What Makes a Video Podcast Setup Actually Work? (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Today I'm being brutally honest about celebrity video podcast setups and rating them on a scale from 1 to 10. I've worked in video production and tech for over 10 years so I'm looking at lighting, cameras, audio, set design, and how well it all fits the actual show. But let me be very clear, this is all for fun, these are my opinions, some of these shows are incredibly successful and I'm about to give one of them a 4. So clearly a beautiful set is not what makes a great podcast. Now I've picked 8 different shows with very different approaches to video, rate them along with me in the comments and if you think I'm completely wrong about one, I want to hear why. Let's start with a show that helped make video podcasting what it is. The Joe Rogan Experience has that classic radio show look. Everybody around a table, broadcast mics on boom arms, headphones on, and a curtain behind them. It makes perfect sense. The set doesn't demand your attention and it fits the conversations. It feels like you've been invited to sit in on a discussion that could go anywhere. But from a filmmaking perspective, I want more of the image. To my eye, the lighting often feels flat and the colors, especially the skin tones, can look a little dull. I'm not saying they should turn into a brightly colored TV set. A little more separation and some careful color work would keep the same mood while making everyone look better. And honestly, this is a good reminder that production quality has limits. At the end of the day, people are watching for Joe and the conversations. The setup does its job even if the image doesn't really excite me. My rating, 6 out of 10. It's iconic and it fits the show. I just think it could look better without losing what makes it recognizable. New Heights is one of my favorite examples here because Jason and Travis usually aren't sitting in the same room and making a remote conversation feel like one cohesive show is hard. Their individual camera and audio setups are strong and the graphics and branding bring everything together. It has the energy of a sports broadcast, but it still feels like two brothers just hanging out. That balance is a huge part of why the video works for me. Now, you can sometimes see differences in lighting between them at a guest calling in from somewhere else and that difference becomes more obvious. Kind of the reality of remote recording. You can control your own room, but you can't always control everybody else's. Still, I think they handle it incredibly well. The video feels intentional and the remote format is part of the show's personality. My rating, 7.5 out of 10. But I've got to give them a bonus point because they do use Riverside to produce their podcast, which is probably why it looks as good as it does. Club Shay Shay looks like a network production. The lighting, the leather couches, the fireplace, the way the interviews are shot, it all feels expensive and deliberate. The room makes an interview feel like an occasion. You almost feel like you should pour yourself a glass of fine wine or whiskey before you press play. There isn't much I'd change technically. My critique is more about the feeling it creates. Sometimes it's so produced that I feel like I'm watching a television interview or a documentary instead of a casual podcast. I know that's extremely nitpicky and some people will see that as its biggest strength. But there's also moments when I pull back the contrast in the lighting a little, but that's absolutely a taste thing. My rating, 8 out of 10. It looks fantastic. I just personally like a little more of a casual podcast feeling. I've talked about Call Her Daddy's setup before because I think Alex Cooper understands something really important. The room tells you how the conversation is going to feel before anyone says a word. The seating, the softer lighting, and the set design all create this comfortable, intimate space. Even when the look changes for a season or a particular guest, it still feels like Call Her Daddy. It's polished without making the set the star. My most specific complaint? Depending on the episode, I also think all the pink can make the skin tones blend into the background a little bit. I'd love just a touch more separation there sometimes. 8 out of 10. The visual identity is incredibly strong and it creates exactly the atmosphere the show wants. Okay, this is the one where I need to remind everybody that I'm rating the video setup, not Amy Poehler. Amy is such a good interviewer. She makes the conversation feel warm and easy to join, and the audio quality sounds fantastic. You can also tell that real thought went into the set. That's why the video surprised me. The artwork for Good Hang feels vintage, colorful, and full of personality. But when you watch the show, the image often feels washed out to me. I want more color, more contrast, and a little more life in the faces and the room in order to match that vibrant logo. I can't tell from watching whether that comes from the lighting, the camera settings, the color grade, or a combination of all of those things. I just know the final image doesn't give me the feeling the branding promises. And that's frustrating because the ingredients are there. I can see a version of this setup that I would love. 4 out of 10 for the video look. I enjoy Amy and the conversations, I just want the picture to do more for them. The Diary of a CEO looks exactly how the title sounds. Everything feels precise, the subjects stand out beautifully, the colors look rich without getting distracting, and there's enough going on in the background to give the room character. You can tell that someone's thought very carefully about every shot. Now from a production standpoint, I have very little to complain about. My one question is whether the look can sometimes be too perfect for the conversation. Kind of like with Club Shea Shea. If you're interviewing a founder or business leader and you want viewers to see the person behind the success, a highly polished image can put them on even more of a pedestal. That isn't a technical mistake, it's a storytelling choice. And for this show, it clearly works. I just find myself wondering what some of these conversations would feel like in a simpler room. 9 out of 10. Beautiful production, distinct identity, and maybe just a little too immaculate for my personal taste. I've followed Colin and Samir for a long time, so I was especially excited to include them. Their setup feels like a creator lab, which is exactly what their show should feel like. It's bright, energetic, and designed around the people in the conversation. The video quality is excellent, and they consistently make their guests look good. What impresses me even more is that when they record somewhere less ideal, the audio still holds up. And that tells me they're thinking about the whole production, not just the studio. I'm getting picky here, but I'd sometimes bring the brightness down a touch to give the image more depth. It's also less stylized than some of the other shows on this list, but I don't actually think they need a dramatic set. A heavily designed room might get in the way of what they do best, making creators feel comfortable enough to explain how they work. 8 out of 10. It knows its audience, it's technically strong, and the setup serves the interviews. The Mel Robbins Podcast is one of the best-looking video podcasts on this list, in my opinion. The lighting is what gets me. It feels soft and flattering, but there's still shape and contrast. The skin tones look perfect, the background is pleasing without pulling focus, and the audio is incredibly clear. I also love how intentional the editing feels. It draws you in and prepares you for the conversation without making you feel like the video is desperately trying to hold your attention. I had to work to find criticism here. The one thing I'd love is a third, wider camera angle, just to see more of the space and give the edit another option. And honestly, given how good the rest of the show looks, I mostly want that because I'm curious to see what they do with it. 9 out of 10. The whole production feels calm, confident, and very carefully made. So those are my eight ratings. If I'm choosing purely on the image, Mel Robbins might be my favorite, but New Heights might be the most impressive to me from a production standpoint. Because bringing people together remotely while keeping a show cohesive takes a lot of work. And that's probably my biggest takeaway. There isn't one correct looking setup. Club Shake Shave's production would feel completely different on Good Hang. Colin and Samir's bright studio wouldn't make sense for every interview. The best setup helps the audience understand the show and connect with the people in it. You also don't need a celebrity-sized studio to start making something good. Good lighting, clear audio, and a space that feels like your show will take you a long way. And if you want to record high-quality video content for yourself, Riverside lets each person record high-quality audio and video on their own device. You get separate tracks to work with afterward, which makes it easier to put the conversation together and make it feel like one show. But now I want your list. Which setup did I rate too high or low? Or in your opinion, which one did I get completely wrong? Put your scores in the comments, especially if you have Good Hang out of 10, because I need to understand what you're seeing that I'm missing. So if you want to try recording your own video podcast with Riverside, you can use the link in the description to get started. And if you want to learn more about recording, editing, and creating better content, I'll link a few more videos for you to watch right up here and in the description down below. Also, if this is a format you guys enjoyed and would love to see more of, please let me know, because this was a lot of fun to put together. Be sure to like this video and subscribe for more content just like this. And if you have any questions about your own video podcast setup, feel free to leave them in the comments. I'll be happy to answer them personally. Thank you so much for watching, and we can't wait to see what you create.