Shelton Hull
Behind the scenes of Jax Podcasters Unite
Words by Shelton Hull
Everyone, it seems, has a podcast these days. I have a podcast–two, actually–and you probably do, too. If you don’t, well, you’ve probably thought about it at least once, If you find yourself inclined to turn those thoughts into action, or even just learn more about new podcasts to listen to (as if we don’t all have too many already), the Jax Podcasters Unite group is exactly what you’re gonna want to tap into. And there is certainly no better time for that than at their next meetup, which is being held at Ruby Beach downtown on Wednesday, December 11 at 6pm. Ruby Beach has hosted these events in the past, but JPU likes to move them around, giving their colleagues the chance to experience different aspects and flavors of local culture. Their main base, though, has been Buzzsprout, a national podcasting platform and studio based in San Marco.
Jax Podcasters Unite has been a labor of love, literally, for its creators, Badr Milligan and the former Blythe Brumleve, the newly minted Mrs. Milligan. This meetup will actually be the first one they’ve hosted since getting married this past October 12. Both were active in the field long before meeting, Badr as host of “The Short Box”, arguably the city’s best and most popular podcasts, but that’s an argument worth having. He’s not having it, because he simply lacks the ego and rampant narcissism that has proven so sadly typical of podcasters, who tend to be boring white guys who vastly overestimate their own appeal. Both are old friends; during my time as co-host of “The Side Hustle” podcast, we recorded it at his old place in Riverside.
Brumleve, on the other hand, has been basically her own one-woman industry since starting Brumleve Brands LLC back in 2017. Her most recent project, “Everything Is Logistics”, has been downloaded over 100,000 times since launching in 2022. They spoke with Folio Weekly via email.
In your estimation, how many podcasts are active in Northeast Florida?
Badr: It’s tough to say. There’s probably a thousand active podcasts in NEFL if I had to take a guess. We have more than 105 podcasts listed on the site in our directory (which will be getting an upgrade in 2025), and over 500 members in our Facebook Group. Obviously that’s not representative of every podcast in NE FL, but once again, we’ve seen so many podcasters and shows come and go through the years. We’re ALWAYS meeting new people at our meetups who are either just starting a podcast, or have been podcasting for years. According to the latest Podmatch Report, there’s over 2.7M podcasts out there…but only 382k are considered active, which I think adds to the challenge of ever truly grasping the total amount of shows out there.
How long had you both been in the podcast industry before you two first met? Did you meet through the industry, or just at random?
Badr: I’ve been podcasting since 2012 with The Short Box podcast, and Blythe has been in the industry for just as long. We both met in 2013 because of our mutual friend: Ryan Thompson (who runs GAAM!). I invited Ryan and Blythe on my show that year to talk about a GAAM, and Blythe was the Editor-in chief of Void magazine at the time. So we talked about Jax, her sports career and popular blog at the time (GuysGirl)). Fast-forward to October 2024, and we’re married!
How would you describe the division of labor between you two, in terms of how you run the group?
Blythe: Badr is the big ideas and community engagement, while I like to play more behind the business scenes and strategy.
Badr: We have a good system that takes advantage of our respective strengths and preferences, but we take equal part in teaching and educating, and sharing our experiences with other podcasters in the group.
How many meetups have you had? What other locations have you had them at?
Badr: Our first Jax Podcasters United (JPU) meetup event took place in April 2018, at the former Space42 Gallery. Since then, we’ve hosted over 20+ in-person events all around Jax (including some virtual ones). We prioritize hosting them at local spots and establishments, so we’ve had the honor of hosting events at places like: Jax Public Library, 1937 Spirits & Eatery, Rain Dogs, Ruby Beach Brewing, and Ink Factory, and Buzzsprout (a global podcast hosting company that happens to be located here in Jax!) has hosted multiple of our meetups over the years. The furthest we’ve traveling for the JPU was Denver, CO. It wasn’t for a meetup, but we had the opportunity to speak at Podcast Movement conference in 2023 about how the Jax Podcasters United Group came together
What’s the most people you’ve had at an event?
Badr: We had over 80 people attend last year’s Podathon event, and we always get a good crowd anytime we partner with Buzzsprout for an event. On average, we normally have 50–60 podcasters attend from all over Jax, and sometimes St. Augustine, Orlando, and Tampa. We’ve also had people drive all the way from Savannah, GA before!
If you could estimate the total listener ship of all the members of the group, what would you say?
Blythe: We have 105 podcasts listed in our directory and over 500 members in our facebook group.
Badr: If I had to take a guess, it’s probably in the triple digits ~300-500k, but tallying total listener ship across all the members/ podcasts in our group would be extremely difficult. There are a lot of podcasts that aren’t listed in our directory, and there have also been A LOT of local podcasts that have come and gone since we started. We also don’t necessarily collect download/ listener ship data because it’s really difficult to account for all the different ways people engage with and listen to podcasts
How many people do you think have been directly inspired to start their own podcasts as a result of being part of the group?
Blythe: We know anecdotally about a bunch of shows that were in the works but found the community events to be the thing that pushes them over the edge to actually start it. That’s what we’re most proud of, along with the folks who have started podcasting businesses from coming to our events. We can’t take all the credit for this, because podcasting and business is tough enough on its own, but we like to think we provide the community of support to be their flashlight in the dark.
Are there any types of content that no one’s really doing here?
Blythe: I wish we had more local news journalism happening. [Author’s note: Maybe Folio can help with that next year, LOL.] Yes, there are traditional broadcast radio shows that also publish to a podcast feed bu, we’d love to be able to listen to a well-rounded set of shows that covers topics more in-depth and less in a “breaking news” sort of way. Like a “Tributary” publication, but the medium is podcasts.
How does the local/regional podcast market break down, based on race and gender?
Blythe: I’m willing to bet our group is the most diverse in Jax–not just race and gender but age and podcast proficiency levels too. We’re all on different journeys, so we’ve always been super proud that our group can help answer your questions, no matter your background or where you’re at in your podcasting journey
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own podcast?
Blythe: Just hit publish. It’s as hard as it is simple, but we find it’s the most challenging part of creating a show on a consistent basis. 90% Most podcasts never make it past 10 episodes. So, if you’re committed to creating a show on a consistent basis and try to get better one step at a time, you’re automatically doing more than the majority of folks who ever start. Once you get past that mental barrier, creativity really opens up, but you must stay consistent.
Badr: My favorite stat to share with new podcasters is that the average number of downloads for an episode after seven days, is 28…and that’s for the Top 50% of podcasts! (according to Buzzsprout’s Platform Stats). Most new podcasters come in with an unrealistic goal (and timeline) of what their download/listenership numbers should be at, because they see what shows like Joe Rogan and other celebrity-run podcasts pull in. The reality of being an indie podcaster is a lot more humbling than that. Most people either burnout and/ or quit podcasting before they ever really find their voice, because their expectations are just TOO high. We like to champion the reality of this medium, and the different ways podcasters can find success, monetize, and grow an audience.
How has running the JPU thing helped you as a podcaster?
Blythe: I think the most shocking thing for us was when we went to Denver for a podcasting conference and a half a dozen podcasts and podcast businesses from Jacksonville were there. You’ll hear a lot in this town that you have to move to a bigger city to expand your career, but I don’t believe that. We already have hundreds of people come to our events just for podcasting so as we discuss future plans for the JPU, our motto now is “Why Not Jax?” and continuously asking ourselves how to build this community in Jax to where others around the country are willing to visit our city to see what we’ve done–and maybe try to replicate the vibe in their own communities.
Badr: Yeah, gaining new perspectives and hearing new ideas has been a big benefit for me. Jacksonville is home to an incredible community of podcasters and audio creators, and I don’t think enough people realize that. We’ve met a lot of interesting people and talented professionals that live in our own backyard thanks to the meetups and group. Podcasting can be a very recluse profession/ hobby, especially for shows with one person doing everything (hosting, editing, promoting), so it’s nice to find your tribe that “get you”, and understand all the nuances, pain points, and excitement that comes with this medium. I’ve been extremely inspired by the success of other podcasters in our group, and how differently everyone approaches podcasting, and how the definition of success differs for everyone. The possibilities and opportunities in podcasting are endless, and we strive to push each other to greatness. It all comes down to our core ethos: Community and collaboration over competition.
Follow FOLIO!