A note from the host
Athlete, influencer, or other? We made a podcast dissecting sponsorship in the social media age. Here is why you should listen:
There is a hard limit to the number of times an author of any kind of content can call their shot. By rule, only some of one's work can be above average or a standout. So, if you are saying a story, podcast, or film is a standout, you better be right. You only get that claim a couple of times.
Nevertheless, there is power in honesty, especially around work that is meaningful.
The Rodeo Labs Podcast has been a place where I have been fortunate enough to have a great deal of authorship. Yes, the podcast is technically speaking a marketing wing of the small bike brand from Denver, Colorado. Yet Rodeo Adventure Labs was conceived as more than that. Notice bikes, cycles, or composites is not in the name, rather Rodeo Adventure Labs is a story company that just so happened to create bikes as a vessel to foster more story.
What is the point of cool bikes if it is not to take you on adventures? For me, as is the case for many other folks affiliated with the brand, it is the whole thing.
That has been the basis for everything I have tried to do with the podcast, especially over the past year. Our goal is to connect people who are interested in bikes, whether those bikes are Rodeo or not, to a deeper relationship with cycling. Whether that be through relatable stories from people across the cycling spectrum, interviews with interesting folks in the industry, or stories about adventures, I have tried my very best to bring meaning and our unique voice to it all.
Ultimately that has led the podcast to what I feel is its most significant and insightful episode yet: our investigation into story making, marketing, and sponsorship. It is meta, it is convoluted, it is under covered, and it is something that the Rodeo Labs Podcast is uniquely situated to cover through the work we have done over the past few years.
Even still the whole episode ended up being a long pull to bring from concept to fruition. The email chain started in November, followed by a first recording in December. The recording was fine, but collectively it felt like the three of us had more in the tank to make the product better, tighter, and more informative. Stephen and I had been circling this topic for years so if there was one episode to push for more, it was this one.
The holidays came and with it an extra dose of craziness which pushed the podcast back further meaning we finally recorded all together in mid-January. A not so easy audio edit followed, accompanied by moving houses and pulling wisdom teeth, but this week it all came together. Listening back to it again has been a relief to know that all that effort translated into something unique from us that adds nuance and perspective to what we find to be a fascinating topic.
All of this is a long-winded way of saying I am proud of this podcast, I am proud of the small part I have played in building a genuinely cool part of the Rodeo story, and I am excited to see where we go next! I know they cannot all be five-star bangers, but this one?
You call listen to the podcast wherever, but here is the link from Spotify.