Entertainment Matters
Claim This Podcastby John Blackburn
Podcast Overview
<p><b>Entertainment Matters</b> is a podcast for people who make live entertainment happen.</p><p>Hosted by John Blackburn, each episode explores how we create shows, make them successful, and keep audiences coming back.</p><p>You’ll hear longer-form interviews with people from across live entertainment and beyond - alongside shorter analysis episodes where John pulls out key ideas and explores how you can start applying them in your own work in live entertainment.</p><p>This is for people who care about both the art and the business of entertainment.</p><p>No fluff. No hype. Just practical ideas, thoughtful questions, and ways of thinking for the people who keep the lights on and the curtain up.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/17/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 30, 2026
Notes – on borrowing other people’s perspectives
<h1>Notes – on borrowing other people’s perspectives</h1><p>In his interview, Steve Caswell said that a piece of entertainment has to work creatively, operationally and commercially.</p><p></p><p>In this Notes episode, I explore what happens when we treat those as three different perspectives from which to examine our work, and add a fourth: the perspective of the audience.</p><p></p><p>I also take you through a practical exercise for borrowing the thinking of someone whose operational or commercial judgement you respect, and using that perspective to notice different information, ask different questions and find different solutions.</p><p></p><h2>In this episode</h2><ul><li>Creative, operational and commercial perspectives</li><li>Why changing perspective changes what we notice</li><li>Choosing someone to model</li><li>A practical exercise in stepping into another person’s thinking</li><li>Developing and refining your model</li><li>Applying the same process to creative thinking</li><li>The audience perspective, inspired by Jess Chambers</li><li>The Practitioner–Producer model as a shift in perspective</li><li>Robert Dilts’ Disney strategy: the Dreamer, the Realist and the Critic</li><li>Understanding the different parts of the live-entertainment ecosystem</li></ul><h2>Explore the ideas mentioned</h2><p>Watch or read about The Practitioner and The Producer:</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.john-blackburn.com/practitioner-and-producer" target="_blank">www.john-blackburn.com/practitioner-and-producer</a></p><p></p><p>The interviews with Steve Caswell and Jess Chambers are also available in the Entertainment Matters podcast feed.</p><h2>Find John</h2><p>Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.john-blackburn.com" target="_blank">www.john-blackburn.com</a></p><p>Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/coachjohnblackburn/" target="_blank">@coachjohnblackburn</a></p><h2>Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet</h2><p>If you’d like to stay up to date with new episodes, please sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet:</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.john-blackburn.com/pod" target="_blank">www.john-blackburn.com/pod</a></p><h2>Music by Pete Faint</h2><p>Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.petefaint.com" target="_blank">www.petefaint.com</a></p><p>Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/petefaint_/" target="_blank">@petefaint_</a></p>
July 23, 2026
With Steve Caswell
<h1>With Steve Caswell</h1><blockquote><p>“It’s got to work creatively, it’s got to work operationally and it’s got to work commercially.”</p></blockquote><p>Steve Caswell has spent more than two decades working in entertainment, including senior roles with Haven Holidays, Butlin’s and a privately owned entertainment business. In 2025, he launched Next Phase Entertainment, working across entertainment provision, collaboration and consultancy.</p><p>In this conversation, Steve talks about leadership, designing entertainment around its audience and purpose, and the relationship between creative, operational and commercial thinking. We also discuss changing entertainment offerings for new audiences, current challenges within the industry, and his hope for a more thoughtful, collaborative and sustainable future for entertainment.<br /><br /><b>Conversation sequence</b></p><ul><li>Introducing Steve and Next Phase Entertainment</li><li>Steve’s different kinds of work</li><li>Leadership in entertainment</li><li>Designing entertainment offerings</li><li>Understanding the creative and commercial relationship in live entertainment</li><li>Challenges of transitioning entertainment offerings for different audiences</li><li>Other current challenges in entertainment</li><li>Myths to avoid in live entertainment</li><li>A more thoughtful, collaborative and sustainable future for entertainment</li><li>Steve’s standout live entertainment experiences</li><li>Find out more about Steve and Next Phase Entertainment<br /><br />Find out more about Steve and Next Phase Entertainment<p>Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.NextPhaseEntertainment.co.uk" target="_blank">www.NextPhaseEntertainment.co.uk</a></p><p>Email: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:Steve@NextPhaseEntertainment.co.uk" target="_blank">Steve@NextPhaseEntertainment.co.uk</a></p><p>LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram: <b>@NextPhaseEntertainment</b></p><h2>Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet</h2><p>If you’d like to stay up to date with new episodes, please sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet:</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.john-blackburn.com/pod" target="_blank">www.john-blackburn.com/pod</a></p><h2>Music</h2><p>Music by Pete Faint</p><p>Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.petefaint.com" target="_blank">www.petefaint.com</a></p><p>Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/petefaint_" target="_blank">@petefaint_</a></p></li></ul>
July 16, 2026
Notes - on The Practitioner and The Producer: Freedom, Security and Creating Opportunities
<p><b>Notes - on The Practitioner and The Producer: Freedom, Security and Creating Opportunities</b><br /><br />“Sometimes if you want different results, it helps to try a different model.”</p><p></p><p>In this Notes episode, John introduces The Practitioner and The Producer, a model for looking at how careers, shows and projects in live entertainment work.</p><p></p><p>Starting with the question of how you get the freedom you want and the security you need, John looks at some of the stories we inherit about how entertainment careers are supposed to work, what can be hidden inside the word “just”, and how easily hoping to get lucky can become the whole plan.</p><p></p><p>He then explores the two roles that appear again and again across live entertainment: the Practitioner, who gets paid to do the work, and the Producer, who creates the opportunity in which that work gets paid.</p><p></p><p><b>In this episode:</b></p><ul><li>The five ways a Practitioner can move towards greater freedom and security</li><li>The five resources a Producer needs to build, own or have access to</li><li>Why you can be both a Practitioner and a Producer</li><li>The difference between waiting for opportunities and creating them</li><li>Why moving forwards in either role comes down to taking responsibility and learning to push your own buttons</li><li>How another perspective can help you see what your current activities actually add up to</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Explore The Practitioner and The Producer</b></p><p>You can explore the full model, see the diagram, watch the talk and read the written version here:</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.john-blackburn.com/practitioner-and-producer" target="_blank">www.john-blackburn.com/practitioner-and-producer</a></p><p></p><p><b>Have a conversation with John</b></p><p>If this episode has helped you see your work differently, John would be very happy to have a conversation with you.</p><p>Usually, that conversation looks at what you currently want, what game you are currently playing, what your activities add up to, and whether your current plan is likely to take you where you say you want to go.</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.john-blackburn.com/connect-with-jb" target="_blank">www.john-blackburn.com/connect-with-jb</a></p><p></p><p><b>Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet</b></p><p>If you’d like to stay up to date with new episodes, please sign up to the Entertainment Matters Cue Sheet:</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.john-blackburn.com/pod" target="_blank">www.john-blackburn.com/pod</a></p><p></p><p><b>Music by Pete Faint</b></p><p>Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://www.petefaint.com" target="_blank">www.petefaint.com</a></p><p>Instagram: @petefaint_</p>
22 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Entertainment Matters?
<p><b>Entertainment Matters</b> is a podcast for people who make live entertainment happen.</p><p>Hosted by John Blackburn, each episode explores how we create shows, make them successful, and keep audiences coming back.</p><p>You’ll hear longer-form interviews with people from across live entertainment and beyond - alongside shorter analysis episodes where John pulls out key ideas and explores how you can start applying them in your own work in live entertainment.</p><p>This is for people who care about both the art and the business of entertainment.</p><p>No fluff. No hype. Just practical ideas, thoughtful questions, and ways of thinking for the people who keep the lights on and the curtain up.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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