Thinking Out Loud Podcast

In an increasingly crowded streaming video marketplace, podcasts are rapidly becoming the TV industry’s go-to source for standing apart.  Guest Will Pearson details the evolution of podcasts from a medium bound by Q&A formats, into a safe space for creators to develop uncaged storytelling, and where larger brands can harvest IP and reach diverse, untapped audiences. The television industry has certainly taken notice as evidenced by iHeartRadio’s partnerships with talent, creatives and media giants like ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia to develop TV and streaming series into podcast franchises. Host Vicki Lins and Will explore the nuances of podcast content discovery, ad strategy and what’s on the horizon of the podcasting landscape.

Guest Kevin Beggs details an “undefined” television landscape that is creating a new breadth of programming. Known for the production of brand-defining shows such as Mad Men, Orange is the New Black and Weeds, Beggs describes an upside to the industry’s disruption. Consolidation and new distribution platforms have rejuvenated traditional programming, creating a world of opportunity for new voices, genres, and storytelling that can be heard anywhere, anytime.

As gaming, viewing and social interaction increasingly become a single experience, there are more opportunities for broadcasters to develop consumer touchpoints using business intelligence to deliver customized viewing experiences and drive monetization, subscriptions and advertising.

On this episode of Thinking Out Loud, host Vicki Lins sits down with Miheer Walavalkar, CEO and Co-Founder of LiveLike, an audience engagement platform, for an insightful conversation on emerging technology and the next era of content consumption: social, immersive viewing.

Real game-changers are not necessarily individuals with recurrent “aha” moments, but rather, leaders who effectively make space for new perspectives and solve problems by creating working environments where diverse ideas thrive. In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, host Vicki Lins sits down with Harvard Business School professor Dr. Linda Hill to discuss her research on some of the world’s most successful companies and how organizations can develop cultures that promote “collective genius.”

Uncertainty is nothing new to the television industry. Yet critical events of 2020 and the resulting protocols could permanently change the way we all TV. In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, host Vicki Lins sits down with Alan Sepinwall, chief TV critic at Rolling Stone to make sense of the trickledown effect of the pandemic on TV production, the impact of TV show “unrenewals” on viewer behavior and the role of the television critic to make sense of the chaos.

In part two host Vicki Lins and Matthew Ball, CEO of Epyllion Industries and former global Head of Strategy for Amazon Studios expand on the transitions facing media companies and discuss the impact of scale on content performance, distribution and cost, and how the “Streaming Wars” has settled into a convergence of content and tech.

In this special 2-part episode of Thinking Out Loud, Vicki Lins sits down with Matthew Ball, CEO of Epyllion Industries and former global Head of Strategy for Amazon Studios to explore the transitions facing media companies as new technologies and consumer behaviors dictate the tide of video and the next wave of competition.   

In part one, Matthew goes beyond the digital disruption and the rise of the cable bundle to explain how decades of competition in the media industry has created the current entertainment and media landscape.

Networks and content creators have wrestled with shifting viewer trends and bloated content offerings for decades. Disruptors to short and long term planning like new social networks and the onset of the pandemic have accelerated the need for sound strategies that include not only drawing people into linear offerings but expanding out to find viewers wherever they are. On this episode of Thinking Out Loud, host Vicki Lins sits down with Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery & Factual to talk social networking and discuss Discovery’s strategy to attract non-traditional consumers, connect with younger audiences and address programming in the near term, during the pandemic and beyond.

As the world continues to adjust to the impact of COVID-19 and social distancing, the time at home and subsequent increase in the use of mobile, digital and social platforms offer marketers more touch-points to reach young Millennials and Gen Z audiences. In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, host Vicki Lins sits down with Mark McIntire, Head of Marketing at Fuse Media, Inc. for a fascinating conversation about why Fuse’s social responsibility initiatives resonate with young, socially conscious, multicultural audiences.

In this special edition of Thinking Out Loud, Vicki Lins flips the script and has a host-to-host conversation with Tracy Swedlow, editor in chief of Interactive TV Today and host of Televisionation. Vicki and Tracy discuss the impact of COVID-19, how its changed consumer behavior and the various ways the TV industry has proved to be particularly nimble as the nation practices social distancing.

Consumers are compelled by socially conscious documentary programming like never before. BBC America’s Seven Worlds, One Planet reached new heights when AMC Networks premiered it across BBCA, AMC, IFC and SundanceTV. Guest Jonny Keeling, Executive Producer of Seven Worlds, One Planet talks about its appeal, his decades of experience developing documentary films and how advancements in technology have enhanced the viewer experience.

As content choices increasingly flood the landscape, Spectrum Originals places a few bets on bringing a new type of value proposition to fickle viewers.  On this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Host, Vicki Lins sits down with Katherine Pope, Head of Spectrum Originals to explore the strategy for building customer value through a robust library of premium content in an ad-free, VOD portal.  Quality, exclusivity and convenience are a few of the drivers Pope recognizes as levers to keep up with consumer demand and power Spectrum as a premium destination for subscribers.

In the dynamic world of television, the ability for brands to balance between relevancy and integrity within the framework of creating compelling, captivating and entertaining content can be challenging. In this episode of Thinking Out Loud, Vicki Lins sits down with Courteney Monroe, President of National Geographic Global Television Networks to discuss how National Geographic continues to satisfy consumers and advertisers while maintaining its status as the world’s leading destination for premium, factual storytelling.

Dan Cesareo, founder of Big Fish Entertainment, a leading production company has created a host of successful unscripted programs. Most notably Live PD, which has hit a high of 2.4 million live viewers garnering A&E the lead among adults 25-to-54. Continuing to feed the consumer’s appetite for unscripted programming, A&E and Big Fish Entertainment are set to launch a new canine competition series that promises to appeal to a built-in fan base of 48million+ dog-loving households in late 2019. Join our conversation as I tap into Dan’s thoughts on what’s so compelling about live television, the technology behind filming it and what’s next in the unscripted programming world.

Guest Brett Weitz, general manager of TBS, TNT & truTV oversees the creative development for these now WarnerMedia networks. In this episode, he discusses taking risks to give audiences unexpected and exceptional programming, the importance of fostering the creative process, his strategy for rising above the crowded landscape and the necessity of creating multiple and unique touchpoints for consumers.

​Ending his two-year tenure as President of Television Critics Association (TCA), Dan Fienberg, Chief TV Critic, The Hollywood Reporter, discusses the unique opportunity the TCA Tour provides and why it’s so important to the industry. In typical Dan style, we also review the highs and lows of a transforming industry.

From binge-worthy breakout hits to digital shorts consumed in minutes; current, new and emerging players are pushing the envelope to create a successful model with cultural influence and impact. In this conversation, Dan shares his thoughts, themes, and ideas for what’s next in television.