In early March 2006, I sat down with Todd Cochrane for an episode of my PodLeaders podcast. At the time, podcasting itself was barely 18 months old, and Todd was already at the forefront – hosting Geek News Central, co-founding the Tech Podcast Network, and laying the foundations for what would become Blubrry Podcasting.
Todd passed away suddenly in September 2025, and his loss has been felt deeply across the podcasting community. He was a relentless advocate for independent creators, a builder of tools and communities, and someone whose work helped make podcasting what it is today.
What you see above is the original interview – I dug around in my archives to find it, and then uploaded it to YouTube. Listening to it nearly 20 years later is like opening a time capsule: Todd’s clarity of thought, entrepreneurial vision, and commitment to helping others shine through. He was already thinking about sustainability, monetisation, and community aggregation in ways that proved remarkably prescient.
Some highlights you’ll notice in this interview:
- How Todd got started in podcasting in October 2004, extending his blog into audio.
- The origins of the Tech Podcast Network, designed to give small creators collective strength in attracting advertisers.
- His early thinking on sponsorship models, content strategy, and audience growth.
- The birth of RawVoice (later Blubrry), with projects like Podcaster News and Podcast Promos.
- His insistence that “content is king” but that branding and quality matter too.
- A glimpse into Todd’s life in Honolulu – family, day job, even a story about “ghosts” near Pearl Harbor.
Looking back, this conversation is more than just an interview – it’s a piece of podcasting history, and a reminder of how much one individual’s dedication can shape an entire medium.
Todd Cochrane was inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2015, and his legacy endures in every independent podcaster who values openness, community, and resilience.
Todd was one of a kind, and will be missed.