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The Program audio series premiered on HN in June 2018 [1], followed by an official launch in November 2019 [2]. Since then the show received 135,000 downloads a

by I-M-S 6y ago

The Program audio series premiered on HN in June 2018 [1], followed by an official launch in November 2019 [2]. Since then the show received 135,000 downloads and was featured by Apple Podcasts in 6 countries. The community here was nothing but supportive (bberenberg just sponsored an episode by paying for audio equipment, and many other HN users are show patrons) so I am now trying to give back by posting transparent updates regarding the project every 6 months or so. I write these reports the way I'd like to read them, which is to say I divulge concrete numbers and share not only the wins, but fails as well. I believe a lot of lessons (and mistakes) contained within can be applied to creative projects beyond podcasts, so hopefully it comes in useful. For those who haven’t heard (of) The Program audio series before, imagine Black Mirror as a podcast. Every episode is a standalone story set in a future in which Money, State, and God have been fused into a single entity called the Program. The world of the Program is neither a utopia nor a dystopia, as the new system produced both winners and losers - ordinary men and women who are sometimes heroes and sometimes the villains of their own lives. And to them, it is not this future they find terrifying - but our present. Comments/questions welcome! [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17425278 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17425278 [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21704417 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21704417

bberenberg 6y ago
Happy to be a sponsor of this great show. I hope to keep seeing it grow.
brnt 6y ago
> The world of the Program is neither a utopia nor a dystopia, as the new system produced both winners and losers It is usually the intent of a systems designers and shapers to produce very specific winners and losers. I therefore don't quite see the causal connection this sentence implies. Will give the podcast a listen though, sounds interesting!
- I-M-S 6y ago
  Chalk it up to difficulty of producing the desired outcome + second-order effects ^_^
  - brnt 6y ago
    While that plays a role too, I find naivite on the part of the observer plays a significant role. Maybe you've not actually identified the most significant shaper or their actual goals correctly ;)

by I-M-S 6y ago

bberenberg 6y ago

Happy to be a sponsor of this great show. I hope to keep seeing it grow.

brnt 6y ago

> The world of the Program is neither a utopia nor a dystopia, as the new system produced both winners and losers It is usually the intent of a systems designers and shapers to produce very specific winners and losers. I therefore don't quite see the causal connection this sentence implies. Will give the podcast a listen though, sounds interesting!

I-M-S 6y ago
Chalk it up to difficulty of producing the desired outcome + second-order effects ^_^
- brnt 6y ago
  While that plays a role too, I find naivite on the part of the observer plays a significant role. Maybe you've not actually identified the most significant shaper or their actual goals correctly ;)