(This is collab! Check out Kegan’s companion piece here) After a weee bit of Linkedin stalking, I had the privilege of interviewing award-winning producer Kegan Zema. Kegan’s resume spans some heavy hitters - WNYC, Gimlet, and seven years at Lemonada Media on shows like The Sarah Silverman Podcast, Hard Feelings with Jennette McCurdy, Fail Better with David Duchovny, and Boneheads. In this conversations, we dig into the industry’s “pivot to video.” Kegan walks us through what the shift to video actually looked like on the ground at Lemonada (from repurposing already-shot 4K footage to the classic “two iPhones on opposite sides of the room” approach), and we debate whether audio-to-video is even the right question to be asking... Along the way: why niche beats “for everyone content,” what Nielsen’s audio/video data actually shows, and why Oprah’s podcast reveals how trends in media consumption and format impact even the biggest stars. We close out with Kegan’s take on which audio-producer skills carry over to video and a candid Descript vs. Pro Tools vs. Premiere comparison. Key Takeaways * Ask “why,” not “should we.” The real question isn’t should this be a video podcast, but why should this specific show be one — discoverability and trend-chasing aren’t good enough reasons on their own. * Some formats just don’t translate. True crime is a clear example: put it on video and it becomes a documentary, a fundamentally different genre with different production demands. * Consistency beats production value. Viewers bond with a recognizable, repeatable set more than with a beautifully shot but visually inconsistent show. * Audio isn’t dying — the data says otherwise. Nielsen’s Listen and Watch Report found 90% of monthly podcast consumers listen, while 62% also watch — audio is still the foundation, not a shrinking legacy format. * Editing for audio and editing for video are different disciplines. Audio can be spliced tightly to smooth out a thought; video can’t take that many cuts without feeling jarring — so a single file built to serve both mediums usually ends up merely “okay” at each. * Niche is a strength, not a limitation. Even the biggest podcasts (Call Her Daddy, Joe Rogan) aren’t “for everyone” — finding and serving a specific audience beats chasing a universal one. * The skills transfer, the tools don’t. Kegan’s biggest lesson moving from audio to video: the editorial judgment (cutting tape, shaping a story) is identical — only the software and workflow around it change. Timestamps * 00:02 — Welcoming Kegan Zema; his background at Lemonada, Gimlet, and WNYC * 00:03 — Shows Kegan worked on: Sarah Silverman, Jennette McCurdy, David Duchovny, and more * 00:04 — How Kegan stayed valuable through Lemonada’s growth years * 00:07 — Kegan’s path into podcasting: music journalism, a band literally named “Journalism,” and WNYC’s Greene Space * 00:10 — Lemonada’s early experiments moving shows from audio to video * 00:14 — How hosts and talent reacted to being put on camera * 00:16 — Debating the “pivot to video” — is podcasting’s growth really about video? * 00:17 — The podcast analytics gap vs. YouTube’s data * 00:22 — The real question: why should a show go video? * 00:29 — The “Amy Poehler effect”: familiarity and comfort in an audio/video hybrid show * 00:32 — Discussing Eric Nuzum’s Substack piece on video’s rocky history in media * 00:36 — The industry cycle: budget booms, downsizing, and the hollowed-out talent pipeline * 00:39 — Serving two audiences at once — the technical realities of RSS/audio feeds vs. YouTube/Spotify Video * 00:44 — Case study: Oprah’s podcast vs. her original TV show, and what it reveals about production budgets * 00:51 — Announcing Zema Media; Kegan’s Substack (”Making Podcasts”) and which audio skills carry over to video * 00:52 — Tool talk: Pro Tools, Premiere, Descript, and Riverside * 00:56 — Wrap-up and sign-off - See you at Podcast Movement! Links Mentioned * Kegan Zema’s Substack, Making Podcasts * Eric Nuzum’s Substack piece on podcasting’s pivot to video * Nielsen’s Listen and Watch Report Get full access to The Format. at theformatpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
