How to Put on a Lit Live Show 🔥
How to Put on a Lit Live Show 🔥
Anna Hossnieh on producing podcasts & the NextUp Initiative
Hello Besties!
I love to see a woman slay in podcasting, and my pal Anna Hossnieh definitely fits the bill. She has been crushing it ever since I met her five years ago, and it’s awesome to see her take that to the next level in support of up-and-coming creators — making sure the mics at iHeartRadio are passed to often-marginalized voices through the NextUp Initiative. Anna is a podcast queen doing right by the people. There’s so much to learn from her, so get those post-its ready to take notes!
First of all, introduce yourself to the Besties. What’s your official job title, and what podcasts are you involved with?
AH: I am a managing executive producer at the iHeartmedia podcast network and the founder of the NextUp Initiative at the network. I produce Will You Accept This Rose, The Daily Zeitgeist, Las Culturistas, This Is Important, Dear Owen Wilson, Truth Hounds, The Ron Burgundy Podcast, and more in development. I co-host the podcast Ethnically Ambiguous as well. Plus overseeing the eight podcasts that came out of the NextUp inaugural year.
You produce a large slate of podcasts, in addition to your own, including a DAILY show (shoutout to The Daily Zeitgeist). What are your tips and tricks for streamlining production efficiency?
AH: Write everything down! I have a google doc for each show where I make notes for everything. That’s how I keep track of all the moving parts. I believe in having files where everything for a show is located in one central place, so you never have to go looking for anything. I also have a separate to-do list for each show, so I always know where I am with each show. I will say I do have two wonderful producers working with me now (Becca Ramos and Trisha Mukherjee) and they have really made my life so much easier. Also post-its! My desk is covered in them. To the untrained eye, they may look like chaos, but once you understand the system, it helps keep track of everything going on.
From a creative perspective, what do you think makes for a great podcast?
AH: I like really weird shows — probably because I have heard it all at this point. So shows like Truth Hounds are very reminiscent of Nathan For You or How To with John Wilson, where you start in one location and end somewhere completely different or go on a wild ride to get to the conclusion.
You are a master at producing live shows, which are no easy feat to pull off. What’s your advice for putting on a killer show?
AH: Again, write everything down! I have an extensive color coordinated post-it system where I keep track of all the work needed. Also, be extra prepared. And don’t be scared to go big. Depending on which show I am doing a live show with, I always encourage really taking things to the next level. It requires a little more prep, but I think it’s worth it when it goes well. And if it fails, whatever! There is always next time. For my show Will You Accept This Rose, we put on a whole show where our host Arden Myrin was a bachelorette and we got all our regular show guests to basically compete for her love in the live show format. It was so much fun and probably the show I am most proud of. We went for it and really created something special.
You’re responsible for spearheading the NextUp Initiative at iHeartMedia. Explain what NextUp is, how it got started, and the goal of the initiative.
AH: NextUp is a program that aims to empower participants by giving them the tools to succeed in the podcast industry: from developing and marketing a podcast to using industry-leading software. Participants in NextUp will learn from some of iHeartRadio's top creators and leave the program with at least three finished episodes and a polished pitch for their podcast.
The idea for the NextUp initiative came to me in 2019 at a podcast conference. A friend who was participating in the conference from Lebanon intrigued me with a podcast he was working on about the powerful feminist and LGBTQ underground culture in Beirut (the show is called "Masrahiya," aka "Her Stage"). These stories exist, yet you must search far and wide to find shows about such topics. I remember thinking, "I work for a large media company, I can help here!"
The unfortunate thing is that podcasting can be a hard industry to break into. Learning to use intensive editing programs like Pro Tools can be time-consuming and very expensive. Also, recording equipment can be expensive! And there is the unfortunate gatekeeping in the industry which really holds back people of color and marginalized communities from being able to create and put out their stories - which are needed! I've met so many amazing creators from all walks of life who I knew could create incredible work. I had worked my way up to becoming an executive producer at a large media company, and I was doing well for myself, so I figured it was time to get everyone in with me. So that is why NextUp exists! In my free time, I created a program plan and budget, then pitched it to the network, and eventually got the program going.
How is it going for the current NextUp cohort? I saw that some of the NextUp creators got to shoot an ad spot. Are there any NextUp projects up and running that Besties can check out?
AH: The program finished in February of this year. Now all the fellows are currently producing their shows at iHeart. Luckily we were able to get Toyota to come in and sponsor the program so we could release at least one season of each of the fellows' shows on the iHeart network. So far, two of them have released their shows (Carmen Laurent’s Beauty Translated and Jonathan Higgins’ BFF: Black, Fat, Femme), and you can look out for the other six, which will be dropping their shows throughout the 2022 year! And yes, they all got to be a part of a Toyota ad where they spoke about NextUp and their shows. You can watch them all here.
Are there plans for another cohort? If so, how can Besties apply?
AH: We plan to release the application for the next round in September or October so it can start up again in January next year. I will definitely share the application once we have it live.
Anything else you’d like to add?
AH: I do a Twitch Stream every Tuesday at 6pm pst with Molly Lambert about the Below Deck franchises and other Bravo/reality tv shows if anyone is into that and wants to check it out. Our twitch page is twitch.tv/deckheadspod — it used to be a podcast on iHeart, but we pivoted to make it a mini show. It’s fun!
Yay, thank you, Anna!
➡️ Stay up to date with Anna on Twitter and Instagram.
➡️ And check out the latest season of Will You Accept This Rose about The Bachelor franchise, and the new Bachelorette is out now!
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Apply for NextGenRadio Mentorship - The Next Generation Radio Project is a five-day digital journalism and audio training project designed to give selected participants the opportunity to learn how to report and produce their own non-narrated audio piece and multimedia story. Participants will be paired with a professional journalist who serves as their mentor for the week.
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First, we talk about what it's like to be an older parent because, notably, Dr. Frieda Birnbaum is the oldest woman in America to give birth to twins at age 60! With her unique perspective on parenting, we also get into kids vs. career and whether or not to have kids if you don't feel particularly passionate about it. Then Dr. Frieda offers a primer on toxic relationships, how to avoid them, and how to rewire abusive patterns that might be lurking around from your upbringing.
This week’s Play It Forward comes from feminist powerhouse Naomi Mellor, founder of the International Women’s Podcast Awards.
If you’ve ever surfed the crimson wave and had some bloody questions, this pod’s for you! And if you find yourself asking what a crimson wave is, you should DEFINITELY pop in this appropriately and hilariously-titled pod 28ish Days Later and educate yourself. Naomi suggests the “Day Nineteen: Kenny” episode with host India Rakusen and guest Kenny Ethan Jones.
“India Rakusen is an amazing journalist, and I’ve loved this entire series, from learning about the ins and outs of our hormones to the joys of moonlit swims to optimizing your exercise schedule over the course of your cycle. It was a struggle to pick my favorite episode, but this one particularly struck a chord. Kenny Ethan Jones is a writer, model, advocate, and trans man. He talks about having periods as a teenager, the dysphoria associated with that, and the significance periods can have for trans people. Kenny is an incredible speaker, and this is all told in a fresh, open, honest manner.”
And make sure to check out Naomi’s podcast Smash The Ceiling, where she interviews powerful women and dives deep into their fascinating lives, jobs, and accomplishments. Naomi suggests this episode with Victoria Jenkins on life as an adaptive designer, disability advocate, and unexpected entrepreneurship.
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Thank you, Naomi!
🚨 P.S. Entries for the International Women in Podcasting Awards are open through July 22nd, so this is your reminder to hurry up and submit!
So… ROLL CALL! 🗣
Have you produced a live show for your podcast? If so, what was the biggest lesson you learned from the experience?
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