Picture this – Zach Braff, of Scrubs fame, in a TV series about a radio journalist setting up a podcast company.
That may be a show you will be watching soon, but the story behind it is very real.
The radio journalist is Alex Blumberg, the company Gimlet Media, the podcast that followed its own evolution (the first to be produced by Gimlet) simply called StartUp.
The first series of the show, back in 2014, documented in candid detail the birth and evolution of the business.
Over 14 half-hour episodes, we met Alex – previously a producer on the public radio show This American Life – recording conversations as he painfully practised his pitch for Gimlet Media to a billionaire venture capitalist and negotiated equity with his new partner, Matt Lieber.
And that’s the beauty of this show. For anyone who’s ever considered starting their own business, this podcast puts its own makers under the microscope – or, at least leaves the microphone permanently on, giving everyone from new employees to investors their say.
The show went somewhat off the boil in seasons two and three, as Mr Blumberg stepped away from the mic and the show instead followed the exploits of a different start-up, Dating Ring, then other entrepreneurs.
In season four, which kicked off last month, we’re back to hearing about the inner workings of Gimlet – sadly, they say, for the last time this season – before the no-holds barred tale of Dov Charney (who founded American Apparel but then faced sexual harassment claims before being ousted in 2014), following him as he starts a new T-shirt brand.
In the rawest episode to date, Mr Blumberg sobs as he talks to an executive coach about a performance review he’s received and finally understands how he’s mirroring his father’s career.
And where does Zach Braff come into it? ABC is talking about turning the real-life tale into a TV series.
StartUp can be downloaded free from iTunes or gimletmedia.com.
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