Letter from Michael

I refused to listen to music as a kid. My stubbornness forced my parents to adapt, and our family car rides became audiobook adventures. From Harry Potter to Great Expectations, my brother and I would be so immersed in the stories that we'd want to stay in the car even after arriving at our destination. The moment we climbed back in, we'd launch into our original song: “Turn the Book on Please.” We wouldn’t stop singing until our parents hit play.

My stubbornness subsided over time, but my love for audio stories only grew deeper. When I discovered podcasts in 2014, I quickly became an avid listener, becoming absorbed in thrilling stories, hilarious conversations, and stimulating discussions. In 2019, I decided I had to work in the business of podcasting. I spent over a year applying to jobs, before accepting a role at Audacy / Cadence13 to build a new podcast analytics & strategy capability.

I had the privilege of learning from podcast industry pioneers, media moguls, and brilliant advertising executives. As importantly, I sat with the sellers, planners, campaign managers, talent strategists, marketers, ad technologists, finance team, and more. I felt the pain and inefficiency of working with technology that wasn't designed for the unique quirks of podcasting. I left to pursue my MBA at Stanford, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be a better way.

My motivation for Podstock comes both from being an obsessive listener and from having lived the pain of trying to efficiently scale a podcast business. How do we let talented industry professionals spend more time on high value projects rather than doing tedious, manual work? How do we grow the podcast industry, and create more opportunities for amazing storytelling and engaging conversation? I’m excited to spend every day answering these questions.

Here’s to building a more inspired podcasting ecosystem that benefits creators, listeners, and industry professionals alike.