Friday Five: Marcus Railton, Producer and Host of the Scotscare Podcast

Answering the #FridayFive today is Marcus Railton, Producer and Host of the Scotscare Podcast.

Tell us a bit about your job?

I am the Producer and Host of the Scotscare Podcast. We are a relatively new podcast, launched with the aim of raising awareness for Scotscare – the charity helping Scots in London in need of emotional, financial and practical assistance.

Scots in London is quite a niche and we wanted to create something that was entertaining for everybody who listens, but also allowed the charity to be discovered by those in need of its services.

We are blown away by our initial success. We’re regularly in and out of the top twenty on the Apple Charity Podcast Chart, with several of the interviews in the top ten and the interview with thriller writer Will Jordan going to number one.

What are the key ingredients for success?

The cornerstones of success for the podcast are entertainment, humanity, empathy and understanding. In speaking with successful Scots from all walks of life I wanted to show that no matter how famous, wealthy or celebrated you are, we are all still human. We all still struggle and fail every day and that is part of life, it’s what makes us stronger.

In a world where we are surrounded by false images of success I wanted to sit down with the guests and have them open up about what makes them happy and sad. I’m always surprised and it has been a beautiful learning curve for me.

Could you describe a normal day?

I’m very lucky to be surrounded by a great team. It’s like a tight knit triangle. There’s me, then Rory and Pete who make up the marketing team at Scotscare and Doug Carnegie – the podcasts Exec Producer. Doug was the founding Editor of BBC’s The One Show, so it’s amazing to have such experience on board.

Each day consists of a mix of prospecting for guests, booking guests, writing interviews, drinking way too much tea and coffee and then recording podcasts. Once the chat is recorded it will be edited and packaged with the programme’s jingles before being sent to the Exec Producer for sign off.

For those trying to break into the industry, could you explain how you got to where you are today?

I started as a researcher on BBC Radio 2 before moving to London to produce the Breakfast Show on LBC Radio. This was a massively fast paced environment with terrible shift patterns. For a long time, I worked from 4am till noon and I don’t think my sleep patterns have ever recovered!

After that I worked in various roles in TV and radio. I started working with Scotscare about a year ago and it was like coming home. Before this I had never worked for a charity, so for all the experience I was able to bring I was also learning just as much.

What are you reading, watching and listening to right now?

I do most of my reading in bed, meaning that I manage about ten pages a night before I am fast asleep with the book on my chest. Right now, I’m reading Happy by Derren Brown. I was initially sceptical but I’m loving it. He talks about finding purpose and, with that, contentment. Happiness is transient, it comes and goes, but with purpose you can find sustainability.

I’ve just finished the latest season of The Crown and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the others. I found it quite fractured from a chronological point of view.

Finally, do have a listen to the John Sweeney podcast Taking on Putin. Real old school, fearless journalism at its best. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of every episode.