fresnelly

I've been thoroughly enjoying Adam Corolla's podcast over the past couple of weeks. I'm not here to sell you on him - his personality is not for everybody and his schtick is nothing new - but I think that what he's doing is significant in a few ways:

1.) It's not produced by anyone else but him and his friends and colleagues.

2.) It has no sponsorship (for the time being at least).

3.) It's just him in conversation with a guest without any production embellishments: No theme song and no sound effects.

4.) He's producing a new 1hr+ episode every weekday.

5.) He's under some sort of contract with CBS for other work and would be in violation of that contract if he was getting paid so for the time being, he's doing it for free.

6.) It's been wildly successful so far, at least as far as downloads go. For example, it's the #1 download on itunes and this has been done without any real advertising.

The interviews are interesting and fun (I happen to think he's a great story teller) but given his success, I wonder if we're finally seeing the birth of new entertainment format. I suppose it will hinge on whether he can make a living off of it, but for the first time, a bankable performer is using the grassroots potential of the internet to reach a mass audience.

So I'm listening not only for entertainment but also to find out how it will evolve and see how close he can stick to his vision over time.

Will he lose momentum without industry support?
Will podcasting (or its next iteration) compete with satellite or even commercial radio?
Will other "made" personalities follow his lead?
Will the big media production companies throw their muscle into developing their own?

My fingers are crossed that a show that I'm hooked on can stick it out, stay true to itself and inspire others to do the same.

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Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life