Interviews with Digital Media Thought Leaders
How One Podcaster Earned Success
Podcast Audio | Posted by Phil Leigh on March 18, 2008
If you are would like to learn about a podcaster whose success with a single show about the TV program “Lost” launched a self-sustaining business, this interview is for you.
Subject: Our guest today is Cliff Ravenscraft who is the founder of BitCastMedia and the Generally Speaking Podcast Network (GSPN.tv). At BitCastMedia, Cliff produces podcasts for others and consults with clients who want to start podcasting. At GSPN.tv, he runs a network of 17 different podcasts.
Summary: Like author Tom Clancy, Cliff Ravenscraft started his career as an insurance salesman. However, he was always a bit of a geek and liked to tinker with computers. He was especially infatuated with the remote collaborative capabilities of the Web. While Clancy turned his outside interests into writing thrilling fiction, Cliff focused on blogs and other shared online activities.
Clancy astounded the military brass with his penetrating technical knowledge of electronic warfare in his first novel, The Hunt for Red October. Cliff’s breakthrough was a podcast discussion he started for the popular television program, “Lost”. Initially, he would narrate his thoughts about the clues and subtleties of the most recent episode. Later he would take emails from the audience whereas today he permits them to phone-in with questions and comments.
Presently, in addition to the “Lost” podcast, Cliff has shows about “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Hannah Montana”, “Dr. Who”, “Heroes”, and “Private Practice”, among others. All can be found at GSPN.tv.
Phil’s Take. While I have never watched a “Lost” episode, I understand that it is hugely popular. I have even met techno-phobic adults who regularly download missed episodes to their iPods. Moreover, I understand that the “Lost” wiki is gigantic. Apparently, the Internet amplifies “Lost” mania to the nth degree thereby encouraging ABC to place many of its television programs on the Net.
Basically, the Internet provides a shared community of interest that was never before possible. Thus, it is not surprising that it generates a new self-propelling business like Cliff’s. New business successes are likely to be only one of many changes induced by the infinite mind of the Web. In short, the Internet may well be a more important technological innovation than the printing press.
Categories: Podcast Audio
Tags: ABC Television, Cliff Ravenscraft, digital media, Internet Audio, Internet Media, Lost, Phil Leigh, podcasting
Permalink | Email This |
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
