There are over 4.7 million podcasts in the world. Our investigative comedy, Jacob Reed and Me, is made by a small team of industry professionals. None of us are famous. We just believe in the power of good storytelling and wanted to make something special.
So, how do we stand out when the only way podcasts get headlines is with big names?
Simple. We found some big names of our own.
Tom Hanks loves the show. So does Morgan Freeman. Julia Roberts. Ryan Reynolds. Jackie Chan. Sam Rockwell. Carly Simon. David Letterman. Elizabeth Olsen. Kristen Stewart.
These are their real names. They are, respectively, a software engineer, a revenue operations manager, a creative process coach, a guidance counselor, a hair stylist, an executive, a wine shop hostess, a maintenance technician, a jewelry designer, and a matchmaker. They found the show, listened to it, and had things to say about it. Their names just happen to be more famous than they are.
“I absolutely love the podcast Jacob Reed and Me.”
Ryan Reynolds, Guidance Counselor
What The Big Names Said
The Guardian named us one of the ‘best podcasts of the week,’ and we’ve been featured multiple times by Apple. We’ve even charted on the top comedy podcasts—virtually unheard of for a non-chat show. But there are only two ways podcasts get attention: word of mouth and “big name” endorsements.
So, we put up a billboard on LA’s famed Sunset Blvd—the literal road into Hollywood—with a quote from friend of the show, Tom Hanks.
The billboard on LA’s famed Sunset Blvd boasts a quote from Tom Hanks himself: “Jacob Reed and Me is the best podcast since This American Life. — Tom Hanks.”
By total coincidence, the billboard went up on the other Tom Hanks’ 70th birthday.
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“Jacob Reed and Me made me cry — and Jackie Chan doesn’t cry.”
Jackie Chan, Hair Stylist
Jackie Chan, Julia Roberts, Morgan Freeman and more Big Names Endorse Indie Podcast Jacob Reed and Me in Wild Posting Campaign
And the night before, a motley crew put up guerrilla posters featuring additional quotes from our listeners who happen to have big names.
“It’s a pretty cool idea for a podcast.”
David Letterman, Maintenance Technician
In the Wild
Wheat-pasted posters with quotes from the famous-name endorsers are up across Los Angeles. A billboard on Sunset Boulevard — the road into Hollywood — features Tom Hanks (software engineer), treated exactly as you’d treat a quote from a name as big as Tom Hanks.
“Listen to the Jacob Reed and Me Podcast.”
Morgan Freeman, Revenue Operations Manager
It’s Happened Before
Last year at the Tribeca Festival, we hosted Same Name Fest — a real red carpet for people who share names with celebrities. We hired a real Getty photographer. The photos got filed into Getty’s system tagged with the names of the people in them. Since those names belong to celebrities, the photos ended up alongside actual celebrity photos.
That mix-up is still live. When actor Sam Rockwell appeared on Today with Jenna & Friends, an entertainment outlet illustrated the story with a photo of our Sam Rockwell — the one from Same Name Fest. A year later, the photo hasn’t been corrected.
“The most unique, refreshing podcast I’ve heard.”
Carly Simon, Wine Shop Hostess
Want to endorse the show?
If you’ve got a big name and want to support our little project, we’d love to hear from you!
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