Creators may think they have an idea where AI is heading, but now they’re faced with a critical decision: when do they lean in and when to run in the opposite direction. With constant changes and new reports of “AI brain fry,” it’s hard to get an accurate picture: does AI help creators or harm them? Is there a world in which there is a happy medium?

This week’s Media Roundtable: Special Edition comes straight from the iHeart x Oxford Road Luncheon at SXSW 2026, "Less Noise, More Life: The Science of Thriving in an Artificial World." Featuring Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) as he hosts podcasting powerhouses Tim Ferriss (entrepreneur & host,The Tim Ferriss Show) and Dr. Laurie Santos (Psychologist, & host, The Happiness Lab) for an existential examination of AI.

The panel breaks down when and how to use AI, and tackles the all-important question, “What the hell is going on?” Join them as they talk: Listener Loyalty, Screen Fatigue, and AI Pros and Cons.

“The people who are going to convert the best right now would not consider themselves creators. They do not have extremely large audiences, but they have people who really, really trust them.”

-Tim Ferriss (entrepreneur, host of The Tim Ferriss Show)

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What do an ecommerce giant, an online therapy platform, and a shipping powerhouse all have in common?. They all have the same secret weapon when it comes to podcast performance, and they’re spilling it on the new Media Roundtable: Special Edition.

This week, we’re going back to Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, where Miranda Romano (SVP, Media, Oxford Road) moderated a performance-unlocking panel, “The Power of Independence: Why Brands Are Betting on Independent Creators.” Sharing their indie wisdom was an all-star panel of brand leaders:

• Brynn Greenelsh (Audio Marketing, Auctane–Stamps.com & ShipStation)
• Jessica Williams (Global Brand Marketing & Partnerships, Shopify)
• Brittany Clevenger (Senior Director of Growth Marketing, BetterHelp)

Join us as they cover: Becoming a Household Name, Unmatched Access, Ask An Expert, and more. Let’s dig in.

" Get on the small shows, and it'll be so worth it."

-Brittany Clevenger (Sr. Dir. of Growth Marketing, BetterHelp)

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Independent creators have to find a way to succeed, often without a network to support them and a safety net to fall back on.. In fact, 80% of the ORBIT top 15 performing podcasts are indies. But what does it take to win on their own… and is it worth it?

Find out in an all-new Media Roundtable: Special Edition.

Direct from Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) takes the stage with three of the hardest-working, most successful independent podcasters: Hala Taha (CEO & Founder, YAP Media, Host,Young and Profiting) and Brett and Jordy Meiselas (Co-founders, MeidasTouch Network, Hosts,The MeidasTouch Podcast).

The panelists get real about the joys and struggles of podcasting without a net. Join them as they talk: Audience Trust, Loving Crunches, True Partnerships, and more. Let’s dig in.

“ The pro [of being independent] is that you have complete autonomy over your content and everything that happens, whether it's a success or a failure, falls on you. The con is the same exact thing.”

-Brett Meiselas (Co-founder, MeidasTouch Network, Host, The MeidasTouch Podcast)

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