Interview with Matthew Kane

Broadcaster,Film Fan, Video Gamer player, A very talented guy.

Stuart: I first met Matthew Kane when I began podcasting. He was connected with a podcasting network and to be honest I wasn’t even aware what a podcasting network was or how it could assist me in what I needed to do.

I have kept in touch with Matthew over the past year and beyond, and 2011/2012 saw him accelerate his media output.

Matthew is the producer and host of The Chicago Sports Update (CSU) , Lag Free (a video game podcast) as well as the host of Flixal:Stateside(fp2s).

All those shows can be found on Itunes by searching for his network name. Intrepid Audio Production..

I found some spare time, as did Matthew and we had a chat about a few things. Here are the results.

Matthew can be found and followed on Twitter at the following

@Matt_F_Kane or @IAPPodcasts

Stuart: So Matt Kane.

I know you from the podcasting world, the social networking world but how on earth did you end up first deciding to appear on a podcast and when was your first appearance?

Matt: I decided that I wanted to be on a podcast when having been a listener to podcasts after about two years. I was intimidated by the whole podcasting process and frankly by the people that were doing them. One day I just had enough and starting being more active within the community and contacted the show. I was then invited onto the show. The first podcast I was on was back in the fall of 2009 and was once referred to as the “Talking About Games Podcast.”

Since then, I was a founding member of the “Open Forum Radio” show and network; founded in November 2009 which I was an co-host, editor, executive and operating officer. During my time there, I had the fortune to network with you. It’s quite the coincidence because then last November (2011), I resigned my position from the OFR community and started the work your listeners hopefully have come to know at Intrepid Audio Productions (hyperlink to the blog or feed http://intreprod.libsyn.com)! I’m very fortunate to have a wonderful and dedicated team that shares the vision we have at IAPPodcasts (link to Twitter or Facebook)!

Stuart: How did the Open Forum Network come about and do you feel that being part of a network can help, or hinder a show or shows?

Matt: The “Open Forum Network” came about when I found out several individuals, (if you would please hyperlink to each person’s twitter account) Larry, Vic, Anthony and Bill were wanting to start a more open and/or more transparent community / podcast to where anyone interested in participating was welcome to do so and have a voice. The Network as a whole started once the main show or as would become referred to as “the proper show” was doing well and we wanted to branch out and cover more topics. The Main show had a formula and followed a certian pattern; we wanted to allow others to have a voice and give them a voice. Vic came up with the idea of a drinking show and that became “the 40cast,” I looked the social networks for people who had something competent to say, or could at least form / write a cogent thought; and that’s when I approached William and Stuart with the opportunity to do a show that would be partnered with the OFRN. From there it grew but as it is with life, things are constantly changing.

 Regarding how I feel about being part of a network and whether it can help or hinder show/s, in my experience, there’s no real easy way to answer.

The basic idea behind a network is that you have a cohesive group of individuals whom are working together towards a similar goal. In other words, a rising tide raises all ships. When you have a group of diverse shows that all share a common goal of enhancing growth and exposure, and each individual product buys in and puts in the necessary work to do their part, I believe there’s nothing better. Look at any television or radio network. They don’t just advertise for shows / consumable media that is on at the same day; but rather they advertise for different shows on different days or even channels. Just look at whatever network your favorite shows are on, you will see plenty of advertisements for their other products.

When that happens it works, but podcasting as I’ve learned is both of business and personal. There are plenty of individuals that want their podcast to be successful, and to be successful, they need to dedicate time, effort and money; and those three things are very personal to a lot of people. It’s a quid-pro-quo mentality and when people in a network fail to cross promote on a consistent and regular basis, people take it personally. Now are there shows that might not be as popular as others, yes, that’s just life, but that doesn’t mean you don’t continue to help. In any network, this easily has to be the most common problem – people not doing the things that help everyone succeed. Now before anyone takes the assumption that I’m airing dirty laundry, naming names, or am a bitter person; that’s just not the case.

Another side to a network of podcasts is that, every podcaster does it for different reasons. Some do it for business and career building, others do it for pleasure as a hobby or escape; while others do it for the limelight. When you don’t have everyone putting in the same amount of effort or work into achieving the common goals, like anything else, things fall apart. It’s difficult to sell people on hard work and perseverance, those behaviors / ideas frankly not that popular. It’s so much easier to sit down with your buddies, record a show, clean it up and publish it to a feed. No one said writing and producing a promo or spot was fun, but when you do the nitty gritty necessities which help you grow and then when you hear it on other shows, that’s the payoff. For me and how I go about my business, I do my best to put out a product which I believe other people would be proud to work or partner with and let their work be associated and represented.

Success isn’t easy, though in my experience, none of the things worth having or working towards are or have been easy.

Stuart: Intrepid Audio Productions is now 2 years old. What do you think have been the biggest pitfalls that you have encountered during this year and what do you think is the biggest hurdle for anyone looking to begin podcasting, either as a single show or a network.

Matt: Ironically, the biggest pitfalls this past year were circumstances that were out of my control, meaning things in my personal life outside of podcasting which required my attention to be given outside the podcast. There wasn’t any specific instance to any technical or monetary problems over the year which I’m very grateful it was the case. That being said, I guess show preparation was a pitfall, There were times where I was unable to see or play anything new or noteworthy which made doing shows like “Lag Free” and subsequently “Flixal: Stateside” difficult.

The biggest hurdle or challenge happens after you decide you want to podcast. What I mean is that, and I’m sure you can attest to this, you spend a lot of time dedicated to the podcast, let alone a network. I currently am employed in a field completely unrelated to broadcasting, media, video games or sports and I spend a majority of my time thinking about shows ideas, taking notes, sending emails to other podcasters, communicating with my team, doing pre/post production work, researching and planning on materials I want to use. That’s just what happens and goes on non-recording times. Follow that show prep – playing a game at home, watching a movie or series before bed. Then you get to do the show, typically my shows last no more than 45 minutes to an hour, but take “CSU” for example, those are our longer shows because that’s also a time for my team and I to catch up. Follow that up with editing, prepping a show synopsis, finally you get to publish it and advertise for it on social media.

So if you’re a podcaster who just wants to hear their own voice heard on their iPod or see their feed in iTunes, in strictly my opinion, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Since I started podcasting, I have not gone back and listened to the final product, simply because I’m too focused on what’s next. As someone who would love to do this for a living, I generally don’t waste my time as a listener with shows that take their audience for granted. You will not see one single for profit corporate podcast on my subscription rotation.

The biggest hurdle for starting a network, as I said before, it’s managing personalities and maintaining the balance between business and ego. You can’t ask people or your partners to do something that they can’t, won’t, don’t or aren’t capable of doing. Understand where people are in their lives. There are those that have families – so operate under a “Family first” mentality. There’s no magic formula to build or cure the perfect network. It takes work, time and dedication to build something that you’re proud of when the day is done. I built IAP with a lot of help from my friends and those I respect as podcasters.

Stuart: What are your plans for 2014? In life and in your media world?

Matt : 2014 is going to be a challenging year. There are plenty of life changes happening this year for me on the personal front, ones that will require me to not focus as much as on IAP as I have previously. “Chicago Sports Update” is going to be running it’s second “Sports Movie Madness” competition, and we will cover the Academy Awards on “Flixal: Stateside” as I’m sure you will as well on “FP2S.” I’m very happy with the addition of Wil to our hosting lineup on “Lag Free” and love the energy and knowledge he brings to the show.

Media wise, the new consoles are going to give us a lot to talk about but like many recent gaming console launches, the lack of a library hurts the early adopters the most. 2014 will be a busy year for

Stuart: What would your biggest single tip be for anyone thinking of taking up what we do?

Matt: Simply put: respect your audience by respecting the work you do.

Respect the audience by respecting the work you do, I can’t say that better myself.

I have heard some shows (including some segments of earlier shows I have done) and they make me question the point.  But also don’t panic about trying to be the best broadcaster in the world. It’s not about making your show get the biggest download numbers on Week 1.

Stuart: I’d like to thank you Matt for taking the time for this chat, and thank you for the content in 2013, and I look forward to 2014. We have often talked about recording shows together, and hopefully will work out the time zone differences and make it happen.