Mike C. writes in to say:
Jim …
I have been reading your articles for over a year and enjoying the information that your provide. I have recently listened to your appearances on the Magical Definition podcast with Nathan Rose and Tim Devine. I must admit you are the best part of that podcast. Have you ever considered doing your own podcast? Maybe the current setup works best with Nathan providing the interviewer position and you presenting Disney info. Keep up the good work.
— Mike
Dear Mike —
Thanks for the kind words regarding the stuff that I’ve been recording for MagicalDefinition.com. Nathan and Tim are really nice guys and it’s been fun doing the regular-appearance-thing on their show. Which is why I’m going to keep doing it.
But — that said — I’ve also been getting a lot of e-mails like the above note from Mike C. Where people keep asking me why JimHillMedia.com doesn’t have its very own podcast. And the short answer to that question is … Aren’t there already enough podcasts out there ? I mean, do you guys really need another thing to listen to ?
But Max Schilling (I.E. JHM’s webmaster) urged me to give a listen to all of the other Disney-related podcasts that are currently available. So I did. And I noticed that most of these podcasts seem to cover the Walt Disney Company from the fan’s point of view. Which means that people were either far too negative and complain bitterly about everything that Mickey does OR they were far too positive and had nothing but nice things to say about all the products that the Mouse produces.
Which got me thinking: Would there actually be an audience out there for a podcast that takes a realistic approach to reporting on the Walt Disney Company ? Which — right from the get-go — ignored all of the magic, pixie dust and wonder that Mickey typically wraps its projects in … and then saw the Mouse for what it really is. Which is this extremely powerful multi-national corporation that has its three-fingered hands in a lot of pies.
With the hope that there would actually be an audience for a show like this, Max and I recorded a pilot for a podcast last week. Which — just like everything else that we do here at JHM — tries to mix news, history and commentary to give you a very different view of the Walt Disney Company.
I guess I should caution you, though. This test show is a little rough around the edges. And I know of at least one change that we’re going to make to the really-for-real first JHM podcast. Which is to change the name of the show. You see, “Realityland” is already taken. It’s the name of David Koenig’s forthcoming sure-to-be-great unauthorized history of Walt Disney World. Which you can now pre-order by clicking here.
But — beyond the fact that this proposed podcast now needs a new name — this recording should give you some sense of the show of show that Mr. Schilling and I are thinking of putting into production. With our ultimate goal being that a podcast like this (Which would typically only be 15-to-20 minutes long) would then become a weekly feature here at JHM.
Of course, before we do that, we’d like you folks to give this podcast pilot a listen and then pass judgment on the production. Tells us what works. What doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to be brutal. Max and I are big boys. We can take it.
Anyway … That’s enough of an intro / explanation. Here’s a link to the pilot for JHM’s proposed podcast. Please check this show out, and then don’t be afraid to share … Your thoughts?