Podcast Summary: "Introducing The Dream Plus! And A Short Oral History of The Dream..."

Podcast: The Dream
Host: Jane Marie (and Dan, co-producer/partner)
Date: September 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode marks an exciting new chapter for The Dream: the launch of The Dream Plus, a listener-supported, ad-free subscription platform. Host Jane Marie and her podcast/production partner, Dan, share an honest, behind-the-scenes oral history of their journey building The Dream—from its humble beginnings to going independent. They candidly discuss the challenges of podcast monetization, why they're shifting to a direct-support model, and their vision for deeper community and creative freedom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Launching The Dream Plus & Rationale for Subscription

• What’s New: The Dream Plus (thedream.supercast.com) offers all episodes ad-free, plus bonus content and a dedicated discussion board, for $5/month.

• Why Now:

  • To supplement and eventually replace revenue from disruptive, hard-to-control programmatic advertising.
  • To forge a more direct, trustworthy relationship with their audience.
  • To secure the funding needed for meaningful investigative reporting and creative experiments.

  "We're launching a subscription plan—you guys—and we'll get into that deeply in this discussion because Dan and I... we're excited about it, but… we're both ashamed of making money, unfortunately."
  — Jane Marie (02:07)

2. The Perils and Headaches of Podcast Advertising

• Types of Ads: Host-read (product tested/endorsed), brokered/suggested ads, and problematic programmatic ("dynamically inserted") ads.

• Problems:

  • Little control over what specific ads appear or where; regional targeting can result in mismatched ads (e.g., anti-vaccine spots or crisis pregnancy center ads in sensitive episode contexts).
  • Programmatic ads often support content "antithetical to everything we do."
  • Listeners alert the team when inappropriate ads appear—a reactive, not proactive, process.

• Industry Reality: Keeping the show alive required compromise; hosting, studio costs, and reporting aren’t cheap.

  "People will text us saying, 'Did you know Kristi Noem was just trying to sell guns on your show?' ...or there's an anti-vax ad in your vaccine episode..."
  — Jane Marie (05:07)

  "These people lie in order to buy the ad space... or AI isn't as smart as a person and says, 'Oh, Jane said the word vaccine.' ... and this is a perfect ad to run in Chattanooga, Tennessee that we are not aware of until you tell us."
  — Jane Marie (05:19)

3. The Eight-Year Origin Story—Independence, Studio Building, and Growing Pains

• Independent Roots:

  • Started as a production company; podcasts were client-based gigs. Their “empire” was built from a $10,000 Airbnb job, DIY studio spaces, and war stories about LA’s vibrant, sometimes chaotic, studio culture.
  • Real LA stories: graffiti, cock-and-ball drawings, weed smoke, sharing studio space with Diplo/Mad Decent, and the Beastie Boys’ old basketball court.

• Building Community:

  • Keen to run a studio welcoming to all, not just industry insiders.
  • Valued privacy, professionalism, and comfort—unlike stereotypical "bro-y," grungy studios.

  "We wanted to build... a podcast studio where people come in and not feel like, 'Whoa, this is weird.'"
  — Jane Marie (08:06)

  "Most of our friends wouldn't care what the studio looked like, but we did want to have everyone that wanted to come in, or we were hoping that they would come in, feel comfortable."
  — Dan (11:12)

4. From Network Deals to Taking Full Control

• Stitcher Years:

  • Early success as part of Stitcher; enjoyed unusual editorial freedom and respect from the network.
  • Growing chaos as podcasting turned into an "IP farm" for TV/film (Dirty John era).
  • Compensation declined year over year as industry volatility increased.

• Independence:

  • Purchased their rights, hired an ad broker, struggled with revenue and control.
  • Reaffirmed desire for autonomy and meaningful connection with listeners.

  "We were told by the powers that be that you cannot make money on this show, and we’re trying to prove those people wrong."
  — Jane Marie (06:47)

  "Every year since then, we've made less money... the industry is so chaotic, and people come and go."
  — Jane Marie (18:20)

5. Why Direct Listener Support Now?

• Financial Transparency:

  • Scrappy, two-person operation without deep pockets—"just trying to keep the lights on."
  • Reporting, travel, and fact-checking are costly; upfront money is essential for ambitious journalism.
  • No more adapting stories to fit contractually mandated 10-episode structures.

  "Right now, we’re just in survival mode… this new endeavor… might allow us to do more ambitious projects similar to the first couple of seasons."
  — Jane Marie (22:53)

  "We have to beg for money directly or not do this."
  — Jane Marie (35:24)

6. The Value of Community and Trust

• Reader/Listener Trust:

  • Deep concern about losing listener trust due to incongruent/inappropriate ads.
  • Pride in an engaged, loyal, smart fanbase—from “the Hairpin” to present day.

  "The most important thing to me is that you lose trust in us. If we're going to speak with the reporter who's been on the RFK beat forever, and then some sort of RFK Maha kind of ad comes on..."
  — Dan (30:27)

  "I miss being able to spend time writing and reporting and traveling to interview people ahead of figuring out if we've sold enough ads... we've just had to, you know, trim, trim, trim, trim, trim in order to stay afloat in this weird new podcast economy."
  — Jane Marie (22:53)

• Community Vision:

  • The Dream Plus isn’t just ad-free—it aims to recreate the kind of supportive, lively community found on platforms like The Hairpin.
  • Features include discussion boards (“Ask You Anything”, Women Be Shoppin’), regular host participation, idea solicitation from listeners, and bonus/behind-the-scenes content.

  “This is actually a chance for us to build community…”
  — Dan (34:28)

7. Vulnerability About Asking for Support

• Money Talk is Awkward:

  • Jane Marie is open about discomfort asking listeners for money, likening it to “shaking a can.”
  • Dan reframes it as direct, supportive capitalism (akin to subscribing to a musician’s Patreon).
  • They agree: $5/mo is “less than a latte in Los Angeles,” gets you everything ad-free, and helps ensure The Dream’s survival.

  "I want to feel more like it's public radio. Like, I want to have—I want to adopt that attitude rather than me feeling like I'm shaking a can."
  — Jane Marie (37:27)

  "It's the most direct... if you like something and you want it to still keep going... I'm more than happy to pay five, ten, fifteen bucks a month just to get all the content that I'm getting from them. So to me it's like the most personal and direct form of capitalism."
  — Dan (37:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “We’re both ashamed of making money, unfortunately.” — Jane Marie (02:07)
• “People will text us… ‘Did you know Kristi Noem was just trying to sell guns on your show?’ …or there’s an anti-vax ad in your vaccine episode…” (05:07)
• “I don’t think I can do this work anymore… if this is how I have to make money.” — Jane Marie (33:33)
• “I want the closeness with the listeners. That’s the thing—coming from The Hairpin… I want to do that.” — Jane Marie (34:43)
• “We have to beg for money directly or not do this.” — Jane Marie (35:24)
• “I want to feel more like it’s public radio. Like, I want to adopt that attitude rather than me feeling like I’m shaking a can.” — Jane Marie (37:27)
• “It's the most personal and direct form of capitalism.” — Dan (37:36)
• “Please go to thedream.supercast.com and… you get our entire back catalog and then also any upcoming episode you get completely ad free…” — Dan (38:21)
• “Love you, love you and we appreciate you.” — Dan (40:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:07] — Introduction to The Dream Plus, subscription justification
• [03:37] — Independent transition, ad types explained
• [05:07] — Real-world examples of problematic ads and loss of control
• [07:04] — Company history, building the studio, early funding
• [16:18] — Early network deals, Stitcher, move to independence
• [22:53] — The financial realities of podcasting, need for support
• [30:27] — Impact of mismatched/out-of-context ads on trust and listener experience
• [34:28] — Community goals for subscription platform
• [35:24] — Vulnerable honesty about “begging for money”
• [37:27] — Reframing support as public radio/Patreon style
• [38:21] — Subscription benefits and features overview
• [40:26] — Invitation to join and participate in the new community

Final Thoughts

The Dream is at a turning point: fully independent, proudly scrappy, and unapologetically honest about the financial and creative challenges of making meaningful, investigative podcasting. Jane Marie and Dan invite passionate listeners to join The Dream Plus, not just to support ad-free journalism, but to help shape a lively, supportive creative community—one where the show lives or dies by the strength of its connection with listeners.

“It's $5 a month. It's less than a latte if you live in Los Angeles. See you there.”
— Jane Marie (43:23)

For more info or to subscribe: thedream.supercast.com

Note: Ad reads, sponsor messages, and meta-podcast promotions have been omitted from this summary for clarity and relevance.