It’s easy to look at a guy like Theo Von and make assumptions about him. He’s got a thick southern draw, a mullet, he’s a comedian that makes borderline inappropriate jokes and doesn’t seem to take anything too seriously. I don’t know the man personally, but I think he would likely be just fine with any of us drawing our own conclusions on his talent, intellect and ability. People have been underestimating Theo Von, real name Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III, his entire life. But, doing so would only be a disservice to ourselves because there are a lot of lessons all professional broadcasters, especially radio broadcasters, could learn from this 44 year old modern day media mogul. Which, love Theo or hate him, he is. His weekly episodes regularly attract more eyes and ears than any of the network late night shows and certainly any news program. Here are a few of the lessons Theo Von could teach us broadcasters.
Think outside our ‘pay your dues’ model for promoting talent. Over the past few weeks Theo Von has landed some very high-profile interviews with politicians. First, he spoke with Senator Bernie Sanders and two week's later he sat down with former President and current Republican nominee Donald Trump. Both of those were smart decisions by Sanders and Trump because Theo’s not only got one of the top podcasts in the world, he also does well with a key voting bloc, young people. Plus, sitting down with someone laid back and not a political junkie or insider is likely to lead to some humanizing moments that make each of them come off better than they do in traditional interviews. You’ve probably already seen the clip of Theo telling Trump what it’s like to do cocaine, but the two also discussed Donald’s love for his sons, Harris, Biden and health care in a conversational manner. Here’s the full episode.
In the Bernie ep the Senator from Vermont explained to Theo and everyone watching how the Citizens United ruling made it easier for big money to sway elections and influence legislation. He also spoke frankly about Trump, climate change and abortion. Here’s that full episode.
While we can debate exactly how interesting and entertaining the full episodes were, there’s little room for debate that these are two of the most entertaining political interviews in quite some time. Hence why they’ve racked up so many views. They’re also incredibly effective at getting out messaging because a lot of people who don’t follow politics regularly got to see them. However, these kind of viral moments only happen in forums like the one Theo has created. I find it hard to believe that any traditional broadcasting company would have chosen Theo Von as their in-house person to handle these two interviews, because he doesn’t have the credentials as we define them. He isn’t highly educated, hasn’t slowly and methodically moved up the ranks in journalism and broadcasting and is by no means a political expert. But, if traditional broadcasting wants to compete for younger audiences in this new media landscape these are the kinds of hosts we need to at least occasionally give these kinds of big opportunities to instead of defaulting to our old ‘pay your dues’ model every time.
The second big lesson radio in particular, but TV as well, could learn from Theo is being willing to take some risks and try something new without the fear of failure. He may seem like an overnight success to some, but those familiar with his career know that he’s been around for a while. Theo started in reality TV on shows like Road Rules, then spent years barely earning a living in stand-up comedy while trying to make it in Hollywood. Then, while still working as a struggling touring comic in 2016 he started a podcast by himself called This Past Weekend where he talked about interesting things he observed on the road as a comic. Although it didn’t get much traction initially, he stuck with it putting out a new episode every single week, not an easy thing to do logistically when working from different locations. He also started with a simple production in his closet and slowly improved the production quality and his concept as the show grew. Something Theo has said he learned from his experiences going on Joe Rogan’s podcast. But, the thing that likely helped his podcast grow the most was Theo’s decision to be open and honest about his struggles with sobriety, intimacy and overcoming his rough circumstances growing up. Comedians’ willingness to be open and blatantly honest about who they are without putting on heirs or covering up any of the blemishes makes it really hard for traditional broadcasters to compete with them. On air talent working directly for and answering to companies have a tough time doing this out of fear they’ll say something that will offend a sponsor or vocal listener and get them fired. Plus, it goes against everything we’ve been taught about staying positive and being tight and bright at all times (Never a bad day on the radio).
As you can tell, I’m a fan. As a fellow southerner I can relate to Theo. As a broadcaster who coaches talent and hosts a podcast himself, I respect his talent, his work ethic and ability to carve out his own path.
What do you think? Are you a fan and if so what lessons have you learned from listening to Theo’s podcast? Comment below or email me at Andy@RadioStationConsultant.com.