LAS Podcast Network creators (from left) Alex Schulte, Creative Director; Logan Schultz, CEO; and Craig Johnson, Artistic Director, sit on the stage at Theatre Cedar Rapids. The LAS Podcast Network Launched Sunday with 10 podcasts ranging in topics from real estate and marketing to history and fatherhood. (Photos courtesy of Forrest M. Moore)
A new podcast network bringing community-focused content and featuring local voices was launched over the weekend.
The LAS Podcast Network debuted Sunday with 10 podcast shows that ranged in topics from real estate and marketing to history and fatherhood.
LAS stands for Local, Authentic and Surprising. Most of the network’s podcasts are released on a regular basis and available via popular podcast directories such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
“It’s like Netflix for podcasts,” CEO and co-founder Logan Schultz said of the network. He and his business partner Alex Schulte — the network’s creative director — created the network and host some of the shows. Many of the programs are recorded and produced at the LAS sound studio located inside Theatre Cedar Rapids.
“What we’ve done is create this space where local creators can come together and produce content that is interesting, fun, and relevant to our community,” Schultz said.
“Diversity and accessibility are really important to us,” Schulte said. “We really want to feature diverse local voices, we want to feature content that is authentic and relatable and inclusive, while still being interesting and entertaining and we want everyone to feel like they have a piece in the shows being produced.”
Logan Schultz, CEO and co-founder of LAS Podcast Network, chats with guests in the LAS sounds studio at Theatre Cedar Rapids. The LAS Podcast Network Launched Sunday with 10 podcasts ranging in topics from real estate and marketing to history and fatherhood. (Photos courtesy of Forrest M. Moore)
“This community, this city, means everything to us,” Schultz added. “It has given us families, jobs, love, joy, and more wonderful memories than we can count. So when we developed the idea for the L.A.S. Group, we wanted to find a way to apply our various skills to enhance and elevate our community. The L.A.S. Podcast Network allows us to create high-quality content that’s entirely unique to Eastern Iowa and utilize it as a tool to promote the local businesses that make our community great. This is the epitome of our culture.”
Ten podcasts launched, each dropping their first episodes Sunday before starting their regular schedules Monday.
Of those 10 shows, six are free to the public and four are exclusive content that can be accessed through the LAS Podcast Network’s Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/LASPodcastNetwork) — an online service where listeners can pay a monthly subscription fee to content creators and get access to exclusive bonus materials, merchandise and ad-free episodes.
The six free shows are:
• What Do You Wanna Talk About? Hosted by local comedians, Lindsay Prince and Jason Alberty and is scheduled to air on Mondays. The weekly podcast will discuss everything from pop culture and trends to education and history.
• Historically Inaccurate, hosted by Jake Truemper and scheduled to air on Mondays. Truemper, along with co-host Schulte, will entertain with his “out-of-the-box historical knowledge.”
• Friends with Marketing Benefits, scheduled to air on Tuesdays, will offer easy-to-understand marketing knowledge, whether you’re a business owner, nonprofit manager, or trying to sell that dresser on Facebook marketplace.
• From One Dad to Another, hosted by Tim Riven and Schultz, will discuss all things parenthood. In each episode of the weekly podcast, which is scheduled to drop new episodes on Wednesdays, Tim Riven — a grandfather with three adult children — and Logan Schultz — who’s about to be a first-time dad — attempt to decode modern parenthood “one dad-joke at a time.”
• One Word Stories with Alex Schulte also will drop new episodes on Wednesdays. Each week, Alex Schulte, and “right-hand man” Jake Truemper, will use a single word to spark a deep dive discussion into the stories that made us.
• The Corridor Real Estate Podcast with Logan Adam Schultz, Realtor®. With new episodes scheduled to air on Thursdays, Schultz will share tips, insight, and interviews with industry professionals to help anyone become a real estate expert in Eastern Iowa. For more, visit LASRealtor.com.
Additionally, Patreon subscribers will have access to four exclusive shows: The L.A.S. Show; Choose Your Own Adventure: Battle Royale; Gaming Through the Generations and Creating Crap with Craig.
The independent podcast network is funded by advertising sponsors who wish to engage with local, targeted audiences as well as directly by fans through Patreon.
In addition to empowering local creators, the LAS Podcast Network aims to reach a wide-swath of highly engaged podcast audiences that local businesses can connect with through affordable, accessible, and authentic advertising. The goal is to allow small businesses to spend less and get a more valuable, trackable marketing experience with an audience that cares more about their message and will provide them a greater return on their investment.
Alex Schulte, LAS Podcast Network co-founder and creative director, laughs while hosting a podcast at the LAS sound studio in Theatre Cedar Rapids. The LAS Podcast Network Launched Sunday with 10 podcasts ranging in topics from real estate and marketing to history and fatherhood. (Photos courtesy of Forrest M. Moore)
“This is something that we’ve both always wanted to do,” Schulte said. “You know, I have a background in radio and broadcasting and we’re both involved in theater and we’re both creative people, so this is creatively fulfilling for us.”
The past year has been tough for artists and creators, Schulte said.
“You know, the pandemic left a creative hole in our hearts,” he said. “It was like it took away our food. All of a sudden we’re having to isolate, we can’t collaborate and we don’t have anyone to create for because everything is closed and everyone is staying home.”
But now it seems there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Now it seems we might be nearing the end of this thing, and people are starting return to their normal schedules, we really wanted to make sure that we had the podcast network in pace for that,” Schultz said.
“After being isolated from one another for so long, being able to create something that will bring people together again has been incredible,” Schulte said. “Our community has been through an unimaginable amount this past year and if we can represent and celebrate that resilience through our podcasts, I’ll be happy.”
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