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The X Fronts, held last month, were all about highlighting independent podcast networks and getting them in front of advertisers and media buyers. We reached out to founder Scott Newman and asked him how year one went for his event and for the indies.
PBJ: How do you feel the event went? Scott Newman: The event went great. What’s clear is the energy around podcasts is still growing and there is a ton of opportunity beyond the big networks when it comes to both advertising and storytelling. There is a huge movement of independent networks and creators who are taking on important subjects with creativity and pushing the edges of what’s possible for audio as a media artform. Whether niche subjects, fresh voices or content that targets specific sub-cultures of audience, big name celebs are doing stuff that’s unexpected and there is innovation happening all over the place. We are super proud to champion this movement within the space.
PBJ: What was the biggest highlight of the day? Scott Newman: A lot of folks brought their A-game. Talkhouse network revealed new shows with 2x Super Bowl champ Chris Long and musician/social-phenom mxmtoon, Cloud10 came out with comedian Busy Philips and Domino Sound, the queer, Black women-owned network presented a collection of artists and shows that are on pulse with what is happening culturally across the country. One of the funniest features of the day was Headgum’s host read ad improv game with comedians Lauren Lapkus and Nicole Byer.
PBJ: How do you think you can make it better? Scott Newman: What media buyers and advertisers have told us since the event is that the opportunity with podcast advertising is much greater than they thought. Scale is critical, plus the ability to tap these super loyal niche audiences. And the creativity that comes within the indie space offers alignment and lift for brands that otherwise can’t be bought. Going forward we need to build on this. It’s no longer as effective for brands to simply show up. They need to participate in culture and take a stand. We want to help facilitate deeper integrations between brands and podcasters especially where where the values align. This is what modern consumers want and how the advertising community should think about the opportunity with podcasts.
PBJ: If it’s possible to hold the event live next year, would you? Scott Newman: This a time to rethink everything. We went in thinking about how can we inspire media buyers, advertisers and networks to have an expansive view of podcasting and the advertising opportunities. As awful as COVID has been, in troubled times we innovate and sometimes unlock big ideas that inform everything going forward. I think next time whether virtual, IRL or both we want to play with format more and explore interactivity. The traditional presentation is dated. Relevant brands need to engage more directly, whether supporting cultural conversation or actually taking a stand on important issues. The X Fronts can become a new platform to facilitate those types of partnerships between brands and publishers. We’re based in NYC so that market is always in play but I like the idea of being active across the country and world with purpose-driven projects like this.
PBJ: What’s the biggest challenge holding an event like this virtually? Scott Newman: We made this event for the moment. While other upfronts and conferences are form fitting their IRL events for virtual, we took a totally different approach. We presented shorter lighting-round sessions with pace and energy. We mixed pre-produced videos with live features, comedy bits, thought leadership, listical-style trend reports and timely, provocative conversations. As you know we produce a lot of events throughout the year including On Air Fest and the Hot Pod Summit, and IRL is so much about networking and community. It’s in the nature of bringing people together. For a virtual event like this it’s even more important to presenting content of great value. It better be interesting and useful or folks wont come. Tech and logistics is tricky with everything still remote but the people and big ideas thankfully overshadow that.
_Watch The X Fronts presentations _