Dan announces the Indie PaC Awards, the first-ever awards ceremony exclusively for independent podcasters and creators, happening March 15th at SXSW in Austin.

The ceremony will be hosted by Killer Mike, the Grammy-winning artist, entrepreneur, and advocate for creator ownership who has built his career on the same principles of independence the awards celebrate. Nominees include Steven Bartlett, Theo Von, Tim Ferriss, Lex Fridman, Kill Tony, Philip DeFranco, and dozens more.

The episode makes the case for why independent creators are the backbone of this medium, why they consistently outperform corporate shows in Oxford Road's ORBIT data, and why, on America's 250th birthday, the most American thing happening in media is independent podcasting.

The Indie PaC Awards are presented by Oxford Road with Libsyn as the founding sponsor.

Full nominee list and event details at IndiePac.com.

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Lost in today’s media landscape? Or are you just curious as to how the industry got here?

You need to go back to Marshall McLuhan, the grandfather of media literacy, and the grandfather of this week’s special guest.

On this week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Giles Martin ( EVP, Strategy, Oxford Road) welcome the legacy media guru Andrew McLuhan (Director & Founder, The McLuhan Institute).

Andrew’s work continues the legacy of his grandfather (Marshall McLuhan) and father (Eric McLuhan). The McLuhan family's work is enormously relevant to marketers: it’s all about the effect media and technology have on people. When marketers decide which channels to use and how to craft & place their messages, they would do well to draw on McLuhan’s insights.

Dan, Giles, and Andrew are talking: Early Media Literacy, The Media is The Message, and Hot vs. Cool. Let’s dig in.

“ Nobody loves being sold stuff, so you're already at a disadvantage. But people do love creativity. If that's not a license to have some fun, I don't know what is.”

- Andrew McLuhan (Director & Founder, The McLuhan Institute)

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When do ads build trust and when do they break it? That’s the question at the center of this week’s Media Roundtable: Industry Edition.

Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) is joined by Oxford Road experts Jillian Garner (Account Manager), Neal Lucey (EVP, Strategy & Product), and Kyle Jelinek (VP of Client Services) to break down what’s actually driving performance in podcasting right now.

From Podtrac’s new multi-channel ranker to Podscribe’s latest incrementality report, the team explores what matters beyond downloads. They debate long-form’s staying power, the durability of history podcasts, and what happens if ChatGPT introduces ads. Let’s dig in.

“Seeing that history podcasts are as popular as they are, it's a good reminder that people aren't actually moving away from depth. They're just adding short form on top of it.

- Jillian Garner (Account Manager, Oxford Road)

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Imagine you’re the best at what you do… and you didn’t realize it until now.

In a creator spotlight episode of Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes Gina Ryan (Host of The Anxiety Coaches Podcast).

Gina’s podcast is a quiet powerhouse that ORBIT ranked #1 in our Self-Improvement list. But because brands don’t usually share results with creators, she didn’t know she was a low-key marketing superstar.

Dan sat down to understand the secrets to her (formerly) secret success. They’re talking: Honest Ads, The Listening Family, and Hyper Organic Growth. Let’s dig in.

“ I just talk about it as if it's still me. I don't all of a sudden switch into: ‘And now a word from our sponsor,’ and become a radio advertisement.”

Gina Ryan (Host of The Anxiety Coaches Podcast)

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What happens when a podcasting powerhouse is also an elite marketer?

Find out in a creator spotlight episode of Media Roundtable: Special Edition.

This week, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes The Podcast Princess herself, Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, host of Young and Profiting). It's hard to overstate what big Hala fans we all are at Oxford Road. She’s one of the few creators who cares as much as we do about making the ads work. (Check out her Ad Infinitum episode with our very own Stew Redwine.)

Hala’s delivered great reads and results for clients for years, and ORBIT has the receipts. Young and Profiting was #4 on our OG Podcast list, and it’s #2 in this month’s Self-Improvement ranking. But hearing how Hala approaches the ads, that performance is the least surprising thing.

Dan and Hala put on a masterclass of creator marketing, talking: The Power of Demonstration, Letting Creators Cook, and Getting in the Weeds. Let’s dig in.

“ It's not about the channel. It's not about audio, YouTube, social, it doesn't matter. What you’re picking is the creator.”

- Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, host of Young and Profiting)

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Podcasts have walked the red carpet and settled into your living room. But where’s the industry heading next? Find out on a new Media Roundtable: Industry Edition.

Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) breaks down the biggest stories with fellow audiophiles:

• Bart Roselli (EVP Media, Oxford Road)
• Courtney O'Connor, (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road)
• Giles Martin, (EVP Strategy, Oxford Road)

The team is talking: The End of Ads, PodFraud, the Living Room Podcast, and more. Let’s dig in.

“ Is it the end of ads? No, but I do think that it's potentially an end of an era.”

-Courtney O'Connor (Director, Podcast Media, Oxford Road)

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Happy 2026! Time to dust off the crystal ball.

Will we finally get standardized measurement? Will podcasters still pick video over audio? How should you navigate a seller’s market?

Find out as we make big, bold (and accurate) predictions for 2026. All on a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition.

Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) welcomes back a stacked team of podcast nostradamuses:

• Hernan Lopez, (Founder of Owl & Co)
• James Cridland (Editor, Podnews & Podcast Business Journal)
• Kyle Jelinek, (VP of Client Services, Oxford Road)
• Neal Lucey, (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road)

They’re talking: Audio’s Rise, Standardization (Finally!), Seller’s Markets, and more. Let’s dig in.

“ My prediction is: the buyer's market has officially ended.”

• Neal Lucey, (EVP, Strategy & Product, Oxford Road)

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