Decades ago, Guy Raz made a name for himself as a journalist covering the latest news in foreign affairs, wars, current events and more. But, as he tells me, he eventually grew tired of always chasing the latest update, and yearned for a medium and topic area that would let him dive deeper into subjects with longer and more lasting relevance.
And it’s that journey that led him into podcasting, and eventually into launching his award-winning business show How I Built This.
On the show, Raz brings in the founders and CEOs behind well-known companies to, in great depth, discuss their origins, struggles, decisions and deeper reflections along the journeys to grow their brands. The show has seen guests such as Whole Foods’ John Mackey, The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon, Spanx’s Sara Blakely and so many more across now over 550 episodes.
By its nature the show of course attracts many listeners who are very attuned to topics around entrepreneurship and business. But, as Raz tells me, most of his audience sits beyond those categories, because his show has found a way to tap into something more universal.
“You know, we think of it as a universal show. Because building, creating is a human instinct. We all do it,” Raz said.
And that universal, human interest in the stories behind making things might just be why podcast giant Wondery has, this year, decided to put so much effort into promoting their business-focused content, including How I Built This.
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Last month, Wondery launched Wondery Means Business, a campaign highlighting their catalog of business-oriented programming. Their titles include, of course, How I Built This, but also shows such as Business Wars, The Best One Yet, Scamfluencers and more. Wondery’s campaign utilized a mix of channels to get the word out, leveraging paid social ads, their first 3D digital billboard, influencer engagements and more all with playful designs leaning into the acronyms and terms typically associated with the business world (for instance, playfully rendering “MBA” into “Make Business Accessible”).
The campaign also comes with brand new content, including a new, four-episode arc of How I Built This on video, where Guy Raz sat down with not just entrepreneurs, but specifically creator entrepreneurs. That is, he dove into the stories behind YouTubers who have transformed their videos into thriving, million dollar businesses, because he sees something incredible in the work that they’re doing.
“I mean, to imagine that one person with a tiny team can build out such an influential media business is remarkable, and it speaks to this idea that in every generation the barriers to entry fall in different categories, in different segments, and so more and more people can jump in,” Raz said.
As an example, Raz tells me about the YouTuber Dhar Mann, who features as one of his guests in these new episodes. Raz describes learning from the creator how he started out with not much money, and also as someone behind three prior unsuccessful entrepreneurial efforts. But then, at first with just the help of a Craiglist videographer, he began filming simple morality tales for YouTube teaching positive lessons. And the concept took off, allowing him to scale into, today, working from his own over 400,000 square feet studio.
“Ten years ago you couldn't imagine a guy like that could build a Hollywood-style studio with more than 150 employees, where you've got people from traditional Hollywood now vying to work for him,” Raz said.
These new episodes also feature long-time YouTube veterans Rhett & Link, science communicator and engineer Mark Rober and lifestyle creator Rosanna Pansino, all of whom Raz describes as holding a level of influence in media that is astounding and was unthinkable just a few years ago. And so, Wondery has included these deep dives into their campaign to emphasize the kinds of engaging business content they have for listeners new and old.
“Wondery Means Business marks a strategic shift in our marketing efforts to not only reinforce Wondery as the go-to destination for business content, but also making [sic] business content accessible, allowing more diverse audiences into the fold,” Wondery’s Head of Marketing Blad Norman said.
And from Guy Raz’s perspective, Wondery has been a valuable partner across all of his shows, as he now works with them on not only How I Built This, but also his shows The Great Creators and Wow in the World.
“I mean, Wondery is, and has been for a long time, really a home for people interested in business,” Raz said.
Guy Raz, while having started out as a journalist, describes himself now as a content creator. And, like the YouTubers above, he too has built an incredible empire around his output, these days producing six hours of original content a week. But, for him, all the effort and work is worth it if, at the end of the day, listeners come away feeling that the time they granted him to listen to his episodes was well spent, and that they enjoyed what they got out of it.
“My hope is that— if I can produce one thing a week that brings value to somebody, then I've done my job,” Raz said.
Past episodes of How I Built This, including the four new creator-centric episodes released as part of Wondery Means Business, can be found on Amazon Music, Wondery+, or wherever you get your podcasts. How I Built This has also recently launched a new initiative, called the How I Built This Advice Line, where callers can now dial in to ask questions of one of Guy Raz’s esteemed former guests. This new segment, which Raz is eager to roll out further, runs on Thursdays.
For more on the creator economy, movies and TV, follow my page on Forbes. You can also find me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat.
