Ear Worthy's Podcast News Trio: Mercury Scales Up; Stage Combat; Undo

To end the week, Ear Worthy offers you two superb ear-worthy podcasts, and an update about Mercury, the new U.K.-based podcast network that built itself with existing indie podcasts.

Mercury is designed to support the unique needs of independent creators looking to grow and monetize their podcasts. Since onboarding its first show in November, Mercury has already sold over one million ad impressions, and boasts over 500,000 downloads per month.
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Mercury partners with audio ad-tech platform

Mercury, the network representing independent podcasts from around the world, is partnering with audio ad-tech monetization platform SoundCast, as it looks to scale up its advertising and create more revenue for independent creators. SoundCast.io is a European company launched in France and looking to strengthen its footprint in the UK.

Mercury currently represents shows including the chart-topping Warhammer podcast The 40K Lorecast, British comedy time-travel show PastMaster, and the Canadian Dad’s Bedtime Stories for Kids.

“One of the driving forces behind Mercury is being able to level the playing field in our industry, and democratize the resources usually reserved for the big players,” says Mercury founder Liam Heffernan. “This partnership unlocks major monetization opportunities for our shows, and finally brings these platforms to the creators who can benefit most from them."

SoundCast provides solutions for publishers, networks and advertisers to deliver programmatic audio advertising.

“Our SSP will help Mercury utilize its ad inventory and fulfil programmatic demand,” says SoundCast. “This partnership also allows us to strengthen our presence in the UK, towards becoming the number one solution for publishers, media agencies and advertisers.”

“As an independent podcaster myself, I know that the biggest challenge facing creators isn’t content; it’s time and resources,” says Liam.

Liam observes: “Current networks are failing to address these needs, and are failing to offer a truly valuable network proposition to those podcasters who are big enough to monetize but need support, and don’t want to surrender control over their show for it. This shouldn’t be a compromise.”

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Stage Combat Podcast -- Mental health in the theater industry

The beauty of independent podcasts is that they cover events, industries, connections and cross-pollinate genres, unlike network-supported networks.

Listeners can join attorney, actor and advocate Sean Hayden, who is the host of Stage Combat: The Podcast, an immersive storytelling experience as performing artists from all walks of life finally emerge from silence and speak up about their experiences in the theater industry.

Sean Hayden's background in entertainment and legal matters allows listeners to take a deep dive on topics such as bullying and harassment, abusive higher educational theater programs, toxic stage managers, botched workplace investigations, fight safety hazards, and the unsafe portrayal of sexually explicit content in the workplace.

Stage Combat boldly told the story of Sean’s own mental health crisis while working at the prestigious Goodspeed Opera House. His brutally honest account, told in the style of a true-crime podcast, ignited an explosive and overdue conversation about mental health in the theater industry.

This podcast aims to underscore the importance of raising awareness and providing support for the mental well-being of theater workers while promoting safe working practices. By fostering a culture of compassion, understanding, and accessible resources, the podcast empowers arts workers to navigate the demanding nature of theater with resilience and confidence.

“The podcast is not just about exposing harmful practices in the industry,” says Sean Hayden. “It’s about asking, 'How can we make the workplace better for everyone?'”

Evan Stern, creator/host of the Vanishing Postcards podcast, recommends the show: "It’s created and hosted by an actor who uses its first two seasons to share the story of a breakdown he experienced as a result of toxic conditions at Connecticut’s Goodspeed Opera House. Since then, he’s opened it up to share the stories of fellow theatrical performers. It’s well produced, bold and has some engaging backstage gossip."

Check out Stage Combat: The Podcast. The show is in season three and going strong.

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Undo Podcast Premieres -- Exploring how history’s outliers got stuff done.

This inventive and kooky independent podcast launches an investigation into how history’s oddballs, outliers, and overachievers built systems to help them do their best work.

Hosted by Mark Steadman, each episode unearths a so-called productivity hack from history to help you separate the brilliant from the bullshit, so you can build a methodology that works for you.
Productivity isn’t about getting more done to feed a money-seeking monster with an ever-growing appetite. It’s about clearing the clutter so you can focus on what you do best.

Steadman has barbed wire for wit. He's hilarious in that understated English way, and he's a wildly effective host.

Because if Edison can invent the lightbulb without Inbox Zero, you can probably survive without 10x-ing your toothbrush routine.

 "If you want realistic productivity with a side dose of historical context, this podcast is amazing!" notes Ayesha Khan, creator/host of the Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever* podcast. 

I especially enjoyed the episode about The Checklist Manifesto, which is a process and a book by Atul Gawande. 

One of my favorite episodes was about Parkinson’s Law, which postulates that work expands to fill the time given. Studies show if you give people 60 minutes to complete a task that only takes 30, they’ll work the full hour instead of taking the rest off.

Steadman opines: "By recognizing it, we can buy back some time to ourselves. Just don’t tell the boss, or they’ll give you more busy work."

 Undo separates the brilliant from the bullshit, so you can build a method of working that suits you.

Mark Steadman is an astute business person as an independent podcaster. That's a recipe for successful monetization. With the podcast just beginning, he's already offering an Undo Plus subscription service and is advertising it with a clever host-read ad on the show. 

Check out Undo. It's another example of a superb independent podcast with a unique take on our world and how it works. In addition, it could make you more productive. Goodbye, couch potato. Hello, "I just checked off another task as done!"