Interview With Podcaster Claire Friedman

Claire Friedman was the manager of Cards Against Humanity's Chicago Podcast Cooperative. She's handed her duties off to Alex Cox so she can move to Brooklyn, but I caught up with her before she left her role in Chicago...

1. What is Cards Against Humanity? What was your role there?

Cards Against Humanity is an independent game company based in Chicago, Illinois. I was the Experience Manager, which is a silly title I made up when I first started. I was part of our community team and I manage all sorts of projects from implementing our customer service software to managing the CPC to producing the Holiday Hole.

2. Cards Against Humanity has been very supportive of podcasting over the years. Can you tell us about that?

The easiest answer is that we just really like podcasts. Most people here listen to them throughout the day, a bunch of people host their own too. One of the reasons we love podcasts so much is because we love independent creators. Almost everything Cards does is geared toward supporting indies. Podcasting is one of the easiest ways for someone to create something that is truly their own, with their own voice. The Chicago Podcast Cooperative exists to amplify those creations.

3. Tell us about the Chicago Podcast Cooperative.

The Chicago Podcast Cooperative is a podcast collective run by Cards Against Humanity to support independent podcasters in Chicago. Each episode is assigned an ad-read from a local business. That business pays $50 per ad, each podcaster is paid $50 for every ad they read. Cards Against Humanity doesn't take any money.

Podcasters wind up bringing in $50-$250 per month, depending on their show frequency. It's not enough to live on, but it's enough for folks to be able to invest in microphones, producers, trips, award submissions, whatever they need to make their show better and better.

4. You're moving to Brooklyn. What does that mean for the Chicago Podcast Cooperative?

I am moving to Brooklyn! It is very scary! I love Chicago, I love the work I've done here and I love what people are building here. I'm extremely happy that Alex Cox is taking it over in my stead. She's the Senior Producer here at Cards, the co-founder of the podcast production collective Postloudness, and the host of Roboism. She knows much more than me about an enormous amount of podcast-related things. We're lucky she's taking it on.

5. You're also about to wrap up your time at Cards Against Humanity. What's your fondest memory involving podcasts from your tenure there?

I don't even know if I can answer that question! I'm so proud of what we've done with the CPC, the success so many of those shows have found, getting to goof around with the people here, and learning all the things I was doing wrong while recording.

6. What advice would you give to up-and-coming podcasters?

I would tell everyone starting their own show to invest in themselves. Find people around you to learn from and talk to, get critiques, take classes, learn production, set big goals and let yourself travel to get there. There are a lot of podcasts out there... make yours good!