Simplecast Team Spotlight: Dane Cardiel

Whether you've seen them in your inbox, at an event, or on a webinar, you've probably met someone on Team Simplecast! Here's your chance to get to know them a little better. Today we've got Dane Cardiel, our Director of Partnerships!

Where do you live?

Brooklyn, NY!

How long have you been working for Simplecast?

I’ve been at Simplecast for almost two years now.

What was the first podcast you listened to?

One of the very first podcasts I remember listening to was “The Game of Thrones Podcast” by Bald Move. I’m pretty sure they were among the first to popularize the “Unofficial Official” podcast genre of fans creating T.V. companion shows.

What's the last podcast you listened to?

The last podcast I listened to is a great example of podcast artwork doing The Work of earning a new subscriber: Dungeon & Daddies (lol). I’m in the middle of a D&D campaign myself and these shows are so fun and helpful with inspiring my own character*.

*Koo, Half-Elf/Half-Druid.

What's your favorite thing to help customers with?

When we were a smaller team, most of my time was spent helping customers resolving questions not only about our platform but more generally about how they define and achieve success with their podcasts. One of my favorite things, especially with new creators, is understanding their goals and providing small suggestions here and there that could make a significant difference.

Now that I’ve gone from managing support and podcaster relations to heading up partnerships and sales, I really enjoy connecting creators, podcast networks, and various partners with one another to explore new ideas and initiatives.

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

Dream big, but start small. One of the biggest blockers for a new creator can often be themselves and any negative thoughts that may make starting a podcast seem overwhelming. Believe in yourself and your ideas and start small — growth is often incremental. There are so many lessons to be learned in your first 10 episodes — allow yourself to learn those lessons fully and don’t be afraid to make it up as you go.

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

I share this article from November 2017 every chance I get. Dan Misener lists nine lessons from his team at Pacific Content on how they got Mozilla’s first 1 million downloads in their first season. So many insights here for any podcast, big or small, on how to hone your craft, be diligent in your promotion, and build an engaged audience overtime.

Why did you start working in podcasting?

I once published of an independent art and literary magazine from 2010-13 and uniquely understand how hard it can be to pool enough resources to create and share something meaningful. Working a day job only to spend another eight-plus hours on a passion project can be incredibly thrilling, but also so exhausting.

After the magazine, I linked up with our founder, Brad, and transitioned professionally to put myself in a position to help creators on their fledgling independent media companies with Wayward Wild. When the opportunity presented itself for us to work exclusively on Simplecast, I couldn’t turn it down — and what a great decision after seeing how much excitement has happened in podcasting since 2015.

What are you most excited to see in the podcasting world in the next year?

I’m excited to see independent creators in our industry gain more power as more money enters the space. It will be interesting to see how these creators respond to the new opportunities being created: Some are building their own independent production companies, others are partnering with bigger platforms on exclusive content deals, or staying steady making new work and evolving their craft.

There’s power in the collective, and I hope to see that power harnessed in actionable ways over the coming months. Independent creators are the heart and soul of this industry, it’s crucial for these creators to be centered and valued as podcasting gains more momentum.

What's your favorite gas station snack?

Gas station coffee with hazelnut creamer and one of those single package blueberry muffins!

What's your sun, moon & rising sign?

Scorpio, Aquarius, Capricorn.

Want to meet more of the Simplecast team? Meet our chief legal officer, our customer success lead, and our product support specialist! And if you want to know more about podcast hosting, distribution, and analytics, we've got you!