Neal Rothschild is the founder of Rooster, a 6-minute daily podcast that updates you on all the news you need to know. Neal just launched Rooster at the beginning of this year and it was great to interview a founder just getting started on a really promising startup. Neal initially came up with the idea while walking back and forth to the school he was teaching at in Romania. Before Rooster, Neal was also a journalist with pieces published in the New York Times and USA Today. 

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In this episode we cover:

• Why he decided audio is the most effective and efficient way to get information?
• How he landed on the name Rooster?
• Why critical feedback is the best feedback? 
• What the process is like producing a daily podcast?
• How he stays on top of all the news in the world? Hint: Twitter lists

Neal’s Idols in New Media: 

• Ira Glass, This American Life
• Alex Blumberg, Gimlet Media
• Bill Simmons, The Ringer
• Deadspin.com
• Gawker.com

Neal’s Favorite Books: 

• Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
• The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
• The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 
• Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heinemann
• A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
• The Goldfinch: A Novel by Donna Tartt