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The 22 Best Podcasts of 2019

Kevin Goldberg — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 16:40:04 +0000

Fine, it’s technically 2020 now. However, all those other “best of” lists that came out before the new year aren’t truly covering the whole year. What if some amazing podcast came out on December 28th? Their list wouldn’t be validated. Or, maybe I procrastinated a little too much this year and took some extra time revisiting some podcasts to create my best podcasts of 2019 list. Yeah, that’s what happened.

As with any “best of” list — especially those written by a single person (like this one) — there’s a decent amount of subjectivity as indivudual’s tastes vary drastically. I feel like this is magnified in the world of podcasts. So given the obligatory disclaimer, my best podcasts of 2019 list is through my lens. I tend to skew towards newer podcasts — or those who made a substantial leap this year — and run the spectrum of indie to mainstream.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive list that takes into account multiple interests and opinions, read our list from midyear, The Best Podcasts of 2019 (So Far). Also, while I’ve got your attention, here’s my list from 2018 and the requisite 2018 midyear collective list.

2019 continued to push the boundaries of what’s possible in podcasting, from a creative and quality perspective. As always, podcast stalwarts like This American Life, Radiolab, Criminal, Reply All, and others are deserving of every accolade thrown their way. That said, I didn’t include them on my list, opting to go with newer and less known podcasts.

End of the preamble, here are my best podcasts of 2019 — in no particular order — along with some honorable mentions.

Running From COPS

Dan Taberski continues his elite storytelling run and is in my short-list for podcasters I’ll auto-subscribe to their new work, whatever the subject (see: Trufelman, Avery in the recommendation below). After the successes of Missing Richard Simmons and Surviving Y2K, Taberski focused his next Headlong installment on the long-running TV program, COPS, and the troubles with how police action and crime is portrayed.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Nice Try! Utopian

As I alluded to in the Running From COPS paragraph, we can go ahead and pencil in whatever new project Avery Trufelman is working on for the 2020 list. In the midyear roundup, Nice Try! Utopian was recommended by true podcast tastemakers, Wil Williams, Paul Bae, and Zack Kahn — something that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

As Trufelman tested (and found success) with her 99PI spin-off mini series, Articles of Interest in 2018, she took a similar concept to found a standalone project. Nice Try! Utopian is a seven-episode series covering design failures in utopia attempts. As Kahn succinctly reviews, “Trufelman leverages the expansive canvas of longform narrative audio to paint a rich, color portrait of attempts to try and design a better world, and what happened when those designs didn’t go according to plan.”

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Dolly Parton’s America

Host Jad Abumrad explores country music icon, Dolly Parton’s impact on American and global culture, her life and her worldview. He finds that Dolly Parton’s fan base is a cross-section of American demographics, and he embarks on a quest to answer why.

Jad’s interviewing showcases Dolly Parton’s charm and no-nonsense approach to song writing. She laments about the darkness in her early music while still being able to laugh about it. “I used to write a lot of sad-ass songs,” she tells Jad. Sound clips of her music and wisdom drape nine episodes that explore the “Dollyverse.”

Dolly Parton’s song “9 to 5” was an anthem to women’s empowerment. In the episode Dollitics, Jad delves into Dolly Parton’s relationship with politics, how she manages risk, and seems to “circumvent disaster.” Her “verbal judo” has kept her afloat in an age of deep political polarization. What connects with people is her genuineness, down-to-earth-nature and big heart.

The show is not without critique. Writer and editor, Aisha Harris, states in an interview that even good-hearted people have blind spots. What is so refreshing is Dolly Parton’s response to the controversy surrounding Dixie Stampede.

Dolly Parton’s America will reward and satisfy her biggest fans, and convert new ones.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

StartUp

The first season of StartUp documented Alex Blumberg’s post-This American Life entrepreneurial project which would later become podcast studio success story, Gimlet. It was an expertly-narrated meta look into the difficulties of podcasting and starting a business.

I didn’t find any subsequent season of StartUp to be all that fascinating.

Then in February, the news broke Spotify would be acquiring both Gimlet and podcast hosting company, Anchor. Many hoped Blumberg and co-founder Matt Lieber would give a similar behind the scenes documentary into the acquisition, and they delivered. The final season of StartUp provides a truly honest view into the difficulties of podcasting at scale, dealing with start-up growing pains including financial and inter-personal issues, and ultimately what led to them selling to Spotify.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

All Fantasy Everything

I wrote in a CBC round-up that All Fantasy Everything is my guilty pleasure podcast and two paragraphs later Jody Avirgan mic dropped the term out of existence, ”you should never feel guilty about the things you like.”

The truth is, however, AFE leveled up in 2019. 150+ episodes later, and the comedy improv show about fake drafting obscure items like Tom Hanks movies, things you say after you dunk on someone, or the perfect sandwich has nearly perfected what I’d look for in a comedy podcast.

This year, they produced what I’d consider their best episode, Disney Songs with guest Katie Nolan. The core crew has an unrivaled rapport and their ability to integrate guests make for a super fun listening experience and more than a couple laughs.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Spectacular Failures

Following the success of How I Built This, it seemed like there was a mad dash for entrepreneur interview podcasts. You know what’s even more interesting than rich people talking about their success? Stories of failures.

Executive Producer of Radiotopia, Julie Shapiro, wrote a review of Spectacular Failures in our midyear round-up, “While other pods have taken on the culture of failed business and ruined legacies, none have done so with the particular spirit and chummy schadenfreude that Lauren Ober brings to Spectacular Failures. The show features stories you’ll realize you’ve been wondering about for years, as soon as you read the episode titles: “Schlitz Beer goes bad, then worse,” “Kodak misses its moment”, etc.”

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Uncover

Award-winning Uncover spans five seasons of compelling and chilling story-telling. Each season is hosted by a different journalist as they investigate Canadian and international crime mysteries. People closely connected with the topics at hand will often get emotional when they recount the horrors experienced or mourn the loss of loved ones.

Dark themes are explored by CBC Podcasts through the exposé of the cult NXVIM (pronounced “Nexium”) in Season 1: Escaping NXVIUM, the unsolved case of 1965 Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 21 in Season 2: Bomb on Board, a serial killer that targeted Toronto’s gay community dating to 1975 in Season 3: The Village, the 1998 disappearance of 77-year-old woman Joan Lawrence in Season 4: The Cat Lady Case, and the homicide of Toronto teen Sharmini Anandavel in Season 5: Sharmini.

Journalists Josh Bloch, Ian Hanomansing, Johanna Wagstaffe, Justin Ling, Zander Sherman and Michelle Shephard tackle unresolved questions in their individual styles.

To cherry-pick a few moments from such a wide-scope, a tape-recording of Sharmini’s voice in S5: E6 is particularly haunting, Season 1’s Sarah Edmondson’s realization of abuse in her community deeply disturbs, and Chuck Shaw-MacLaren’s eyewitness account of Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 21 crash as an ambulance driver grips the listener. Stories that he had kept to himself for 50 years tug at the heart strings. “I’m talking more to you, than I have to anybody,” he admits after he takes host Johanna Wagstaffe’s hand.

Uncover peers into the tragedies and trauma caused by unsettled mysteries.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

ESPN 30 for 30 The Sterling Affairs

Sometimes I think the ESPN brand actually holds back the 30 for 30 podcast from a larger audience. Sure, the podcast focuses on stories with a sports angle, but simplifying the podcast into a narrow category does a disservice to its excellent documentary storytelling ability. Though their individual contained episodes are often wonderful, I think the podcast is at its best when it’s given a couple episode mini-series. Last year, their Bikram series made my best of list, and this year they went back to the well with a season focused on disgraced former NBA owner, Donald Sterling.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

BROKEN: Jeffrey Epstein

Before we hit “peak Epstein podcasts” (related: peak impeachment podcasts), BROKEN hit the scenes combined with seasoned journalists (The New Yorker’s Ariel Levy, The Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown), with podcast studio Three Uncanny Four Productions and Oscar-winning director Adam McKay.

There may be some fatigue around the subject matter, however, BROKEN is a riveting six-episode series detailing Epstein’s history, rise of his monstrous empire, and eventual arrest and death.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

1619

The New York Time’s foray into podcasting has been an unbridled success on every level. Last year’s limited series, Caliphate, was my personal pick for best podcast of the year. This year, they produced a five- (really, six-) episode miniseries about the history of the US and the slave trade.

Hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the podcast gives an excellent history and insight into America’s civil liberties problems and institutional racism.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Mobituaries

Mo Rocca applies his love for obituaries in pieces that explore the lives of people that have inspired him. Funny and inquisitive, Mo Rocca’s experience as a correspondent on The Daily Show and CBS Sunday Morning helps structure well-paced narratives. His journalistic integrity and approach stand out. Mobituaries weaves interviews with experts and enthusiasts, poll questions, and elements of film, music, and television to great effect. What results are compelling stories that shine a light on forgotten historical figures and aspects of household names that are not common knowledge.

In the episode Thomas Paine: Death of a Forgotten Founding Founder, Mo Rocca asks Anthony Salvanto, CBS News’ Director of Elections and Surveys, “If there would have been no Thomas Paine, there would be no ‘what’?” His questions open up in-depth conversation that relates to the world we live in today.

In The Black Congressmen of Reconstruction: Death of Representation, the sounds of the Charleston Harbor backdrop a riveting tale of enslaved seaman, Robert Smalls’ great escape into the Union Blockade. Mo Rocca’s exchange with Michael Bouleware Moore, Robert Small’s great-great-grandson, provides a personal touch and reminds us that we are not too far removed from the age of slavery.

History buffs and curious minds will appreciate Mobituaries and Mo Rocca’s enthusiasm for forgotten knowledge.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Rewatchables / The Rewatchables 1999

Another podcast entry that’s nowhere near new but one that seems to get stronger the more episodes they do. The Ringer expanded their partnership with Luminary and created a spin-off podcast solely focused on movies that came out in 1999. Besides the narrowed scope, the two podcasts are essentially identical.

If you’re unfamiliar, The Rewatchables is a movie podcast which analyzes and mostly celebrates past movies. Their vibe is very much “friends watching on the couch” but mixed with insights, jokes, and genuine fun. The Rewatchables at least partially makes this list for their episode on Old School, which single-handedly forced me to end a workout early because I was crying laughing and in no shape to even stand up.

The Rewatchables Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Rewatchables 1999 Listen: Luminary

Gay Future

We’ve covered audio drama and fiction podcasts extensively on this site, but it truthfully needs to be repeated ad nauseam: the most creative and ground-breaking work in podcasts is being done in the audio drama genre. The Allusionist’s Helen Zaltzman perfectly sums up the appeal of Gay Future, “In a long-lost YA novel by Mike Pence, it’s 2062 and, under the totalitarian regime ruling North America, everyone is gay. Except one schoolkid… This show is so funny; the acting is on point and the production is great. I had such a blast listening to this caper.”

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Slow Burn

Slow Burn’s future seemed uncertain after the creator, Leon Neyfakh, left Slate to start a new podcast exclusive to Luminary (see: FIASCO below). The first two seasons covered the political climate and delved into the respective impeachment processes for Presidents Nixon and Clinton. The third season, however, takes a departure from the traditional political genre and instead covers the infamous feud and eventual deaths of rappers Tupac and Notorious BIG.

Though the chosen topic is a departure, fortunately that’s the extent of the differences of the podcast in the post-Neyfakh era. The interviews, analysis, and overall documentary narrative are among the best examples in podcasting today.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Switched on Pop

With both AFE and The Rewatchables I mention they sort of leveled up this year. In Switched On Pop’s case, which started in 2014, this is especially true. Media giant, Vox, picked up the podcast earlier this year and the show was exposed to a much larger audience.

Hosted by songwriter and music journalist, Nate Harding, and musicologist, Nate Sloan. Together they have both an expanse of knowledge and the chemistry to make a truly entertaining and informative podcast.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Dropout

The Dropout opens with Elizabeth Holmes, once Silicon Valley’s youngest female self-made billionaire, taking an oath for her testimony on July 11, 2017 on nine criminal charges of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In six episodes that range from 39 to 47 minutes, host Rebecca Jarvis unfolds a story of unbridled ambition, gratuitous ethics violations and the culture of celebrity.

Elizabeth Holmes and her blood-testing company, Theranos, were poised to become the “Apple of healthcare.” Rebecca Jarvis’s thorough journalism and interviews are weaved in the style of a true-crime drama. She delivers the story as a reporter, and manages to remain an objective narrator.

Theranos’s promise to conduct a myriad of tests from a single pin-prick of blood was lofty, but with Elizabeth’s business savvy, charm and cunning she was able to convince investors of her product. The allure of working with the then world’s youngest self-made female billionaire is honed in on the episode A Star Is Born. Jared Leto introduces Elizabeth at the 2015 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards, and Bill Clinton sings praises as he assures a captive audience that “We’re in good hands.”

Join Rebecca Jarvis as she unravels the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes in a stark commentary on fame and corporate greed.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Honorable Mentions

Have You Heard George’s Podcast

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Moonface

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

FIASCO

Listen: Luminary

The Big One

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Sonic Boom

Listen: Luminary

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The 14 Best Documentary Podcasts

Forrest Hodges — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 13:48:59 +0000

I have a problem. I’m addicted to documentary podcasts. Over the years, I’ve listened to thousands of hours of documentary podcasts and have kept a running list of the best episodes.

But what exactly is a documentary podcast? They tell true stories through a heavily produced / polished style consisting of music, many interviews and tight editing that feels like a documentary film. They’re the most difficult and most time consuming podcasts to create. Many exists but only a few pass as the best. The following list is a glance at some of the very best documentary podcasts.

This American Life

Episode: When Patents Attack!

About: Who knew patents were so mysterious and twisted? This episode sheds light on the dark side of patent trolls and how they can bankrupt a company or make a company billions. This episode was so popular This American Life produced a sequel appropriately titled, When Patents Attack Part 2! The runtime is about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

American Fiasco

Episodes: Season 1

About: United States has always been on the cusp of a soccer revolution but soccer fever never seems to fully arrive before the excitement burns off. This was never more true than in 1998. The U.S. men’s World Cup team had a golden opportunity to create magic but the team’s internal drama destroyed their chances of becoming soccer royalty. Cinderella story to Fiasco. Disclaimer: You do not need to be a soccer fan to enjoy this show! Each episode is easily digestible, running about 30 minutes each.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Criminal

Episode: Deep Dive

About: Criminal tells one-off stories each episode and one of their finest productions is Deep Dive. A Los Angeles rescue diver who never turns down a dive mission meets his match in this suffocating and heart pounding story. The runtime is only 20 minutes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

The Leap

Episode: 17 and Me

About: A college student needs money. So he donates sperm. Every week for years. Fast forward twenty years later, that poor college student is now a loving husband and dad. But his college “job” soon catches up with him as dozens of teenagers began to seek out their biological father. An easy listen in less than one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Mystery Show

Episode: Belt Buckle

About: Mystery Show was one of those rare podcast that broke the mold for what a podcast could be… unfortunately it was plagued with it’s own internal dramas and was canceled. But fortunately for us, the first season will always be online — I highly suggest Belt Buckle be your first listen of this Mystery Show. It’s a simple story with incredible heart and soul. Runtime is roughly one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Planet Money

Episode: How Four Drinking Buddies Saved Brazil

About: How does a country re-establish a new currency? For Brazil, all it took was four buddies drinking beer at a bar and advising a plan. This is truly a fascinating look into how the Real was created out of thin air — This episode is a short listen and you don’t need to be an economics geek to enjoy!

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Reply All

Episode: Long Distance pt. 1 and pt. 2

About: Reply All creates shows around a very wide theme: the internet. These two episodes are mysterious and eye-opening that pull back the curtain on international tech scammers. Who are these people who spam for a living and why do they do it? Each part runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

S-Town

Episode: Season 1

About: From the producers of This American Life and Serial podcasts, S-Town is a strange one. I can’t describe it without giving anything away so just give it a listen and enjoy. A NSFW heads up, there are many F-bombs dropped and it pours with vulgar language. S-Town is a seven part series, each part running roughly one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Serial

Episode: Season 1

About: This is the most popular podcast of all time so if you haven’t listened to it, you’re probably on this page by mistake. Can’t recommend season one enough. It was the OG that started the true crime podcast craze that’s been ignited over the last couple of years. The season is 12 episodes and each episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Related reading: 8 of the most chilling podcasts like Serial

Snap Judgement

Episode: Bait and Switch

About: Snap tells different gripping stories every episode. If sneaky drug smuggler stories are your thing, then this episode is all you! It’s like an episode of Narcos in podcast form. Sketchy characters, big money, and the true tale of a man who always had to keep one step ahead. This is a one-off episode running about 30 minutes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

StartUp

Episode: S3 E4 Dear Music Fans

About: StartUp tells the stories of you guessed it, tech startups. Grooveshark was an illegal music website that attempted and (almost) succeeded in changing the music industry forever. The creators of this site saw an unbelievable rise to fame but also a heartbreaking crash to reality. This episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Embedded

Episode: The League

About: Embedded is an extremely polished show that tells many stories pressing in today’s political climate but they also tell non-political stories about hidden worlds. Like this episode about the NBA D-League and the struggle of many players trapped in this world of almost making it to the big court of the NBA. So much hard work and sacrifice, this episode follows two players as they try to earn their way out of the D-League. This episode runs about 45 minutes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

30 for 30

Episode: The Trials of Dan and Dave

About: ESPN’s series consistently incredible stories and The Trails of Dan and Dave is one their best. This story falls back to the 1992 ad campaign by Reebok promoting two athletes. A campaign that equated to the company’s entire year’s marketing budget of 25 million. The campaign was supposed to be a massive lift ended up being a complete bust, ending in gut wrenching embarrassment. This episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Up and Vanished

Episode: Season 1

About: Serial spawned a slew of true crime podcasts but only one has caught similar attention and its for good reason. Up and Vanished starts like any other true crime show but as the show progresses more information comes to light and suddenly (almost in real time) the case begins to unravel. It’ll be hard to top the ending to this season, it was spectacular and if you haven’t heard this one and are a fan of mysteries — go listen now. There’s a reason it’s still on the top charts two years later. Each episode runs about one hour.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

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Dear podcasts, you’re ready for prime time

Kevin Goldberg — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 13:45:11 +0000

In 2012, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor were busy creating a new type of podcast, an audio drama in an already-niche podcast market. This was before the podcast behemoth Serial, before the general public even knew what a podcast was. According to Edison Research, less than half the US population was even aware of the term “podcasting.” What Fink and Cranor created though, would change the the direction of their lives. Welcome to Night Vale, an audio drama podcast masquerading as a radio program, premiered on June 15, 2012. Today, Fink and Cranor are busy as the executive producers of the TV show adaptation on FX.

In 2015, a writer took his passion and decided to create a short story podcast, each episode depicting another tall tale or conspiracy. Amazon premiered Lore in October 2017.

Tonight, ABC will premiere Alex Inc. — a sitcom starring Zach Braff based on the first season of the podcast StartUp. Which as it happens, is a real podcast account of Gimlet Media founder Alex Blumberg creating the now podcast empire.

(ABC)

Podcasts, like all relatively new mediums, have become a haven for creative folks to flex their muscles. Because of the low barrier of entry, podcasts are alluring because there are no restrictions, you can tell your story however you’d like. As documentarian and podcaster, Andrew Jenks recently told me, “If it’s three hours or ten minutes, tell me the best fucking story you can. In that sense it’s the most raw form of storytelling and it’s awesome.” Because of this onslaught of creativity (gasp), some amazing stories have been told that larger studios and networks want to get their hands on. In this age of #content, podcasts are pumping original IP out available to be bid on.

An unconfirmed story I once heard tells of the days after Disney acquired Marvel, a team scoured through every comic book, noting every original character. These characters were now Disney’s property, original stories that Disney could option into any number of projects at any given time. Whether this actually happened exactly as I was told or not is irrelevant. Disney didn’t buy a comic book company, they bought the future those stories would tell. Several movies, TV shows, and billions of dollars later, the Marvel Cinematic Universe looks like one of the best purchases in recent history.

Podcasts are the next wild wild west, where the big fish are gobbling up the little fish to turn a profit. Movies, TV shows, books, and more are just some examples of podcast adaptations already in the works.

This isn’t just a one-off trend either. At least one company, the aforementioned Gimlet Media, has a dedicated full-time employee focused on these greater-than-podcasts adaptations. Meet Chris Giliberti, Head of Gimlet Pictures (a thing). Giliberti joked on The Wolf Den podcast — a meta podcast about the podcasting industry — that “he’s the steward of Gimlet’s audio library and think with a view into how our stories could live in another format.” In short, his job is identify which podcasts or podcast episodes are ready for primetime. He’s very good at his job. In addition to Alex Inc., Gimlet also has agreed upon projects for a film version of a Reply All episode, an Amazon series based on Homecoming, and I’m sure several other yet-to-be-announced deals.

Asked about his recent success, Giliberti told Variety, “We really have just this incredible trove of super high quality stories.” He continued, “With audio storytelling there’s just an incredibly high bar for the maintenance of attention. You don’t have something for folks to look at.”

Not only are the stories told through podcasts a potential goldmine for would-be buyers, but these larger organizations can also find new talent. These podcasters are providing free focus group and beta-tested talent hotbeds. Looking for a new comedian, storyteller, actor, or journalist? Check out their podcast resume and gauge their fanbase. Akin to how YouTube opened the talent floodgates for Saturday Night Live — no longer only relying on the local improv groups — networks can find talented people they’d like to work with and give them the resources. Netflix has been doing this for years, “here’s a bunch of money, go make something dope.” HBO recently premiered essentially this same plan with 2 Dope Queen creators, Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson. In lieu for their talent and unique voice, HBO gave them a four-special deal. They continued this trend with a deal with Crooked Media.

What we’ve seen now is only the first wave of many. Netflix, you had a breakout hit with Making a Murderer and missed out on Dirty John (two current adaptation deals), can I introduce you to Atlanta Monster? Nameless movie studio, check out the Reply All episode Long Distance. Hulu, here’s a nudge nudge to listen to the first season of Ear Hustle. HBO, Heaven’s Gate by Stitcher would be a compelling miniseries.

With more advertising money, creative podcasters will continue to produce amazing stories, and as the “peak TV” model continues it’s insatiable desire for more #content, this trend will only continue as podcasts further entrench their way into the mainstream culture.

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StartUp takes a new route with StartupBus miniseries

Brendan & Sarah Hutchins — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 15:26:32 +0000

For those of you who wish that a reality TV version of StartUp existed, you’re in luck. Was anyone asking for that? I have no idea. I wasn’t. The latest season of StartUp, this time StartupBus, launched today, but I was fortunate to get an early peek on the first few episodes.

StartUp, the flagship podcast by Gimlet Media, originally focused on the creation of a podcast company, Gimlet itself, and then for five additional seasons followed other companies as they ventured through the trials of starting a new business from idea to dating app, t-shirt company, social network, and more, over the course of months. Sometimes StartUp followed one company over the whole season and other times covered several per season.

In this miniseries, StartupBus, they’re doing things a little differently by hopping aboard a hackathon bus from New York to Louisiana and releasing one half-hour episode for each of the five days of the trip. Twenty want-to-be entrepreneurs collaborate in teams to win a pitching competition in New Orleans.

StartupBus strips out the thing I loved most about StartUp, taking a whole season to provide an in-depth look at what it takes to create a viable business venture. I especially loved seasons one, two, and four that focused on a single company the whole time, with the natural drama and tension coming from creating a company, the anxiety to approach investors, the indecision of including a co-founder, and the tension of launch day. As an entrepreneur myself, there was a ton to relate to.

In StartupBus, the tension and drama stems from the small groups’ infighting due to the close proximity of being on a bus with strangers, and it almost feels inauthentic. Instead of hearing a person or group passionate about a product and seeing it grow from idea to reality, every decision feels forced and ethereal. None of the choices they make, from picking a CEO to what the product actually is, seem to matter at all to them—it’s all about money, fame, and winning. It’s like listening to business summer camp; they’re all bickering like kids, and I doubt any of the products will last.

From previous seasons, I know that StartUp can be amazing, and this miniseries does have some redeeming factors. The audio and production throughout is the top-notch quality expected from a Gimlet project. The host and previous StartUp contributor Eric Mennel, who is fulfilling his childhood dream of being on reality TV by being central to a reality podcast series, does a more-than-competent job explaining what is happening, translating from entrepreneur-speak to plain English, and interviewing the contestants as they share strategies and ideas on how to throw together a company quickly.

I’ve listened to the first three episodes so far. By the third episode, the people on the bus are either realizing they cannot work together and avoid each other, or they are forming better bonds and the banter becomes a bit more tolerable.

StartupBus is my least favorite season of one of my favorite podcasts. Previous seasons are for those seeking the story and challenges of starting a business, whereas StartupBus is better suited for listeners interested in drama, or participation in a hackathon themselves. In my opinion, I just don’t think Gimlet or StartUp had to change a winning recipe by adding a gimmick, the bus itself. There will always be compelling entrepreneurial stories and – at least for me – this is what made StartUp special.

Here’s the trailer for StartupBus:

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

Update:

I finished the full season of StartupBus and wanted to add an update to see if my thoughts changed or continued through the entirety. I’ve also added a rating system for all the seasons of StartUp if you’re interested in hopping in somewhere.

Season Number	Topic	Rating
Season 1	Gimlet	★★★★★
Season 2	Dating Ring	★★★★★
Season 3	Various Startups	★★★★✩
Season 4	Dov Charney	★★★★★
Season 5	Various Startups	★★★★✩
Season 6	Driverless Cars	★★★★✩
Season 7	StartupBus	★★★✩✩

Episode 4: this episode is mostly filled by an intermediate pitch competition where some of the New York bus group’s don’t make it to the finals. Distractingly, there are many periods where clips from the first three episodes are played for context and to remind you what’s happed, but when the series is designed to be binged and released daily, this just feels like repetition because it’s unlikely you’ve forgotten.

Episode 5: finally some deep human conversation and meaning! … Then conspiracy and drama starts to overtake the narrative because the losing teams from the previous episodes are asked to form a super group, but who would own it? ooooOOOOoooo *jazz hands* That’s resolved uneventfully, as expected. In the end, there’s a nice resolution to the whole competition with some wrap ups and check ins, like the end of a biopic where you get to see where everyone ended up.

Like I expressed in my first impression, there is some great story here about the people and the companies, but the extra drama and confusion could have been stripped out. StartUp is great; no need for a bus.

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Our Top 15 Favorite Tech Podcasts

Kevin Goldberg — Wed, 10 May 2017 13:19:13 +0000

In an era when people are quick to coin podcasts the new blogs, it’s no surprise tech podcasts are quickly growing with new channels from technologists, venture capitalist, startup founders, and other “thought leaders” sprouting nearly every day.

Tech folks pride themselves on being early adopters and being in front of the wave of mass appeal, so tech podcasts have become a logical extension and a new medium for them to provide their thoughts. However, while there are many pundits who have a podcast to simply check the box of “oh I have a podcast”, there are some truly exceptional podcasts that provide amazing anecdotes, insights, and stories on the tech industry. Here are 15 of our favorites.

Related reading: 25 of the Best Podcast Microphones

1. Exponent

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