It might just seem like the cool, hip thing to do—start a podcast network. But D.C.'s Goat Rodeo isn't just any podcast network. Instead of focusing on politics or national news, like many of the NPRs or Politicos of the world, Goat Rodeo is homegrown and local. Right now, you'll only find D.C. storytellers on Goat Rodeo's network.
"Goat Rodeo was an escalating series of cocktails," co-founder Ian Enright tells DC Inno. "We had this real sense that D.C. is a part of the world that is talked about but not usually talked from. There's generally a narrative that is discussed by people outside of the Beltway about what the culture is like, what the things are that go on here."
Enright and co-founder Carlisle Sargent started the network in October 2015. Neither of them had any experience in public radio or professional audio production experience. They loved stories, and Enright had a degree in audio and film production. So, before they dove headfirst into the network, they went on a trip—a cross-country road trip—with the idea of interviewing street musicians across the country and turning it into an audio series, called "Revivalism: Busk." If it worked, they would launch a network. If it didn't, they'd walk away.
Goat Rodeo is now about a year-and-a-half old. It boasts seven shows, four of which launched in the past month. The shows range from its anchor variety show, "Goat Rodeo Variety Show," to a documentary podcast from Matthew Billy called "Between the Linear Notes."
On its website, Goat Rodeo lays out the mission pretty clearly: "In a world that needs authentic storytelling more than ever Goat Rodeo is creating the new road map for finding, developing, and empowering stories." And it interacts with the public—a lot. If anything, you could probably call Goat Rodeo a community network, at least for now. They host happy hours throughout the city and pull hosts from the local storytelling community.
Most of the hosts have been found through storytelling events, such as the monthly Story District shows. For instance, Cait Reilly, host of the "Failure" podcast, is a reporter at Bloomberg BNA during the day, but was making her way around the D.C. storytelling circuit when Enright and Sargent approached her about possibly going into podcasting.
"I think there's a lot of storytelling that is disingenuous in podcasting," Enright said. "If there was one guiding principle, I feel like a lot of our shows, you really have a basic understanding of who the subjects are."
Right now, you won't find advertising on Goat Rodeo's existing audio listings. That might change soon, but currently, the network brings in revenue through its creative services. Enright, Sargent and principal producer Lizzie Peabody work with companies to launch their own shows and workshop ways that podcasts can help a company expand its brand. The service usually takes shape in the the form of Goat Rodeo's Audio Matters workshop, which companies book on an as-needed basis. "There are a lot of people who want to do podcasts and who have talked about doing podcasting, but there aren't a lot of avenues where somebody can be a stakeholder in that and find somebody to help them," Enright said.
Moving forward, the team would like to expand into advertising on its podcasts. Enright said he wants to get to around 7,000 listeners for each of the shows before they seek out sponsors. It can be done: within 24 hours of its launch, their show "DC Diaries" had about 2,100 listens. But the team recognizes that this is a long-game, hence the creation of the creative services team.
Going into it, Enright admits that, like most entrepreneurs, he underestimated how much of a grind starting the network would be. Yet, he says he doesn't mind putting in the work. He's found a passion.
"My worst day at Goat Rodeo is still better than my best day at any other job I've had," Enright said.
Images courtesy of Goat Rodeo
