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This week on Skip the Queue, we're stepping into the turret and turning up the tension, as we explore one of the UK's most talked-about immersive experiences.Our guest is Neil Connolly, Creative Director at The Everywhere Group, who have brought The Traitors Live Experience to life. With over 10 million viewers watching every betrayal, backstab and banishment on the BBC show, expectations for the live version were nothing short of murderous.So, how do you even begin to transform a TV juggernaut into a thrilling, guest-led experience? Let's find out who's playing the game… and who's about to be banished…Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references: The Traitors Live website: https://www.thetraitorslive.co.uk/Neil's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-connolly-499054110/Neil Connolly is a creative leader of design and production teams focused on development, production and installation of live theatre, entertainment, multi-media and attractions for the themed entertainment industry worldwide.Neil began his career as a performer, writer, producer & artist in Londons alternative theatre/art scene. It was during this time Neil developed a love and passion for story telling through the platform of interactive playable immersive theatre.Having been at the vanguard of playable & immersive theatre since 2007, Neil had a career defining opportunity in 2019 when he devised, wrote & directed an immersive experience as part of Sainsbury's 150th Birthday Celebrations. Making him the only immersive theatre & game maker in the world to have HRH Elizabeth Regina attend one of their experiences.In a distinguished career spanning 20 years, Neil has brought that passion to every facet of themed entertainment in the creative direction and production of attractions such as; Handels Messiah, Snowman & The Snowdog, Peppa Pig Surprise Party, Traitors Live, The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider Live Experience & Chaos Karts, an AR go-kart real life battle. Other clients and activations include: Harrods, Sainsbury's, Camelot/The National Lottery, Samsung, Blenheim Palace, Land Rover and Warner Brothers.Neil has worked across 4 continents for many years with private individuals; designing, producing and delivering live entertainment on land, sea & air. A world without boundaries requires freethinking.Neil is currently working with Immersive Everywhere on creative development of show and attraction content for projects across U.K, Europe, North America & Asia. Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: This week on Skip the Queue, we're stepping into the turret and turning up the tension as we explore one of the UK's most talked about immersive experiences.Paul Marden: Our guest is Neil Connolly, Creative Director at The Everywhere Group, who've brought The Traitor's live experience to life. With over 10 million viewers watching every betrayal, backstab and banishment on the BBC show, expectations for the live version were nothing short of murderous. So how do you even begin to transform a TV juggernaut into a thrilling guest-led experience? Let's find out who's playing the game and who's about to be banished.Paul Marden: So, we're underground. Lots of groups running currently, aren't they? How did you make that happenNeil Connolly: Yeah, so now we're two floors under us. There's a lower basement and some other basement. So the building that we are in, there's a family in the 1890s who owned all of the land around Covent Garden and specifically the Adelphi Theatre.Paul Marden: Right.Neil Connolly: And they wanted their theatre to be the first theatre in the UK to have its lights powered by electricity. So they built their own private power station in this building. Like, literally like, all this, this is a power station. But unfortunately for these the Savoy had taken to that moniker, so they quickly built their important institution. The family had this building until the 1980s when the establishment was assumed through the important UK network.Neil Connolly: And then it was sat there empty, doing nothing for 40 years. And so the landlord that is now started redeveloping the building 10 years ago, added two floors onto the top of the building. So now what we're in is an eight-storey structure and we've basically got the bottom four floors. Two of which are ground and mezzanine, which is our hospitality area. And the lower two floors, which are all in the basement, are our experience floors. What we're looking at right now is, if you look off down this way to the right, not you people on audio, but me here.Neil Connolly: Off this side is five of the round table rooms. There's another one behind me and there's two more upstairs. And then I've got some Tretters Towers off to the left and I've got my show control system down there.Neil Connolly: On the floor above me, we've got the lounges. So each lounge is connected to one of the round table rooms. Because when you get murdered or banished, one of the biggest challenges that I faced was what happens to people when they get murdered or banished? Because you get kicked out of the game. It's not a lot of fun, is it? Therefore, for me, you also get kicked out of the round table room. So this is a huge challenge I face. But I built these lounge concepts where you go— it's the lounge of the dead— and you can see and hear the round table room that you've just left. We'll go walk into the room in a while. There's lots of interactivity. But yeah, super fun. Neil Connolly: But unfortunately for these the Savoy had taken to that moniker, so they quickly built their important institution. The family had this establishment until the 1980s when the establishment was considered through the important UK network.Paul Marden: Yeah. So we've got 10 million people tuning in to Traitors per episode. So this must be a lot of pressure for you to get it right. Tell us about the experience and what challenges you faced along the way, from, you know, that initial text message through to the final creation that we're stood in now.Neil Connolly: So many challenges, but to quote Scroobius Pip on this, do you know Scroobius Pip? Paul Marden: No. Neil Connolly: Great, he's amazing. UK rapper from Essex.Neil Connolly: Some people see a mousetrap and think death. I see free cheese and a challenge.Neil Connolly: There's never any problems in my logic, in my thinking. There's always just challenges to overcome. So one of the biggest challenges was what happens to people when they get murdered or banished. The truth of the matter is I had to design a whole other show, which happens after this show. It is one big show. But you go to the Lounge of the Dead, there's more interactivity. And navigating that with the former controller, which is O3 Media and IDTV, who created the original format in the Netherlands, and basically designing a game that is in the world and follows the rules of their game with some reasonable adjustments, because TV and live are not the same thing.Neil Connolly: It takes 14 days to film 12 episodes of The Traitors. Paul Marden: Really? Okay. Neil Connolly: So I was like, how do I truncate 14 days of somebody's life down into a two-hour experience and still deliver that same impact, that same power, that same punch?Paul Marden: Yep.Neil Connolly: But I knew from the beginning of this that it wasn't about time. There is a magic triangle when it comes to the traitors, which is time, space, atmosphere. And time was the thing that I always struggled with. I don't have a Scottish cattle show, and I don't have two weeks. No. So I'm like, 'Cool, I've got to do it in two hours.' So our format follows exactly the same format. We do a breakfast scene, then a mission, then a roundtable banishment, then there's a conclave where the traitors meet and they murder somebody. And I do that in a seven-day structure, a seven-day cycle. But it all happens within two hours around this round table.Neil Connolly: I'm the creative director for Immersive Everywhere. We're a vertically integrated structure in the sense that we take on our own venues. So we're now standing in Shorts Gardens in the middle of Covent Garden. So we've leased this building. We've got a lease that is for a number of years and we have built the show into it. But we also identify the IP, go after that ourselves, we capitalise the projects ourselves. We seek strategic partners, promoters, other people to kind of come involved in that journey. But because we're also the team that are licensing the product, we are also the producers and I'm the creative director for that company. So I developed the creative in line with while also getting the deal done. This is incredibly unusual because other producers will be like, 'Hey, I've identified this IP and I've got it.' Now I'm going to approach a creative agency and I'm going to get them to develop the product. And now I've done all of that, I'm going to find someone else to operationally put it on, or I'm going to find a venue to put it on in, and then I'm going to find my ticketing partner.  But we don't do that. We have our own ticketing platform, and we have our own database, so we mark our own shoulders.Neil Connolly: As well as other experiences too. Back, we have our own creative industry, we are the producers, we are the female workers. So we cast it, we hire all the front of house team, we run the food and beverage, we run the bars. The operations team is our operations team because they run the venue as well as the show at the same time. So that's what I mean. We're a vertically integrated structure, which means we do it, which makes us a very unusual proposition within... certainly within the UK market, possibly the world. It makes us incredibly agile as a company and makes us to be able to be adaptive and proactive and reactive to the product, to the show, to the market that we're operating in, because it's all under one roof.Neil Connolly: This show started January 24th, 2023. Right. It's very specific because I was sitting on my sofa drinking a lovely glass of Merlot and I had just watched... UK Traitors, Season One. Yep. Because it came out that Christmas. Immediately I was like, 'Oh my God, this is insane.' And then I got a text message that particular night from our head of licensing, a guy named Tom Rowe, lovely man. And he was like, Neil, I'm at a licensing event with some friends of mine and everyone's talking about this thing called Traitors. I've not watched it. Have you watched it? Sounds like it might be a good thing. And so I sat back and drank my Merlot. And about five minutes later, I text him back and I was like, Tom, get us that license.Neil Connolly: And then I sent him a bunch of other details of how the show in my head would work, both from a commercial standpoint, but also from a creative standpoint, because I'm a commercially minded creative. Right. So I instantly took out my notebook and I started writing down exactly how I thought the show was going to do, the challenges that we would face and being able to translate this into a live thing. But I literally started writing it that night. And then he watched the first episode on the train on the way home. And then he texted me the next morning and he was like, 'I love it.' What do we need to do? And I was like, 'Get us in the room.' Two days later, we were in the room with all three media who own the format globally.Paul Marden: Okay.Neil Connolly: So we sat down and then they came to see one of our other shows and they were like, 'Okay, we get it now.' And then that was like two and a half years of just building the show, getting the deal done and facing the myriad of challenges. But yeah, sometimes it just starts with the text message.Paul Marden: So they get to experience all the key parts of the TV.Neil Connolly: All the key beats. Like right now, I'm holding one of the slates. They're not chalkboard slates. Again, this is... Oh, actually, this is a good challenge. So in the TV show, they've got a piece of slate and they write on it with a chalkboard pen. This seems so innocuous and I can't believe I'm talking about this on a podcast.Neil Connolly: Slategate was like six months of my life. Not in its entirety, but it was a six month long conversation about how we do the slates correctly. Because we do... 48 shows a day, six days a week. And those slates will crack. They will bash. And they're kind of a bit health and safety standards. I was like, can't have them. Also, they write on them with chalk pens, white ink chalk pens. But in the TV show, you only do it once a night. Yeah.Paul Marden: And then you have a producer and a runner.Neil Connolly: They just clean them very, very leisurely and set them back for the next day. And I was like, no, I've got to do a whole bunch of roundtable banishments in two hours. So we talked a lot about material, about style, literal viewership, because if you take a seat at the table. Yeah. If you're sitting at the table here, you'll notice that we've got a raised bit in the middle. If I turn mine around, the other person on the other side can't see it. So I was like, 'Okay, cool.' So we had to do a whole bunch of choreography. But also, the room's quite dark. Yes. At times, atmospheric. Yeah. In that magic triangle time-space atmosphere. So anything that was darker, or even that black slate, you just couldn't read it. And then there was, and then I had to— this is the level of detail that we have to go into when we're designing this kind of stuff. I was like, 'Yeah, but I can't clean off these slates with the white ink because everyone will have to have like a wet cloth chamois. Then I've just got loads of chamois around my venue that I just don't need.' And so then we're like, 'Oh, let's use real slates with real chalk.' And I was like, 'No, because dust will get everywhere.' I'll get chalk just all over my table. It'll just ruin everything. It'll ruin the technology that's inside the table because there's lots of hidden tricks inside of it. Paul Marden: Is there really? Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Neil Connolly: There's loads of hidden tricks inside the table. So after a while, going through many different permutations, I sat down with Christian Elenis, who's my set designer and my art director. And we were, the two of us were nearly in tears because we were like, 'We need,' and this only happened like.Neil Connolly: I would say two, three weeks before we opened. We still hadn't solved how to do the slate, which is a big thing in the show. Anybody who's seen the show and loves the show knows that they want to come in, they want to write somebody's name on the slate, and they want to spell the name incorrectly.Neil Connolly: Everyone does it on purpose. But I wanted to give people that opportunity. So then eventually we sat down and we were like, Christian, Neil. And the two of us in conversation went, why don't we just get a clear piece of Perspex, back it with a light coloured vinyl. And then Christian was like, 'Ooh,' and I'll make it nice and soft and put some felt on the back of it, which is what I'm holding. And then why don't we get a black pen? And we were like, 'Yeah,' like a whiteboard marker. And then we can just write on it. And then A, I can see it from the other side of the table. Thing one achieved. Two. Every marker pen's got an eraser on the top of it. I don't know why everyone thinks this is important, but it is. That you can just rub out like that, and I'm like, 'There's no dirt, there's no mess, and I can reuse this multiple times, like dozens of times in the same show.' And I know that sounds really weird, but that's the level of design I'm going to need.Paul Marden: I was just about to say, and that is just for the chalkboard. Yeah. Now you need to multiply that. How many decisions?Neil Connolly: How many decisions in each game. But also remember that there are eight round tables in this building. Each round table seats 14 people. And we do six sessions a day. So first ones at 10 a. m. Then we do 12, 2, 4, 6, and 8 p. m. So we do 48 shows a day, six days a week.Paul Marden: I love the concept that these are shows. This is not this is not visitor attraction. This is theater repeated multiple times a day for multi audience is concurrently.Neil Connolly: And I've just spent five minutes describing a slate to you. Yeah. But like, I haven't even got— it's like the sheer amount of technology that is in the show. And again, theatrical, like, look above our heads. Yeah. You've got this ring light above every seat. It's got a pin light. There's also microphones which are picking up all the audio in the room, which again is translating to the lounge of the dead. Every single one of the round table rooms has four CCTV cameras. Can you see that one in the corner? Each one of them is 4K resolution. It's quite high spec, which is aimed at the opposite side of the table to give you the resolution in the TV. In the other room. Then you've got these video contents. This is constantly displaying secret information through the course of the show to the traitors when they're in Conclave because everyone's in blindfolds and they took them off. They get secret instructions from that. There's also a live actor in the room. A live actor who is Claudia? They're not Claudia. They're not pastiches of Claudia. They are characters that we have created and they are the host of The Traitor's Game. Right. They only exist inside this building. We never have them portrayed outside of this building in any way whatsoever.Neil Connolly: They are characters, but they live, they breathe— the game of Traitors, the world of Traitors, and the building that we have designed and constructed here. And they facilitate the game for the people. And they facilitate the game for the people. One actor to 14 people. There are no plants, even though everyone tries to tell me. Members of the public will be convinced that they are the only person that's in that show and that everyone else is a plant. And I'm like, no, because that would be insane.Neil Connolly: The only actor in the room is the host.Paul Marden: 14 people that can sit around this table. How many of them are in the same group? Are you with your friends or is it put together where there are other people that you won't know in the room? If you book together, you play together.Neil Connolly: Yes. Okay, so if you don't book 14 people... Ah, we also capped the number of tickets that you can purchase to eight. Right. So you can only purchase a maximum of eight tickets unless you do want a full table of 14, at which point you have to then purchase a VIP package because you are booking out a whole table for yourselves. The game doesn't work if there's less than 10 people at the table. So there has to be 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 people sat at a round table for the show to actually happen, for it to work. By capping the number of tickets that you book for eight, then that guarantees that strangers will be playing together. And that is the basis of strangers. Yeah, yeah. Like, you need to be sat around a table with people you know, you don't know, that you trust and you don't trust. Yeah. Fact of the matter. And do you see people turning on the others in their own group? Every single time. People think genuinely, and I love this from the public, you would think that if you're turning up as a group of eight and a group of four and a group of two, that the bigger group would just pick everybody off to make sure that someone in their group gets through to the end game.Neil Connolly: I'm sure they think that and they probably plot and plan that before they arrive on site. As soon as this game starts, gloves are off and everyone just starts going for each other. We've been open nearly two months now. I have seen, like, children murdered of their mothers.Neil Connolly: Husbands murder their wives, wives murder their husbands. I've seen, like, three generations—like, we get, because it's so intergenerational, like our lowest, the lowest age that you can play this is 12. Right. And then it's upwards. I've seen three generations of family come in and I've seen grandkids murder their own nan.Neil Connolly: Absolutely convinced that they're a traitor. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100%. Or they banish them. Like, it's just mental. I've also seen nans, who are traitors, murder their grandkids.Neil Connolly: Like, and this is in a room full of strangers. They're just like, 'No, I'm not going to go for Barbara, who I met two hours ago in the bar. I'm going to go for my own grandson. It's mental.'Neil Connolly: The very, very first thing that I always think about whenever I'm creating an experience or whenever I'm designing a show is I put myself in the position of 'I'm a member of the public.' I have bought a ticketNeil Connolly: What's the coolest thing that I am going to do for my money? What is my perceived value of my ticket over actually what is the value of that ticket? I wanted to give people the experience of knowing what it was like to be sitting in one of these chairs at this table and feeling their heart. The pounding in their chest and I mean, the pounding in their chest, that rush of adrenaline from doing nothing— from sitting in a chair and all you were doing was sitting in a room talking to people and your heart is going.Neil Connolly: Because you're either being accused of being a liar. And trying to defend against it. And trying to defend against it. Or you actually are lying and you're trying to whittle your way out of it. And that feeling is the most alive that you will ever feel. Not ever. Like, I'm sure they're... No, no, no. But, like, give people that opportunity and that experience, as well as, like, access to the world of traitors and the law and everything else. But also, it's like any other theme park ride. People go on roller coasters because the imminent fear of death is always there. Yeah. And you feel alive. You're like, you've got such a buzz of adrenaline. Whereas, arguably, we do exactly the same thing as roller coasters, but in a much more longer-drawn format and multiple times. Yeah. And people do feel alive. When people walk out of the show, you see them go upstairs to the bar, and they are... Yeah.Paul Marden: You've said to me already that you don't use the word 'immersive,' but you know, I'm, I'm, I'm sat. The company is called 'immersive' everywhere. I'm sat behind the scenes. Okay. I'm sat in the room and the room is hugely convincing. It's like the highest fidelity escape room type experience that I've ever sat in. It feels like I'm on set, yeah, yeah. Um, I can totally believe that, in those two hours, you can slip. I sat on a game. It was only a two-minute game at iApple, but I was being filmed by one of the team. But within 30 seconds, I'd forgotten that they were there because I was completely immersed in the game. I can believe that, sitting in here right now, you could forget where you were and what you were doing, that you were completely submerged in the reality of the land that you're in.Neil Connolly: Yeah, 100%. Like, the world does not exist beyond these worlds. And for some people, like, I have my own definition. Everyone's got a different definition of what immersive is. I've got my own definition. But... I can tell you right now, as soon as people enter this building, they're in the bar, they're kind of slowly immersed in that world because the bar is a themed bar. It's done to the same, like we designed and built that bar as well. But as soon as they start descending that spiral staircase and coming into the gameplay floors, into the show floors, they just forget the rest of the world exists. And especially when they sit down at this table, it doesn't matter. I'm sat next to you here, but you could be sat at this table with your loved one, strangers, whatever. The gloves come off and just nothing exists apart from the game that you're about to go through.Paul Marden: You've been open now for a couple of months. More success than you were anticipating, I think. So pre-sales went through the roof? Yes. So you're very happy with the results?Neil Connolly: Yeah, yeah, we were. Yeah, well, we still are.Neil Connolly: We were very confident before we'd even started building the show, like the literal structural build, because we did very well. But then that set expectations quite high because I had a lot of people that had bought tickets and I was like, 'OK, I need to put on a good show for these people. And I need to make sure that they get satisfaction relative to the tickets that they bought.' But I don't feel pressure. I do feel anxiety quite a lot. Creatively? Yeah. I mean, I meditate every day.Paul Marden: But you've created this amazing world and you're inviting people into it. And as a creative, you're opening yourself up, aren't you? People are walking into the world that you've created.Neil Connolly: Yeah, this was said to me. This is not something that I came up with myself, and I do say this really humbly, but it was something that was said to me. It was on opening day, and a bunch of my friends came to playtest the show. And they were like, 'Oh, this is your brain in a building.'Neil Connolly: And I was like, 'Yeah, I hadn't thought about that.' But yeah, it is my brain in a building. But also that's terrifying, I think, for everybody else, because I know what happens inside my brain and it's really quite chaotic.Neil Connolly: But, you know, this I am. I'm so proud of this show. Like you could not believe how proud I am of this show. But also a huge part of my job is to find people that are smarter than me at the relative thing that they do, such as the rest of my creative team. They're all so much smarter than me. My job is vision and to be able to communicate that vision clearly and effectively so that they go, 'I understand.' The amount of times that people on the creative team turn around to me and go, 'Neil, that's a completely mental idea.' If people are saying to me, 'No one's ever done that before' or 'that's not the way things are done.'Neil Connolly: Or we can do that, but we're going to have to probably invent a whole new thing. If people are saying those things to me, I know I'm doing my job correctly. And I'm not doing that to challenge myself, but everything that I approach in terms of how I build shows is not about format. It's not about blueprints. It's not like, 'Hey, I've done this before, so I'm just going to do this again because I know that's a really neat trick.' I go back to, 'I made the show because I wanted people's heart to pound in their chest while they're sitting in a chair and make them feel alive.'Paul Marden: Is that the vision that you had in your head? So you're articulating that really, really clearly. Is that the vision that you sold to everybody on, not maybe day one, but within a couple of days of talking about this? No, it was day one.Neil Connolly: It was day one. Everyone went, that's a completely mental idea. But, you know, it's my job to try and communicate that as effectively and clearly as I can. But again, I am just one man. My job is vision. And, you know, there's lighting design, sound design, art direction, there's game logic. We haven't even gotten to the technology of how this show works yet, or how this room works.Neil Connolly: Actually, I'll wander down the corner. Yeah, let's do that. But, like, there's other, like, lots of hidden tricks. Like, this is one of the games, one of the missions. In the world and the lore of the show, the round table is sacrosanct.Paul Marden: Yes.Neil Connolly: Traitors is the game. The game is in other people. I can do so many missions and there's loads of missions and they're really fun in this show. But the game is in other people. It's in the people sat on the other side of the room. But also I wanted to do a thing where people could interact directly with the set. And so I designed one of the missions to be in the round table itself.Neil Connolly: So there's a course of these moon dials, which you basically have to align through the course of it. And there are sensors built into the table so that they know when they're in the correct position. How you find out the correct position is by solving a very, very simple puzzle and then communicating effectively to a bunch of strangers that you just met.Neil Connolly: And the sensors basically read it all. And when that all gets into position, the lights react, the sound reacts, the video content reacts, the whole room reacts to you. So I wanted to give people something tangible that they can touch and they make the room react to them. Yes, it's. I mean, I've designed, I've got background in escape rooms as well, right? Um, so I've done a lot of that kind of stuff as well. So I wanted people to feel in touch, same, but like, there's more tangible props over here. Um, yeah, that is a model box of the room that we are stood in, yeah. Also, there's an exact replica of it on the other side of it. There are very subtle differences between it, and that informs one of the missions. So that is two model boxes in this roundtable room. There's one of these in every single roundtable room. So there's 16 model boxes of the show that you're stood in on the set. And again, theatre. It's a show. But it's one of the missions, because I wanted people to kind of go, 'Oh, there's a live actor in front of me.' I'm having fun. Oh, look at all these lights and all the sound. Oh, there's a model box over here. That's in theatre land and blah, blah, blah. But that is also a really expensive joke. It's a really expensive joke. And there's other, like, lots of hidden tricks.Neil Connolly: Let's go look at backstage. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.Neil Connolly: I say backstage, like how we refer to it or how I always go. I use 'I' and 'we' very interchangeably. Like right now you're on the set. Like you're on the stage. Yes. We're just wandering around a long corridor. There are round table rooms off to either side. But like, you know, there's a green room upstairs where the actors get changed, where the front of house team are, where the bar team all are. But as soon as they go out onto the show floor, they're on stage—yes, completely. We'll very quickly have a look at the gallery—yes, show control. Hi, Robbo. Do you mind if I stand in your room for the purposes of the audio? I'm talking to the technical manager, Thomas Robson. We're recording a podcast.Paul Marden: Robbo, oh yeah, okay. My mind is absolutely blown. So you've got every single room up on screen.Neil Connolly: Yeah, so that's great. There's 164 cameras—something like that. But every roundtable room has four cameras in it. Each camera is 4K resolution. So we've got cameras on all of them. We've got audio into those rooms. That's two-way, so that if show control needs to talk directly to them, they just press a button here and they can talk directly to the room itself. Mainly just like, stop misbehaving, we're watching you.Neil Connolly: We've then got cameras into all of the lounges, all of the show spaces, all the front of house, all of the bar areas, the mezzanine and back of house. And then you've got QLab running across all of the different shows. We've got backups on all of these screens. So if one... of the computers goes down, we can very quickly swap it in for a backup that's already running. We've got show control, which is, there's a company called Clockwork Dog, who, they're an amazing company. What COGS, their show control system, is doing is pulling in all of the QLab from sound, all of the QLab from lighting, and also we built our own app. to be able to run the show. So there's a whole logic and decision tree based on the decisions that the public do through the course of the game. So yes, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end in terms of our narrative beats and the narrative story of the show that we're telling people. But also that narrative can go in. Hundreds of different directions depending on the actions and the gameplay that the people do during the course of the show. So, you haven't just learned one show— you have to learn like You have to learn a world, and you have to learn a whole game.Neil Connolly: Like, there's the server, stacks, which we had to build. You had to network and cable the entire building. So we have built an entire new attraction, which didn't exist before. And also we're pulling in information from the front of house system which is also going into the show itself because again, you put your name into the iPad when you arrive on site and then you tick a box very crucially to say, 'Do you want to be selected as a trader? Yes or No.' Because in the game, it's a fundamental rule. If you say no, you cannot be selected as a traitor by the host during traitor selection. That doesn't mean you can't be recruited.Paul Marden: By the traitors later on in the game. So you could come and do this multiple times and not experience the same story because there were so many different pathways that you could go down.Neil Connolly: But also, the game is in other people. Yes. The show is sat on the opposite side of the table to you because, like, Bob and Sandra don't know each other. They'll never see each other ever again. But Bob comes again and he's now playing against Laura. Who's Laura? She's an unknown quantity. That's a whole new game. That's a whole new show. There's a whole new dynamic. That's a whole new storyline that you have to develop. And so the actors are doing an incredible job of managing all of that.Paul Marden: Thanks, Robbo. Thank you. So you've worked with some really, really impressive leading IP, Traders, Peppa Pig, Doctor Who, Great Gatsby. What challenges do you face taking things from screen to the live experience?Paul Marden: Challenges do I face? We're wandering here.Neil Connolly: So we are in... Oh, we're in the tower.Neil Connolly: Excellent. Yep, so we're now in Traitor's Tower. Good time for you to ask me the question, what challenges do I face? Things like this. We're now stood in Traitor's Tower. Paul, let me ask you the question. Without the show lights being on, so we're just stood on a set under workers, what's your opinion of the room that we're stood in?Paul Marden: Oh, it's hugely impressive. It feels like, apart from the fact you've punched the fourth wall out of the telly, it does feel like you're on set.Neil Connolly: It's a really faithful reproduction of the set. So that's kind of one of the challenges is managing the public's expectations of what they see, do and feel on site. So that I don't change the show so that people come and play the game that they're expecting to play. But making reasonable adjustments within that, because TV and live are two very, very different things. So first and foremost was making sure that we get the format right. So the game that people play, which informs the narrative of the show and the narrative structure of the show. Breakfast, mission, round table, conclave. Breakfast, mission, round table, conclave. I've designed a whole bunch of new missions that are in this, taken some inspiration from missions that people know and love from the TV shows, whether that's the UK territory or other territories around the world. And also just other stuff is just clear out of my head. So there's original content in there. paying homage and respect to the world that they've built and allowing ourselves to also play and develop and build out that world at the same time. Other challenges.Neil Connolly: This is not a cheap project. No, no. I mean, the production quality of this is beautiful. Yeah, yeah, thank you. It is stunning. When people walk in here, they're like, 'Oh my God, this is... High end.' I am in a luxury event at a very affordable price.Paul Marden: Thank you. And then we're going back upstairs again. Yes. And in the stairwell, we've got the crossed out photos of all of those that have fallen before us.Neil Connolly: No, not quite. All of the people that are in this corridor, there's about 100 photos. These are all the people who built the show.Neil Connolly: So this is David Gregory. He's the sound designer. This is Kitty, who is Immersive Everywhere's office manager. She also works in ticketing. That is Tallulah and Alba, who work in the art department. Elliot, who's our lighting designer. So all of these people are the people who brought the show to life.Paul Marden: Amazing.Neil Connolly: And we wanted to pay homage to them because some of them gave years of their lives to building the show from literally the inception that I had in 2023. Through to now and others are the people who literally spent months of their life underground in these basements building hand-building this set and so we wanted to pay homage to them so we got all of their photos we did the iconic red cross through it yeah and we stuck them all up in the corridor just because we thought it'd be a nice thing to do.Paul Marden: You're in the business of trading and experiences and that ranges from art exhibitions to touring shows. There's always going to be a challenge of balancing innovation and profitability. What is the formula? What is the magic formula?Neil Connolly: I believe, first and foremost, going back to what I was telling you earlier about us being a collaborative organisation. We are not a creative crack that has been used for the show. We are also the producers of the show. And to make my point again, I'm a commercially minded creative. So I actually sit down with the producers and go, 'Okay, cool.' There are 112 seats in the show.Paul Marden: Yep.Neil Connolly: Therefore, how many shows do we need to do per day? How many shows do we need to do per week? How many shows do we need to do per year? Therefore, let's build out a P &L. And we build a whole business plan based around that.Paul Marden: By having everybody— that you need in the team— makes it much easier to talk about that sort of stuff. It makes it much easier for you to design things with the end result in mind. You don't have a creative in a creative agency going off— feeding their creative wants without really thinking about the practicalities of delivering on it.Neil Connolly: Exactly. So you've got to think like, literally, from the very, very beginning: you've got to think about guest flow. You've got to think about throughput. You've got to think about your capacities. Then you've got to basically build out a budget that you think— how much, hey, how much really is this going to cost? Yeah. Then you build out an entire business plan and then you go and start raising the money to try and put that on. And then you find a venue. I mean, like the other magic triangle, like the traitor's magic triangle is, you know, time, space, atmosphere. That's how you do a show. Like with my producer's hat on, the other magic triangle is show, money, venue.Neil Connolly: The truth of the matter, like I make no bones about it, I can design shows till the cows come home, but I'm always going to need money to put them on and a venue to put them in. Also, I want to stress this really important. I use the words 'I' and 'we' very interchangeably.Paul Marden: It's a team effort.Neil Connolly: You can see that in that corridor. I am not a one-man band. I am the creative director of a company. I am a cog that is in that machine, and everybody is doing... We are, as a team... I cannot stress this enough. Some of the best in the business are doing what we do. And everyone is so wildly talented. And that's just us on the producing side. That's immersive everywhere, limited. Then I've got a whole other creative team. Then we've got operations. Then we've got... It's just mad. It's just mad, isn't it? This is a job. Who would have thought, when you were at school, this was an opportunity? Not my principal or my maths teacher.Neil Connolly: So, sorry, just to balance the kind of economies of scale. That was the question, wasn't it?Paul Marden: Well, we were talking about what is the formula for making that an investment, but you know, the authority here is the effort you've put in to do this feels high, but at the same time, you have to find this thing. There is a lot of investment that goes into the front.Neil Connolly: But that comes back to creatives. Caring and I'm not saying the creatives don't, but I care. I care about building businesses. Yeah, not necessarily like building my own CV, like there's so many projects that across our desks. I'll be like, 'Yeah, that'd be really fun to work on.' But do I think that I can make that a touring product? Can it be a long-running location-based entertainment sit-down product? Can it be an art shop? Like you've kind of got a balance with what do you think is just creatively cool versus what can we do as a company that is a commercially viable and financially stable product? And so all that comes through in terms of the creative, but also in terms of the activities of how we run the building, how this model realizes. Because if you think about it, let's make Phantom of the Opera run in the West End. Yes. The show is very obvious, with many casts on a room, away, fruit team away, terrace, it's a big activity. If they haven't sold half that away, they have to use the whole show and play all those people.Neil Connolly: But if they haven't sold half that away from one of my shows... I only have to activate four of my rooms, not eight of them. Therefore, I don't have to call in four actors. I don't have to call in a bunch of the other front of house team and I can scale in the operations on the back. It's an entirely scalable process. Flexible, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, 100%. But also, like, we've got eight rooms here. If we decide to take this to another territory, and that territory demands a much higher throughput, then instead of eight rooms, I can do 20 rooms, 30 rooms. As long as we know that the market is there to be able to kind of get people through it.Neil Connolly: I love this show and I'm so proud of it. The main reason why I'm proud of it is when the show finishes, let's go into one of the lounges. Have you been into one of the lounges?Paul Marden: I've had a nose around a lounge.Neil Connolly: There are different shapes and sizes. We won't go into that one. We'll go into this one down here. That one, that one. It's always such a buzz when you're stood in the bar and the shows kick out, and you see tables and tables of 14 people going up into the bar.Neil Connolly: Area and before they've even gotten a drink, they will run straight over to their friends, families, strangers, whoever they were playing with in that table of 14, and instantly be like, 'Right, I need to know everything that was going on inside your head, your heart, and your soul over the last two hours of my life because this was my experience.'Neil Connolly: And they'll just go, and they'll be like, 'And this is what I was thinking.' And then I thought it was you because you did this and you touched your nose in a weird way. And then I thought you were sending secret signals. And then everyone's like, 'No, that's not what I was doing.' I was just trying to be a normal person. And they were like, 'Well, why did you say that thing?' It sounded super weird. And they're like, 'That's just what I do.' And it's just totally mental. And then they all get a drink from the bar. And we call it the bar tab chat.Neil Connolly: It's another revenue stream.Neil Connolly: I do talk about this like it's a show. And it is a show. You've walked around, do you think it's a show? Completely. I talk to established houses all the time. Like, you know, the big theatres of the land. Organisations that are national portfolio organisations who receive a lot of Arts Council funding. The thing that they want to talk to us about all the time is new audiences. They're like, 'How do I get new audiences through my door?' What can I do? And I'm like, 'Well, firstly, make a show that people want to go and see.'Neil Connolly: Again, they're like, 'But I've got this amazing writer and he's a really big name and everyone's going to come because it's that name.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, that's wicked. That's cool.' And they can all go pay reverence to that person. That's really wonderful. Whereas when you look at the attractions landscape or the immersive theatre landscape or like anything like... Squid Game, or The Elvis, Evolution, or War of the Worlds, which has also laid reality, or any of that kind of stuff, across the landscape, it is nothing but new audiences. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is nothing but actual ticket-buying audiences.Neil Connolly: And they come from all different walks of life. And what I love is that they do come in to this experience and we hit them with this like secret theatre.Neil Connolly: And they're like, 'Oh my God.' And often it's a gateway to them being like, 'Oh, I didn't realise that.' Maybe I'll go see a Western show or maybe I will go to the National Theatre and see something. Because that's the level of archery. Because those organisations, I love them and I've worked in a few of them, but those buildings can be quite austere, even though they're open and porous, but it's still very difficult to walk through that threshold and feel a part of it.Paul Marden: Whereas coming in here, coming into an event like this, can feel like a thing that they do.Neil Connolly: Because it's the same demographic as theme park junkies. People who love going to theme parks love going to stuff like this because it's an experience, it's an otherness, it's an other nature kind of thing. Because modern audiences want to play and do, not sit and watch. But we all exist in the kind of same ecosystem. I'm not taking on the National Theatre.Paul Marden: Gosh, no. I always talk about that. I think the reason why so many attractions work together in the collaborative way that they do is they recognise that they're not competing with each other. They're competing with sitting on your backside and watching Netflix.Paul Marden: Yeah, yeah.Paul Marden: Our job for all of us is to drag people away from their screens and drag people off of their sofas to do something. And then that's the biggest challenge that we all face.Neil Connolly: I think then that kind of answers the question that you asked me earlier, which I didn't answer. And I'm very sorry.Neil Connolly: is about identifying different pieces of IP. Like, yes, we largely exist in the world of licensing IP. And how do we identify that kind of IP to be able to translate? Not just how do we do it, but like, actually, how do we identify the right thing that's going to... How do you spot the winner? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And that is one of the biggest challenges to your point of we're talking directly to people who consume arts, culture and media and technology in a slightly more passive way, whether that's just at home and watching Netflix and then bringing that to life. In a very, very different way. If you have a very clear marketing campaign that tells people what it is that they're buying and what they're expected to see or do on their particular night out, because that's what modern people really care about, what they do with their money. Yeah. And they want to have a good night out. And I'm in the business of giving people a good night out. We also happen to be murdering a lot of people in the course of the show.Neil Connolly: Still a good night out. Still a good night out. But I'm in a place where the dead sit. Yeah, exactly. Lounge of the dead. And like, you know, this is a really cool space. Oh, it's just beautiful. You know, we've got the telephone really works. There's lots of information that comes through that. The radio works, that does different things. The TV screen on the wall, that has the actual live feed into the round table room that you've just left. And there's other little puzzles and hints and tricks in this room, which means that after you've been murdered or banished and you come to the Lounge of the Dead, you're still engaged with the game to a degree. You just don't directly influence the outcome of the game. But you're still involved in it. You're still involved in it. It's super fun. Oh, and you can have a drink in here.Paul Marden: I don't let people drink in the round table. Even more important. What's this?Neil Connolly: The dolls, the creepy dolls. What this is, this is the void. Creatively speaking, this is where all the gold goes when people win or lose it. And the creepy dolls are from the TV show. Ydyn nhw'r un gwirioneddol o'r sioe? Felly, gafodd studio Lambert, sy'n gwneud y sioe tebyg, llawer o brops o'r sioe tebyg i ni eu rhoi ar y ddispleiddio yma. Felly, mae gennych chi'r Dolls Creepy o'r lles 3 yno. Rydyn ni'n mynd i fyny. Yn ôl yma, mae'r peintiwch Deathmatch.Paul Marden: Which is from season three.Neil Connolly: And they get the quill and they write the names and got the quill upstairs. We've also got over here, the cards that they used to play the death match with. Excellent.Paul Marden: So you began your career in theatre. How did that evolve into the world of immersive live experiences?Neil Connolly: Life story. I am the son of a postman and a cook. And if you haven't noticed already, I'm from Ireland. There was no theatre in our lives, my life, when I was growing up. And I stumbled into a youth theatre. It's called Kildare Youth Theatre. And the reason why I joined that is because there was a girl that I really fancied.Neil Connolly: She had just joined this youth theatre and I was like, 'Oh, I'm gonna join that as well' and that kind of opened the world of theatre for me. At the same time, I then got spotted by this guy, his name's Vijay Baton, his real name's Om, but he converted to Hare Krishnanism in the 90s. And he set up a street theatre company in Ireland. He just taught me street theatre. So he taught me stilt walk, he taught me juggling, he taught me how to build puppets. And so I spent years building puppets with him and going around Ireland doing lots of different street theatre while I was a teenager. And doing street theatre and doing my youth theatre and then kind of all of that kind of came to a head when I had to decide what I was going to do with my life. I applied to go to drama school. And I applied to two drama schools. One was Radha. Didn't get in. Didn't even get an audition. And the other one was Rose Bruford. And they took me. And the reason why they took me— I probably wasn't even that good. But on the day that I was auditioning to get into Rose Bruford was the same day as my maths exam for my final exams at school. You call them your A-levels, we call them the leaving certificate.Neil Connolly: And while all of my friends were back in Ireland doing their maths exam, I was in an audition room pretending to be a tree or the colour black.Neil Connolly: Who knows? And they kind of went, 'Well, if I fail my maths exam, I don't get into university in Ireland.' Like, it's just a blanket thing. And so I was like, 'I literally sat across the panel' and I was like, 'eggs, basket.' And they were like, 'cool.' So they let me in based off of that. So I got a classical training. Then what happened is I came out of university. I was living with two of my friends, Natalie and Joe. And we had our own little production company called The Lab Collective. And we just started making shows. In weird ways, we joined a company called Theatre Delicatessen. Let's get away from this. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Neil Connolly: So Theatre Deli was a company set up to take over disused spaces in London and convert them into art spaces.Neil Connolly: Basically legalised squatting. It's the same as like a guardianship. But we weren't living in the buildings. We were just putting on shows and we put on art shows, we put on theatre shows. We did Shakespeare for a while. We wrote our own work and we just did lots of really, really cool stuff. And I worked in music festivals, classically trained actor. So I was trying to do shows. I did a lot of devising. I also joined an improvisation group. And kind of through all that mix, like those years at Delhi, which was making these weird shows in these weird buildings, were very, very formative years for us. The Arts Council wouldn't support the kind of work that we were making. We were like, 'Cool, how do we get space?Neil Connolly: How do we get or make money to support ourselves? And what are the shows? There's the magic triangle all over again. Space, show, money. And that's your apprenticeship, I guess, that brings you to here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like, again, I make no bones about it. 10 years ago, I was selling programs on the door of the Royal Festival Hall while doing all of that stuff. So in one of the Theatre Daily buildings, we did a show called Heist, which is you break into a building and steal stuff. That's what the public do.Neil Connolly: And a bunch of us did that. I mean, it's so much fun— kind of doing it. And off the back of that, somebody else basically tried to chase down the crystal maze. And then they went away, and then they called me up and they were like, 'Hey, I've got the rights. Do you want to make the crystal maze?' And I was like, 'Yeah, sounds like fun.' So I got involved with that, did that for a while. And then, from there, this is the end of a very long story. I'm so apologised. Yeah, from there, all of those different things that I've done through the course of my life in terms of operations, designing experiences, being a creative, understanding business.Neil Connolly: Building a P&L, building a budget, talking to investors, trying to convince them to give you money. All of that stuff kind of basically came together. And over the last few years, like the wildest ride is that pre-2020.Neil Connolly: We were just a bunch of people doing a bunch of weird things, making weird shows and weird attractions in kind of different ways. And then that year happened. And I don't know what happened, but literally every single major studio, film, TV production, game designer, licensor in the world, suddenly just went— brand extensions, world extensions, and they all just started calling us. And they were like, 'Hi, I've got this thing.' Can you develop it into a thing? Because I need to extend my brand or I want to build a world and extend that for the public. And we were like, 'Yeah, okay, cool.' And we were just lucky, serendipitously, to be in the right place at the right time. To be those people that people can approach. And we're always, we're very approachable.Neil Connolly: As you can tell, I talk a lot. And, you know, so the last five years, it's just been a mad ride.Paul Marden: So look, Neil, it's been amazing. I have had the most fun. Last question for you. What's next? Are you putting your feet up now because you finished this? Or on to the next? Neil Connolly: Very much on to the next thing. So we're already in production with our new show, which is called Peppa Pig Surprise Party. And that is opening at the Metro Centre in Gateshead next year. Oh, how exciting is that? It's very exciting.Paul Marden: So quite a different demographic.Neil Connolly: The demographic for Peppa Pig is two to five year olds. It's been a really fun show to design and create. To go back to a question that you asked me very early on, there is no blueprint, there is no format. I have embraced the chaos tattooed on my arm. And always when I approach things, any new show or any new creative, I am thinking of it from a ticket buying perspective: 'I have paid my money.' What is the coolest thing that I can possibly do with that money? And so therefore, I'm now looking at families and, like, what's the coolest thing that they can do for that ticket price in the world of Peppa Pig?Paul Marden: Let's come back in the new year, once you've opened Peppa Pig, let's go to Gateshead and see that. That sounds pretty awesome to me. I reckon there's a whole new episode of Designing Worlds for two to five-year-olds that we could fill an hour on.Neil Connolly: Oh yeah, 100%. It's a totally different beast. And super fun to design.Paul Marden: Oh mate. Neil, it has been so wonderful having a wander around the inside of your crazy mind.Paul Marden: If you've enjoyed today's episode, please like it and leave a comment in your podcast app. It really does make it so much easier for other people to find us. This episode was written by Emily Burrows from Plaster, edited by Steve Folland, and produced by Sami Entwistle from Plaster and Wenalyn Dionaldo. Thanks very much. See you next week.  The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

Roger Armstrong co-founded the legendary Rock On record shop and was running the Chiswick label long before the punk rock explosion of independents, a believer that you could license rare R&B, soul and rockabilly classics while cutting new records with rising stars (Shane MacGowan, Kirsty MacColl and Joe Strummer among them). He then co-founded Ace Records and talks to us here about the thrill of trawling through American label vaults, locating vintage tracks and finding them a whole new audience. Along with … … seeing Ella Fitzgerald and the Beatles in Belfast in the early ‘60s ... inventing a new Irish rock circuit and turning showbands into soul bands … how American Graffiti, Gaz's Rockin' Blues and the mod revival all chimed with Ace Records' re-issues … promoting ‘Tin' Lizzy (“that's what it sounded like on the phone”) and being immortalised in one of their lyrics (“I get my records at the Rock On stall”) … Joe Strummer in the 101-ers – “sensational, full-tilt, as if playing a stadium” … releasing Dylan's Theme-Time Radio Hour box-sets and the size of his record collection … finding a Little Richard demo and making an Elvis Presley speech album a money-spinner … being a pioneer tape rat and crate-digger and Ace Records quality control – “Stack ‘em low, sell ‘em high!” … “think of the strapline, then choose the tracks”: making compilations with Jon Savage, Bob Stanley, Bobby Gillespie and Paul Weller … plus reflections on John Martyn, Carol Grimes, Brinsley Schwarz, Rocky Sharpe, Irma Thomas, Arthur Alexander and the Count Bishops (“like the Stones at 78”). Order ‘Chiswick Records 1975 - 1982 Seven Years At 45 RPM' here: https://www.acerecords.co.uk/chiswick-records-1975-1982-seven-years-at-45-rpmFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roger Armstrong co-founded the legendary Rock On record shop and was running the Chiswick label long before the punk rock explosion of independents, a believer that you could license rare R&B, soul and rockabilly classics while cutting new records with rising stars (Shane MacGowan, Kirsty MacColl and Joe Strummer among them). He then co-founded Ace Records and talks to us here about the thrill of trawling through American label vaults, locating vintage tracks and finding them a whole new audience. Along with … … seeing Ella Fitzgerald and the Beatles in Belfast in the early ‘60s ... inventing a new Irish rock circuit and turning showbands into soul bands … how American Graffiti, Gaz's Rockin' Blues and the mod revival all chimed with Ace Records' re-issues … promoting ‘Tin' Lizzy (“that's what it sounded like on the phone”) and being immortalised in one of their lyrics (“I get my records at the Rock On stall”) … Joe Strummer in the 101-ers – “sensational, full-tilt, as if playing a stadium” … releasing Dylan's Theme-Time Radio Hour box-sets and the size of his record collection … finding a Little Richard demo and making an Elvis Presley speech album a money-spinner … being a pioneer tape rat and crate-digger and Ace Records quality control – “Stack ‘em low, sell ‘em high!” … “think of the strapline, then choose the tracks”: making compilations with Jon Savage, Bob Stanley, Bobby Gillespie and Paul Weller … plus reflections on John Martyn, Carol Grimes, Brinsley Schwarz, Rocky Sharpe, Irma Thomas, Arthur Alexander and the Count Bishops (“like the Stones at 78”). Order ‘Chiswick Records 1975 - 1982 Seven Years At 45 RPM' here: https://www.acerecords.co.uk/chiswick-records-1975-1982-seven-years-at-45-rpmFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roger Armstrong co-founded the legendary Rock On record shop and was running the Chiswick label long before the punk rock explosion of independents, a believer that you could license rare R&B, soul and rockabilly classics while cutting new records with rising stars (Shane MacGowan, Kirsty MacColl and Joe Strummer among them). He then co-founded Ace Records and talks to us here about the thrill of trawling through American label vaults, locating vintage tracks and finding them a whole new audience. Along with … … seeing Ella Fitzgerald and the Beatles in Belfast in the early ‘60s ... inventing a new Irish rock circuit and turning showbands into soul bands … how American Graffiti, Gaz's Rockin' Blues and the mod revival all chimed with Ace Records' re-issues … promoting ‘Tin' Lizzy (“that's what it sounded like on the phone”) and being immortalised in one of their lyrics (“I get my records at the Rock On stall”) … Joe Strummer in the 101-ers – “sensational, full-tilt, as if playing a stadium” … releasing Dylan's Theme-Time Radio Hour box-sets and the size of his record collection … finding a Little Richard demo and making an Elvis Presley speech album a money-spinner … being a pioneer tape rat and crate-digger and Ace Records quality control – “Stack ‘em low, sell ‘em high!” … “think of the strapline, then choose the tracks”: making compilations with Jon Savage, Bob Stanley, Bobby Gillespie and Paul Weller … plus reflections on John Martyn, Carol Grimes, Brinsley Schwarz, Rocky Sharpe, Irma Thomas, Arthur Alexander and the Count Bishops (“like the Stones at 78”). Order ‘Chiswick Records 1975 - 1982 Seven Years At 45 RPM' here: https://www.acerecords.co.uk/chiswick-records-1975-1982-seven-years-at-45-rpmFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about Art @ Music Box Theatre, Saturday Church @ NYTW, Damn Yankees @ Arena Stage (DC), The Wild Duck @ TFANA (Theatre for a New Audience), and This Is Not a Drill @ The York Theatre Bryson Battle (center) and the company read more

Today we're exploring how DTC brands can reach new audiences on Meta using partnership ads, and how they can improve performance and strengthen the paid social mix, as well as checking in on how Ridge's sweepstakes are going so far. We talk through how partnership ads compare to whitelisting, our experiences working with creators of all sizes, and what's actually driving ROI. We also get into the role of gifting, why ads run from a creator's handle often outperform those from a brand handle, and why single-handle creator ads usually feel the most native. Finally, we cover how partnership ads function as signal engineering, whether they truly deliver incremental reach, and the role of creative in making them work.If you have a question for the MOperators Hotline, click the link to be in with a chance of it being discussed on the show: https://forms.gle/1W7nKoNK5Zakm1Xv6Chapters:00:00 Introduction07:06 Influencer Marketing Strategies18:06 Partnership Ads vs. Traditional Ads27:23 Signal Engineering and Audience Insights35:20 Navigating Meta's Advertising Challenges44:37 Leveraging Influencer Marketing for Targeted Reach01:00:20 Enhancing Customer Experience Through PersonalizationPowered by:Motion.⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/pricing?utm_source=marketing-operators-podcast&utm_medium=paidsponsor&utm_campaign=march-2024-ad-reads⁠⁠⁠https://motionapp.com/creative-trendsPrescient AI.⁠⁠⁠https://www.prescientai.com/operatorsRichpanel.⁠⁠⁠https://www.richpanel.com/?utm_source=MO&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ytdescAftersell.https://www.aftersell.com/operatorsHaus.http://Haus.io/operatorsSubscribe to the 9 Operators Podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@Operators9Subscribe to the Finance Operators Podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@FinanceOperatorsFOPSSign up to the 9 Operators newsletter here: https://9operators.com/

I hear it all the time, women saying, ‘It's too late for me to start,' or ‘I'm already so behind.' Especially for those who are later on in their professional career, it can feel like everyone else is miles ahead. But here's the truth: You are not too late, and you are not behind.  In today's video, I'm breaking down this mindset trap and sharing why now might actually be the perfect time to start that business or finally make that bold move. Let's release the pressure and rewrite the rules, on your terms. Important Links: July Sabbatical Website in a Week How to Launch like Taylor Swift How to Get In Front of a New Audience  

Appearing on stages all across the country and the Off-Broadway rialto, RAPHAEL NASH THOMPSON has built a sterling reputation as a brilliant actor in the classics. He joined host NATHAN WINKELSTEIN, Red Bull's Associate Artistic Director, and special guest JESSE BERGER, Red Bull's Founder and Artistic Director, for a conversation focused on Shakespeare's Pericles. Thompson tackled the role of Gower in Red Bull Theater's 2003 production. He reprised the role in 2016 at Theater for a New Audience under the direction of Trevor Nunn. Thompson read an except from Act 3 Prologue—“Now sleep yslackèd hath the rout;”—and joined in a discussion of the rewards and challenges of this unique Shakespeare play. (10/4/2021)This event was part of PERICLES 2021 – a multi-faceted endeavor to provide an opportunity for our entire community to explore William Shakespeare's Pericles – the founding production of Red Bull Theater (2003) – with BIPOC voices in our present moment.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are dominating the media right now,  and there's no denying it.Both of their platforms are on a major upward trajectory, largely thanks to the new audiences they're reaching together. Whether it's through podcasts, merchandise, or GQ magazine features, they've mastered the art of staying relevant and expanding their reach. Today, we're diving into the same strategies they're using to grow their influence. I challenge you to step outside your comfort zone, explore new angles, and approach your business with a fresh perspective. Let's go beyond the usual and connect with new audiences, together. Important Links: Last Episode Fairway Finest Save TIME & MONEY by running your biz on a single platform- check out my software, Equipt360

Are you tired of endlessly creating content and competing on social media, only to see minimal growth for your podcast? What if the secret to reaching thousands of new listeners isn't more content from you, but smarter connections with others? Today, I'm diving deep into transforming simple podcast guesting into powerful, strategic partnerships that can double, triple, or even quadruple your downloads! This week, episode 219 of Podcasting Unlocked is about unlocking new audiences through strategic podcast partnerships! In this episode of Podcasting Unlocked, I'm sharing the importance of creating a deeper connection with the podcast host to enhance the guesting experience and actionable steps you can take right now to form strategic partnerships through your podcast. I also chat about the following: Reframeing podcast guesting as creating strategic partnerships for you and your business.Demonstrating genuine care for the host's audience by asking what you need to know to provide maximum value.Exploring out-of-the-box collaboration opportunities like content swaps, joint episodes, and more. Nurturing these new relationships after your episodes are released.This week, identify just one potential collaboration partner. Brainstorm mutually beneficial opportunities you could offer or explore together. Then, take action to nurture that connection! Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on turning your podcast listeners into leads and to hear even more about the points outlined above. Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don't forget to follow, rate and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!Learn more about Podcasting Unlocked at https://galatimedia.com/podcasting-unlocked/ CONNECT WITH ALESIA GALATI:InstagramLinkedInWork with Galati Media! Work with Alesia 1:1LINKS MENTIONED:Your Mental Health is More Important Than Productivity with Lisa ZawrotnyBeing an Effective Podcast Guest with Emily Aborn and Lisa ZawrotnyProud member of the Feminist Podcasters Collective.

It's always a good time to talk to God Knows, the Irish-Zimbabwean rapper based in Shannon. God Knows is a favourite returning guest, one of the nicest men in Irish music, one of the finest rappers in Ireland, a man who always has time for others, has an open heart, who puts collaboration, creativity and lifting people up to their rightful place. It's a great time to talk to God Knows because on September 26th this year, he will release a long-awaited debut album The Future Of The Past, featuring production by his close collaborator MuRli (we also get to hear where they first met which is a fun bit of trivia) and featuring the singles 'The Observer', 'The Art Of Alienation' and next week's forthcoming single 'Misplaced Empathy'. GK played Cork the night before we chat at a  Jameson Connects The Circle event at Crane Lane, ahead of the rapper's live set at Jameson Connects The Circle stage at All Together Now, this August bank holiday weekend. So we talk about this new music and its deep ancestral familial inspirations which have surprisingly links to an West Cork venue, growing up in a multi-cultural Shannon, DJing and pleasing the crowd (or not), our excitement about the new Clipse album and the weird stuff going on with AI in music at the moment. The Jameson Connects: The Circle stage at All Together Now features some Nialler9 favourites including Dry Cleaning, David Holmes, Maria Somerville, God Knows, DUG, Sloucho, Curtisy, Róis, Shampain, Adore and more. Listen on Apple | Android | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed | Podlink * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community

In this Le Random podcast, special Exhibition Discussion edition, our editor in chief Peter Bauman (Monk Antony) speaks to three exhibiting artists of Infinite Images at the Toledo Museum of Art.Those artists are Erick Calderon (Snowfro), founder of Art Blocks, Sofia Crespo from Entangled Others and Tyler Hobbs.Chapters

Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about Transport Group’s Hello, Dolly! in Concert @ Carnegie Hall, Machinal @ New York City Center, Prosperous Fools @ Theatre for a New Audience, Duke & Roya @ Lucille Lortel Theatre, and Drunk Romeo & Juliet @ The Ruby Theatre. Transport Group’s read more

Mike Buckley, Co-owner and CEO of United States SailGP Team, shares insights on transitioning from professional athlete to sports executive, building high-performance teams, and leading a cutting-edge sailing franchise. A must-listen for sports business professionals, sailing enthusiasts, and anyone interested in innovative sports leadership. Show notes - https://sportsgeekhq.com/mike-buckley-united-states-sailgp-team

Welcome back to the Finding the Throughline interview with Denali Sai Nalamalapu, author of the brand new book, “Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance,” which tells the story of six frontline resistors to the Mountain Valley pipeline in Appalachia. In this final installment of our interview, we cover:- The graphic novels and streaming shows that are inspiring Denali these days- Making the shift to writing for young adults- Listening to your audience–not just talking at them- Finding hope for huge problems (like climate change)- The shows and books that are helping Denali learn how to write in a way that engages a younger audience- The song that helps Denali “get in touch with being a little blip in a very big world”- The food Denali describes as “a flavorful cloud” Connect with Denali on Instagram @denalisai or at danali-sai.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thank you for listening! And thanks to this week's sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, Stefanie Haeffele chats with Abigail Hall on her latest book, How to Run Wars: A Confidential Playbook for the National Security Elite, which provides a satirical instruction manual for warfare. They discuss the various methods and approaches to bringing academic work to a broader audience, highlight the need for humility in providing commentary, emphasize the importance of Abigail's research in the increasingly militarized modern world and the role of satire in critiquing and resisting abuses of power, and more.Dr. Abigail R. Hall is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Tampa and a Senior Affiliated Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She has published numerous books, including her most recent satirical book, How to Run Wars: A Confidential Playbook for the National Security Elite co-authored with Christopher J. Coyne (2024). She holds a PhD in Economics from George Mason University and is an alum of the Mercatus PhD Fellowship. Her research focuses on U.S. defense policy and militarism.If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.Virtual Sentiments, a podcast series from the Hayek Program, is streaming. Subscribe today and listen to season three, releasing now!Follow the Hayek Program on Twitter: @HayekProgramLearn more about Academic & Student ProgramsFollow the Mercatus Center on Twitter: @mercatusCC Music: Twisterium

Harry Connick Jr. has earned the status to just sing but he never stops at that if it means reaching just one more engaged fan. Learn how to make your presentation come to life. #ThePitch #INICIVOX #VirtualMentorship

World Snooker Tour CEO Simon Brownell reflects on crowning a Chinese champion, alongside Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan.In a wide-ranging conversation just after WST's debrief of this year's tournament, Brownell discusses the plan to maximise Zhao Xintong's success at the Crucible, in China and beyond; Sheffield's future as host of the World Championships; the sport's Olympic hopes and global ambitions; and how to engage a new generation of fans.

A Note for Jacob: Since my second podcast recording with Matt, I am pleased to report that General Admission Seating for the May 5 event is SOLD OUT!!   It is a pleasure to welcome actor Matt DeAngelis back to The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Matt grew up on showtunes and Boston sports. Matt studied theatre at the University of Southern Maine and The Boston Conservatory before heading down Route 95 to NYC in 2004. In June 2009, Matt got the call to make his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning production of HAIR with Tony Award winner Diane Paulus at the helm. Matt continued with that production, “Across the Atlantic Sea,” to the West End in the role of “Woof” and then launched the first national US Tour of HAIR and was seen back on Broadway in the “Summer of Love” revival of HAIR.Following his time with the hippies, Matt launched the first national tour of Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT as the “Representative from Jingletown”. Matt's cross-country adventures continued in 2014 with the first national tour of ONCE, where he played “Svec” and five instruments. Over the last five years, Matt has been a veteran of almost 2,000 performances.   Thankfully, Matt returned home to Broadway (again with Diane Paulus) in the hit musical WAITRESS, where he starred opposite Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller, two-time Grammy winner Jason Mraz, and seven-time Grammy nominee and the show's composer, Sara Bareilles. He then toured the country with the WAITRESS National Tour as Earl opposite his real-life wife, Christine Dwyer, as Jenna. Upon returning from the road, Matt was a part of developing the World Premiere of The Secret Life of Bees at The Atlantic Theatre Company, directed by Tony Award winner Sam Gold. He also appeared in Orpheus Descending at Theatre for a New Audience.  Matt DeAngelis also started the Janice Jam in memory of his mother, Janice, who passed from metastatic breast cancer in 2022. This annual event channels the magic of Broadway to honor those we've lost, uplift those fighting, and fund critical research. This event serves as a yearly celebration of Janice, her love for theater, and raising money for those affected by metastatic breast cancer.   On May 5, 2025, a group of Broadway all-stars will join Matt and Christine for this event. Golden Globe and Oscar-winning actor Ariana DeBose, Tony winner John Gallagher, Jr., Tony-nominated actors Jeremy Jordan and Jenn Colella, Caroline Bowman, Kara Lindsay, Krysta Rodriguez, Omar Jose Cardona, Rachel Potter, and Stark Sands are expected to perform.On this episode of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Matt DeAngelis previewed the 2025 Janice Jam, revealed this year's music director, and explained how you can support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jake-s-take-with-jacob-elyachar--4112003/support.

VCommerce experts Matt Hodlofski & Nicolas Bailliache every Friday at 11am ET for a lively discussion on the latest developments shaping the #videocommerce and #liveshopping landscape. #vcommerceReceive weekly live shopping industry updates and tips in our newsletter: https://try.estreamly.com/newsletterSeason 3: EP11Tariff & EcommerceOura tapping in New Audience on QVCThe difficult balance between brands and influencers expectationNinja Kitchen Video & influencer strategy decodedWith special guest Melissa Daniels from Modern Retail! About eStreamly: eStreamly enables shoppable livestreams & videos across platforms, including your website, social media, SMS, emails... Video become a direct ecommerce extension with in-video checkout, boasting a 10-15% conversion rate. Fast and reliable, it's your payment, your inventory, your ecommerce. https://hubs.ly/Q02qJNmM0About Matt: He has over 25 years of vcommerce experience within product marketing and sales. He currently is a partner at e6 marketing, a firm that help brands to go on QVC/ HSN#curated #videocommerce news of the week #ecommerce #retail

Visit us at - https://marketingoclock.com/This week on Marketing O'Clock: Microsoft Ads' “Mature” makeover. More details on Search Max are revealed. Google's March 2025 Core Update finished rolling out, but with minimal volatility and limited impact. Plus, all the digital marketing news you missed this week!

Sam Thompsett is part of the team at award-winning marketing agency Genie Goals, who deliver all sorts of partnership marketing and advertising activity for eCommerce brands like Mamas and Papas, Bird and Blend and Industville. In this episode, we discuss: The secret to turning influencer content into high-converting Meta ads Why whitelisting influencer ads outperforms traditional brand ads How to use affiliate and influencer partnerships to lower ad costs The three ad strategies that will boost your click-through rates Dive in: [03:12] Influencer content boosts paid social. [07:33] Influencer whitelisting boosts ad success. [12:17] Audience alignment for broader reach. [13:33] "Brand Awareness Strategy Essentials" [14:59] Insider Tips from Sam! Find the notes here: https://keepopt.com/250 Download our ebook >> https://keepopt.com/ebook "500 Top Tips to Make Your eCommerce Business More Profitable" ****Get all the links and resources we mention & join our email list at https://keepopt.comLove the show? Chloe would love your feedback - leave a review here: https://keepopt.com/review or reply to the episode Q&A on Spotify.Interested in being a Sponsor? go here: https://keepopt.com/sponsor

The three amigos get together to talk about how comics reading has changed, and the many different ways that creators old and new can reach their audiences, and create new ones. The debate veers from the ups and downs of social media, the strength of community, the joy of nostalgia, double dipping on webcomics and more. All that and tons of brilliant indie books to check out in your weeks and months ahead! Great stuff to check out: Tribute Press, Vanguard, Stalkerville, Rising Sand, Ragtime Soldier, The Dry Cleaner, TBH Comic, Kieron Squires, Ken Reynolds, Silence, Vile, Warrick Walker, Erwin Papa, High Viz Festival, Lawless Comic Con 2025, Secret Identity Comics, Collision Comics, The Moon is Following Us, Daniel Warren Johnson, Riley Rossmo, Wulf and Batsy, Bryan Baugh, Axles Infernal, In the Garden of Earthly Delights, Luke Kondor, The Woods, Toast

It is a privilege to welcome actor Matt DeAngelis as a guest for a special edition of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast.  Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Matt grew up on showtunes and Boston sports. Matt studied theatre at the University of Southern Maine and The Boston Conservatory before heading down Route 95 to NYC in 2004. In June 2009, Matt got the call to make his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning production of HAIR with Tony Award winner Diane Paulus at the helm. Matt continued with that production “Across the Atlantic Sea” to The West End in the role of “Woof” and then launched the first national US Tour of HAIR and was seen back on Broadway in the “Summer of Love” revival of HAIR.Following his time with the hippies, Matt launched the 1st National tour of Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT as the “Representative from Jingletown”. Matt's cross-country adventures continued in 2014 with the first national tour of ONCE, where he played “Svec” and five instruments. Over the last five years, Matt has been a veteran of almost 2,000 performances. Thankfully, Matt returned home to Broadway (again with Diane Paulus) in the hit musical WAITRESS, where he starred opposite Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller, two-time Grammy winner Jason Mraz, and seven-time Grammy nominee, and the show's composer, Sara Bareilles. He then toured the country with the WAITRESS National Tour as Earl opposite his real life wife, Christine Dwyer, as Jenna. Upon returning from the road Matt was a part of developing the World Premiere of The Secret Life of Bees at The Atlantic Theatre Company, directed by TONY winner Sam Gold. He also appeared in Orpheus Descending at Theatre for a New Audience.Matt DeAngelis made many performance appearances on television with these multiple shows, including Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Matt is also seen on Person of Interest, Madam Secretary, Marvel's Daredevil, EVIL, For Life, Chicago PD, FBI, and Waitress starring Sara Bareilles. Matt lives with his beautiful wife, fellow performer (and Bostonian) Christine Dwyer, and their Boston Terrier “Chowdah". Matt and Christine also co-own THE WORKING STUDIO, a music theatre and acting studio dedicated to unlocking people's potential and embracing individuality in the audition process. They have also launched a successful master class series, UPGRADE YOUR AUDITION, with other top industry professionals to demystify the auditioning and booking process. Matt DeAngelis also started the Saloon Sessions. The once-a-month jam session features Matt and his cast members from Swept Away as they perform a combination of Broadway, folk music, and pop tunes. DeAngelis has brought together an impressive group of performers in honor of his mother and the countless others affected by the disease. The series serves as a celebration of his mother, Janice, who passed away in 2022 from metastatic breast cancer.  Janice's love of theater and music and raises money for the millions of people affected by breast and other types of cancer. The show also welcomes special guests. For their upcoming March 16 show, Tony-nominated actor Tony Yazbeck (On The Town), Emma Pittman (The Outsiders and Back to the Future), and Stephanie Torns (Waitress and Wicked) will join the festivities at Hurley's Saloon in New York City.  Proceeds from the show will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.    On this special episode of The Jake's Take with Jacob Elyachar Podcast, Matt DeAngelis spoke about performing in Hair, Swept Away, and Waitress. He also discussed starting the Saloon Sessions and how some of Broadway's biggest stars rally around the residency.Let's connect on social media: A) BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/jacobelyachar.bsky.socialB) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacobElyachar/C) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobelyachar/D) Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jacobelyacharE) Twitter (X): https://x.com/JacobElyacharF) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JacobElyacharBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jake-s-take-with-jacob-elyachar--4112003/support.

Celebrated stage and screen actor JAY O. SANDERS joins host NATHAN WINKELSTEIN, Red Bull's Associate Artistic Director, for a conversation focused on one of Shakespeare's most iconic characters. Appearing in the Henry IV's and The Merry Wives of Windsor–and also eulogized in Henry V, Falstaff is a unique study. Together they will read from Henry IV, Act 2 Scene 4: “But tell me, Hal, art not thou horrible afeard?” — discussing the rewards and challenges of playing Shakespeare's most lovable and licentious old knight. (April 5, 2021)Exciting update! Since we recorded this Podversation back in 2021, Jay O. Sanders was cast as Falstaff for Theatre for a New Audience's production of Henry IV — on stage from January 30 - March 2, 2025. At the time of publishing this remastered Podversation, audiences have 4 more opportunities to see it! 

On this week's show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove's new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.  Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat. Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar's “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy's move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.  Endorsements: Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang's SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK's Channel Four from 1991 Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins' halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker Steve: Pope Francis' letter to Vice President J.D. Vance Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove's new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.  Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat. Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar's “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy's move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.  Endorsements: Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang's SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK's Channel Four from 1991 Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins' halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker Steve: Pope Francis' letter to Vice President J.D. Vance Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove's new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.  Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat. Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar's “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy's move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.  Endorsements: Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang's SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK's Channel Four from 1991 Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins' halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker Steve: Pope Francis' letter to Vice President J.D. Vance Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove's new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.  Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat. Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar's “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy's move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.  Endorsements: Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang's SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK's Channel Four from 1991 Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins' halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker Steve: Pope Francis' letter to Vice President J.D. Vance Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove's new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.  Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat. Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar's “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy's move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.  Endorsements: Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang's SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK's Channel Four from 1991 Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins' halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker Steve: Pope Francis' letter to Vice President J.D. Vance Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Premier Jacinta Allan joined Jimmy Bartel to chat about the news the NFL is coming to Melbourne. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Premier Jacinta Allan joined Jimmy Bartel to chat about the news the NFL is coming to Melbourne. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As more Gen Z consumers reach drinking age each year, breweries face the question: how can they attract this new audience to craft beverages? To effectively appeal to Gen Z, it's essential to understand their values, drinking habits, and experiences they prioritize—and how these differ from those of previous generations, like millennials. This panel will explore Gen Z's top priorities in a brand, such as transparency, eco-conscious practices, and community involvement, and how these values can guide marketing strategies. Panelists will discuss the various methods they use to attract more Gen Z consumers who are new to the craft beer space. This includes appealing to their wellness-oriented drinking habits and offering beverage options beyond traditional beer. Key areas of focus will also include Gen Z's use of social media for finding authentic recommendations, along with their preference for budget-friendly options and experiences that go beyond just drinking. This conversation features: Anaïs Quintela (Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.) Evan Blum (BrewedAt) Michael Crosson (Bitchin' Kitten Brewery) Moderated by: Aaron Sperber (Craft Beer Professionals) Join us in-person for CBP Connects Half workshop, half networking San Diego, CA | December 10-12, 2024 Grab your spot now at cbpconnects.com Stay up to date with CBP: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/kgRIXUf/cbp

Writer James Graham on his Channel 4 drama Brian & Maggie, which stars Steve Coogan and Harriet Walter, and which tells the story of a hard-hitting interview between broadcaster Brian Walden and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which helped precipitate Thatcher's downfall in the early 1990s, John Douglas Thompson talks about playing Shylock in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice as a black actor, in a production by Theatre for a New Audience which is at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre, And live music from Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart, who have collaborated with Mary Chapin Carpenter on a new album, Looking for the Thread. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Mark Crossan

Note: "Act 2" will be a separate published audio podcast.*Get a FREE 7 day trial to Patreon to "try it out."*Watch the show live, daily at 8AM EST on Twitch! Please click here to follow the page.Email the show on the Shoreliners Striping inbox: eric@ericzaneshow.comTopics:*Right out of the gate, EZ gets mercilessly attacked about the previous night's Lions game.*Another Michael Vick hot take gets destroyed by EZ.*Zane comes up with a new nickname for audience members bullying him.*Dan Campbell's post game speech was subdued.Sponsors:Werner Roofing, Estate Wise, Impact Power Sports, Kuiper Tree Care, Frank Fuss/ My Policy Shop Insurance, A&E Heating and Cooling, The Mario Flores Lakeshore Team of VanDyk Mortgage, Shoreliners Striping, Blue Frost IT,Interested in advertising? Email eric@ericzaneshow.comContact: Shoreliners Striping inbox eric@ericzaneshow.comDiscord LinkEZSP TikTokSubscribe to my YouTube channelHire me on Cameo!Tshirts available herePlease subscribe, rate & write a review on Apple Podcastspatreon.com/ericzaneInstagram: ericzaneshowTwitterSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-eric-zane-show-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In today's episode of Play It Brave, we're exploring the often-overlooked aspects of branding that go beyond logos and fonts. Dr. Chelsea Shields, a 4x TED speaker and expert in placebo effects and human behavior, joins me to share her powerful insights into building trust with your audience. We dive into how body language, communication style, and relatability can transform how your audience perceives you and your brand. We discuss how to use your body and voice as brand assets, why perfection can actually hurt your relationships with potential clients, and why building trust means being intentional in the way you present yourself—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Whether you're working on your personal brand, business, or just looking to connect with your audience on a deeper level, this episode has the tools and tips you need to build trust and visibility the right way. Cassie's Portfolio (mobile) Cassie's Portfolio (desktop) CLICK HERE FOR FULL SHOW NOTES

About half of all podcast listeners discover a new show through a search in their podcast players. Want a new audience to find your show this way? In this episode, I chat with Flora from Calling Daisies about how she can set her podcast up the right way from day 1. Tune in to hear about the key podcasting elements to optimize so that your show appears in the search results and stands out as the best option!Listen to Calling DaisiesWant to make your podcast POP? Schedule a free call with me at www.ThePodcastTeacher.com/popThis episode was produced by me, The Podcast Teacher! Contact me at Hello@ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Spotify is now jumping on the AI hype train, teaming up with Google to use their viral AI podcast tool for the 2024 Wrapped, helping users generate customized content about their listening habits this year. It could be what Google needs to supercharge the feature's reach with more consumers. 

Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk about Death Becomes Her @ Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Swept Away @ Longacre Theatre, Tammy Faye @ Palace Theatre, Elf @ Marquis Theatre, We Are Your Robots @ Polonsky Shakespeare Center (Theatre for a New Audience), Communion @ The Cell, and The Blood Quilt read more The post This Week on Broadway for November 24, 2024: Death Becomes Her appeared first on BroadwayRadio.

Christopher Akerlind, has designed lighting, and occasionally scenery, for over 650 productions of theater, opera, and dance across the U.S. and around the world, including 24 shows on Broadway. Chris's recent work includes Waiting for Godot at Theatre for a New Audience, Lynn Nottage's play Clyde's on Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum, The Light in the Piazza, for which he won his first Tony, Paula Vogel's play Indecent, winning him both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards, Rocky the Musical, which garnered him a Tony nomination, Sting's musical The Last Ship, and The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, for which he was also Tony nominated. Among Chris's other Broadway lighting designs are: August Wilson's The Piano Lesson and Seven Guitars, Talk Radio, and the musical, Waitress.Chris's numerous shows not on Broadway include: Scene with Cranes for CalArts Center for New Performance; the premiere of M Butterfly for the Santa Fe Opera; and Martha Clarke's devised pieces God's Fool, Angel Reapers, and Cheri. Chris has also received an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence, four Drama Desk Awards, the Michael Merritt Award for Design and Collaboration, two Chicago area Joseph Jefferson Awards, as well as numerous nominations for the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards.Chris has taught lighting design at schools like Cal Arts, USC, CMU, and his alma mater, Yale.

In this episode of the Unstoppable eCommerce Podcast I chat with eComm Ignitor Alum, Jodi Benjamin from Life Of Colour. Jodi shares her journey of building an Australian art brand from scratch, discussing the challenges she faced, the importance of community, and her strategies for marketing and product development.  Jodi emphasises the significance of mindfulness in her products and how her business has evolved over the years. Jodi also talks about her team dynamics, outsourcing, and her definition of success, while offering valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Jodi is an Alumni of our eComm Ignitor Program.   Episode Highlights: Journey of Life of Colour's eCommerce Growth (02:51) Building a Community and Brand Awareness (05:48) Product Development and Opening Up to New Audiences (08:56) Marketing Strategies and Advertising (12:00) Team Dynamics and Outsourcing (15:01) Success and Future Goals (17:58) Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs (20:59)   Click here for all links mentioned in this episode. Enrol in eComm Ignitor Binge all episodes of The Unstoppable eCommerce Podcast here!   We hope you enjoyed this episode! Please subscribe, rate, and share the show - it would mean the world to me. There's more to come and we're looking forward to sharing how to sell more on your online store in our podcast.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we'll delve further into how innovations adopted in recent years by museums in Shanxi Province are enhancing the visitor experience, blending history with interactive exploration.

Send us a textWatch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4zsLVOdPGLsAmazon has introduced new features in Brand Tailored Promotions, including new customer acquisition strategies and audience targeting! In this video, Noah Wickham from My Amazon Guy breaks down the new audience targeting types and how to use them effectively to grow your brand. Learn how to re-engage customers, cross-sell, and improve retention with Amazon's updated tools. Make sure your next promotion is perfectly targeted!#AmazonSellerTips #AmazonMarketing #AmazonPromotions #AmazonFBA #AmazonSalesGrowth #CustomerRetention #AmazonAudienceTargeting #AmazonAdvertising #BoostAmazonSalesGet help from My Amazon Guy to grow your Amazon sales.https://myamazonguy.com/Watch More Amazon Tips: https://myamazonguy.com/videosTimestamp:00:00 - New Brand Tailored Promotions00:17 - New Audience Goals and Customer Acquisition 00:36 - Cart Remarketing and View Remarketing 01:30 - Customer Retention: New Audience Types 02:30 - Re-engagement Strategies and Cross-sell 03:20 - Cross-Sell Targeting with Complimentary Products 04:20 - Importance of Audience Segmentation 04:45 - Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Follow us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28605816/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenpopemag/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/myamazonguys/Twitter: https://twitter.com/myamazonguySubscribe to the My Amazon Guy podcast: https://podcast.myamazonguy.comApple Podcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-amazon-guy/id1501974229Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4A5ASHGGfr6s4wWNQIqyVwSupport the show

You might be forgiven for guessing SHHH! Ensemble to be a collection of musically minded librarians, but you'd be way off the mark. Because SHHH! Ensemble makes noise. A lot of it. On a variety of instruments. And people are loving it. Which might be especially surprising given that SHHH! mostly plays contemporary classical works, a genre that can be intimidating to many audiences. So how do they do it?SHHH! comprises Ottawa-based life partners Edana Higham, a pianist, and Zac Pulak, a percussionist, making them possibly the world's only professional piano/percussion duo. Since launching their ensemble in 2016, Edana and Zac have made waves in Canada's classical-music scene, playing in venues and festivals from coast to coast and garnering raves from critics and audiences alike. They have collaborated with renowned contemporary classical composers, including John Beckwith, Monica Pearce and past Art Restart guest Frank Horvat.Here they explain how they decided to join musical forces and how they've developed the “avant-accessible” style that at each performance invites an audience to take a meticulously curated and delightful musical journey with them. 

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: how to conduct an audience survey, brands fear culture wars, and Netflix is still courting advertisers.Find links to every article mentioned and the full write-up here on Sounds Profitable.

Our: Guest: Heather Alicia Simms (Actor/Educator ) Follow/Contact IG: @bkjamchild X: @HeatherASimms __ __ Our: Guest: Heather Alicia Simms (Actor/Educator ) IG: @bkjamchild X: @HeatherASimms__Heather Alicia Simms is a multifaceted talent, renowned for her compelling performances on stage, screen, and in voiceover. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, she is a trailblazer, being the first in her Jamaican family to be born in the United States. Her journey through the public school system ignited her passion for the arts, leading to a dynamic career spanning theater, film, and television. Heather's theatrical prowess has graced both Broadway and acclaimed off-Broadway productions. Notably, she captivated audiences in Theater for a New Audience's "Des Moines" and Soho Rep's Pulitzer Prize-winning production, "Fairview," earning accolades for her role. Under Lynn Nottage's residency at The Signature Theatre, Heather delivered powerful performances in "Fabulation" and "By The Way, Meet Vera Stark," winning a prestigious 2019 Obie Award. --Simms has appeared in a number of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , A Raisin in the Sun and Gem of the Ocean. Her film credits includes Broken Flowers (2005), The Nanny Diaries (2007), and The Light of the Moon. She also provided voice acting for All the Beautiful Things, Red Dead Revolver, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony and Mafia III. Simms guest-starred in a number of television series, including Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Third Watch, and The Good Wife. She had recurring roles in the Netflix series Luke Cage in 2018 playing Auntie Ingrid, and in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera The Kings of Napa as Yvette King in 2022. —----Join the conversation LiveChat as we raise the questions, give our opinions , and ask you the same questions... --Live Chat with Us Every week... -----Music: Audio Podcast : by Daniel Howse : www.youtube.com/ProfessorSoraMusic ** OneMicNite Theme Song "Chance" & Background Song "Kanye" Host: --Contact/ Follow Marcos on IG/Fb/IMdb/Twitter/TikTok: @MarcosLuis and www.MarcosLuis.com —Show: OneMicNite Podcast with Marcos Luis *Contact/Follow: IG/Fb/Twitter/Tumbler/LinkedIn/Youtube/TikTok @OneMicNite www.OneMicnite.com - - ** Listen to Audio Podcast: Available wherever you download , all digital platforms.. ** Support Us Now: http:www.Anchor.fm/onemicnitetalk ---Follow/Contact -- The Show: All Social Media Fb/Ig/Twitter/Tumbler/TikTok/ *** watch the episodes on Youtube @OneMicNite & www.OneMicNite.com ****Please Support this Podcast: PayPal/ Zell Pay: MarcosStarActor@gmail.com Venmo @ Marcoso-Luis-1 CashApp : $MarcosLuis1 Please Visit: The AzulesEn Online store to find Products that Compliment your Lifestyle: Link : https://azulesen.myshopify.com/products/onemicnite-signature-logo-unisex-talk-live-pod-tee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/onemicnite/support

A whole lot of discussion about Podcasting 2.0. It's almost the whole episode! Switching ownership of a show once producer has passed away, Alex Cooper from Call Her Daddy at the Olympics, some musings about those giant multi-million dollar podcasting deals, and stats, geographic and user agent download stats Audience feedback drives the show. We'd love for you to contact us and keep the conversation going! Email thefeed@libsyn.com, call 412-573-1934 or leave us a message on Speakpipe! We'd love to hear from you! SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE! Quick Episode Summary (2:24) PROMO 1: The Story Pilgrim (3:37) Rob and Elsie conversation (4:12) Switching ownership of a podcast if owner passes away (10:05) Alex Cooper at the Olympics and possible upcoming multi-million dollar deals (25:08) Feedback on Overcast App updates (31:16) PROMO 2: Seddy Bimco Pt 2 The Revenge (32:17) Making money in podcasting: advertising, value for value and more (47:01) Live streaming of your podcast (49:37) Person tag (50:50) Podroll (57:30) Having a tab to support Podcasting 2.0 features in Libsyn (1:08:30) PROMO 3: Ex-Homeschoolers Club (1:09:10) Stats: Geographic and user agent (1:13:35) Latest CPM monthly numbers from Libsyn Ads (1:16:15) Where have we been and where are we going? Featured Podcast Promo + Audio PROMO 1: The Story Pilgrim PROMO 2: Seddy Bimco Pt 2 The Revenge PROMO 3: Ex-Homeschoolers Club Where have we been and where are we going How to Get Your Video Podcast on YouTube (and Spotify!) - YouTube All the Libsyn Team sessions at Podcast Movement 2024 Follow us on Lu.ma to be informed about our LIVE events! Thank you to Nick from MicMe for our awesome intro! Podcasting Articles and Links mentioned by Rob and Elsie Leave us voice feedback! Kelces' "New Heights" and "Call Her Daddy" Gear Up For $100 Million Paydays | Bobby Burack | OutKick Podcasting 2.0 - Making podcasts better for everyone! HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! If you dug this episode, head over to Podchaser and kindly leave us a review and follow the show and share it on social! It would mean the world ☺️ Follow The Feed wherever you get your podcasts! → Follow via Apple Podcasts → Subscribe on YouTube → Follow via Spotify → Here's our RSS feed! FEEDBACK AND PROMOTION ON THE SHOW You can ask your questions, make comments and create a segment about podcasting for podcasters! Let your voice be heard. Call 412-573-1934 Email thefeed@libsyn.com Use our Speakpipe Page

Walmart's Justin Breton reveals how the retail giant is reinventing itself for the digital age through immersive commerce and virtual world experiences.In this episode, Justin Breton, Director of Brand Experience and Strategic Partnerships at Walmart, discusses the company's foray into digital platforms like Roblox and their new immersive commerce destination, Walmart Realm. Justin shares insights on partnering with creators, introducing real-world commerce in virtual environments, and Walmart's approach to innovation. He also touches on the company's strategy for engaging younger audiences and their cautious approach to implementing AI technologies.Links mentioned from the podcast: Justin Breton's TwitterWalmart Realm WebsiteWatch this episode on video:YouTubeCoinDeskFollow us on Twitter: Sam Ewen, Avery Akkineni, CoinDesk, Vayner3-"Gen C" features hosts Sam Ewen and Avery Akkineni. Executive produced by by Uyen Truong. Our theme music is "1882” by omgkirby x Channel Tres with editing by Doc Blust. Artwork by Nicole Marie Rincon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chuck and Big John talk about a poll they published asking if West Virginia is part of the South, then talk with Kenneth Vigue (CHAD: A Fallout 76 Podcast) about how the game has sparked interest and intrigue into the region and more!CHAD: A Fallout 76 Podcast: https://fallout76podcast.com/Fallout For Hope Charity: https://falloutforhope.com/Featured Music:Opening song: "Barefoot and Pregnant" by Gwen Levey & The BreakdownsWebsite: https://www.gwenleveyandthebreakdown.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1nM7mQrsw4FiFfHJKzrp3G IG: https://www.instagram.com/gwenleveymusic/Beef Rap - Credit goes to Mr. Awful (Instagram @mrawful304)-----------------------------------------------Timestamps:03:33: Is West Virginia part of the south?23:45:  Interview with Kenneth Vigue01:10:16: An intergalactic beef-----------------------------------------------HELP SUPPORT APPODLACHIA!Join our Patreon, for as little as $1/month, and access live events, weekly exclusives, bonus series, and more http://www.patreon.com/appodlachi-----------------------------------------------Check out our fantastic sponsors!Red Rooster Coffee! Use our promo code "DOLLY" for free shipping!https://www.redroostercoffee.com/CBD and THC gummies & more: (use code "BANJO" for 25% off) http://www.cornbreadhemp.com/ DISCLAIMER: None of the views expressed in this show represent the views of either Chuck or John's employers, and they never will. Support the Show.