MasterClass Debuts First Podcast With Martha Stewart as Opening Guest

MasterClass is moving into podcasting. The online learning and streaming platform launched “Other People’s Business,” its first podcast, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with founder and CEO David Rogier as host and Martha Stewart as the opening guest, Variety and People reported.

The weekly audio and video series looks at the money, power and decision-making behind different businesses. According to MasterClass’ announcement, the show starts with two episodes, and new installments will arrive every Wednesday on Apple, Spotify, YouTube and other podcast platforms. People reported the same two-episode launch and Wednesday schedule.

Rogier described the idea behind the show in a statement. “Whenever I don’t understand how something works, I want to find the person who does and ask the questions people usually don’t ask,” he said. “The real answer is almost always more interesting than the official story. That’s the show.”

Martha Stewart on the business of influence

Stewart’s episode focuses on influence and the business behind her empire. Variety reported that she talks about becoming the first self-made female billionaire in the U.S., once earning $6 million for a single day’s work on a commercial, losing nearly $1 billion, and her unlikely partnership with Snoop Dogg, which helped introduce both of them to new audiences.

People said the 85-year-old also walks through what she earned over a career of more than 40 years, from catering and writing to launching her magazine, and reflects on her partnership with Kmart. In the trailer, according to People, she says that deal brought her $65 million a year in royalties. The outlet said her remark about losing about $1 billion refers to the period around the ImClone stock-sale case, which ended with Stewart serving five months in prison.

People also reported that Stewart praises Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Neeleman, argues that content has to sit at the center of an influencer’s business, and tells today’s influencers that independence matters for women in business.

Who else is on the guest list

The second launch episode features Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer on power. Variety said he and Rogier discuss how people gain influence, use status and relationships, and turn power into financial opportunity. Rogier told People that both of his first guests had every reason to give him a safe version of their stories, and neither did.

Later episodes include former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss on crisis negotiation, professional poker player Daniel Negreanu on the economics and psychology of poker, and author Malcolm Gladwell on the business of writing, with DJ Drama also slated to appear, according to Variety and MasterClass. Other installments take on whole industries. PwC consumer markets leader Ali Furman and Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu will discuss the GLP-1 drug market, and pastor and author Mark DeYmaz will look at the economics of megachurches.

A new format for MasterClass

The launch takes MasterClass further from the polished video courses that built its name. Variety noted that the company’s instructors have included Martin Scorsese, Shonda Rhimes, Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams, and that its membership now offers more than 200 classes and original series, along with audio-only lessons. In recent years it has added episodic original series on investing, business and emerging technology.

A weekly interview show gives the company a recurring franchise built on the experts it already works with, and the video version puts it on YouTube alongside the podcast apps. For more on new shows and industry moves, visit our Podcast News page.

Verification: The launch, host, guest lineup and weekly Wednesday schedule were reported by Variety (Anna Tingley, Oct. 6) and People (Oct. 6), and match MasterClass’ Oct. 6 announcement.