IGN PODCASTS

Role: Lead Producer, IGN Podcasts (2020-2025)
I led production for IGN's four flagship gaming podcasts, managing workflow, content strategy, and scheduling while overseeing a team of producers. When a channel consolidation fragmented our audience, I redesigned the entire podcast system, rebuilding content structure, implementing strategic scheduling, and creating multi-platform distribution that grew engagement to 5.8M+ annual streams.

THE CHALLENGE

IGN consolidated all podcasts from individual YouTube channels into one centralized channel, fragmenting the audience during the migration. Viewership dropped as listeners didn't follow the transition. Beyond the immediate audience loss, the podcasts had deeper structural issues that were limiting growth.

Analytics showed listeners dropping off early in episodes, signaling that content pacing wasn't holding attention. Recording schedules weren't aligned with industry news cycles. We'd publish episodes, then major announcements from Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo would drop the next day, making our coverage feel reactive and stale. Panel consistency was weak, with rotating cast members based on availability rather than strategy, preventing audiences from forming connections with recognizable voices they trusted.

THE SOLUTION

I identified that the problems were interconnected. Each podcast served fundamentally different audiences, but we were treating them identically. PlayStation fans cared about different topics than Xbox fans, and Nintendo listeners wanted different tones and energy. After E3's decline, major publishers had established predictable announcement patterns, but our recording schedule ignored them. The early drop-off problem wasn't about content quality, it was about structural pacing.

I redesigned the system around three strategic priorities: timing, structure, and distribution.

For scheduling, we mapped our recording days to each platform's announcement cycles so we could capture news as it happened rather than react after the fact. For massive releases like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, we designed a dedicated miniseries that built anticipation leading to launch, then scheduled our spoiler-heavy discussion two weeks after release so listeners could finish the game themselves. That decision prioritized audience trust over chasing immediate clicks.

I restructured episode flow based on drop-off data, strategically pacing segments to maintain engagement from start to finish. This wasn't about frontloading the best content, it was about respecting how people actually consumed the shows and keeping them invested throughout.

For distribution, the goal was extended reach without diluting quality. Full episodes would live on the dedicated podcast channel, but we'd also produce 8+ minute clipouts for IGN's main channel (with millions more subscribers), creating entry points for casual viewers while serving dedicated listeners.

THE ROLLOUT

We implemented changes gradually, monitoring metrics to validate what worked before expanding further. I developed comprehensive best practices documentation that equipped producers to handle complex podcast setups independently, troubleshoot common technical issues without escalation, and maintain production quality when onboarding new panel members. This systematized expertise across the team.

We aligned recording schedules with platform announcement cycles and began producing clipouts for the main channel alongside full episodes. We partnered with the social team to create TikTok and Instagram Reels highlighting standout moments, building a distribution ecosystem where each format reinforced the others. For major releases like Tears of the Kingdom, we executed the miniseries format, testing whether deeper coverage of single topics would resonate with audiences.

THE IMPACT

Operating as lead producer within IGN's broader editorial structure, where podcasts competed for resources alongside the company's primary video content, we regained the audience lost during the channel migration and grew viewership approximately 10% beyond the original baseline. The podcasts generated 5.8M+ annual streams across YouTube, owned-and-operated platforms, and audio services. Ad revenue increased as engagement improved. Better retention and broader reach created more valuable inventory for sponsors.

The multi-platform distribution strategy proved sustainable. Clipouts on the main channel reached casual viewers who discovered segments they cared about, social clips drove viral discovery, and full episodes served dedicated listeners. The system maximized the value of every episode we produced, creating infrastructure that continued delivering results rather than requiring constant intervention.