Tribeca Ticket Giveaway...Plus The Multi-Feed Universe

It's a not-contest to meet me in NYC at Tribeca next week! Plus what's a super-feed? (And which ones am I listening to?)

Hello folks. It’s early June and the humidity is finally on the rise where I live in Ontario. My listening has gone into “project mode,” as I work to plant my garden, get end-of-year things sorted, and attempt family organization for the summer…I’ve got a number of series in the queue to enjoy, whilst I also scribe things to remember in my Notes app. I’ll share some listening inspiration at the end of the post. But first…

1 - Who else is a Critics At Large Super Fan?

I’m really quite terribly excited (Bridgerton parlance) to see Critics At Large in action, on stage at Tribeca as they host the live events for the Official Tribeca Audio Selections.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a minute, you’ll know I’m a giant fan of Critics At Large, the podcast from The New Yorker Magazine that dissects and humours me with spot-on cultural criticism each week.

Some would say this is a love letter, others could say that this post that was inspired by my favourite critics. My fascination with the term bildungsroman was inspired by them, after this memorable episode, which contineu to inspire me to spot trends from literature that appear in my podcast feed.

Do you want to meet me at Tribeca to see Critics At Large Host the Debut of the Non-Fiction Official Selections?

I’ve got two tickets to give away to the lovely readers of Bingeworthy, who also happen to be in or around New York City on Monday, June 10, 2024, in the late afternoon.

There’s no contest here…just hit reply to this email. The first two folks who can tell me why, or why not, their three most recent listens are/are not bingeworthy-listens, get a ticket! We can coordinate details after this point.

I’m excited for an entire week of audio immersion at Tribeca next week. Drop me a line if you’re also planning to be around the festival. I’m planning to have coverage from the fest next week, in and around the Red Carpets and the meet-ups. Stay tuned!

Aside from this travel planning, I have a few other things on my mind.

2 - Multi-Feeds

In my effort to wrap my brain around Feeds, how they are changing, and what the different business models are for them, I’ve got some reading homework for you.

Mia Lobel

published this piece this week on

Freelance Cafe

that begins a conversation which we plan to continue next week, rambling between Tribeca shows.

The Discovery Problem

The questions I have around multi-feeds is about how these different series manage to produce and promote similar-but-different stories, season after season. Can this make sense both in terms of business (a reliable and known entity) versus the zing of a standalone series, which drops out of nowhere and stuns everyone into listening?

The challenge is that if each season starts to sound the same…is it just more of the same? Is that what listeners want? Or is this merely efficient from a marketing and business perspective?

3 - My Multi-Feeds Listening Queue:

1 - Cover-Up: The Conspiracy Tapes

Under the label of Cover-Up, a new season dives into the world of cults and mysteries, as they resurface decades later.

2 - Intrigue - To Catch a Scorpion

A few months ago I wrote about the previous season of the BBC4 series Intrigue: Million Dollar Lover. Both seasons are reported and hosted by Sue Mitchell…I’m curious how she reports a story that’s not as personal to her this time.

3 - Smokescreen: My Friend, The Serial Killer

I listened to the previous season of Smokescreen: My Fugitive Dad, which told a captivating story, but I was stuck on the question of why the daughter Ashley of said fugitive dad appeared as co-host alongside Jonathan Hirsch. The question of how they met, and why they told the story together never really landed for me. This season, Smokescreen: My Friend, The Serial Killer, seems to take a different tone, hosted by the journalist Steve Fishman. As always with these series, the production values are high, and the narrative is captivating, like an audio movie for your ears. I’ll be listening to see how these two seasons are alike and different.

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Last year at Tribeca I met David Modigliani (doc - Running with Beto) as he debuted his podcast series, then called Shalom, Amore, as an Official Selection of Tribeca.

This year, the series has a new name, Pack One Bag….and a new home with Lemonada Media. It’s the true story behind his grandfather, who won a Nobel Prize…but what David finds more fascinating is the love story that’s behind his famous grandfather, and about how his family was split apart by love, fascism, and war in Mousillini’s Italy.

I look forward to connecting with David soon to talk about how this series went from concept to published series.

The first two episodes dropped yesterday:

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