Insider Stories｜Producer Jiaxun: Although Making Podcasts is Quite Painful, I Still Enjoy It
The production journey of the show
After a sequence of voices and ambient sounds sets the scene, a concise introduction echoes in your ears: "Produced by ShengFM, you are listening to the audio feature series—'The Rabbit Hole, Season 3.' I'm Jiaxun." This signals the start of a new season of "The Rabbit Hole," as podcast producer Jiaxun once again leads listeners into a public investigative report.
Compared to the first two seasons, "The Rabbit Hole, Season 3" adopted a paid subscription model for the first time, gaining over 4,000 paying listeners within a month of its release. It also received praise from many journalists, showcasing the potential of narrative investigative podcasts in China.
Detailed analysis of how Jiaxun completed the investigative report on "The Death of a Bodybuilder and the Underlying Steroid Abuse" has already been discussed in the podcast "Xiong Jia Living Room（熊家客厅）." Jiaxun has also shared how her experiences studying and working in the U.S. led her to fall in love with audio investigative reporting in the podcast "Goose in the Backyard（后院鹅）."
Therefore, instead of repeating topics she has already covered, I invited her to discuss her experience producing the three seasons of "The Rabbit Hole" from a chronological perspective. As the podcast producer, Jiaxun took on the primary responsibility for the series, with supervision from Mengni and editorial input from Xu Tao during the early interviews and later scriptwriting stages. Additionally, the outstanding visual design by Fantuan contributed to the overall construction of a complete season.
Although Jiaxun has become proficient in interview techniques and program editing, she often faces psychological conflicts after establishing connections with the interviewees of "The Rabbit Hole." Immersed in the podcast for a long time, she sometimes feels burnt out, revealing the genuine inner struggle of a person. As listeners, it's easy to be amazed by the hardcore investigative reporting in the Chinese world, without realizing the emotional labor Jiaxun invested in the process.
Regrettably, by the time this interview is published, Jiaxun has already left "ShengFM," and "The Rabbit Hole" concluded with its third season. However, she is planning to start teaching narrative podcast production. Perhaps one day in the future, you, who are interested in narrative podcasts, can create your own "The Rabbit Hole" under her guidance!
The conversation with podcast producer Jiaxun follows.
Table of Contents:
Subtle Changes in Program Topics
Division of Labor within the Production Team
Assistance from Colleagues and Family Members
Psychological Conflicts and Periods of Exhaustion
Program Impact and Teaching Plans