The Wolf Den

Howard Lindzon is the guest for Adam's first episode as host. Howard is a financial analyst, angel investor and hedge fund manager, best known for founding StockTwits, the social network for investors. He’s also a witty guy who created and sold a successful web video series, and has a huge Twitter following. Howard mentored Adam at his last company, so they talk about mentorship.  As a media creator, Howard shares why it’s important to focus on who is in your audience, not just how big it is, and he explains the importance of endurance in entrepreneurship. Finally, he stresses why it’s important to focus and stay true to your passions.

This is Jeff's last episode. It's also the one where he passes the torch to Adam Sachs, The Wolf Den's new host and the new CEO of Earwolf's parent company, Midroll Media. They talk about why Jeff started the show, and Jeff offers some friendly advice for taking over the host's chair. Adam shares some of his background running a startup, and as a comedy nerd. Then he tells the story of how and why he joined Midroll Media. Finally, Jeff asks Adam what's next for Earwolf and Midroll.

Scott Aukerman of Comedy Bang! Bang! fame and Earwolf co-founder joins Jeff to discuss a big change: Jeff is moving out of his role as Earwolf and Midroll Media CEO to become Chairman of the company. They talk about the early days of Earwolf, and some of the challenges of being a boss, whether it's running a television show or a podcast network. Of course, they also talk about why Jeff is making this change, and why it's a good thing for the company.

The multitalented Kevin Smith is Jeff’s guest for this episode of The Wolf Den. Kevin says that he’ll always be called “director Kevin Smith,” but the truth is that he’s “done way more podcasts” than films. He tells Jeff why he got started podcasting and decided to build a network, discussing the stories behind Smodcast shows like “Fatman on Batman” and “Hollywood Babbleon.” Then Kevin explains why he thinks TV and movie development people are looking at podcasting for their next deal, and what the future holds for this medium.

Chief Nerdist Chris Hardwick returns to The Wolf Den for the first time in four years. He and Jeff get caught up with everything going on in the Nerdist world, and how Chris keeps on top of having a podcast, a Comedy Central TV show, and being the CEO of a growing media company. Chris shares his views on the state of podcasting and where it's going, and how different platforms require different approaches for media making. Don't miss this episode's bonus video at the Midroll blog: http://blog.themidroll.com/ twd-58-bonus-video/

Public radio producer Alex Blumberg enters The Wolf Den to discuss the entrepreneurial future of audio journalism. Alex is a long-standing producer for This American Life and the co-founder of the NPR podcast and radio program Planet Money. He tells Jeff about the lessons learned in the Planet Money Kickstarter to make a t-shirt so that they could document its production and distribution across the global supply chain. Alex reveals how this opened a door for him, and that he's building a new independent project to create and support innovative narrative journalism. Don't miss the bonus video ( http://blog.themidroll.com/twd-57-bonus-video/ ) where Alex lets us in on what he thinks is the most exciting thing happening in podcasting today.

Ellen Weiss is vice president and bureau chief for E.W. Scripps Company's multimedia news bureau. She joins Jeff from Washington DC to discuss podcasting's new frontiers in journalism. They talk about Ellen's distinguished career in news at NPR and the Center for Public Integrity and how that led to her taking over Scripps' digital newsroom. Then she explains the strategy behind Scripps's acquisition of the DecodeDC podcast--founded and hosted by former NPR correspondent Andrea Seabrook--and reveals what she thinks is the most exciting thing happening in podcasting today.

Though he is rarely heard from on his own, Marc Maron says he considers WTF producer Brendan McDonald, “half of the show.” On this episode of The Wolf Den Brendan steps out of the producer’s chair and in front of the microphone. He tells Jeff how his five-year relationship working with Marc at Air America turned into them creating WTF together, and how their successful collaboration relies on a shared vision. Brendan then shares how producing WTF means he had to become a businessman and entrepreneur, learning lessons along the way, like which responsibilities he should do himself and which are better to be outsourced. Make sure to watch the bonus video http://blog.themidroll.com/twd-55-bonus-video /) where Brendan reveals what he’s most excited about in podcasting, his favorite podcasts, and what keeps him up at night.

Editor & Chief of Slate and Political Gabfest host David Plotz joins Jeff to talk about all of the new changes that have occurred in the world of podcasting. They'll discuss the value and downsides regarding live shows for podcasts, David's current investment in podcasting, and if the business of podcasting is growing. Make sure to go to http://blog.themidroll.com/slate-editor-david-plotz-exciting-thing-podcasting-today/  for the exclusive video from this episode.

All the way from Portland, Paul Riismandel of RadioSurvivor.com joins Jeff to discuss many important things in the world of podcasting. They’ll talk about the sustainability of podcasting, the discoverability of podcasts, and the difficulty of building an audience. Happy New Year!