Well, it’s that time of year here in the US where we give thanks for a bunch of people landing at Plymouth Rock. I can tell you, as someone who lives 40 miles north of Plymouth, that the rock itself is perhaps the most underwhelming historical monument in the world.
But before America enters its annual stuffing coma, a few quick notes:
The Creators 2025
When I joined Sounds Profitable in 2022, The Creators (the first credible survey of podcast creators in the US) was the FIRST project I wanted to get out there. Three years later, it’s back, with an expanded and updated look at who is creating audio, video, or all of the above.
The Creators 2025 is Sounds Profitable’s expanded follow-up to our original 2022 creator study—a comprehensive look at not listeners, but the people behind the mic (and increasingly, the camera). Drawing from over 5,000 respondents, this research examines creator demographics, format preferences, and retention patterns across gender, age, race/ethnicity, and LGBTQ+ identity. The findings reveal a creator ecosystem that looks very different from conventional industry assumptions: multicultural creators showing engagement rates up to 2x higher than average, format strategies that have diversified well beyond audio-only, and a consumption-creation disconnect that may explain why so many creators burn out.
This is our last big webinar of the year, and you can join me as I present this very important update to one of our most widely-requested research studies. All you have to do is sign up here, and I will see you on Wednesday, December 10th, at 2 PM Eastern!
Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW: Call for Submissions
At Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW 2026, we’re dedicating two days to the conversations that matter most right now. And we want your voice to help shape them.
We’re looking for 10-minute talks that will kick off panel discussions across our programming. These aren’t product pitches or show promos—they’re provocations, perspectives, and hard-won insights meant to set the table for deeper conversation.
The Themes:
Mature and Fragile Podcasting is simultaneously a grown-up industry and one that feels like it’s standing on shifting ground. What does sustainability look like when the landscape keeps changing? What assumptions need to be thrown out? What needs to be protected?
The Undervaluing of Creative In an industry built on storytelling, creative work often gets treated as an afterthought—underbudgeted, underappreciated, and rarely part of the business conversation. What would change if we centered creative? What are we losing by not doing so?
Global Voices, Local Truths Podcasting is a global medium, but the conversation often isn’t. We want perspectives from outside the usual markets—insights on what’s working elsewhere, what representation actually looks like in practice, and how the industry can better reflect the audiences it serves.
What We’re Looking For
We’ll select talks based on:
- Diversity of background, perspective, and experience
- Quality of thought—not polish, but substance
- Relevance to the theme
- Contribution to the arc—how your talk connects to the larger conversation across two days
Podcast Movement Evolutions is a free event, co-located at SXSW, which will reach hundreds of publishers, buyers, and brands. No passes are required. Chosen submissions will work with Podcast Movement to create a killer 10-minute talk, and all speakers will receive a $500 honorarium in addition to entry into the event.
Interested? Submit your ideas here by December 31, 2025!
A Word about Words
Finally, I had a chance to sit down and watch the documentary Come See Me In The Good Light, which takes us into the final months and weeks of the poet Andrea Gibson’s life. Gibson died earlier this year at 49 from cancer, and this doc from Ryan White (currently on Apple TV) was less sad and a lot more joyful than I expected. Andrea actually grew up in the same small town I did (Calais, Maine), and it was a long journey from Calais High School basketball star to the Poet Laureate of Colorado.
I never met Andrea Gibson – I graduated eight years earlier – but followed their career both as “hometown hero” and as a student of poetry, which was a big part of my work as a grad student in English Lit years ago. They were able to give one final live performance, just months before their passing, and in that performance, they said something very profound and moving. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. As we are all, hopefully, in the business of using our words to have impact (camera on or not), I thought I’d leave you this thought from a beautiful soul:
“Anyone who thinks poetry is frivolous has never needed someone to tell them something unspeakably hard, beautifully.”
See you next week.
