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Defining Roles of Podcast Production: What is a podcast editor, producer and engineer?

Episode 5 • 13th May 2020 • Podcast Editors Mastermind • Steve Stewart, Mark Deal, Bryan Entzminger, Jennifer Longworth, Carrie Caulfield, Daniel Abendroth

All of us provide a needed service. Yet, as an industry, podcast editors don’t do a great job of defining our job. Editor, producer, and engineer are used interchangeably. So, what do these words truly mean to us, as editors, to our clients and the podcasting space as a whole? We get into the words we use to talk about what we do. How is a podcast editor different from a producer and different from an engineer?

Share your thoughts on what these words in our Facebook group. Let us know what you call yourself and what clients call you.

***We recognize that we are not necessarily qualified to define the terms, but feel total qualified to have the conversation.***

If you don’t know Steve Stewart, you should. From training editors with his Audacity course, providing resources in his Facebook group to putting on the only conference for editors, Steve is an industry leader. Oh, and he also edits many BIG financial podcasts!

Highlights

Steve shares why this conversation is important to have. How is podcasting different from radio, music, movies, and tv post-production... And different from his past-life as a DJ in the clubs.

Steve says that right now “podcast editor” is the safest term you can use to describe what you do.

What is a detailed editor vs. a content editor?

Bryan uses the word technical editing, but admits to doing some content editing. Carrie does do content editing and makes editorial decisions, but doesn’t make producer type decisions.

So what is a producer? Carrie thinks it has more to do with other jobs beyond editing… in the realm of indie podcasters. Steve’s on-board with that. Jennifer talks about the difference between radio and podcast production. Bryan wants you to think about the list we threw out, do the thing you’re best at and call yourself that.

How do you take these terms an attach perceived value to them? We don’t know the answer. It’s in the fuzzy parts maybe?

Steve says putting the word “podcast” in front of everything we do will help clarify things.

When should you NOT call yourself an audio or podcast engineer? And why you should correct clients and potential clients when they refer to you any sort of engineer (unless you are). Don’t believe Steve when he tells you he can fly a plane.

Carrie has found she has to teach the audio engineers she works with how to edit podcasts. Bryan shares a little bit about why that is.

Podcasters are soooo much better at streaming from home than the professional broadcasters.

Steve plants the stake in the ground on the language.

Editor: Content-- editorial choices & Detailed: taking out things like filler words and cat meows (thanks Clark)

Producer: The person who wears a whole bunch of hats doing non-editor and non-engineer stuff. (The BOSS)

Engineer: Someone with formal training who conditions the audio.

We didn't get into Sound Design or Narrative much, but we feel like that language kinda crosses over from other industries.

Steve shares how he edited PEM004… and it was no easy feat! Carrie titled her audio file “Sorry Steve.”

How Steve got his first client.

Guest Editor

This episode was edited by Dave Visaya of Podcast Engineers.

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