The Great Path of Lory Martinez
Why should brands be paying attention to France's growing podcast scene? Lory Martinez is a perfect example of why.
For International Podcast Day, AUP alumna Lory Martinez came to the university as a journalist and producer to explain podcasts and their roles in France. She explained podcasting and gave her American colleagues an overview of working in France. The topic of the talk was how brands have started investing in podcasting as a real marketing tool.
"I think having a Master's degree that is designed as a global degree has helped me frame my career as an international one." Ms. Martinez said.
Ms. Martinez was accompanied by two French experts, Lauren Bastide, co-founder of Nouvelles Ecoutes, and Gregory Pouy, co-founder of Plink studio and host of VLAN podcast, which is a show about marketing and advertising. Both discussed podcasting trends and their work with branded podcasts. Ms. Martinez came back to AUP to share her story with students in order to help them learn. She thought that it would be beneficial to the communication programs she graduated from.
Lory Martinez graduated from AUP with a Master's degree in Global Communications two years ago and is glad to have the degree. "I think having a Master's degree that is designed as a global degree has helped me frame my career as an international one," Ms. Martinez said. Gaining an international perspective through the school and being bilingual is even more beneficial when working with freelance clients. Her best memories from AUP lies with the professors, from Waddick Doyle and Tanya Elder to Charles Talcott and many others. Ms. Martinez would especially like to thank Robert Payne, her advisor throughout her life at AUP, who helped her decide what she really wanted to do and supported her when she started doing podcasts. "Overall, AUP has been a great learning experience, and the community is very supportive," Ms. Martinez said.
Life after AUP
Before coming to study at AUP, Ms. Martinez was a radio producer in New York for NPR's Morning Edition and also worked as a news director for another radio station. During her stay in Paris, Ms. Martinez worked for UNESCO on World Radio Day. When she finished at AUP, Ms. Martinez already had a set of clients out in the world and did not need to look for a CDI. She decided to be independent because she thought that the job she wanted, senior producer, was not common in France.
Becoming a podcast freelancer helped her combine everything she learned from AUP: marketing, social media, and the communication environment in France. What really got her out in the public eye was a project she worked on with another AUP alumna Lindsey Tramuta. It was shared around and allowed her to do her first show as an independent producer. She seized the opportunity to work with a French food podcast called A Poêle hosted by Julie Gerbet. While working for A Poêle she knew she would want to continue making podcasts, so she took it on full-time.
"From idea conception to launch, there is so much that goes on into a show," said Lory Martinez, "you're using your writing skills to work on scripts, your social media skills, and your marketing knowledge."
After this, Lory Martinez worked with many other companies such as with ELLE magazine, Madame Figaro, and other podcasts such as Dinner for One, which highlights the healing power of food after a breakup, and ExExPat Le Podcast, which explores what it is to be an ex-expat coming back to France. Take a look at Ms. Martinez's website to see all of her works and collaborations.
Among her works, the most interesting experience was with Great Big Story. She worked as a freelance assistant producer, translator, and fixer. Her job was to pick evergreen stories and turn them into short documentaries. She learned so much through this experience, such as how to interview people, how to make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. She also learned more technical aspects, such as work with the cameras and how to get what you want on the air. "From idea conception to launch, there is so much that goes into a show," Ms. Martinez said. "You're using your writing skills to work on scripts, your social media skills, and marketing knowledge." Her favorite story from her work with CNN is when a man turned his car into a motorcycle to escape the desert.
Through all these experiences there is no doubt for Ms. Martinez about her future. Podcasting is what she wants to do because she feels like she can help people discover new things around them and new worlds while also creating joy. It is important for Ms. Martinez to give insights into the importance of podcasts and its influence on French brands.
Ms. Martinez has many future projects ready, such as season two of A Poêle and ExExpat, but her biggest project in progress is titled Girl Meets Glass. the podcast will explore French wines to build an understanding of the art for Americans back home. The first season will be about Champagne and will detail its production and the traditions around this drink.
