I launched The D Brief podcast in the fall of 2017 with the goal of shining a spotlight on the exciting work done by Detroit artists and entertainers of all stripes: from musicians and museums to theatres and restaurants to comedians and filmmakers. After all, despite all the ups and downs the city of Detroit has gone through over the years, it has remained a vibrant hub for the arts. Yet increasingly, local media outlets have cut back on their coverage of the arts. We wanted to step up and fill the void left as local newsrooms endured round after round of consolidation and cutbacks.
Here Becky Scarcello and I are now, over 100 podcast episodes later, and we have featured dozens of Detroit artists and entertainers on our podcast, from the Heidelberg Project to the Henry Ford Museum, from the Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers to Lady of the House, and from J Dilla Day to the Detroit Repertory Theatre. At the end of every interview we’ve conducted, our guests have all said the same thing:
“We’ve been thinking about starting a podcast.”
Of course, we think this is a brilliant idea, because we’re very familiar with the power of podcasting. I’ve been podcasting for over eight years, and I regularly speak about podcasting at broadcasting conferences across the country. Audio offers an intimacy that no other medium does. Our guests’ work is driven by their passion, and podcasts are a perfect medium for conveying that passion.
We know that while all of the artists and entertainers we feature on our podcast have fans, most of them are only able to engage with those fans periodically. Most of us don’t make daily visits to the Motown Museum or Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle or Cliff Bell’s. That doesn’t mean we’re any less passionate about these places — we simply have busy lives!
Podcasts offer a unique opportunity for these types of organizations to engage fans on a regular basis. They are a great way for these organizations to stay at the top of their fans’ minds, and to encourage them to come back on a regular basis. Indeed, most of our guests seem to recognize the potential power of podcasts; often they were podcast listeners themselves.
Yet they hadn’t pulled the trigger on launching a podcast themselves. Perhaps due to a lack of time or resources or knowledge, it just hadn’t happened yet.
That’s why we started Michigan Podcast Productions. Our goal is to further help these arts and entertainment organizations by not just featuring them on our podcast, but by also helping them launch their own podcasts. We’re showing organizations how to harness the power of audio to connect with their fans.
We’ve designed it as a full-service agency that will guide you through every aspect of the podcast production process. With over 20 years of broadcast radio experience and eight years of podcasting experience, we can help you create a podcast series that showcases your art. We’re looking forward to working with you.
Seth has produced and hosted eight of his own podcast series, including CES for Radio, The Worldwide Radio Summit podcast, and Bad Marketing Advice. Seth is the Vice Chair of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation.
Seth regularly speaks about podcasting and industry conferences around the country. He has spoken at The NAB Show, Podcast Movement, Podfest, The Radio Show, The Worldwide Radio Summit, The Nielsen Audio Client Conference, Morning Show Boot Camp, Talk Show Boot Camp, and numerous state broadcaster association conferences.
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