Why is everybody starting podcasts?

We’re four weeks into this new exciting media venture and the lights are still on. But if you want to help us keep them on long-term, sign up to become a LNI member. You can even make one-time donations! Members will get early access to new content which their membership helped fund. You’re keeping this weird content train going and we’re very grateful.

Every Monday newsletter, I talk about one of the many challenges or considerations in building a modern media company. At the end, I interview someone who is helping get us through this process. This week, it’s LNI’s own, Chris Vazquez. Stay tuned!

There was a time when podcasts were seemingly going “out of fashion.” It felt like they had plateaued in popularity, and it was somewhat unclear if there was a real demand for new podcasts.

Then the pandemic hit and, well, you live on the same Earth as me. You know what happened. They exploded. But let’s rewind a minute.

I’ve been listening to podcasts from nearly day one, starting with MuggleCast, a Harry Potter fan podcast founded in 2005. At the time, they would analyze the current books and try to guess what was coming for book seven. That’s how you know I was listening so early – the books were still coming out.

I shifted my attention to Rob Has a Podcast. Rob Cesternino, one of the greatest Survivor players of all times, started the recap podcast during season 20 of Survivor. It’s become massive since then, expanding to include podcasts about all kinds of reality and scripted television shows.

Survivor is still on, with its 49^th season premiering in just a few weeks. Arguably, the show continues to be successful because of Rob’s podcast, which expertly breaks down strategy and effectively gives news players a road map to winning the game.

RHAP has been around 15 years now. The wonderful people at MuggleCast just celebrated 20 years (though I dropped off entirely after JK Rowling’s transphobic rants made it impossible for me to disconnect the art from the artist).

Today, podcasting is not just a fun side project for nerds like me. These decades-old podcasts are joined by nearly 4 million podcasts around the world.

When I asked you, the readers, to send in your favorite podcasts, I got entirely different answers across the board. That’s not surprising! I imagine that just by mentioning MuggleCast and RHAP, I immediately alienated a huge portion of this readership. That’s because podcasts often have a small but very dedicated audience. Which is why, of course, people keep starting them.

Let’s take a commercial break to talk about my favorite sheets at Brooklinen. Just kidding, they’re not a sponsor … yet! But I would like to take this moment to ask you a question:

Be honest! Let me know at [email protected].

Starting a new and successful podcast in 2025 is still possible. Good Hang with Amy Poehler is the prime example. It’s the perfect combination for this very specific time.

👀 A host you know, trust, and love. Parks and Rec got many people through the pandemic. Its star, Amy Poehler, consistently brings on her other Parks friends, like Nick Offerman, generating a sort of therapeutic podcast nostalgia for your ears.

👀 A fresh take. Each podcast starts by “talking about people behind their backs, in a positive way.” It’s funny, different and exciting. It’s also a great excuse to bring on recurring guests.

👀 A social media campaign that’s effective. Poehler is camera-ready, playing to the camera at the exact right moments. I love Conan O’Brien, but he often ignores the camera altogether in his podcast. Good Hang’s vodcast is filled with can’t-miss moments that are also cut up and published to various TikTok and Reels feeds.

Why am I talking your ear off about podcasts? I’m not, this is a newsletter. But I’m considering talking your ear off because I like what a podcast can do: reach a sometimes niche but loyal and dedicated community. And that’s what you all are! To quote my AI character in recent TikToks, I love you (in a totally platonic, healthy and grateful way)!

I also love showcasing the brilliant people at LNI. So let’s talk to Chris and find out his favorite podcasts. I bet they’re super nerdy, kind of like this graphic of Chris as a superhero.

Chris, where did you come from and why can’t I get rid of you?

I was created in a reality-warping hex by a grief stricken super heroine, and you can't get rid of me because I am a dark reflection of your own soul.

But since then, I interned at The Washington Post and spent a week rotating through the TikTok team (before it was called Washington Post Universe, and when the team was really just you). LNI cofounder Micah Gelman, who was then the Post's head of video, got me on a call and asked if I wanted to stick around for a few more months. In that time, I applied to a job to stay on longer and I got it. So I spent another year and a half making TikToks and YouTube Shorts with you, before leaving The Post to move out of DC. I wouldn't stop bugging you about working together again, so here I am. Interesting that you remember none of that and had to email me this question.

What do you do at LNI?

I write the Thursday edition of this newsletter, which includes my inane ramblings at the top, then a recap of the news stories you've covered throughout the week, then some more inane ramblings from the both of us to bring us home. I also help research and write our long form videos. Without giving too much away, I've been learning a lot recently about adopting highways, the history of nonpartisan journalism in the U.S. and financial planning for children I do not have, among other things.

What are your hopes and dreams (please limit this answer to LNI and Marvel)?

I want to work at LNI for as long as I can. Working can be hard — especially working in journalism right now. But I can't think of a more enjoyable way to afford to be alive than working with you, Sarah, Lauren and Micah, and getting paid to go down internet rabbit holes then piece together everything I learn into something that makes sense to viewers. It feels like putting a puzzle together with my friends.

I would also like the MCU to resurrect Wanda Maximoff.

What are your favorite podcasts?

CEREBRO, the X-Men podcast where a homo and his friends dig deep into the history of homo superior! I once nearly passed out at The Washington Post gym because I lost track of time during a workout while listening to a 16-hour long episode about Cyclops' ex-wife. I also love Sara Century's podcast, Best Issue Ever. Basically if I'm not reading comics, I'm probably listening to someone else read comics. I also realized recently that I haven't read a book without pictures in years, so I struck a deal with myself to listen to one audiobook for every X-Men podcast episode I listen to. I just finished Sunshine State by Sarah Gerard, which means it's time for another X-Men podcast.

Cat and/or dog pictures, please

I don't have any pets of my own, but I am a proud cguncle (cat guncle (gay uncle)) to many of my friends' and relatives' pets. There’s my parents' dog Duke, my friends' cat Pistachio, my other friend's cat Piper (photographed below, posing with a stuffed dog I bought as a prop at WaPo but forgot to expense so I kept it), my boyfriend's brother's cat Vivi and his dog Benny. If any are cut for space, I will take it personally.

If you liked that Q&A with Chris, you can go back into our archives and read the other three interviews with Sarah, Micah and Lauren.

Have a safe week and watch out for armed-sandwich throwers. We’ll be back Thursday night with Chris’s recap of news and LNI videos.