‘WTF With Marc Maron’ Celebrates 13 Years With A New Partnership With Acast

Stand-up comedian, actor, writer, radio host, game show host, talk show guest, and podcaster. When the name Marc Maron comes to mind, there is no simple way to define his career in media. It began with stand-up comedy in the late 1980s; a blend of his now signature type of observational humor and storytelling. It segued to radio, Off-Broadway, touring, a webcast, a book, talk show appearances, CDs, television and movie roles, and more. And, at a time of adversity — when Maron’s second marriage was kaput and his career was temporarily stalled — it was his genre-defining podcast WTF with Marc Maron that set the stage for his future and, quite impressively, an entire industry.

Produced by Maron’s former Air America co-worker Brendan McDonald, WTF with Marc Maron, is the “foundation,” according to Maron. With more than 600 million downloads since premiering, the veteran podcast is a bi-weekly breeding ground for candid conversation with actors, comedians, directors, writers, authors and musicians, among others. Names in the caliber of Nicole Kidman, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Poehler, Lisa Kudrow, Paul McCartney, Brad Pitt and former U.S. President Barack Obama.

“Brendan and I made this commitment and it’s almost like an oath,” noted Marc Maron. “We have a very specific and professional relationship, and we have done a new show every Monday and Thursday no matter what. Rain, shine, death…we have always delivered on that. From the podcast, I’ve built a larger audience for my stand-up. From the podcast, I drew enough attention to sell my comedy, Maron, to IFC and Apostle, which was based on me doing the podcast. And, through it, my recognition level grew and I got GLOW, and I got movies, among other things.”

Maron, with Marc Maron as a fictionalized version of himself, aired for four seasons on IFC, from 2013 to 2016. GLOW, which followed the 1980s women’s professional wrestling circuit Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, featured Maron as Sam Sylvia, the combative but good-hearted filmmaker who directs the women’s wrestling show. It ran on Netflix for three seasons, from 2017 to 2019. And WTF with Marc Maron, which is cited for its influence on other interview-type podcasts that emerged after its debut, recently entered into a three-year partnership with independent podcast company Acast.

“We were one of the original ones to do a podcast,” noted Maron. “And what we were able to do, which I believe influenced a lot of people, was delve into an intimacy and an intensity to the conversations that you just never heard on radio.”

New episodes of WTF with Marc Maron are available for free across all major podcast platforms (including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcasts and Pocket Casts). Advertisers can place dynamic ads or use Acast’s in-house team for premium spots that appear on Maron’s show, in addition to other podcasts in Acast’s network. And over 650 episodes of WTF with Marc Maron, previously under a paywall, and bonus content are now available through Acast+.

“The podcast is the baseline and the foundation of whatever I have become,” said Maron. “When we started, no one knew how to monetize it. The entire podcast industry grew up together. We have overcome obstacles on our own and with the community. And now, of course, anyone and everyone has a podcast. The competition is fierce.”

“Entering into a partnership with the podcast giant Marc Maron is a big win for Acast and for the open podcasting landscape, as this deal guarantees that the podcast can continue to be listened to by everyone, everywhere and on their preferred listening platform,” said Ross Adams, the CEO of Acast in a statement. “This collaboration presents a real step forward for us in the North American market, adding millions of listens and strengthening our brand even further in the region. At the same time we will also be working with the show to increase the number of Marc Maron fans across the globe.”

From the Beginning

Launched on September 1, 2009 following the demise of his weekly video webcast Breakroom Live with Maron & Seder (featuring actor, political commentator and host Sam Seder), the origin of WTF with Marc Maron was unprecedently lowkey.

“We did the first few dozen episodes by basically breaking into the studio at Air America late at night and bringing guests up in the elevator and figuring out how to do it,” remembered Maron. “It was really a weird act of desperation in a sense. I had gotten through a divorce. I was pretty broke. The job was over. My radio career was done. And I didn’t have a TV career. But I knew I was good at broadcasting on a radio mike and the timing worked out. Apple wanted some people with notoriety, and they would promote the podcast to get people onto their iPads or iPhones.”

“So, I went back to Los Angeles and set up my garage to do it from,” added Maron. “I also got involved in social media and would book people with big social media presences at the beginning. Since there was no way to monetize it at the time, it was about the work and doing something new.”

In that first year, WTF with Marc Maron rose to No. 1 on the iTunes comedy charts and was ranked the third Best Podcast by iTunes Rewind. More recently, and following other accolades, the podcast in 2021 received the first-ever Governors Award at the inaugural Awards for Excellent in Audio (The Ambies).

“WTF with Marc Maron has been a trailblazer for the medium since its inception and represents what’s unique about the industry,” said Donald Albright, Chairman of the Podcast Academy in a statement. “As co-creators, producers and owners of WTF, Marc and Brendan have served as global pioneers for podcasters big and small, both in front of and behind the mic.”

“Over time, we have put together this amazing archive of conversation, and we have wondered how we could house this in a respectful manner while getting it out publicly,” noted Maron. “Acast is a Scandinavian company; they are big in Europe and want to make inroads in the United States. We want to spread out in the world while not compromising the way we do the podcast. And, with Acast, we are doing bonus material, short bits and pieces we have never done before for people that sign up for the premium package.”

More specifically, all episodes of WTF with Marc Maron since its inception are available (back-catalog ad-free and recent episodes and collections with possible sponsorship mentions) for $3 per month. The bonus content every week – listener Q&As, stand-up routines, movie reviews, additional chats, and more — come at a cost of $5 per month.

“I just did a bonus segment with my father, who has Alzheimer’s, and sat down with him after I found all these old pictures of him. It was really very touching,” said Maron. “We are going to start including some bits from my stand-up that’s not going to be on television, stuff like this with my father and others, shorter interviews with people I have talked to before, and perhaps some behind the scenes stuff.”

“It just opens up this other avenue to do shorter pieces that are unique to the bonus content,” he added. “And there is so much bonus material we can pursue.”

Today’s Podcast

At its inception, WTF with Marc Maron, or any podcast looking to define the category, did not exist in this current era commonly referred to as “cancel culture.” Fear of a public backlash, particularly on social media, can now potentially inhibit certain comments, topics and conversations. Comedians, of course, are particularly on the forefront. But for Maron, who has defined the art of these candid interviews, it is business as usual.

“In today’s cancel culture, I am not a big believer of the idea that you can’t say certain things. There may be consequences in what you do say, of course. So, you have to weigh that out,” said Maron. “The audience has evolved. And with every different talk we bring in different people, and with these people it is my job to get to the core of the conversation without feeling censored.”

Looking ahead, Maron has a deal with FX to do a series. “I am writing a show with Sam Lipsyte, my writing partner,” noted Maron. “It’s not about me, but it would be me playing the role and we are waiting to hear if FX will make it. We have given them two scripts.”

“I am also taping an HBO special in December in Town Hall in New York,” he added. “And, at the core, is the podcast, which is driven by a very unique and a very creative and grounded partnership Brendan McDonald and myself. We have specific jobs; he does his and I do mine. And that partnership is the basis of all of this.”