What happens when a former movie and TV producer discovers that podcasting gives him something Hollywood rarely could: creative freedom, ownership, and room to tell the full story?
In this episode, I sit down with Alan Katz, founder of Costered and Touchstone Productions, to talk about his journey from making movies and TV shows to building a growing podcast company with multiple shows in the world. Alan shares how podcasting became the creative home he did not know he was looking for, why honest storytelling matters, and how a strong podcast promise can make a show easier to understand, promote, and grow.
Tune in for an honest, practical conversation about storytelling, podcast growth, creative control, and what it really takes to build a podcast that people understand and want to come back to.
Connect With Alan Katz
Website: https://thedonorpodcast.com
If My Podcast Story speaks to you, consider subscribing so you never miss an episode. And if you have a moment, leaving a review helps more people discover the stories shared here. Your support truly means a lot.
There’s more to every story than what you hear on the episode. Join the My Podcast Story newsletter to receive thoughtful takeaways, episode extras, and personal notes that don’t make it into the show. It’s a quiet way to stay inspired between listens.
Sign up here: https://mypodcaststory.com/join
Chapters
00:00 Opening Moment
00:19 Introducing Alan Katz
00:37 Alan Shares What His Podcast Company Is Building
01:01 Launching John Kiriakou’s Dead Drop
02:45 Why the Podcast Goes Deep Into a Spy’s Story
05:03 Why Podcasting Allows a More Honest Storytelling Approach
06:53 How the New Show Reached 12,000 to 15,000 Downloads
08:11 Rushing the Podcast Into Production Before a Big Interview
09:05 Using Audience Attention from Joe Rogan’s YouTube Comments
10:52 Why Selling the Story Is Part of Telling the Story
12:01 The Importance of Knowing Your Podcast’s Franchise
14:07 How Costered and Touchstone Productions Started
15:22 The Faith Theism Project and Alan’s First Podcasting Experience
17:08 From Tales from the Crypt to Dads from the Crypt
18:31 Turning a Difficult Movie Experience Into a Podcast
20:14 Why Honesty Made How Not to Make a Movie Stand Out
21:06 Creating The Donor and The Hall Closet
21:36 My Podcast Story Newsletter Break
21:59 Why Alan No Longer Wants to Make Movies or TV
22:25 Growing to Nine Podcasts and More in Development
24:25 Why Podcasting Is a Powerful Creative Medium
26:05 The Freedom and Fear of a Blank Creative Page
27:46 Alan’s One-Person Podcast Company
28:39 Thinking About Podcast Networks and Bigger Opportunities
29:43 Advice for Building a Nigerian Podcasting Industry
31:10 Creating Diverse Content Under One Podcast Family
32:48 The Challenge of Hiring the Right Podcast Team
34:16 Scaling the Company and Staying Open to Investment
36:13 How Alan Structures Podcast Partnerships
38:03 Ownership, Production Budgets, and Profit Sharing
40:59 Alan Encourages Wisdom’s Podcast Network Vision
42:01 Where to Find Alan and Costered and Touchstone
43:11 Final Thoughts
