Brand: Sprout Social

Podcast: Social Creatures

Key takeaway: Embrace interviewing unconventional guests in your space

When I discovered this branded company podcast, I was intrigued by the most recent guest - the man behind the infamous Fyre Festival. It looked like an interesting choice for a show that has Sprout Social’s host Cat Anderson generally interviewing other corporate social media managers and vendors / experts in the industry.

The episode ended up being a candid and surprising look at the precipitous rise and rapid collapse of the Fyre Festival, as well as how Billy McFarland has evolved in some ways while still holding onto some of the inspiration that led him to create such a buzz on social media. The interview is a pretty bold choice, and I like that the episode acknowledges that in different ways. There are times you can tell Cat is adapting on the fly about how to treat such a controversial media figure. I found all of that charming and compelling. It’s a nice payoff for taking a risk in the format and guests on a show.