AUSTIN, Texas – The podcast market is saturated. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry with millions of shows and dozens of genres. So, how does a podcast company make an impact and stand out in a crowded field? For Texas-based company Hot Pie Media, it’s a mix of diverse content, seasoned media creators and keeping business in the family.
Hot Pie Media’s director of content, Natalie Peyton, is finding herself busier as the company grows. Despite only officially launching in October 2021, their offices are expanding – they’re adding an extra podcasting studio, live streaming and recording some of their biggest podcasts on video.
Peyton said when the company made the decision to add video, getting equipment was difficult.
At the beginning of the pandemic, when Hot Pie Media was newly formed, companies were scrambling to go virtual, including churches, which, Peyton said, “had the market on all the cameras.”
One resource the company didn’t have issues procuring was Peyton herself. She joined Hot Pie Media nearly two years ago after a phone call with her father and co-founder John Peyton.
“My dad called me and said that he had started a company with his partner Robert (Walker) and that I should move back from New York and work with him. At the time I was doing standup comedy and acting. But then when I came back and realized what they were doing, I was so excited so I became the first employee,” Natalie Peyton said.
That was in March 2020, the same time the COVID-19 pandemic shut down businesses and events worldwide. Natalie Peyton said it was the perfect time to leave bustling New York City and move back home to Texas.
Her return home meant more family time, including at work. Her office is beside her father’s and they often spend the day talking through the wall they share.
John Peyton said welcoming his daughter to the business was seamless, but he did face a challenge early on.
“We changed protocol after one board meeting,” John Peyton said.
“When I called him Daddy,” added Natalie Peyton. “He’s my biological father. It’s not like a creepy work thing.”
While Natalie Peyton is busy managing content, she’s also found time to create some. She will join her aunt, actor Marcia Gay Harden (seen on “Mystic River,” and “The Morning Show”), in an upcoming children’s podcast called “Snoriezzz.” Natalie Peyton said it’s the start of Hot Pie Media’s children’s division.
“We include affirmations and mindful talk,” she said. “And a calm your body down meditation section.”
She hopes parents can turn the podcast on for their kids before bed to help kids find calm and possibly, sleep.
Hot Pie Media is fairly new to the podcasting game, but they’ve already got coffers swelling with content, featuring podcasts hosted by nationally recognized celebrities like Chris Noth (“Sex and the City”) and Steppenwolf founder John Kay, to well-known former Texans like former Austin radio host Deb O’Keefe.
They’ve also got a lot of experience in content creation. Co-founders Robert Walker, John Peyton and Chris Jagger each bring decades of experience in television, music and content creation. In Jagger’s case, he’s bringing all that and his brother Mick. He’ll join his brother’s podcast in late 2022.