Podcast Production Company Opens Downtown Studio, Office

Podcamp Media, a fast-growing podcast production firm, announced Thursday it has opened an office and studio in a historic downtown building.

Launched in summer 2019 by communications professional Dustin Weis, the company offers branded podcast production for a variety of clients.

Weis, 36, originally hoped to open a studio in spring 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans on hold.

“Two years was a long time to be doing professional podcast production out of my home studio, especially with a couple of toddlers stomping around upstairs,” said Weis. “Our team members, our clients and I have found creative ways to ‘make it work’ up to this point, and we will continue to offer hybrid virtual work arrangements. But it is a relief to finally have a studio where we can record, collaborate, and show off all that Milwaukee has to offer when our out-of-town clients come to visit.”

The new studio is located on the sixth floor of the Colby Abbot Building, 759 N. Milwaukee St.

Weis is no stranger to Downtown. He spent nearly five years as the public relations supervisor for the City of Milwaukee Common Council and City Clerk‘s office. He also worked as strategic communications manager of the Association of Equipment Managers before launching the company.

“The renaissance taking place in downtown Milwaukee is something of which we’re proud to be a part,” said Weis. “Downtown Milwaukee has the entertainment scene. It has an incredible restaurant culture. We’re right on the streetcar line. Honestly, there’s nowhere we’d rather be.”

The company produces its own “Lead Balloon” podcast, recognized by Adweek magazine as the “2020 Marketing Podcast of the Year,” as well as client podcasts from the new space. “Lead Balloon” focuses on public relations disasters.

Podcamp’s client roster includes the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, National Corn Growers Association, Nutrien Ag Solutions and SurePayroll.

The studio space offers both audio and video production capabilities. Editing is performed in auxiliary rooms in the 850-square-foot office suite.

The studio buildout was supported by a $10,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation‘s Main Street Bounceback grant. The program is intended to support businesses expanding to vacant commercial or office space.

“Podcamp Media is a great example of how an independent, creative Wisconsin company can make an impact well beyond our borders,” said WEDC CEO Missy Hughes in a statement. “We’re pleased to be able to support a small business with big goals, and excited to see what happens next for a growing company that celebrates its Wisconsin storytelling heritage so proudly.”

“In downtown Milwaukee, we’re building a thriving business ecosystem that offers a unique array of business models and services,” said Matt Dorner, Milwaukee Downtown BID #21 economic development director. “Now, we can finally add ‘podcast studio’ to that list as well, and we think Podcamp Media will fit right in here.”

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a degree in journalism, Weis has held a number of reporting jobs including at iHeartMedia and Wisconsin Public Radio.

The company reports having one additional full-time employee and two contract editors. It is seeking to hire additional editors.

A wide variety of firms lease space in the Colby Abbot Building, including Urban Milwaukee. The six-story building suffered a substantial fire in 2020, with repair work and building renovation projects still ongoing.