The Relentless Optimist

Meliora

5.0 (1)
Business
Updated Weekly

The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible.

4d ago

The Story of Absolute Coldplay

What do you do when you're a brand new radio station and you need to prove you're different? You fly to Munich, record one of the biggest bands in the world, and hope the lead singer agrees to an interview. In the summer of 2008, Absolute Radio was weeks from launch in a market full of repetitive pop playlists and very little storytelling. Coldplay, meanwhile, were well on their way to becoming an era-defining band, and they had a stadium-sized gig lined up in Munich just days before the station went live. The usual approach would have been a breakfast show interview or an acoustic session in a studio. The team wanted to make a documentary instead, something commercial radio simply didn't do. There was very little time and even less budget. Breakfast presenter Christian O'Connell was sent out to tell the story. But could he secure the interview that was crucial to the documentary’s success? Chris Martin was protecting his voice. The clock was ticking. This is a story of an ambitious idea, of producing excellence against the odds, and of using storytelling to bring joy to millions. This is the story of Absolute Coldplay. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (02:24) The Rise of Coldplay (07:36) Recording On A Budget (11:14) Chasing the Interview (13:59) Post Production Sprint (17:15) The Sony Award
Apr 8

The Story of the First Multi-Screen Australian Open

Ten days before one of the biggest events in the global sporting calendar, a decision is made - the web experience for streaming the Australian Open tennis needs to be rebuilt from scratch. It’s a race against time to deliver on what has been promised - every point, of every match, on every court, available to watch live. This is a story of one summer in Melbourne, with matches pushed late into the evening and a team working in shifts through the night. Of Serena William's mum dancing in the stands, Nick Kyrgios doing what Nick Kyrgios does, and Leighton Hewitt's final match. A story that ends with nearly half a million app installs for a new product, millions of video streams, and a team behind it all that became more like a family. This is the story of the first ever multi-screen Australian Open. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (02:25) The app build (07:23) The ten-day rebuild (10:38) The war room social team (14:48) The legacy
Mar 27

The Story of Streaming Every Event at the Rio Olympics

Rio de Janeiro, 2016. The first Olympics in South America. Millions of Australians expect to be able to watch every athlete, every event, 24/7. The only problem: the technology isn't quite there yet. Seven West Media has outsourced development of the streaming platform to the official Olympic Broadcasting Services. What initially seems like the safe bet, soon begins to fall apart. Days before the Games begin, a UX audit returns 500 rows of feedback. The bug list isn't burning down. It's growing. Cue last-minute flights to Rio, unfinished accommodation with no windows, and long nights spent going through lines of code trying to fix the stuttering streaming service that millions of Australians were relying on. This is a story of ambition, of lessons learned, and the power of optimism. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Intro (01:40) The Streaming Vision (04:47) The UX Chaos (07:09) Arriving in Rio (11:09) The Social Backlash (13:08) Turning the Corner (14:41) The Lessons
Mar 4

The story of 7Plus

In a windowless warehouse in Sydney, a small team of digital professionals are building something in secret. It will be a new way for millions of Australians to watch television. The deadline for completion? Just nine months away. The launch event? One of the biggest TV moments of the year. All they have to do now is make sure they are ready. The task is huge, but they’re all aiming for the same North Start - build apps that will work on iOS, Android, web and every popular model of connected TV. This is a story of how being relentlessly optimistic, full of courage and curiosity can lead to amazing things. This is the story of 7Plus. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Intro (03:32) The Secret Warehouse Team (06:06) Chaos And Fun (09:08) Building Every Platform (13:56) Launch Night (16:53) The Legacy
Jan 27

The Story of Absolute Radio - A Brand Worth Fighting For

2001. A garden in Dublin. Three business partners are naming their radio consultancy. They choose "Absolute Radio International”. Little do they know how important that decision will become. Fast forward to 2007 and those people are at the iconic Virgin Radio and they make a difficult but decisive decision: rebrand. Absolute Radio is born but three days before launch, a legal challenge over the name threatens to throw all of their plans off course. This is a story of how courageous courage, curiosity and relentless optimism led to the creation of one the radio industry’s most well-known brands. This is the story of Absolute Radio - a brand worth fighting for. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (00:31) The Initial Idea (02:18) The Rebranding (10:59) The Legal Battle (16:06) The Legacy
12/14/2025

The Story of the Race that Nearly Broke the Internet

Every year, millions of Australians stop what they’re doing for four minutes to watch horse racing’s most iconic event, The Melbourne Cup. In 2015, how they watched that race was set to change. A bold idea was about to become a reality - for the first time, the event would be live streamed to mobile phones across the country. What had led up to this moment is a story of courage, curiosity and creativity. Of overcoming the odds to deliver, in just 100 days, something that had never been done before. The cost of failure? Enormous. The reward for pulling it off? The start of a new era in how live television is consumed. This is the story of the race that stopped a nation - and didn't break the internet. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (01:10) The Bold Idea (06:26) The Streaming Rights (12:18) The Big Day (16:19) The Legacy
12/08/2025

The Story of Radio Player

In the early 2000s, the UK radio industry faced an existential threat: streaming was changing everything, and radio risked being left behind. The problem was clear. But the solution required something unprecedented: getting one of the most competitive industries in the world to work together. With FM and DAB, listeners could switch between stations on one device without a moment’s thought. But streaming created chaos - thousands of websites, hundreds of apps, fragmented experiences. Eventually, the industry would come together behind a simple vision: agree on technology, compete on content. Getting rivals to agree meant solving technical challenges nobody had tackled before. It meant creating a space where all parties were on an equal footing. It meant putting short-term thinking to one side. This was about the long-term survival of radio - this is the story of Radio Player. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. (00:00) Introduction (00:31) The Challenge (03:10) Collaboration (05:28) The Technical Model (15:03) The Launch (15:49) Radio Player's Legacy
11/21/2025

The Story of Omny Studio's Podcast Pivot

Melbourne, 2011. Three founders have a big idea: personalised radio that knows your taste in music, your location, your favourite content. It's ambitious. Perhaps too ambitious. And whilst they're busy trying to solve that particular problem, they'll build something else entirely. The initial idea is One-to-One Cast - personalised radio. What they build is a world-leading podcast platform that will change the industry forever. This is a story of having the courage to pivot, the curiosity to find out what users really want, and the optimism to make it work. Life is what happens when you're busy making plans. Omny Studio is what happens when you're trying to build One-to-One Cast. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (01:14) The Initial Vision (05:15) Revolutionising Workflows (06:41) Building the Brand (10:23) The Pivot (13:54) The Legacy
11/09/2025

The Story of the Kick that Changed Everything

Brisbane, 2023. A 25-year-old stands twelve yards from goal. Between her and history: a goalkeeper, a football, and the weight of an entire nation watching. Cortnee Vine is the youngest player on the pitch. If she scores, Australia reach their first ever FIFA World Cup semi-final, and it’s all happening on home soil. Until now, women's football had been a side story. But in this moment, everything is about to change. But this story isn't just about what happened on the pitch. It's about the hundred days before that kick - when a telecommunications company took a gamble. What if 85% of the country decided to watch? What if the Matildas went all the way? What if technology helped change the standing of women’s football forever? Stadium networks upgraded ahead of schedule. A content delivery network rebuilt from scratch. A studio constructed inside a telco office. Engineers watching dashboards as numbers jumped by tens, then hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands - in microseconds. The longest penalty shootout in FIFA history unfolding while invisible infrastructure carried it to millions of screens across a continent. This is the story of the penalty kick that changed everything - on and off the pitch. Some sporting events are just games. Others stop a nation in its tracks. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (01:12) Winning the Bid (04:51) Challenges and Innovations (08:22) A Nation United (13:00) The Legacy
10/20/2025

The story of Shazam - the early years

A rickety staircase in Soho leads to a small office where four founders are about to do something impossible. They have an old Nokia phone, a laptop with a few dozen songs, and an algorithm. Years before the iPhone. Before streaming. Before smartphone apps. They’re about to answer an age-old question: What's that song? And in the process, change music discovery forever. Dial 2-5-8-0 down the center of your keypad. Hold your phone to the speaker. Wait thirty seconds. Shazam! Magic. Except it wasn't magic, it was something far more remarkable. And keeping it alive would require courage, curiosity and relentless optimism. From a laptop with a few songs to a $450 million acquisition, this is the story of Shazam - the early years. Some innovations feel like magic. The best ones make the impossible a reality. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. Sound effects: Soundly CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (00:18) The Problem to be Solved (05:34) Building the Database (09:25) Financial Struggles (10:51) The iPhone Revolution (14:43) The Legacy
09/29/2025

The Story of the Chapel of Elton

November 2010. A 19th-century chapel in North London fills with an unusual congregation. They haven't come for worship - they’ve come for something that's never been attempted before. Sir Elton John sits at a white piano, about to make history. Not just with his performance, but with the invisible technology carrying his music into homes across Britain. One artist, one piano, and a bold gamble on what a live broadcast could become. This is the story of how a small venue, an untested streaming technology, and three songs that became thirteen changed everything. How do you convince a man who could fill Wembley Stadium to perform in a chapel? What happens if the technology you've promised doesn’t work? And why did a global superstar choose to deliver hit after hit to a crowd of just 600 people? From a cold night in Islington to the streaming services in your pocket today - this is a story of how courage, optimism, and curiosity rewrote the rules for digital media. Some moments change everything. Some risks are worth taking. Welcome to The Relentless Optimist. The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible. Find out more: www.meliora.company This podcast is produced by 18Sixty - podcasts for ambitious brands. CHAPTERS: (00:00) Introduction (01:01) The Vision (02:47) The Tech (04:11) Securing Elton (12:40) A Performance Like No Other (14:26) The Legacy Created by Humans, Voiced Contributions by Humans, Narrated by AI

11 Episodes

The Relentless Optimist is a Meliora podcast. We believe better is always possible.

Creator

Meliora
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

11
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Meliora, 2025
Show Website

The Relentless Optimist