For podcasters, the full-service suite offers a chance to elevate production values with video. For newcomers, experts are ready to lend a hand getting new shows off the ground.
By Matt Skoufalos | February 27, 2022
John Bertino at NJ Content Studio of Haddonfield. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
As a medium, podcasting has existed for fewer than 20 years; in that time, however, it’s gone from a niche interest to a mainstay form of entertainment, information, and communication.
Market analysts peg the number of podcasts in existence at anywhere between 3 and 4 million, with podcast search engine and database ListenNotes estimating that more than 416,000 podcasts are currently active.
Of those, social media analyst Neal Schaffer posits that only 17 percent offer video recordings of their episodes along with the audio feeds.
Given the prominence of video-based social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok — and the unending thirst for new content to populate on these channels — marketing professionals John Bertino and Steven Picanza see an untapped market.
Next month, in downtown Haddonfield, the duo will launch NJ Content Studio, a full-service podcast recording studio with an emphasis on multi-cam video production.
Bertino, CEO at The Agency Guide (TAG), a nationwide consultancy that matches businesses with marketing and branding agencies, believes that NJ Content Studio can add value for any podcaster looking to enhance the quality of the work they produce, or help newcomers get their ideas off the ground quickly.
“We can give anyone a platform through the system and technology setup that we have,” Bertino said.
“I think we’re going to get a really interesting mix of businesses that need to put out content that explains the complexities of what they do, and young individuals who want a platform.”
Bertino’s already fielding interest from real estate professionals, and believes more will follow from fields like law, finance, and healthcare.
“They have a reason to get behind a microphone on a regular basis and talk about the intricacies of the industry,” he said.
John Bertino at NJ Content Studio of Haddonfield. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
On the other end of the client spectrum, NJ Content Studio is equally capable of hosting entertainers of all stripes who can benefit from professional presentation of their material.
Bertino anticipates the studio will be of interest to vloggers and podcasters in fields like arts, entertainment, sports, and other forms of storytelling.
“The opportunities are endless,” he said.
The initial available space is a small recording room informally dubbed “The Library” for its bookshelf background. Bertino said the items on the shelves, which currently feature books on marketing and communications from the TAG library, can be adjusted or replaced to coordinate with creators’ messaging.
In the next year, the partners plan to supplement the initial studio space with two or three other vignettes — a living-room-style talk show chat set and a greenscreen studio — within the same building.
For creators who may have been working within a home-based setup, Bertino said NJ Content Studio hopes to offer a step up in terms of equipment quality and professional services.
With live, multi-camera switching, and professional sound engineering and lighting design, he’s looking to provide an elevated experience that delivers a higher-quality product than most people can create at home.
“Up until now, the story has been [that] you don’t need to be an expert,” Bertino said. “You don’t need to have a camera, or professional audio; you can do it on your own.
“Now that there’s saturation, you need to do things to differentiate yourself,” he said. “I think production value is coming back. Now you need to cut through the clutter.”
NJ Content Studio also plans to offer a simplified pricing package that will allow creators to pay for a block of recording sessions or by the episode; for additional charges, clients can purchase editing and social media clip production services.
To Bertino and Picanza, NJ Content Studio offers a great deal of opportunity, but none bigger than the chance for two professionals with a national clientele to focus on building success stories right in their backyards.
“This is really about local businesses and local relationships,” Bertino said. “There was something genuinely missing for us; it felt like some kind of professional hole. This could be fun, and give us a way to build local relationships.”
For more information, follow njcontentstudio.com.
