Max Cutler, founder of PAVE Studios has shared his vision for the future of the podcasting industry and he says it’s looking more blended, visual, and creator-led than ever.
Speaking to PodcastingToday, Max reflected on the podcast industry’s evolution since 2022, describing how a period of uncertainty has given way to renewed momentum.
“We made the bet a year ago that podcasting is here to stay,” he said. “It’s just evolved.”
That evolution inspired the launch of PAVE Studios just over a year ago. Max said, “Formats are blurring together… What I perceive as a podcast may be different to what others see as a podcast. It could be a YouTube show, an audio-only experience, even radio.”
PAVE now houses two content brands: Crime House, dedicated to high-quality crime storytelling, and Open Mind, focused on curiosity and discovery.
On Crime House, Max said: “It’s going incredibly well… We understand crime, storytelling, and those creators. Now, we want to move beyond retelling stories – we want to break them.”
That ambition includes a major new launch set to arrive this summer: “It’s our most ambitious project yet,” he said. “There’s a lot of white space in crime; people love consuming it, and we want to super-serve that audience.”
When asked about the possibility of the podcast industry becoming more consolidated as it grows in the same way it happened in radio, Max was optimistic: “Distribution is now unlocked, anyone can upload to Spotify or Apple. Creativity will flourish.”
That said, he acknowledged the ad sales side is changing. “Most ad networks are now a commodity… Someone’s going to say bigger is better and start acquiring them. That consolidation is happening, but it’s different to creative consolidation.”
One breakout PAVE hit is Clues, a weekly show hosted by Morgan Absher (Two Hot Takes) and Kaelyn Moore (Heart Starts Pounding). “It’s growing astronomically,” Max said. “It’s the first time I can think of that two creators from different genres have teamed up like this, and it’s working.”
PAVE’s next chapter, Max believes, is all about delivering content that’s culturally relevant and creatively fearless. “If you’re an audio-only creator, you don’t need a full video show,” he said. “But you do need to be clipping your podcast, getting on TikTok, on Instagram to stay part of the conversation.”
