In the rapidly evolving creator economy, data is becoming the backbone of storytelling. Georgie Holt, co-founder of FlightStory, shared her insights on this shift during a sit-down interview at the Banff World Media Festival. Led by Mikey O’Connell, senior entertainment editor at The Hollywood Reporter, Holt discussed how FlightStory leverages data to create compelling content and predict cultural trends.
FlightStory is renowned for its popular podcast, The Diary of a CEO hosted by company co-founder Steven Bartlett. The podcast has featured high-profile guests like Michelle Obama, Scooter Braun, Simon Cowell, and Richard Branson, attracting a massive audience. Bartlett’s ability to draw in powerful figures has made the podcast a cultural phenomenon.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Holt emphasized the importance of data in the creative process. ‘You truly don’t need to guess anymore. We’re in the creative age of media,’ she stated. FlightStory’s Failure and Experimentation team plays a crucial role in testing ideas for new content. This approach allows them to identify potential guests who might perform well before they appear on camera or microphone.
The company uses a Guest Radar tool to find ‘over-performers’ as potential guests. Holt noted that celebrities with large followings aren’t always the best performers. Instead, creators with smaller but engaged audiences often achieve remarkable success. For instance, a creator with 20,000 followers might go on to garner six million views on The Diary of a CEO.
The Power of Passion and Personal Brands
When pitching FlightStory on a podcast project, Holt looks for passion and obsession. She believes that in a competitive media landscape, creators must stand out. ‘As a creator, it’s so hard to build an audience. There are so many things competing against you for it not to work: economics, algorithms, competition,’ she explained. Creators with strong personal brands are thriving as digital creators and brand marketers increasingly collaborate with Hollywood to produce original IP series.
Holt stressed the importance of authenticity in content creation. ‘We really want the human,’ she argued, emphasizing the need for real people in their content. She cautioned against the rise of AI-generated content, which she believes can make media spaces feel sterile and unengaging. ‘Perfect people are really boring,’ she remarked, highlighting the appeal of messy, authentic storytelling.
The Future of Media and Hollywood’s Role
Holt predicted that major studios and streamers might make a significant mistake by assuming they know better than digital creators. She pointed to the success of horror films like Obsession and Backrooms directed by filmmakers raised on YouTube, as evidence of the creative potential of digital creators. ‘They can build their own movies and they can distribute to any channel they want to distribute on,’ she said, emphasizing the need for Hollywood to collaborate with creators rather than dictate to them.
Holt also discussed the importance of learning from the experiences of creators like Bartlett, who spent two years recording and testing content before launching The Diary of a CEO. This trial-and-error process is crucial for understanding what resonates with audiences. ‘We should be so lucky to be in their world,’ she said, acknowledging the hard work and dedication of creators who have been scraping to get their content onto platforms.
By balancing art and science, FlightStory is paving the way for a new era of content creation that is both authentic and data-informed.
