Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 05/24/21

In one era, out the other. And, just maybe, back in again. The Big 4 broadcast entertainment networks have unveiled their Fall 2021 Prime Time Schedules for advertisers last week. With exceptions, it’s mostly a standard mix of repetitive reality formats, smug sitcoms and dour dramas. I can’t help be struck by how much the 2020s reminds me of the late 1970s in terms of the cultural zeitgeist. Then as now we were coming off years of political and racial division that was reflected in our entertainment. The country was demoralized and the media movies and television tended to feed the angst with films like A Clockwork Orange (1971) and TV shows such as Norman Lear’s array of great (but often very serious) sitcoms.

By the mid-70s audiences were hungry for some escapism. The turning point may have been Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws which in 1975 pretty much invented the summer blockbuster. When George Lucas’ Star Wars hit screens in 1977, it became clear that swashbuckling adventures of good versus evil were both a path to spectacular profit and to reviving the spirit of a nation ready to throw aside the weight of cynicism. That audience, BTW, included those in the young demos who were, perhaps, more in need of infusions of hope than anyone.

The first TV network to grasp this was ABC which rose from last place to first on the power of shows like Happy Days, Taxi, The Love Boat, The Six Million Dollar Man and Fantasy Island. They did this while also programming serious and important event series like Eleanor and Franklin and, most notably, Roots. Under the stewardship of the late legendary programmer Fred Silverman, it was a network that cheerfully reached out to its audience and created a sense of community. It offered a balanced mix of programming that didn’t deny the problems of America but didn’t wallow in them either. Overall, they presented shows that projected a positive energy. And, as Silverman himself said in the clip below, they did it with “a sense of showmanship and some pizzazz. The network schedule was a very bright schedule that kind of sparkled.” Today’s network honchos could learn from that. Programming that celebrates diversity while also celebrating optimism about the future is a winning formula both for their bottom lines and the culture.

BTW, actor-producer Eric Bana gets it – having recently told The Hollywood Reporter “I want people to feel better for having seen something that I am involved in. That’s not to say they shouldn’t be challenged, or there might be moments of feeling uncomfortable, but I have no interest in beating someone up and having them leave a film feeling worse than they did when they went in. I don’t want to (be) involved in content that just makes you feel darker for the experience.” That’s a pretty good rule of thumb for content creators.

WM: I think it can go both ways. For example, if you’re looking at it in the latter way – where you’re trying to back into a brand – I think (there) are tricky ways of doing it. You can say “Okay, what is this character like?” And…there’s a car brand or something that wants to be involved with this podcast or involved in podcasts in general but doesn’t want a regular kind of standard ad read. So, you make a character within the script have a specific type of car based on what that is. You don’t need to say that in the written script before a brand is involved but after a brand is involved there are ways to do that. I don’t think we ever try to write specifically to a brand because I feel like that could really take away from the creative (side) of it. It’s usually like “What is this character already doing and how can we kind of integrate (an advertiser)?

JWK: Let’s talk about some of your shows. Breakthrough, developed withthe pop group Chainsmokers, is described as “the first-ever singing competition developed and launched as a podcast.” It sounds like you guys are getting into every TV genre there is.

WM: One thing that we’ve always tried to do is with our company – especially as we’ve moved further and further into developing our own projects – is that we’ve looked at other mediums and looked at what has worked really well in those mediums that hasn’t been done very much – or at all – in the audio space. A singing competition seems like a very tried-and-true format that has worked in TV for years – for almost decades at this point. We kept kind of (asking) internally why that hasn’t been done yet and how can it get done where it still has the same amount of dramatic effect and still has all the components that are typically in one of those shows but just for audio. That’s the kind of nut we cracked as part of our pitch. We’re really excited to be able to bring that type of format into a medium that it’s never been in.

JWK: Is that set to debut soon?

WM: I’m actually not allowed to say, believe it or not.

JWK: For Apple TV+ you’re doing For All Mankind which is a companion podcast for a streaming series they’re doing.

WM: That’s right. For All Mankind is a very popular show on Apple TV+. It’s in its second season. They’re in production on Season 3 right now of the TV show. As part of Season 2 they wanted a companion podcast to bring awareness to the show.

JWK: How does a “companion podcast” work? Is it just the series done as a podcast or background or extras or what is it?

WM: There are no rules to what a companion podcast should be. For this, it was really just about creating awareness of the show and doing it in a way that wasn’t just for the fans of the TV show. It was about reaching people that were maybe just interested in space which is really what the TV series surrounds.

JWK: It’s kind of an alternate history concept – about what the Soviet Union won the space race.

WM: Exactly – but we did talk about real history. We spoke with real astronauts about the different missions that they had been a part of…If you are interested in space then you’ll like this podcast. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re an avid fan of the TV show. It doesn’t even mean you’ll have to have watched it before. I think other companion podcasts that exist are very much just for the fans of that show. If you don’t watch the TV show, you’ll probably be lost a little bit listening to the podcast. I think the goal of this one was to not lose people if they hadn’t watched the show. It will still be kind of interactive, entertaining and educational to people who hadn’t watched the TV show.

JWK: You’re also doing several projects for Amazon Studios, including a show called The Boys and Prime Video Presents which was nominated as Best Entertainment Podcast at this year’s Ambies Awards. I’m not sure what an Ambie is.

WM: I’ll tell you. The Ambies Awards are what they are calling – and this (past May 16th) is the first year of them – the Academy Awards of podcasts which is great because I don’t think there’s really been a real kinds of awards organization that’s set up in the way that this is which is really a lot of veterans from the space and people surrounding it that vote on the shows. We were nominated for Best Entertainment Podcast for the Ambies for Prime Video Presents. The Boys is a companion show. Prime Video Presents is more of a show that really kind of talks about the full slate of shows and films on Prime Video.

JWK: So it’s like Entertainment Tonight but focused strictly on Amazon shows.

WM: That’s a good way to put it…(It’s) a good way for you get a window into what all is happening on that platform – and there are lot of exciting shows there.

JWK: You’re doing an original audio show about Siegfried and Roy for Apple that I guess is a sort of limited series.

WM: It’s the story that you don’t know about Siegfried and Roy. It’s going to be a very, very deep dive into their lives. It’s something that we are actually presenting at the Tribeca Film Festival next month. It’s the first time that they’ve had podcasts become a part of the film festival. So, we were asked to present there and I mean it’s a pretty cool thing to be alongside of all these filmmakers and documentarians. To be in the same room for that type of festival is an honor.

JWK: How do you go about presenting a podcast at a film festival?

WM: It’s more of an aural experience.

JWK: I would imagine that the concept of scripted podcasts would attract a lot of film and television talent that have projects they’ve been dreaming of doing for those mediums but – perhaps because of the expense involved – haven’t quite been able to pull together. A scripted podcast could be seen as a relatively inexpensive proof of concept – or audio pilot – for future movies and TV shows.

WM: We’re seeing that more and more – and I’m looking for those people more and more. There are so many talented people within the entertainment industry. With how popular audio is becoming – and it at the moment – I’m always looking to other verticals in entertainment to find really great talent, whether they’re writers, directors or producers. If they’re not familiar with audio, that’s where we come on. If they aren’t very familiar with podcasts, it’s about showing them the lay of the land. That’s how we can be a really great partner to them and, of course, they’re bringing the skill set that maybe we don’t have to us. There are a lot of great partnerships that can be formed with people that are currently outside of audio.

JWK: And you’ve already scored successes with shows like Sorry Charlie Miller.

WM: Absolutely and we have some more announcements that will be coming out in the future with some big actors. We’ll be really excited to announce those soon. It’s an area that continues to grow. I think that as consumer behavior continues to adopt this new kind of format that (for the most part) podcast listeners aren’t used to, it allows us to have more and more opportunities to do great projects like that.

I think it’s important to know that regular, consistent podcast listeners mostly are listening for interview-style chat shows and then they’re listening sometimes for kind of a news or documentary-style show and then, later down the list, is really this idea of a “TV show for the ears” which is what the fiction series that we work on are called. I think the more that it’s happening within the space, the more that we’re able to grab listeners and kind of switch their way of thinking about podcasts.

JWK: You’re getting them used to the idea.

WM: Exactly. Only then will there be more opportunity for more shows like that – because we need to (make listeners aware) that this format exists and that it’s really fun to listen to and that it’s a great alternative to a talk show or true crime deep dive.

JWK: I read that Marvel Entertainment SiriusXM are collaborating on a scripted podcast series based on Marvel’s Wastelanders. The first two episodes will be available on June 1st. Is that an avenue for growth? Could satellite radio be a good home for some of this stuff?

WM: Yeah. To be honest, I think the more networks and platforms that are starting to kind of be interested in fiction series…only propels the significance of the format within the industry. So, we’re glad (and) really excited when a company like SiriusXM is wanting to take the lead (into) that format because, if they do, then the next guy will and the next one will and the next one will and, before you know it, that format has become something that is pretty standard for lots of these big networks. We’ll be standing by waiting for that to happen.

JWK: I could envision SiriusXM creating a podcast channel that would be similar to a traditional television network with a weekly schedule of scripted entertainment shows.

WM: I love that idea! I’m taking you into my next pitch meeting!

JWK: Okay, I’d love to come.

WM: It’s a great idea! I would absolutely see that happening at some time in the future.

JWK: I asked you this last time but I’d like to revisit your thoughts on the potential market for faith, family and kid-friendly scripted podcasts. Do you see the industry reaching out to that sector of the audience?

WM: I already do. When we were trending as the top podcast on Audible we were next to The Bible in a Year podcast which performs better than so many other podcasts…Some of these faith-based podcasts are some of the biggest podcasts that exist. I think that will continue to happen. Obviously, Joel Osteen is always up there and the Elevation podcast with Steven Furtick. I mean these are like Top 100 podcasts always…And then, as far as family goes, that’s an area that every network…has put significance on as part as their short-term and long-term planning. They want more family-related content. They want more kids-focused content. I think the next company to really zero in on family and kids is going to win because there’s and appetite for it. That is something that I’m very aware of (as) something that will continue to grow.