SXSWORLD

Podcasts Off er New Path to Exposure For Established Comics by Scott Schinder " I t's about as true and honest a representation of me as anything I've ever put out there, and it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me career-wise," Marc Maron says of his podcast "WTF." in September 2009, the twice-weekly show has become a breakout success, logging more than 40 million downloads and revitalizing its creator's career in the process. "WTF," which features Maron's uncannily Since its launch revealing interviews with fellow comics, along with provocative, self-lacerating monologues, is in the vanguard of the current podcasting boom. It is also one of eight comedy podcasts that will be recording episodes in front of SXSW audiences this year, with Maron hosting an episode in which he will interview veteran actor Jeff rey Tambor. "I was just a guy scrambling to fi gure out what to do next," Maron recalls. "I haven't had great cosmic timing in my life or my career, but I'm happy that I got in on the ground fl oor of something that's still forming and was able to carve out a little chunk of it for myself. But I'm still part of a relatively small club." Th e ranks of comics-turned-podcasters also includes Doug Benson, who hosts the popular weekly "Doug Loves Movies," in which he and various guests discuss fi lms and comedy, as well as the monthly "Th e Benson Interruption," in which he adds his two cents to other stand-up performers' acts. He will be recording an episode of "Doug Loves Movies" at SXSW. Like Maron, Benson wasn't well-versed in podcasting before becoming a part of it. "Five years ago, I had no idea what a podcast was," he admits. A seminal alt-comedy icon who had hovered just below mainstream radar for the better part of two decades, Maron was at a personal and career crossroads when he created "WTF" in the midst of a painful divorce and at the end of a tumultuous stint with the now-defunct Air America radio network. He admits that he had never downloaded or listened to a podcast prior to starting his own. Doug Benson like to host a radio show on the Internet, and if so, what would it be about?' And I was like, 'I love movies, could I talk about that?' " Having had considerable experience with the creative compromises inherent in TV and radio, Maron embraces the intimacy, immediacy and creative freedom of podcasting. "Having tried a lot of things in 40 SXSW ORLD / M ARCH M USIC 2012 "Some dudes came to me and said, 'Would you Marc Maron this business, the podcasting medium allows me to be myself and work in an unfi ltered way," he says. "You can say whatever you want on a podcast," Benson adds, "because there's no Standards and Practices, no advertisers, and no executives to answer to. Which is the thing that I've always loved about stand-up; it's just you and the audience." While both "WTF" and "Doug Loves Movies" are available free to subscribers, Maron and Benson keep their production costs low and have developed ancillary sources of income to off set the programs' costs. Maron, who records most "WTF" episodes in his makeshift garage studio, has taken on commercial sponsors, as well as off ering paid downloads of bonus and archival episodes and various "WTF"-related merch. Benson makes "Th e Benson Interruption" and older episodes of "Doug Loves Movies" available as paid downloads. Podcasts also double as promotion for their for whatever reason, certain ones transcend." Benson's advice to aspiring podcasters: "Just do it. Anyone can have a podcast. And a Twitter account to promote said podcast. Do your own thing, whatever that may be. No matter what kind of show you want to do, somebody out there will probably want to listen to it."■ SXSW comedy continues through Saturday. For details on live podcast tapings still to come, including "Doug Loves Movies," as well as other programming, visit schedule.sxsw.com. hosts' stand-up careers. Maron, in particular, has seen a substantial upswing due to the popularity of "WTF," which has elevated him from respected cult fi gure to in-demand live attraction. "I still have a hard time believing that I'm now able to sell tickets and that people are excited to come out to and see me," Maron asserts. "I've been doing stand-up for a long time, and now all of a sudden I can go out and play in pretty big places, because I've got this whole new community of supportive new people." Both Maron and Benson agree that podcasting is still in its infancy as a medium. "We're getting 300,000 listeners an episode, but it's still a relatively small market," Maron notes. "It's also daunting how many podcasts there are, and how hard it is to stand out, but ROBYN VON SWANK LARRY HIRSHOWITZ

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