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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Killer Mike Didn’t Choose Independence by Accident. Here’s What Marketers Should Hear.

On a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) sits down with Grammy-winning rapper, independent artist, activist, and host of Conversate with Killer Mike, Michael Render, better known as Killer Mike.

Mike’s story isn’t the typical “indie creator” narrative. He was raised in an intentionally self-sufficient Black community in Atlanta, mentored by organizers connected to Dr. King, and introduced to leadership before most people are introduced to responsibility.

Independence, for him, isn’t a tactic. It’s a philosophy.

When he showed up to host our Indie PaC Awards at Podcast Movement Evolutions during SXSW, he didn't show up for a check. He showed up because he believes in what independent media is building. That distinction matters.

“We don’t have to have guests. We’re just conversation-driven.”

– Killer Mike

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How does an audiophile thrive in the era of YouTube? How can two circles solve everything? Find out in the first video podcast of Ad Infinitum, featuring the legendary sonic sage Dallas Taylor!

That’s right, the world’s only podcast solely dedicated to audio ads is back, now in video! Today, we present to you Ad Infinitum Season 4, Episode 1: "Two Circles: Dallas Taylor on Podcasting, YouTube, and Creative Identity."

Host Stew Redwine (Executive Creative Director, Oxford Road) welcomes award-winning sonic guide Dallas Taylor (Host, Twenty Thousand Hertz, and Founder, Defacto Sound) to Headgum Studios for a creative masterclass about achieving great work time and time again.

Stew and Dallas talk: Why the Audience Comes Last, Two Circles, Going Off the Rails, and more. Let’s dig in…

“ I've always been a sound designer. I've been somebody who wanted to craft and create and celebrate sound, then I use the tools around me to, to tell everybody about how cool this is. I don't really have any emotional or identity in the tools. That's why I don't say I'm a podcaster.”

-Dallas Taylor (Host, Twenty Thousand Hertz, founder Defacto Sound)

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Podcasts begin with a dream and a mic. But to reach the world, they often benefit from having someone in their corner like this week’s guest.

On a new Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts indie creator advocate Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn, founder of Megaphone). Libsyn is the founding sponsor of our Indie PaC Awards, which is an extension of their 20+ years of support for independent creators.

Join Dan and Brendan as they cover: Indie Wins, Definitions, The Creator’s Voice, and more. Let’s dig in.

"  For us, it's: how do we think about bringing revenue to [creators] and helping them fuel their dreams on the business side?”

-Brendan Monaghan (CEO, Libsyn)

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B2B marketers don’t have the luxury of building brands or boosting ROI. You need to do both. So how do you do it? You listen to this week’s special guest.

Media Roundtable: Special Edition, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) hosts veteran CMO Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation). Laura’s been everywhere from the NFL, where she learned brand-building, to CMO roles at podcast mainstays like LegalZoom and Constant Contact.

Join Dan and Laura as they cover: The Numbers, B2B Storytime, The Arms Race, and more. Let’s dig in.

"  I want you to feel great about our brands, and that you trust them, but I also want you to transact.”

-Laura Goldberg (CMO, Auctane, Stamps.com, ShipStation)

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Dan announces the Indie PaC Awards, the first-ever awards ceremony exclusively for independent podcasters and creators, happening March 15th at SXSW in Austin.

The ceremony will be hosted by Killer Mike, the Grammy-winning artist, entrepreneur, and advocate for creator ownership who has built his career on the same principles of independence the awards celebrate. Nominees include Steven Bartlett, Theo Von, Tim Ferriss, Lex Fridman, Kill Tony, Philip DeFranco, and dozens more.

The episode makes the case for why independent creators are the backbone of this medium, why they consistently outperform corporate shows in Oxford Road's ORBIT data, and why, on America's 250th birthday, the most American thing happening in media is independent podcasting.

The Indie PaC Awards are presented by Oxford Road with Libsyn as the founding sponsor.

Full nominee list and event details at IndiePac.com.

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