Thanks to everyone that participated in the survey for Season One!
Here are some of the results!
How much did you enjoy the first season of The Working Actor’s Journey podcast?
Response:
- Fantastic (4 or 5): 100%
- Pretty Good (3): 0%
- Meh (1 or 2): 0%
Average: 4.6
Nathan:
Thrilled to see that so many of you are (highly) enjoying the show. While I do appreciate criticism, it’s also fun to see that the show seems to be hitting the right notes.
Which episodes did you listen to this season?
Response:
- #12: Dakin Matthews – 57%
- #5: Geoffrey Wade – 43%
- ALL of the episodes – 43%
- Text Work: Dakin’s mini-master class – 43%
Nathan:
As Dakin’s episode was one of the highest downloaded, I wasn’t surprised to see it at the top of the list. The episodes are like my children, so I don’t have any favorites, I love them for different reasons. The conversation with Geoffrey was fun, he’s a straight shooter, and it’s great to see it making the rounds. Also really amazed that so many people have heard ALL the episodes!
What’s your take on the length of the episodes?
Response:
- Just right/any length – 60%
- They could be even longer – 20%
- Way too long – 20%
Nathan:
This is definitely something I’ve worried about, and while I know I can’t please everyone, I’m glad to see that length hasn’t been an obstacle for most people.
Would you be interested in a public Q&A session with one of the guests, either live or previously recorded?
Response:
- Yes: 86%
- No: 14%
Nathan:
Ok then: definitely thinking about how to incorporate this moving forward!
Several people mentioned that they enjoyed the “text work” sessions, including the mini-Shakespeare master class with Dakin. If I kept doing these segments (with all different kinds of material), how would you prefer to hear them?
Response:
- 78%: Separate episodes of only text work (similar to the mini-master class with Dakin)
- 11%: A completely separate and new show (like, “The Text Work Podcast”)
- 11%: Part of the long-form interview (as it is now, with guests like Geoffrey ep #5 and Nike ep #6)
Nathan:
As a result, I began “re-airing” the text work segments from Season One and will continue that with Season Two. I’ll still keep the text sections in the “main” interview, as the full chat provides a nice context for what we’re working on, while the pieces are able to exist on their own too.
I’ve also begun brainstorming a separate project that would involve a new “text work”-based show.
What type of material would you want to hear in these text work sessions, whether it was part of this podcast or a separate one?
Response:
- 86%: Contemporary texts (written in the last 50 years)
- 57%: Classical texts (both older, like Greek and other historical plays, and modern, like Shaw, Pinter,
- Ibsen, and Chekhov)
- 43%: Shakespeare
- 29%: Other: Very new works
Nathan:
Will definitely keep more contemporary and newer works in mind. Above all, I want the guests to feel comfortable with discussing their process, and that often dictates what material they would like to discuss. I can definitely start recommending this more to them, and hopefully some will take us up on the offer!
Would you be interested in online group acting classes with guests from the podcast?
Response:
- Yes: 78%
- No: 22%
Nathan:
Another idea that seems quite intriguing, and I would definitely like to explore this further. Good to know there’s interest here!
Which social network is most important or relevant to you? If you were to only follow the show on one platform, which would it be?
Response:
- 67%: Facebook (a page for the podcast)
- 33%: Instagram (currently @working_actors)
- 0%: Twitter (currently @working_actors)
Nathan:
With these results, I’ve created a Facebook page, and figuring out how to best maintain and utilize all of these platforms.
How important is having a YouTube channel for the podcast?
Response:
- Very Important (4 or 5): 43%
- Somewhat Important (3): 29%
- Not Important (1 or 2): 29%
Average: 3.3
Nathan:
So it’s somewhat important to have a YouTube presence; it’s definitely on the list of things to do, and good to know it’s not something you need to have immediately!
How important is it to have the FULL show notes INSIDE the app where you listen to the podcast?
Response:
- Not Important (1 or 2): 44%
- Somewhat Important (3): 33%
- Very Important (4 or 5): 22%
Average: 2.6
Nathan:
This was something I went back and forth on, as many podcasts do offer full notes; I’m going to add a bit more info in the episode description, but not everything, and will keep all the additional links/notes on the website.
And a few remaining questions…
Potential Partners
What specific acting-related products or services do you use?
Backstage Magazine came up a couple times, and of course they are on my radar, so I may need to think how we could collaborate on the podcast.
Prizes for Contests
What type of specific giveaways or prizes most excite you?
I heard about the following:
- Access to acting videos/literature
- Subscription service (magazine, play boxes, Backstage Magazine)
- Acting books
- Audiobooks
These are all great ideas and will definitely keep them in mind!
Thanks again to everyone that answered the listener survey—your feedback and ideas are crucial to the development of the show, and also help me stay sane!
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