Episode 29

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Published on:

14th Apr 2026

OpenAI TBPN Acquisition: Comms Strategy, Spotify AI Playlists & Summer House!

OpenAI recently acquired TBPN (Technology Business Programming Network). Rob and Elsie discuss the relationship between Sam Altman and TBPN’s John Coogan, the network's high production value, and what it means for OpenAI’s public-facing brand as they head toward an expected IPO.

Elsie takes a moment to celebrate Frank Racioppi’s recent Forbes piece, giving him his well-deserved flowers for his thoughtful advocacy and committed support of the independent community. While the article is titled "There's A War Of Independents In Podcasting," Elsie highlights how Frank successfully name-checks the creators and shows that mainstream media often ignores. She suggests that while the "war" framing reflects the struggle against celebrity-driven network dominance, the real story is the robustness of middle-tier creators who are building sustainable, profitable businesses on their own terms. Finally, the episode looks at Spotify’s rollout of AI-prompted playlists for podcasts and the ongoing friction of cumbersome guest intake forms.

Come to hang out with us!

⭐️ Apple Podcasts Video Q&A, with Elsie Escobar - YouTube

Links to interesting things from this episode:

People & Shows

  1. John Coogan & Jordi Hays: Hosts of TBPN (Technology Business Programming Network).
  2. Frank Racioppi: Owner of Earworthy and Forbes contributor.
  3. Cynthia Bemis Abrams: Host of Advanced TV History.
  4. Ciara Miller: Reality TV superstar highlighted in the Flattering Ram.
  5. Bitch Is Better
  6. Bravo! We're Black
  7. Morally Corrupt - YouTube
  8. pod.link/1533780254
  9. Snark Bait
  10. So Bad It's Good with Ryan Bailey

Apps & Technology

  1. Scooter Labs RSS to CSV: scooterlabs.com/hacks/rss2csv.php
  2. Spotify AI Prompted Playlists: creators.spotify.com/resources/news/prompted-playlists
  3. Captivate WordPress Plugin Sync: wordpress.org/plugins/captivatesync-trade/

Articles & Episodes

  1. OpenAI acquires TBPN | OpenAI
  2. There’s A War Of Independents In Podcasting
  3. DAX Expands Into Podcasts Targeting The ‘Missing Middle’ As Ad Demand Grows. | News | podcastnewsdaily.com
  4. Top podcast advertisers | Magellan AI — Podcast advertising analytics
  5. In & Around Podcasting Episode 25: Featuring Frank Racioppi.
  6. Everything you need to know in the 'Summer House' scandal which exploded this week

In & Around Podcasting is a podcast industry podcast started by Mark Asquith and Danny Brown and now hosted by Elsie Escobar and Rob Walch, continuing its mission as an industry show that belongs to the whole community.

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OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
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About the Podcast

In & Around Podcasting
Highlighting Powerful Podcasting Perspectives: the inclusive podcast industry show for the day-to-day podcast enthusiast. Bringing industry insiders and real-life podcasters together to dig deep into the future of podcasting.
We love podcast industry podcasts - there are a lot of them and they're run by smart, passionate people who live and breathe podcasting and who are usually industry professionals.

Sometimes though, they don't give the day-to-day enthusiast, creator or indie podcaster a platform to have their say, often taking "the view from the top" as delivered by the "podcasting professionals".

In & Around Podcasting has been designed to respect and live alongside those shows and to be an accessible, inclusive podcast for every single podcaster; a show that allows everyone with an interest in the medium to have a fair, open and transparent view on the podcasting industry and how it affects them - this is your place to be heard.

The podcasting industry belongs to us all, not just the elite and it doesn't matter how long you've been in the industry, your voice is valuable.

Download the intro lyrics and more at https://www.inandaroundpodcasting.com.
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About your hosts

Rob Walch

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Rob Walch was inducted into the Podcasting Hall of Fame in 2016. Rob is the Vice President of Podcast Relations for Captivate. Rob is Co-Author of the book “Tricks of the Podcasting Masters” - Que 2006, an editors pick as a Top 10 Reference book for 2006 by Amazon.com. Rob was listed as the 5th most influential person in podcasting according to the book “Podcasting for Dummies” – Wiley Press 2005.

Rob has consulted on podcasting for eBay, Jack Welch, Tim Ferriss, Senator Edwards, Governor Bill Richardson, Dr. Mark Hyman, Noah Shanok (Stitcher), and the Sacramento Kings/Monarchs to name just a few. Rob was Chair of the Education and Outreach Committee for the Association of Downloadable Media and on the committee for the IAB Podcast Metric Guidelines.

Rob started podcasting in 2004, and is the host of the award winning podCast411 podcast, where he has interviewed such prominent podcasters as Quincy Jones, Walt Mossberg, Colin Ferguson (Eureka), Ronald Moore (Executive Producer of Battlestar Galactica), Phil Gordon (World Series of Poker), Larry Kudlow (CNBC’s Kudlow and Company) and Leo Laporte (TechTV, G4 TV). Additionally Rob is host of Today in iOS (iPhone) Podcast – The first podcast about the iPhone - www.todayinios.com and also the Space Business 411 podcast. Rob is co-host of In & Around Podcasting - which is a bi-weekly podcast covering Podcasting and the official Podcast for Captivate.

Since 2004 Rob has presented at well over 100 events on the subject of podcasting and New Media including: NAB, CES, NRB, Podcast Movement, Content Marketing World, Podfest, Newspaper Association of America Marketing Conference, Content Marketing World, the US Latino Film Festival, the Corporate Podcasting Summit, The Association for Women in Communications 2006 Annual Professional Conference, Social Media 2007, Ad-Tech, New Media Expo, and Blogworld Expo. He is also a regular guest Lecturer at the University of Kansas School of Journalism.

In 2004 Rob received his MBA from the University of Connecticut and has an Engineering degree from the University of Dayton (Go Flyers!!!).

Mark Asquith

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Known as "That British Podcast Guy", Mark is one of the United Kingdom's original podcasting experts. He is Managing Director & co-founder of podcast hosting, analytics & monetisation platform Captivate.fm which was acquired by Global in 2021 and is known worldwide as an insightful, thought provoking and actionable podcast industry keynote speaker.

Mark has educated on podcasting and delivered thought leadership at events including Podcast Movement, Podfest, Harvard's "Sound Education" and many more.

His focus is on helping people to achieve their own podcasting goals and on improving the podcasting industry for the long-term.

Elsie Escobar

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Elsie Escobar is a longtime leader in the podcasting space and a champion for independent creators. After nearly two decades in the industry, she's now focused on helping creators build sustainable, values-driven work through her role at Captivate, her mentorship programs, and her media platform, Multimodalee.

As Creator Success and Community Manager at Captivate, she works directly with independent podcasters inside their ecosystem — bringing her deep experience to support creators at every stage of their journey.

She's also the creator of The E-League and Creative Sovereignty Sessions, where she works with established creators navigating growth, burnout, reinvention, and long-term vision.

Under the Multimodalee umbrella, she's currently developing a new private podcast called Slight Spiral Dispatch — a behind-the-scenes exploration of voice, leadership, technology, and what it really means to build something that lasts as a creator today.

Danny Brown

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Danny has hosted and co-hosted (and appeared on) so many podcasts, if you called him a serial podcaster you wouldn't be wrong! He's been in the podcasting space for over 10 years, and has the scars to prove it.

He's the Head of Podcaster Support and Experience at Captivate.fm, the podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetization platform for the serious indie podcaster.

He lives in beautiful Muskoka, Ontario, Canada with his wife and two kids, where he spends winters in front of a cozy fire and summers by the lake. Well, when he finds time away from podcasting, of course...