Podcast
The Sound Off Podcast
Hosted by Matt Cundill · EN
The Sound Off Podcast is a weekly podcast about podcasting, radio, broadcasting, voiceover, and the people shaping the modern audio industry.
Hosted by veteran broadcaster and voice artist Matt Cundill, The Sound Off Podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of audio with in-depth conversations featuring podcast creators, radio professionals, producers, programmers, voiceover talent, media executives, and industry innovators. Drawing on decades of experience in radio and podcasting, Matt brings context, credibility, and curiosity to every episode.
Each episode explores the craft, business, and culture of audio, covering topics such as podcast growth, audience development, monetization, advertising, sponsorship, dynamic ad insertion, analytics, distribution platforms, audio branding, and emerging trends in on-demand audio. From legacy radio to independent podcasts and branded content, the show examines how audio continues to evolve — creatively, technologically, and commercially.
The Sound Off Podcast is known for thoughtful, candid interviews that go beyond surface-level talking points. Guests include radio legends, podcast pioneers, seasoned producers, voiceover artists, and leaders working across podcast networks, media companies, and technology platforms. Conversations focus on real-world experience: what works, what doesn’t, and what creators and companies need to understand to succeed in today’s audio landscape.
Whether you work in podcasting, radio, voiceover, broadcasting, or digital media — or you’re simply fascinated by how audio storytelling works — The Sound Off Podcast delivers insider perspectives, practical insights, and honest discussions about the future of sound.
With a balance of industry expertise and accessible conversation, The Sound Off Podcast is designed for professionals, creators, and listeners who want a deeper understanding of how audio connects audiences, builds brands, and drives culture.
New episodes are released weekly.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Rhys Waters: Trust Community and Short-Form Clips
1w ago00:36:03Tap to summarizeRhys Waters spent over a decade making award‑winning TV and radio for the BBC in Wales before moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in search of a better work–life balance. In this episode, he traces his path from a neurodivergent kid who struggled in traditional classrooms to a documentary filmmaker, broadcaster and eventually co‑founder of Podstarter, a podcast production company helping brands make shows with highly specific goals. Rhys explains how one client’s podcast needed only 12 listeners—and still generated over $5 million in revenue—illustrating why success isn’t always about download numbers. He talks about learning podcasting through BBC radio, the explosive growth of on‑demand audio, and the evolving role of video and short‑form clips in discovery. Rhys also dives into how his dyslexic, ADHD brain shapes his creative process and why he launched The Echo Podcast Summit, an East Coast podcast conference focused on themes like trust and community in audio.Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Podcasting Truth & Myths Learned Over 500 Episodes
2w ago00:14:48Tap to summarizeThis week, I’m celebrating the 500th episode of the Sound Off Podcast by turning the spotlight on why so many shows underperform—and what you can do about it. After nearly 10 years and 500 episodes, I’ve seen the same mistakes again and again, so I break down 10 big ones: blaming a vague “discovery problem” instead of doing the work of promotion, skipping a proper trailer, tolerating shit audio and lazy editing, and relying on weak interview structures that don’t respect the listener’s time. I also get into overlooked essentials like artwork that actually stands out, using metadata wisely, putting your show everywhere listeners expect podcasts, and not obsessing over video at the expense of audio. Finally, I tackle the myth that you need 10,000 downloads to monetize—reminding you that you don’t monetize a podcast, you monetize an audience.Things I promised to put in the show notes: Here are the levels that Apple and Spotify recommend for your podcast. But I found this that shows those and a few more.Want to make your guests sound studio quality? Waves Voice Re-Gen is a favourite I am using now. Adobe has a free and paid tier in their podcast tools. James Cridland keeps a running list of places you should submit your podcast. Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Kattie Laur: What's Holding Back Canadian Podcasting?
4w ago00:57:02Tap to summarizeA great chat with producer and audience growth specialist Kattie Laur to unpack what’s really holding back Canadian podcasting – and, unsurprisingly, we keep coming back to money, funding, and marketing. We talk about why Canada lacks meaningful grant support, why brands are hesitant to invest in podcasts, and how a realistic budget needs to split resources between production and promotion.Kattie shares her experience pitching the CBC, her work in branded podcasts, and why companies need to choose between making a genuine audience-first show or simply buying ads on existing podcasts. We dig into government-funded podcasts, transparency around downloads, and how to think about ROI beyond raw numbers.We also get into discoverability, the impact (and pressure) of video, platform politics at Apple and Spotify, and why Canadian indie shows struggle while big broadcasters thrive. By the end, we’ve at least sketched out how funding, advocacy, and smarter marketing could actually move Canadian podcasting forward.Kattie has a very good newsletter worth paying for called Pod The North. Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Sam Sethi: How To TrueFans.fm
Apr 1500:34:30Tap to summarizeTrueFans.fm founder Sam Sethi is forward thinking about podcasting. Sam explains how True Fans grew out of the podcasting 2.0 movement into a full creator marketplace where podcasters can host audio and video, build real fan communities, and earn through value-for-value models, including micro payments, subscriptions, and one-off episode payments.Sam walks me through how True Fans removes friction for listeners with a built-in virtual wallet, gamified SATs, and simple top-ups using Stripe, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, while handling all the complex bits in the background. On the hosting side, we dig into why downloads are a broken metric and how True Fans uses streaming and six-second packets to deliver rich consumption analytics. Sam also previews what’s coming next: live streaming, co-listening, chat, creator portals, custom domains, and AI/voice interfaces that aim to give creators more control than Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.Whether you are a creator or a podcast listener, please get involved with TrueFans.fm You can hear Sam on the Podnews Weekly Review with James Cridland. Speaking of James - it's time to fill out the Podnews Report Card - James is really good about sharing the results with some of podcasting's Big Dogs. Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dawn Chubai: Sell Through the Screen
Apr 800:41:42Tap to summarizeI reconnect with multi-hyphenate broadcaster, singer, actor, and live selling expert Dawn Chubai. We start in Edmonton, where she talks about growing up, singing in backyard concerts, finding her way into PR straight out of high school, and then accidentally falling into broadcasting through her music. Dawn shares stories from her days at A-Channel/Citytv, including doing weather and traffic, musical performances, and the energy of those street-facing Jasper Avenue studios—plus a surprise visit from Paul Stanley of KISS.We follow her move to Vancouver, where she became a main host on Breakfast Television, and later to Toronto for a hugely successful run on The Shopping Channel, helping sell hundreds of millions in product. Dawn explains how that experience led to her current venture, Live Selling School, where she now teaches founders and brands how to sell confidently and authentically on live video.Connect with her to Bring Your Brand To Live! Towards the end of the show, Dawn shares some of the vinyl selections near her turntable. Here are the records she shared:Richie Kotzen - NomadKeith Richards - Talk is CheapThe 1975 - Being Funny In A Foreign LanguagePlease sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Doug Downs: Strategic Storytelling for Brands
Mar 3100:48:16Tap to summarizeDoug Downs joined me to trace his journey from a tape-recorder-obsessed kid in Scarborough to radio, TV, corporate communications, and ultimately podcasting. Doug shared how overnights at a country station, brutal newbie pranks, and a move through Ajax, St. Thomas, London, Kirkland Lake, Sudbury, and eventually Edmonton shaped his love of audio and storytelling. We reminisced about the ITV / CFRN days, that micro-fame of local TV, and why he ultimately pivoted into PR at Epcor, learning to think in terms of stakeholders, key messages, and strategy.We dug into why ums and ahs can actually help comprehension, how PR thinking makes for sharper podcast positioning, and why your premise and target audience matter more than trying to be Joe Rogan. Doug broke down the real role of video and YouTube (discovery, not depth), how to use consumption metrics from Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, and why podcasters should not disappear over the holidays.Connect with Doug and launch your podcast. Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Todd Hancock: Learning to Sell
Mar 2400:31:59Tap to summarizeAfter nearly 10 years, Todd Hancock is back. As only a select few may remember, Todd's last Sound Off appearance was on our second-ever episode. At the time, he had just been let go by CFOX in Vancouver, and was in the process of launching The Toddcast, his own podcast endeavor. With a great website and some excellent audio, there's no doubt he had about as strong of a start as one can possibly have... And now, a decade later, we're both still here.If you've ever wanted to make a living from your podcast, this is the episode for you. Todd goes into every detail that allowed him to build the 10-year legacy he has today: starting strong with a ready-made website and music focused content, the slow build to monetization through long-term local sponsors and a few big clients, his strategies for maintaining professional relationships, his constantly evolving social and video strategy, and even the digital tools he uses to simplify the nightmarish challenge of keeping your content on schedule.Even with 10-15 years of prior radio experience, he calls The Toddcast the highlight of his career. People with a passion and drive like Todd's are what makes this industry go 'round, and if you've got that same passion, Todd is the perfect guy to show you where to direct it.Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Tony Doe: Into the Podverse
Mar 1700:39:43Tap to summarizeLet's go to Lagos! Tony Doe is one of the most thoughtful voices in Nigeria, and he's here to provide some excellent insights into the past, present and future of podcasting. As a former Nigerian radio broadcaster turned podcaster, Tony reflects on the lost intimacy of radio as studios chase visual appeal and social media reactions, and explains why he rejects the idea that video is the “next phase” of podcasting. He warns creators about building shows inside walled gardens like Spotify and YouTube, sharing personal and second-hand stories of lost control and opaque platform decisions. We speak quite a bit about one of Tony's most important personal projects, the Nigerian Podcast Index. Built by Tony and other Nigerian industry veterans, it's an independent public directory designed to document, preserve, and make discoverable every independent podcast created in Nigeria or by Nigerians. It's an incredible tool created to fill a critical gap in data, discovery, and monetization for African podcasters while navigating language barriers, infrastructure limits, and payment restrictions. He also introduces his own shows: His long-running Arsenal fan podcast, Up Gunners!, as well as Into the Podverse, a show about the innovation, challenges, and opportunities shaping African and global podcasting, which Sound Off fans might particularly enjoy and should definitely check out. If it piques your interest, make sure you also subscribe to the newsletter on Substack.Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Andrea Collins: Voicing Some Pretty Major Stuff
Mar 1000:43:48Tap to summarizeI spoke with Andrea about her career in radio and her transition to voiceover. I met Andrea back in 2006 whe she was just fnishing up her tenure working promotions for Power 97 in Winnipeg. She went on to become a prominent figure in the Winnipeg and later Montreal and Toronto radio markets. She highlights her roles at Curve 94.3 (Remember that?) in Winnipeg, Virgin Radio, CTV, and iHeartRadio, and her shift to voiceover after being laid off in 2018. If you are going to listen to one valuable part about today's world, check out how she is handling AI and her business. She is thinking of the things that a lot of people have not considered for both radio and voiceover. In short: Protect Your Voice. We also discussed her involvement with CAVA, The Canadian Association of Voice Actors, and her recent move to Ottawa. CAVA is a non-profit, national organization formed by industry professionals who saw the need for a Canadian version of the U.S.-based National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) - given that we have different laws and needs in Canada. If you are a voice actor in Canada - joining does not the cost a lot and the perks will literally pay for the membership. Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Bryan Entzminger: The Art of Audio Editing
Mar 300:41:44Tap to summarizeThis week's episode is about the artisanship and business of podcast editing with veteran editor Bryan Entzminger. Bryan shares how he began podcasting in 2014, inspired by John Lee Dumas’ formulaic approach to Entrepreneurs On Fire and how that era of entrepreneurship-focused shows shaped early podcasting.We unpack why many podcasts have naturally “run their course” after five or six years, how the pandemic boom has cooled, and why Bryan has deliberately avoided rebuilding a client roster too concentrated on a few shows.On the technical side, Bryan walks through his journey from GarageBand to Twisted Wave and finally to Hindenburg, which he still considers the most intuitive for voice-first production and detailed technical edits. He contrasts this with transcript-based tools like Descript, explaining why automated “de-umming” often destroys pacing, breath, and emotion, and still requires hours of cleanup by a human editor.Bryan also shares favorite repair tools (like DX Revive, Supertone Clear, and iZotope), his go-to MP3 specs and -16 LUFS target, and thoughts on Zoom audio, video podcast distribution via RSS, and experiments with platforms like Fountain, TrueFans, and his own testbed show, Bad Podcast Pitches.Please sign up for the SOUNDING OFF Newsletter. All the things that went unsaid on the show.Also we added the Sound Off Podcast to the The Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) A free and open-source podcast prefix analytics service committed to open data and listener privacy. You can be a nosey parker by checking out our downloads here.Thanks to the following organizations for supporting the show:Megatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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