Should I Start A Podcast Studio In My Coworking Space?
By: Derek Oxley
Tags: Coworking Space, Podcast, Entrepreneur, Podcasting, Creators

Should I Start A Podcast Studio In My Coworking Space?

In 2018 FedEx and Walmart started dating. I don’t know who made the first move, but I’m sure Amazon’s name came up at some point between appetizers and the main dish. It was a slow courtship starting with opening 50 locations across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, and Colorado. After a successful launch, the small-template FedEx Offices will open in 500 Walmart locations by 2021.

In 2018 FedEx announced the news at the ShopTalk conference in Las Vegas. “We gravitated toward Walmart because they have this fantastic physical infrastructure,” Brian Philips, CEO of FedEx Office, told CNBC. “We are already great partners with Walmart on the transportation side, so it was natural for us to talk about a store-within-a-store format.”

During a recent fabric and Haagen-Dazs Butter Pecan run, I visited the Walmart location in Stratford, CT., and was shocked to see a FedEx office. It seemed out of place, but as I thought about it made sense.

Flex-spaces are growing, and podcasts are booming, so it seems like a natural fit. Ok, full disclosure, I am a podcaster, I may be biased. I started BTW Podcast, behind the wheel of my Mini Cooper. With the windows rolled up, the sound quality was exceptional. While podcasts are an audio medium, some podcasters record episodes for YouTube and then repurpose the content for LinkedIn and Instagram. A flex space would make an excellent backdrop for your podcast.

Like every other industry, shared coworking spaces have taken a financial hit, and a podcast studio could provide an additional revenue stream. I am also a proponent of coworking spaces having a branded podcast. Up At Night by WeWork/Gimlet Media is one example. There’s nothing new under the sun. Before you get excited about your idea check, google chances are someone has tried it. I checked, and here are eight examples of coworking spaces with podcast studios.

Photo by: Village Workspaces

Alberto Di Risio has been writing about the idea since 2019, Di Risio is the Head of Acquisition Marketing at Kisi and he’s still bullish on the concept. In a recent interview with Di Risio he said, “In spite of the challenges posed by restrictions in many countries I see these services (like recording studios) as a differentiation factor for large spaces or spaces in certain niches.” Di Risio went on to say, “But, in general more companies are moving to a more distributed setup compared to everyone working from the HQ, so long term coworking will benefit from this.”

On the west coast, you have Village Workspaces’ a luxury boutique coworking area, and access to their sound specialists who can help produce, engineer, and mix your newest content. Hygge Coworking in Charlotte also has a reasonably priced podcast studio. They have built a sense of community in their facilities.

Photo by: REC Philly

Finally, there’s Rec Philly in Philadelphia. Forbes selected. David Silver and William Toms for the 2021 30 Under 30 list for the Social Impact category. Dave and Will have created a place for creators to create, learn, connect, and share. By day their main space is serves as a coworking space complete with space for up to 50 with all the amenities. At night it transforms into an event venue with room for 250 people standing or 100 seated.