DURHAM — Back in 2017, Jason Gillikin was 12 years into his career as a sales rep for an e-commerce agency. He was comfortable, he admits, but he was also looking for something more.

“I started thinking about my professional legacy and building something from the ground up,” said the 42 year old Raleighite. “I was also falling in love with podcasting.”

Today, Gillikin runs one of the Triangle’s fastest-growing podcast production companies, Earfluence, offering a full range of services, from concept to marketing, recording and production. This Wednesday, March 16, Earfluence is launching its second studio – this time out of the Durham-based startup hub American Underground, a division of Capitol Broadcasting Company (as is WRAL TechWire) — with an eight-hour, “podcast marathon” featuring a “who’s who” in the Triangle’s entrepreneurial scene.

Earfluence’s Jason Gillikin talks about rise of podcasts, impact on Triangle startup community

Starting at 10am and running until 6pm, Earfluence will livestream back-to-back, one-hour podcasts through various social media channels, featuring a slew of guests. Among them: The Diversity Movement’s Donald Thompson (an Earfluence investor); Momentum Learning’s Jessica Mitsch Homes; and Ricky Moore, owner of Saltbox Seafood and recent James Beard award nominee. (For full schedule, go here.)

[WRAL.com’s Kathy Hanrahan, editor of Out & About, will be interviewing some guests from the DPAC at 3 p.m. during the marathon.]

“We wanted to create content that could be all about what’s going on in Durham, introduce Earfluence to the Bull City and, honestly, just have some fun,” he said.

Jason Gillikin and startup founder Justin Laidlaw recording a session in one of Earfluence’s podcast studios.

Podcasts have been around for over two decades, but in the last six years the industry has exploded. Forecasts project podcast listeners will exceed 160 million by 2023. The industry itself is expected to be valued at $94.88 billion by 2028.

“Podcasting has a long way to go before coming close to a saturation point,” Gillikin said, who started out producing an in-house podcast at his former agency before moving on to record a podcast for his wife’s wedding planning business. Things quickly spiraled from there.

“It was the lightbulb moment for me,” he recalled after witnessing his wife’s career explode in the wake of her podcast’s success. “Podcasting isn’t all about creating viral sensations and selling ads for Squarespace and HelloFresh and MeUndies. Podcasts could truly be an extremely powerful medium for businesses and individuals to showcase what they know.”

Earfluence launched its first studio in Raleigh Founded, another co-working hub, in 2019.

“Co-working spaces are a natural fit for us because of all the connections to startups,” he said. “Podcasts are becoming an essential part of showcasing your expertise, and demand continues to grow.”

The studio is free for American Underground members and available to use after going through a training session. It’s also available for rent to the public. For more information, email at info@earfluence.com.