South Wales’s growing reputation as a hub for creative arts received a welcome boost with the launch of a new company delivering high end podcast production.
HayMan Media is the brainchild of award winning photographer Rob Norman (former picture editor at the Western Mail and Echo) and acclaimed videographer Darryl Corner (who was head of commercial video for Reach plc). The company has brand new studios in the heart of Newport where they can deliver tailored podcasts for creative and corporate clients. Specialising in video, audio and still images the pair want to bring their experience in some of the UKs biggest newsrooms to their clients.
Podcasting as a medium for storytelling has exploded in recent years. In the UK, podcasts have a weekly reach of 19% among adults, with the highest reach among 25-34-year-olds at 27%. The number of adult podcast listeners now exceeds 10 million. Despite this Wales has been really lacking in high quality podcasting studios
“It used to be said that everyone had a novel in them,” said co-founder Darryl Corner. “These days it’s possibly more true that everyone has a podcast in them that’s looking to burst out. We can help individuals and companies develop their podcast ideas with coaching, content development and professional standard recording and editing. Whether that’s someone looking to share their passion about a topic that’s dear to them or a business looking to talk directly to their customers. A podcast has the potential to build a brand and connect with an audience of potential clients and customers.”
Rob Norman added: “There is a real gap in South Wales for this type of storytelling and we don’t think it is right that creative people and companies in Wales have to go outside of Cymru to tell their stories.
“With so many different ways to reach people now, being able to deliver messages through a variety of mediums is vital. The still image can speak 1,000 words as much now as it ever has, but with theaverage person consuming 17 hours of video per week you have to be able to offer video as well. That is where we come in”.
A key component of marketing a podcast is videos to accompany it that can be shared on social media. HayMan Media’s studio allows for high quality video to be produced alongside the audio which clients can then use to promote their podcast far and wide. The team also has a mobile podcast studio meaning that they can travel to clients on site.
In addition they also offer specialist video and photography services. They can produce anything from short form videos for social media to high end “documentary style” storytelling.
Darryl Corner explained: “Video storytelling is that way that most people now absorb media. If you are not telling stories through video you are cutting yourself off from a huge range of people. We want to tell customers stories in the most impactful way possible.”
Photographer Rob Norman, who was one of the few photographers chosen to take the historic images from Princess Diana’s funeral, spent decades inside Wales largest newsroom covering the stories that have shaped Wales and the wider UK.
He said: “We come from a fast moving and high pressured news background. So we understand the need to understand a story quickly – to get to the essence of what the audience needs to know and to turn things around quickly and to the highest quality. And that applies equally to whichever medium you’re using to tell the story: stills, video or podcasting”.
But why have the pair chosen Newport as the place to base their business? “For me it was a no brainer,” said Rob. “Newport has a history of alternative culture, music and thought. It has its own personality and with developments like the Market it is a really exciting place to be setting up.
“Plus we are only 90 seconds from the station and five minutes from the M4. It made total sense to be here to cater for South Wales and the South West of England.”
