How HubSpot streamlined podcast production with Descript
At the grueling pace of three episodes a week, the HubSpot Podcast Network team needed a flexible, straightforward solution to turn raw video and audio files into punchy podcasts.
With Descript’s collaborative text-based editing, they can now easily work with stakeholders to deliver their creative storytelling on deadline, every time.
It would be virtually impossible to hit the turnaround times that we strive for without immediate collaborative tools like Descript.
Three times a week, senior producer Arie Desormeaux and editor Ezra Bakker Trupiano publish a new episode of My First Million, the business podcast hosted by entrepreneurs Shaan Puri and Sam Parr. That’s a 48-hour turnaround—tight for any show, even before you find out they publish audio and video episodes.
For each two-day production, Arie and Ezra need to edit, get feedback on those edits, and publish the new episode. Then do it all over again for the next one. They’re under pressure to keep listeners engaged with rapid-fire “dopamine hits,” as Arie puts it—whether that’s an insight to share, a story they’ve never heard, or just a good joke. To do their best creative work, they need the right tools.
Hit 48-hour turnaround times between recording and launch
Without Descript
A tight two-day timeline put the team under pressure
With Descript
Audio and video editing in one place made quick updates possible
With only 48 hours between recording, editing, and launch, the clock was always ticking.
But now, with audio and video editing in a single, streamlined process, the team can focus on the contents of their show rather than the technical steps in their process. They’ve also got more of a buffer for last-minute updates, because relevance is everything for a show that reacts to tech news and Twitter buzz. When the final cut is ready, they can get episodes out faster by publishing directly from the platform.
Easily collaborate with stakeholders in real time
Without Descript
Feedback got lost between different versions of the file
With Descript
Team members can collaborate right inside the tool
Keeping track of all the feedback across so many surfaces, reviewers, and time, let alone keeping track of timestamps across different edits was a logistical nightmare.
With Descript, HubSpot’s team now collaborates like they’re working on a shared doc. Stakeholders can jump in, make edits, and leave comments directly in the file, with real-time updates. Even non-technical team members can easily contribute. The platform is fast, intuitive, and keeps everyone on the same page.
Quickly transform raw footage into a standout story
Without Descript
Editing an episode felt like assembling a puzzle in the dark
With Descript
Editors can see where they are within the narrative flow
Manually shifting audio clips, color-coding sequences, and hoping everything aligned perfectly? That took forever, and it was a recipe for errors and headaches.
As Arie explains, Descript’s text-based editing makes shaping a story so much easier because you’re actually rearranging words on a page. It’s far more intuitive than traditional audio editing and makes storytelling accessible to everyone, even those without technical knowhow.
Achieve studio-quality audio in a few clicks
Without Descript
Low-quality audio files from guests took time to fix and polish
With Descript
Producers fix bad audio in seconds with Studio Sound
Studio Sound keeps My First Million sounding premium without the hassle. It instantly removes background noise and sharpens vocals—even if nobody knows a thing about sound engineering. Guests with low-quality audio? No problem. As Ezra explains, Studio Sound can polish up even the roughest recordings, turning 2-out-of-10 audio into a solid 7, all in a few clicks.
The speed of the collaboration, and the ease of the actual editing — all of that plays into a really efficient and streamlined process in Descript.
Since switching to Descript, Arie and Ezra have slashed the time it takes to produce each episode. With Descript empowering real-time collaboration, the team can edit and throw in feedback all at once—no more versioning drama or last-minute scrambles. Best of all, they can shape stories as easily as editing text.
Engaging edits, up-to-the-minute relevance, premium sound quality, and a round of feedback, all in 48 hours? Descript makes it possible for HubSpot’s team not only to meet their deadlines, but maybe even enjoy the ride as well.
Our free plan shows you what Descript can do, no credit card required. When you need more horsepower, paid plans start at $12 per month.
