Startup Spotlight #167: Pod People
Pod People is the on-demand workforce for audio production, with a vast network of hand-picked audio professionals across the globe.
Author’s Note: I know I’ve been gone for a while. Read this note here to learn why: A Short Update On F2F. I will be publishing another Startup Spotlight on Wednesday, then going on a hiatus till December 6th. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate!)!
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I got the chance to speak with Rachael King, founder and CEO of Pod People, about what she’s working on at her startup, and any advice she has for emerging entrepreneurs.
Pod People is the on-demand workforce for audio production, powering the audio industry with a vast network of hand-picked professionals across the globe. We work with best-in-class clients like Netflix, PEOPLE, Twitter, Bon Appetit, Vogue, Spotify, Travel + Leisure, HBO, Intuit, Lattice, Faire and more.
Rachael King is the Founder and CEO of Pod People, a global audio production agency making podcasts for Netflix, PEOPLE, Vogue, Spotify, Twitter, Travel + Leisure, and more. Rachael has spent more than a decade helping companies — from pre-seed to Fortune 500s —share their stories across every medium. In her free time, she makes (chart-topping) fiction romcom podcasts like Showmance and Vote For Love.
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Startup Spotlight: Pod People
Problem: Finding the right audio producer for your project is hard. We started out as a traditional production company and experienced the problem of sourcing the right professionals firsthand; it's a fragmented, independent workforce, and as the industry grows, the talent drought gets more pronounced.
Market: The U.S. audio production market is an estimated $5B across all-digital audio and growing very, very fast (10-15% YOY); meanwhile, 68% of U.S. adults stream audio content through smartphones (and growing, accelerated by the pandemic).
Solution: Pod People quickly sources the top candidates for your project from our vetted talent pool of audio creators, based on the desired skill set, geography, rate, availability, and more. And we go way beyond an introduction — we curate a shortlist of perfect candidates for each role, facilitate the interview and negotiation process, and ensure the match is a great fit.
Team: Our team is AMAZING! This first year or two was so hard, especially as a solo founder. I now have an incredible senior team that makes lots of decisions and comes up with creative solutions to problems before I even know that there's an issue. It's the best.
Recent Success:
King: Hiring well! See above - I'm obsessed with our team. One of the main things I look for when hiring is someone who is both left- and right-brained; we love people who are process-minded and have excellent critical thinking/problem-solving skills, as well as being wildly creative — and actually, we prioritize this over relevant experience. This strategy has served me so well.
Recent Struggle:
King: So I've hired well, but I still struggle with the pace of hiring... you need to hire well in order to win the business, but then you're spending more than you're making for periods of time, which is super nerve-racking. I live in fear of getting the hiring pace "wrong" and having to lay off team members that are doing a fantastic job. We haven't raised very much venture yet, so this is just the reality. Fingers crossed I get it right!
Founder Advice:
King: Do whatever you can to try out and explore as many industries, companies, roles, and skills as you’re able to. One of the best ways to figure out what you do care about and want to work on is the process of elimination (i.e. learning what you *don't* want to do). And network your ass off, get to know as many people as you can, because nothing is as powerful in business as a deep Rolodex and real connections. And someday your 22-year-old peers are going to have big, powerful jobs where you can help each other out!
Three Cool Founders You Should Know About:
King: Here are three founders you should check out next!
Aishwarya Iyer, Founder of Brightland: Brightland extra virgin olive oils are consciously made in California, and contain nothing more than olives, love and sunshine.
Lisa Frame, Founder of Bippy: Bippy is bamboo products and wellness for your butt that helps save trees.
Greg Caplan, Founder of Spot: Spot is a platform that facilitates walk-and-talk meetings to promote work/life balance and mental health.
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