Michael Osborne: Famous and Gravy
- Matt Cundill
- May 6
- 2 min read
I recently spoke with Michael Osborne, co-host of the podcast Famous and Gravy - a podcast that explores the lives of deceased celebrities, going beyond typical obituaries to uncover lesser-known aspects of their stories. Co-created with Ahmed Kapoor during the COVID-19 lockdown, the podcast aims to understand celebrities as symbolic representations of societal dreams and fears. As the bio says on their website, they are "close friends and back patio academics who are not what they once thought they were."
Michael shares his story from being a PhD student in climate science to becoming a podcast creator. Starting with early inspirations like "This American Life" and Marc Maron, he developed a passion for storytelling through audio.
After gaining traction as an independent show, "Famous and Gravy" was picked up by Wondery, a major podcast network. Osborne emphasizes the importance of thorough research, engaging storytelling, and maintaining creative control while providing inspiration for emerging podcast creators.
Something we discussed which I thought was interesting was the fuss around the title of the show. Does it describe what the show is about. (Maybe a little?) Is it searchable (Somewhat..) Is it a cool name? (Yes)
For those detractors who think the name is not doing the show any favours... I present to you, my lessons from radio. I've been in board rooms and brain storms trying to come up with names for radio stations and if you let enough losers into the meeting, it winds up becing call Clear, Fab, The Breeze, Fresh, Power, Q, X, Z, or The Fox. None of those things mean anything to anyone. If anything - the first 5 could be laundry detergent or fabric softener or toilet paper, or body wash.
A name or brand needs to be defined by its content, it's visual promotion and definitely it's audio promotion. So hire amazing voice talent like me, or her, or him, or her.
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