Simplecast Team Spotlight: Caitlin

Where do you live?

I live in central Brooklyn in New York City!

How long have you been working for Simplecast?

I've been working at Simplecast for just over four years.

If you remember, what was the first podcast you listened to?

Like 70% of podcast listeners, my first podcast was Serial.

What's the last podcast you listened to? Why were you listening to it?

I've been listening to Laura Mayer's Shameless Acquisition Target. She does a wonderful job of turning podcasting's insider baseball into a super clear, super entertaining, and super service-y show that goes over the ins and outs of all the money in podcasting.

What's your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is being able to give a boost to marginalized creators! Whether that's sponsoring an event, helping someone find a non-traditional path to monetization, or hopping on a Zoom call to do a quick brainstorming sesh about audience development, I'll always carve out an hour to do it! (Sound like something you'd like? Email me!)

What's one tip you wish you could give all podcasters?

Podcasting is a nascent industry, and what is most valuable to successful is changing all the time. Just because the industry isn't ready for what you're creating now doesn't mean it'll always be that way, or that your work is without value. I know plenty of podcasts that were way ahead of the curve and trucked along quietly with modest listenership, only to explode in popularity a few seasons or years down the road.

What blog post/newsletter/youtube video/conference/etc has been the most inspiring or helpful to you?

This is going to sound wild, but one of my favorite television shows is a home renovation show that's been off the air for years called Rehab Addict (awful name, but it was the early 2000s). Unlike a lot of shows, this one focuses on renovating historical homes that have fallen into disrepair. The host's philosophy is about either rediscovering or polishing up the original character of the building, rather than completely updating or modernizing that. When I start working in an industry, I like to hone in on what makes it special and unique, rather than trying to slap some shiplap onto it and sell it fast. (That's a Fixer Upper joke.)  In podcasting, that means I'm excited about RSS feeds and a lack of gatekeepers and funky little niches. It's a nice reminder that while everyone is trying to be the Netflix of podcasts, or applying TV production logic to audio, there is something inherently special and worth preserving in podcasting as podcasting.

Why did you start working in podcasting?

I love working in industries that are just on the cusp of exploding. I started working in craft beer in 2012 (before macrobrewers acquiring craft brewers really started in earnest), moved to women's media in 2014 (the great First Person Personal Essay boom), hopped on the wellness & functional foods train in 2017, and then came to podcasting in 2018! Podcasting has so much potential and such a dedicated industry surrounding it, and it's invigorating to be around.

What do you most want to see happen in the podcasting world next year?

I would like enterprise tools to become more available to indie and small creators, and I would like to see democratized knowledge sharing happen more freely (oh, yeah, and pay transparency!!!!)

Where's your next vacation spot?

I take a solo vacation for about two weeks every year on my birthday–this year I'm doing Florence and Rome!

What skill are thinking about learning in 2023?

I'm learning to mend and alter my own clothes! I'm pretty good at fixing pinholes in sweaters and dying my black jeans when they start to get faded, but I'd like to be able to tailor my own things!