Alex Blumberg: the microphone is always on at Gimlet Media
The employees at podcasting company Gimlet Media are used to being recorded. They're asked about how work is going, about their concerns as the company grows, and about what they think about their boss, CEO Alex Blumberg, hiring his wife to join the team.
What makes it good is when you go directly at the stuff that's the most complicated and painful and anxiety producing.- Alex Blumberg, CEO of Gimlet Media
"Since I co-founded the company with my co-founder Matt Lieber, we've been rolling tape," Blumberg told Podcast Playlist's Lindsay Michael.
The recordings make up the podcast StartUp, which chronicles the building of the business' evolution over the past year and a half.
The podcast takes listeners into staff meetings as the company goes through big changes, and into Blumberg's home as he debriefs with his wife about his latest dilemma.
"I think it would be naive to say [the microphone] doesn't change anything. It's rolling a lot and you get pretty used to it, and I've been in the business enough to know that the more honest I am in my reactions to things, the better it will be on tape," he said.
"For me personally I think it makes me really dive deeper into the part of me that's upset about something and try to verbalize it."
Some things do get withheld from the podcast, like confidential business negotiations, and minor spats between employees.
"If we ended up ever having to fire somebody … I can't imagine we would ever put that on the air, that just feels grotesque and mean," he said.
"But by and large we say most of [what happens at Gimlet]. What makes it good is when you go directly at the stuff that's the most complicated and painful and anxiety producing. That's what makes the best episodes."
The honesty has paid off — StartUp is critically acclaimed and regularly sits near the top of iTunes' charts.
"When you think about the subject of this podcast, from the outside it's a very niche industry and a very niche opportunity," said Blumberg.
"Within that very hard to relate to story, there's all sorts of feelings that everybody has had. Everybody has felt like an imposter. Everybody has felt like I'm trying to do something that I'm not sure I can do. Everybody has been in a relationship where you and your partner don't necessarily see eye to eye on everything."
That, says Blumberg, is the key to his success — sharing the insider look at his business through the very relatable stories that arise along the way.
Listen to the audio to hear the full interview with Alex Blumberg.
Tune in to Podcast Playlist on Dec. 17 to hear a condensed version of this interview and an episode of StartUp.
StartUp was also featured on Podcast Playlist's very first episode.