podshape’s hit list
“A podcast I’m really proud of is one we’ve had almost since launch is Brent Simpson. It started with a random Instagram message I got back in May 2020. He’s an ex-bikie from the Gold Coast and his show is called The Clink. Over the past three years we have worked closely on his content and he’s know done over 2m downloads from over 120 episodes and he has a great sponsor in Sideway Surf. He’s helping people. His story is a story of redemption. He did some bad stuff, but now he talks to people who also had their own struggles and what it took to redeem themselves. We are so proud of that one.
“We are also super proud of some of our true crime series, a series called Our Morning Mantra which is a health and wellness podcast that helps a lot of people and is a regular part of their days. There are a lot of great shows we have been able to work on.”
Behind the Drapes
The weekly podcast launches early October. Podshape has just released a three-minute trailer.
The pitch for the series: As a husband, father, and mental health advocate Brent draws on his experience to dish out his unique perspective on all things that make up everyday life.
Along with his wife Shon, they explore parenting, marriage, travel, business, life values and navigating mental health as a family unit.
Using their 12-year relationship experience, they delve into the highs and lows of doing life together as a young family in 2023.
See also: MasterChef Australia 2023 winner Brent Draper owes everything to his family