Tips from the casting couch
You've got a GREAT idea for a podcast; you know exactly how it should sound and what it will be called, and it’s THRILLING to think about getting it out there. Just one thing... who’s going to host it?
By Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan
How do you cast the right host? Perhaps your phone is bursting at the seams with the numbers of talent agents and would-be talent you’ve got your eye on. Maybe you’ve got lists about someone straight-laced who surprised you by being really funny on another podcast, or comedians with weird hobbies you hope they turn into a podcast.
How do we think about casting? We start with some parameters.
Know your audience and cast with them in mind
Knowing your audience is crucial for casting. Once you have firm ideas about what your podcast format is, take that information and build a casting matrix. Ask yourself:
Who do we want to listen to this show?
Who would they like to hear from the most?
How can we surprise and delight them?
Who would be most authentic in investigating the bad guys/making jokes about celebrities’ TikToks (those are the only two kinds of podcasts right?)
What are our diversity goals?
How high-profile does the host need to be?
How much money do we have to pay that host?
Do we want someone funny? Someone with expertise? Someone with lived experience?
2. Think of everyone in your podcast as a ‘character’
Once you start thinking of your host, your experts, your guests, and the listeners you weave into the show as ‘characters’, you’ll be able to detach and give yourself a bird’s-eye view of the whole situation.
Ask yourself what role this host will play.
If you’re thinking of your host as the ‘protagonist,’ they need to be able to lead an entire story, and they probably need to be the most relatable voice on the show. On the other hand, if your host is a ‘guide’ character, they fulfil very different needs, and therefore you require a different casting option.
3. Build a host list, but ask ‘why them’?
If there were NO RESTRICTIONS, who would host this show?
Think about why, what characteristics they have... and then have that person/people in your mind as a ‘type’. We have been in so many rooms where people have wanted literal (Australian radio stars) Hamish and Andy to host their shows. We’ve definitely said to ourselves once or twice: “Maybe we could get Hamish or Andy to do this”. It seems like those guys are pretty sweet for work so unless you’re from Lego or Netflix, it might be more productive to think about a Hamish/Andy type (who you can afford).
Then start thinking about some classic casting archetypes – do you want an approachable host who’s a proxy for the audience? Maybe an odd couple, like the unlikely friends in a buddy cop movie? Is there a master-apprentice dynamic you could treat the audience to, where you have the senior investigative reporter and a young gun who’s busting to earn their stripes (Hello The Trojan Horse Affair)?
4. Can you zag instead of zig?
Now it’s time to get a little loco.
A lot of clients say “let’s get this well-known local journalist to host this show, they have a lovely voice and a professional manner”. There are a lot of shows hosted by good journalists with nice diction. In some cases, that lovely local presenter might be the best person for the role. But run through your matrix and think to yourself... what would be an exciting and less obvious way to cast this show? What if a reformed criminal hosted my true crime show instead of a detective? How would the audience respond to that?
When Deadset Studios’ Kellie Riordan and Rachel Fountain made the first season of money show The Pineapple Project at the ABC, zagging was casting a comedian (Claire Hooper) who was a bit sh*t with money, so she could learn and grow as an audience proxy. Claire was authentic and vulnerable and that show was a smash hit with the audience, who related to her so much more than they would have any financial expert.
When Deadset Studios was casting for Jobsbank’s branded social enterprise podcast, the obvious route would have been someone who hires and fires or works in the social procurement world. But we needed a host who had real-world appeal, who could cut through complicated ideas. Deadset Studios convinced client Jobsbank to go with an unusual choice – former Aussie Socceroos captain Craig Foster. We knew he had a massive profile and was interested in activism, but a couple of phone calls revealed he was also passionate about ethical employment... ergo the show became Getting it Right, with Craig Foster.
A footballer might seem a strange choice for an ethical employment and diversity podcast, but not only is Craig invested in the content, he keeps winning awards while the podcast is being released and is hosting World Cup commentary coverage, keeping himself and the podcast in the news cycle.
4. Pilot, pilot, pilot (if you possibly can)
We’ve cast hosts and helped people cast hosts for commercial podcasts and radio networks, public broadcasters, philanthropic organisations, branded organisations, deeply journalistic endeavours, funny kids’ shows, hectic true crime podcasts, chat shows, re-tells and more... and we want to save you some time by telling you this:
There are people who are great on paper. FANTASTIC on paper. They will tick every box on your silly little matrix. But when you put them with another person, or in front of a microphone, they will literally bore you to death with their earnestness. And then your listeners will die of earnestness and you will have no listeners and a very boring show.
And then on the flip side – you’ll have scrappy little nobodies who come with no social media following but they’re funny or they’re gritty, or they work as a great comic foil or antagonist for another character. You’ll know it when you hear it. You can only find this stuff out by making a pilot... and if you can’t pilot, just get your hosts together to test-read the material. It will save you a world of pain down the track.
ALSO READ: Casting a great podcast host: A case study from Doomscroll Remedy