WEBVTT - TechStuff is Thankful 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:12.399 Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from iHeartRadio. Hey there, 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:15.720 and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.680 I'm an executive producer with iHeart Podcasts and how the 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:21.520 Tech Are you well Here in the United States. It 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:25.400 is the day after Thanksgiving, and normally I would serve 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:28.840 up a rerun on a daylight today because our office 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:32.360 is closed for the holiday. But considering I'm winding down 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:35.720 my sixteen and a half year long run on tech Stuff, 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:38.960 I thought instead I would do a timely episode to 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.680 talk about thankfulness and the gratitude I feel toward the 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:46.240 many people who have contributed to this show over the years. 0:00:46.320 --> 0:00:48.720 And yes, there will be a lot of overlap with 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:52.199 that previous episode I did when I announced that I 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:55.120 was leaving the show. But starting off, the first person 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.880 I have to thank is Conall Byrne So. 0:00:57.960 --> 0:00:59.000 Today, Connell is. 0:00:58.920 --> 0:01:02.800 The CEO of the Digital Audio Group at iHeartMedia, but 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:05.520 back in two thousand and eight, he was the new 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:10.120 head of a little website called HowStuffWorks dot com. So 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:13.560 Connell came into the company and helped broker the deal 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:17.000 with Discovery Communications that would see how Stuffworks dot Com 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:20.319 emerge from being part of a private company that was 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:24.039 called the Convex Group and into becoming a component of 0:01:24.080 --> 0:01:27.919 Discovery Communications digital strategy. That happened in late two thousand 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:29.880 and seven. Now, those of y'all who have been listening 0:01:29.920 --> 0:01:32.720 to tech Stuff for a while now know that ultimately 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:36.479 this relationship between Discovery and how Stuff Works didn't work out, 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.319 and Discovery would go on to sell how Stuffworks dot 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:42.600 Com to another company called Blue Cora several years later. 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:47.000 But none of that really matters here. So it was 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:49.960 Connall who came to me and to my editor and 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:52.920 my friend Chris Pollette and asked us if we would 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:57.720 consider launching a podcast focusing on technology. So Chris and 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:01.280 I talked about it and we agreed, and Stuff was 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:04.800 the result. Connell was willing to give writers and editors 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:07.680 a chance to create shows and to grow those shows 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:11.000 and shape them, even after we realized that using the 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:15.600 shows as a brand extension had limited success. Now by that, 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:20.040 I mean the original concept for all the podcasts under 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:24.280 the Stuff brand was to raise awareness for the website 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:29.400 HowStuffWorks dot com because we weren't monetizing podcasts or anything 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:31.760 like that at that point. But I'm sure you're all 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:35.639 aware or at least suspect that most people aren't likely 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:39.000 to take action on one platform after hearing about it 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:42.840 on a different platform. It's just tricky because you're not 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:46.080 listening to the podcast while you're also on your computer 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.480 on your browser. Keep in mind, this is two thousand 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:52.120 and eight. This is before people were using their smartphones 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:54.400 to listen to podcasts. Like, if you were listening to 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:58.880 a podcast, you were using probably iTunes to subscribe to 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:03.040 a podcast, and you would physically link your iPod to 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:07.880 your computer and transfer new episodes over to your iPod 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.040 so you can listen to them. It was a pretty 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.799 you know, clunky process at that point. And so if 0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:17.320 you're listening on your iPad or iPod rather not even 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:20.000 iPad at this point, you're listening on your iPod and 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:23.320 someone mentions, hey, go to this website HowStuffWorks dot com 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:25.400 to learn more about it. Well, by the time you 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:28.640 get in front of a computer again, you probably don't 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.000 remember to do that. So it was entirely possible for 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:34.000 Connell to just pull the plug and say, you know, 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:36.839 this was a good idea, but it's not working out 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:39.680 for us and we're not making money. So let's instead 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:42.760 use your time to write articles for the website. He 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:45.760 could have done that, but he didn't. He saw that 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:50.560 there was still potential value for keeping the show going, 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:54.800 and the shows did do really well, particularly Stuff You 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:57.720 Should Know that became an early breakout success story in 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:01.240 the podcast world and really resonate with lots of listeners. 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.560 So we were getting lots of downloads. Even if it 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.080 wasn't moving the needle that much on the website. It 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.960 was clear that what we were doing was having some 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:12.600 residents out there in the world. So Connall, let us 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:13.520 keep doing the shows. 0:04:13.680 --> 0:04:13.840 Now. 0:04:13.880 --> 0:04:17.080 Over the years, Connall would rise in the ranks of 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:21.440 Discovery Communications and we saw him less frequently around the office. 0:04:21.480 --> 0:04:24.880 He did remain an important part of How Stuff Works, 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:29.400 but we didn't see him around quite as frequently. He 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:33.480 eventually moved to work in a virtual reality unit as 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:37.039 INN he was heading up virtual reality projects. He didn't 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.320 move into VR. He's not science fiction though he hasn't 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:42.640 been an actor in a couple of science fiction movies anyway. 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:45.760 How Stuff Works by that time had left Discovery and 0:04:45.920 --> 0:04:48.280 gone through a couple of other changes in ownership, and 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:52.640 then over time he returned to become the head of 0:04:52.920 --> 0:04:55.920 Stuff Media, so there had been a separation for a while. 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:59.080 But then Conall comes back and he takes the helm 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:01.880 of stuff Media, which had split off from how Stuffworks 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.680 dot Com. And not too long after that, I Heart 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:08.320 acquired stuff Media, and Connall has played an important part 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:12.000 in Iheart's digital strategy ever since. So I don't see 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:15.240 him that often anymore, at least at the time. I 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:16.920 don't know if it's still true, but he didn't live 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:19.560 that far from me. But I don't see him that frequently, 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:22.840 but he does make time to chat with us old 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:26.080 timers whenever we run into one another at company functions 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:29.039 and such. And again, without Connell, there would be no 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:33.080 Tech Stuff. So I am thankful very much for his 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:36.440 initiative and his support of the show. I'm also deeply 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:40.040 thankful for Chris Bollett, my former editor and co host 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:42.719 I went through. I went through a lot of editors 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:45.120 while I was at hou Stuffworks dot Com. I don't 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:47.440 know if that means I was a problem child or not. 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:48.640 I may have been. 0:05:49.040 --> 0:05:51.400 One of my editors was one of the original hosts 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:54.240 of What would become Stuff You missed in history Class. 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:57.400 I went through like four or five before Chris became 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:00.320 my editor. Chris was the editor who would end up 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:03.840 spoiling me. So most editors, the way they work is 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:07.880 they receive a piece from a writer. They mark up 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:11.240 that piece and return it to the writer in order 0:06:11.320 --> 0:06:13.920 for them to make changes, like if something doesn't make sense, 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:18.200 or if there needs to be more clarification or more detail, 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:22.520 or maybe there's just a mistake that needs to be fixed. 0:06:22.800 --> 0:06:25.120 The editor returns into the writer and the writer makes 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:28.240 the changes. But Chris would just change the dang thing himself, 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:30.600 and he made my work better. And the same was 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:34.000 true for the podcast. He made that better too. Most 0:06:34.040 --> 0:06:37.159 of our recording sessions were lots of fun. We would 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:39.599 sit across from each other that we would talk about 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:42.960 tech and we would make some jokes and references. I 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:45.279 would typically flip out over the fact that he had 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:48.440 never seen the movie Jaws, which is my favorite movie 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:51.159 of all time. He would talk about how he once 0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:53.520 used to do things like go on tour with the 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:56.720 Indigo Girls. It was a great time. Of course, Chris 0:06:56.760 --> 0:06:59.480 would eventually decide to change his career path and that 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:03.760 meant leaving HowStuffWorks dot Com and the show, but Tech 0:07:03.800 --> 0:07:06.880 Stuff would not be what it is today without Chris 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:10.480 Pollette's influence. I still have a promotional poster of the 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:12.520 two of us, and it's hanging up on my home 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:16.480 office's door. And yeah, so I see Chris every day 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:18.360 I go to work because I see him. 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:18.800 On that poster. 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:22.720 Now, as I mentioned in my look Back on tech Stuff, 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:24.720 that episode I did not too long ago. I also 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.960 have to thank Lauren Vogelbaum. She had never hosted a 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:31.840 podcast before she joined Tech Stuff as a new co 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:34.520 host once Chris left the show, and she agreed to 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:37.440 be a co host, even though tech was not her passion, 0:07:37.600 --> 0:07:40.440 that wasn't an area she was particularly interested in, but 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:44.440 she was eager to learn how to podcast. She wanted 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:47.240 to help me out because clearly I was in, you know, 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:50.920 a real state once Chris left. She worked very hard 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:54.000 for about two years on the show before she decided 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:56.320 she wanted to launch some shows of her own. She 0:07:56.360 --> 0:07:59.480 wanted to create a space for herself, not just be 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:02.480 part of a space that other people had already created. 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:06.320 And I fully respect that. So from twenty thirteen through 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:08.680 most of twenty fourteen, Lauren did me a solid by 0:08:08.760 --> 0:08:11.680 co hosting the show once she left, things got a 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:15.360 lot more challenging because it really was just me as 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:18.040 the host. I would reach out to my coworkers to 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:21.960 occasionally show up as a co host, but you know, 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:24.920 that was dependent upon people's availability week to week, and 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:26.920 that was never a guarantee. 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:30.800 So it was pretty rough. And for the last decade 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:32.040 or so, Tech Stuff has. 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:36.920 Been a solo host show. I've been the one person researching, writing, 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:40.560 and recording each episode. I'm not exactly sure how many 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.760 episodes I did all by myself because we also have 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:47.400 stuff in the feed that includes like reruns as well 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:50.000 as fiend drops for shows like smart Talks with IBM 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.040 and the Tech Stuff feed, So I can't just look 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.720 at our publishing platform and say, oh, here's how many 0:08:56.760 --> 0:09:00.120 episodes I did. Doing some rough math, it's somewhere the 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:04.280 range of one thousand, five hundred episodes all by myself. 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:08.200 And that is a lot y'all. And I should say 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:11.520 the all by myself part is a little deceptive. First, 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:15.080 I don't really do all of this by myself. Even 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.200 on episodes where I've chosen the topic, I have done 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:21.280 all the research, I've written my notes up, and I've 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:24.120 done all the recording. I don't do it all by myself. 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:26.280 I mean I might even do a quick edit pass, 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:28.360 but then I have to hand my episode off to 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:32.400 super producer Tari, who has been with me for several 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:36.560 years now. And I've mentioned Tari many times over the 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:39.400 years on this show, but she typically prefers to stay 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:42.400 off microphone and out of the spotlight. So now I'm 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.800 going to take some time to talk about my super producer. 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:48.760 So Tari and I are a great team. I mean, 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:53.120 it's just a fact. She is positive, she is silly. 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:58.439 I tend to be grouchy and cantankerous, and our interactions 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:01.120 have become a source of entertainment for many of our 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:06.280 coworkers because I will often get very grouchy toward her, 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:09.320 she will smile and laugh it off, and everyone thinks 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:10.319 it's the funniest thing. 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:10.720 Ever. 0:10:10.960 --> 0:10:13.440 It's a great working relationship, and best of all, I 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:15.800 can always have the full confidence that Tari's going to 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:17.920 take care of the recording when I hand it off 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:21.080 to her. She has my full trust because she's proven 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:25.640 that she's capable of that. She's responsible and accountable, and 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:29.400 Tari and I have had several adventures together over the years. 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:32.480 She and I traveled a lot, especially back when I 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:35.240 was doing the podcast The Restless Ones. She can tell 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:39.000 you stories about traveling to places like Chicago or San 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:42.559 Francisco or Los Angeles with me, and I can talk 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:44.559 about how the two of us rode the roller coaster 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:47.640 on the Santa Monica Pear, though the version of that 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:50.480 story depends upon which of us you ask, because she 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.560 swears that I convinced her to do it, but my 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:56.200 memory is that she wanted to ride the roller coaster, 0:10:56.480 --> 0:10:59.320 so I agreed to it. Both versions of the story 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:01.760 include the bit where she was praying to anyone who 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:05.400 would listen while we were on the actual ride. Oh 0:11:05.440 --> 0:11:07.720 and they also had us go around the whole thing 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:09.920 a second time, which came as a bit of a 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:12.520 surprise to both of us. But more to the point, 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:15.200 Tari is the person we all have to thank for 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:18.400 tech stuff sounding as good as it does. She's the 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:22.520 producer that handles everything once I finished recording, So my 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:27.280 metaphorical hat is off to Tari. And as I mentioned 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:29.480 in that earlier episode where I looked back on the 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:32.599 history of the show, I have had several other producers 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:36.360 over the years. Ramsey Yunt was another great producer. Ramsey 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:39.080 books some of the most interesting guests we've ever had 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:43.200 on the show, including Steven Lisberger who directed Tron and 0:11:43.360 --> 0:11:46.120 Jess Royle and John Hilton who worked on the series 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:50.760 Stranger Things. Ramsey actively sought ways to mix things up 0:11:50.760 --> 0:11:53.640 on my show, which was always really nice, and like 0:11:53.720 --> 0:11:55.760 I said in that previous episode, there were lots of 0:11:55.800 --> 0:12:00.400 others to think. Right, there's Jerry, the producer best associated 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:02.760 with stuff you should know, but she produced episodes and 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:06.000 tech stuff as well. Tyler Klaang, who's here in the 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:11.000 office today. He also produced several episodes. Matt Frederick and 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:14.400 Noel Brown and Elizabeth Johnston and others have taken turns 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:16.600 sitting in the producer's chair over the years. I also 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:19.920 need to thank all the producers who have stepped up 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:23.800 to produce the show during those times when my producer 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:27.160 needs to take a holiday or a sick day. That's 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:30.400 one of the wonderful things about working not just at iHeart, 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:34.320 but like throughout every iteration of the company I have 0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:36.240 worked for. I've done the same job, but the company 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:39.199 has changed. It's that there's a real sense of teamwork 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:43.360 and caring for each other and stepping in when extra 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:47.000 effort is needed. Thanks to everyone who ever did that 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:49.560 to help keep the show going. All of them have 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:53.120 touched the show in various ways, and I'm grateful to 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.680 all of them. All Right, the love fest is not over, 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:57.480 but we do have to take a quick break to 0:12:57.520 --> 0:12:58.439 thank our sponsors. 0:12:58.440 --> 0:13:09.800 Will be right back. So here we are. 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:13.920 We're back again, and the thank train is going to continue. 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:17.080 I have to say I'm thankful for amazing guests I've had, 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:20.800 like Shannon Morse and Ias Actar. Not just guests, these 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.880 are friends of mine, people I did not know before 0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:28.040 I started podcasting, and whom I would end up depending 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:31.200 upon to appear on the show and be like a 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:35.440 phenomenal resource. Like they both have extensive knowledge and they're 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:39.000 great communicators, and they took time out of their schedules 0:13:39.120 --> 0:13:42.959 or to appear on the show. They also were incredibly 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.800 nice to me whenever I would run into them at 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.360 events like cees, because often I would be sent to 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:52.600 ces by myself, and y'all, I don't know about you. 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.280 I don't do so well when I'm all on my own. 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:59.160 I get kind of lonesome and like you can be 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:01.520 in a big crowd feel lonely, right like if you 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:04.800 don't know anyone, that can be a very isolating experience. 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:07.760 And I found cees to be pretty dawn ding. But 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.080 then I met Ias, and I met Shannon, and I 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:13.439 met others like Tom Merritt and folks like that Brian Tong. 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:18.600 These were people who were incredibly welcoming and friendly toward me, 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:22.480 and even those who had been working in communication for 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:26.360 years before I got started. They were generous with their time, 0:14:26.440 --> 0:14:29.960 their expertise, and their friendship in ways that mean an 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:32.600 awful lot to me. And again, I think the show 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:37.280 benefited from that. I learned a great deal from these people, 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:41.840 and I'm so thankful that they were so generous with 0:14:41.920 --> 0:14:45.680 their time and their skill and that they would agree 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:48.360 to come on my little show and talk about tech. 0:14:48.680 --> 0:14:52.200 I highly recommend you seek out their work. If you 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:55.720 like tech stuff, then look for stuff that Ias Actar 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:59.800 and Shannon Morris and Tom Merritt are doing, because they 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:04.480 can continue to make incredible content that is in and 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.360 around the tech field. And some of it is more 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:11.640 product oriented, some of it is more sort of general news, 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:15.720 but it's all phenomenal work. So thanks again to all 0:15:15.760 --> 0:15:18.880 of those wonderful people. I'm also thankful for our sponsors, 0:15:19.240 --> 0:15:22.160 so again, for the first few years of our show. 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:24.560 If you listened to that earlier episode, you know, those 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.520 first few years we weren't monetized. And it's no secret 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:33.600 that without sponsors, without ads, without financial support, shows just 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:38.800 wouldn't exist. Every podcaster I know personally is really passionate 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:42.480 about what they do, but that doesn't just pay the 0:15:42.480 --> 0:15:45.120 bills on its own. I wish it did, but it doesn't. 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:49.480 So whether it's rent or mortgages, or food bills or 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.520 college funds or whatever it might be, we all need 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:55.600 to make a living, and sponsors and ads have created 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:58.800 that opportunity, and we've had a lot of great sponsors 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:01.840 over the years. It's also meant that on occasion we 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:04.440 end up being sent stuff to try it out, to 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:06.680 make sure we're willing to voice ads or do a 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:10.520 fully sponsored episode or an endorsement, and I can't tell 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:12.400 you how thankful I am for that as well, Like 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:16.080 these are companies that want to make sure that the 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:20.360 people who are reading ads are actually fans of those products, 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:24.160 and we've been incredibly fortunate to work with some really 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:28.080 thoughtful sponsors out there. Not long ago I talked about 0:16:28.120 --> 0:16:30.760 Sons and how that company had sent me products to 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:33.160 try out. It's not lost on me how fortunate I 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:35.960 am to be in that position. And I'm going to 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:38.880 be real here, if I didn't already own a pair 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:41.760 of sos Ace headphones that they have sent me, that 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:42.640 would definitely be on. 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:43.320 My wish list. 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:46.720 I have used them every single day since I received them. 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:49.680 That and the so Nos move to speaker, I use 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.360 that every single day as well. They're both really great, 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:54.480 and you know, I love the fact that I can 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:56.640 use an app to select whatever I want to hear 0:16:56.800 --> 0:17:00.480 on them, and I can work these different products together 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:04.240 so that they create a full sound system in my home. Anyway, Sorry, 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:05.960 I don't need to get off on a tangent, but 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.479 that's just a great example of working with a partner 0:17:08.480 --> 0:17:11.480 that makes really cool stuff and also supports the show 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:15.320 and makes it possible for me to create the show. 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:19.720 And I think there's some great synergy there. And it's 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:23.280 tricky to do. It's tricky to do ads and sponsorships 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:28.160 and endorsements in a way that's genuine and feels honest. 0:17:28.520 --> 0:17:32.880 It's not the most straightforward path for everybody. But I've 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:36.959 been so lucky that the sponsors I've worked with have 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:39.640 been such a good fit. And also to that end, 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:43.440 I'm deeply thankful for our sales team here at iHeart. 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:47.000 So one thing that has been consistent for many years 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:50.919 at the Stuff Media House Stuff Works at iHeart is 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:54.240 that we've had a policy that allows us, the podcasters, 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:56.920 to actually decide which partners we want to work with 0:17:57.200 --> 0:18:00.280 and which ones we would rather not work with. Pull 0:18:00.320 --> 0:18:02.400 back the curtain a bit. This is behind the scenes, 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.480 but this is how the sausage gets made. We have 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:11.040 a project management tool where sales will upload new opportunities 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.359 and we call it vetting. We're vetting the ad opportunities. 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:16.600 So as the host, I would go in onto this 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.640 tool and I would see, Oh, you have an AD 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:22.919 opportunity with company X, and you would read up on 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.119 company X. You'd read up on what the ad was 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:27.840 about and what messaging they wanted to give, and then 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:30.680 you would decide, Okay, am I happy to voice an 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:34.080 AD for this company for this product, or maybe you know, 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:36.560 do an endorsement, in which case they were going to 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:39.160 send me whatever it is they make and I get 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:41.480 to try it out and then give my honest opinion 0:18:41.520 --> 0:18:45.640 about it, or maybe even a fully branded episode. Sometimes 0:18:45.640 --> 0:18:48.120 that was a case, but whatever it was, I would 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:50.720 get the chance to say yes or no, and. 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:52.880 If, for whatever reason, I. 0:18:52.800 --> 0:18:55.760 Don't feel comfortable doing it, I can decline that offer 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:59.040 and that's it, which is huge because it means I'm 0:18:59.080 --> 0:19:02.480 not being compelled to voice an ad for something that 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:04.840 I don't believe in. So there are certain types of 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:07.600 products I just don't support. I'm not going to go 0:19:07.640 --> 0:19:10.600 into detail here what products those might be. 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:11.520 But if you've. 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.000 Listened to my show for a long time, then if 0:19:14.040 --> 0:19:16.320 you don't skip the ads, and if you listen to 0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:19.760 other podcasts out there, you can probably start piecing things together. 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:22.520 You can say, huh on other shows, I hear ads 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:24.600 for X, Y and Z, but I never hear them 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:27.480 on Jonathan's show. Then you can start drawing conclusions of oh, 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:29.640 maybe that's just something that he doesn't want to voice 0:19:29.640 --> 0:19:32.080 an ad for. Well, the whole reason why I'm able 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.439 to do that is because the company supports me in 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:37.679 that approach, and I have a sales team that is 0:19:37.720 --> 0:19:40.560 really understanding when it comes to that. Sometimes it can 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.000 be frustrating for them because they might be a big 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:46.199 sales opportunity. But if I say no, I say no, 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.000 and they don't, you know, really push back on that. 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:51.919 Occasionally they might ask for more information just so that 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:55.840 they understand, so that they don't bring opportunities that are 0:19:55.960 --> 0:19:59.320 a waste of time to me. Right, they'll know like, oh, well, 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:02.199 that's not even bother asking Jonathan about that because it's 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:05.160 not a good fit. We'll go somewhere else. Ultimately, all 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.879 of these decisions are made to serve three purposes in 0:20:08.960 --> 0:20:11.840 my view. Purpose one is to support the show to 0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:15.400 earn money that allows the show to continue. Purpose two 0:20:15.800 --> 0:20:19.200 is to bring things that I believe in as parts 0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:21.920 of the ads for the show, so that you, the listeners, 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:24.320 have an opportunity to hear about something that I think 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:29.000 is legitimately pretty cool or interesting or useful. And so 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:33.720 hopefully if you are in need of whatever that company provides, 0:20:34.000 --> 0:20:35.960 it's enough for you to say, oh, let me go 0:20:36.040 --> 0:20:36.399 try that. 0:20:36.760 --> 0:20:38.160 Purpose three is. 0:20:38.119 --> 0:20:40.480 That I want to be able to contribute to my 0:20:40.560 --> 0:20:47.560 company without compromising my own beliefs, my own ethics, and ultimately, 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:51.199 I'm very thankful that the show has allowed me to 0:20:51.240 --> 0:20:54.439 do that. Now, y'all, I'm not gonna lie. I know 0:20:55.160 --> 0:20:58.920 that ads can sometimes be a lot. I am also 0:20:59.080 --> 0:21:03.200 a media consumer like you. I am also not crazy 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:06.280 about ads popping up all the time. But it's always 0:21:06.280 --> 0:21:08.600 been my goal to do ads as well as I 0:21:08.640 --> 0:21:11.720 possibly can, and moreover, to pick advertisers who align well 0:21:11.760 --> 0:21:15.440 with the show and what I want to accomplish. So yes, 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:18.240 I get it from those of you who find ads 0:21:18.280 --> 0:21:21.679 to be disruptive or distracting, but you know, it is 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:25.159 a requirement if we're going to have the show unless 0:21:25.160 --> 0:21:26.960 we put it behind a paywall. And I don't like 0:21:27.040 --> 0:21:29.679 that idea very much. Some shows can do that and 0:21:29.960 --> 0:21:32.480