Matt Scott is a non-profit leader and Survivor enthusiast. The host of Pod Friends, on Rob Has a Podcast, Matt had a big idea to celebrate 50 episodes: collect 50+ stories from everyday fans about how Survivor has changed their lives. With Vocal Video, he gathered 58 video and audio responses from people all over the world in just two weeks.
Read on to learn how Matt used Vocal Video to amplify community voices and weave them into something that had never been done before in 25+ years of Survivor fandom. (Sidenote: If you've never watched Survivor, which I hadn't, Matt's story and a glimpse of the video he created from videos he collected will immediately make you add the show to your queue.)
As a reality TV enthusiast for over 20 years, Matt has been deeply involved in the Survivor community, and he noticed something significant.
"I found that the people in the community have these really powerful stories," Matt says. "For my Pod Friends season finale, in celebration of Survivor 50, I want to collect 50+ stories of how Survivor has changed the lives of everyday people for the better and how it's motivated them in so many ways — whether that's helping them through challenges like grief, loss, transition, and identity, or whether that's with some of the successes they've had and big moments where the show and its characters has motivated them for the better."
Matt put out the call, and the response was overwhelming.
"Over the course of two weeks, I collected 58 voicemails and videos from people all over the world who are talking about all these really meaningful ways that the show has accompanied them on their journey."
"Oftentimes, I think people might think of Vocal Video as just a platform for folks who want to highlight their customers, but it's something that's so much more. It's really giving space for people to show up and to be heard in ways that maybe they haven't been invited to before."
Making It Easy to Share a Story
Throughout his career, collecting video stories from people has been a huge part of what Matt does — and he knows firsthand how difficult it can be without the right tool.
"Doing that over the past 12 years, to find a platform where people could just upload their stories — and not even upload their stories, but film it in platform or record the audio in platform — has really been a game changer," Matt explains.
"It could be so difficult to summon the courage to tell your story or to share something, and to actually have a platform that makes it really easy with the instructions and with the prompts — all of it goes such a long way."
From Individual Stories to a Bigger Narrative
At the heart of Pod Friends is a community of people around reality TV, unscripted TV, and pop culture. But as Matt points out, those community members aren't always the ones being heard.
"Often you're hearing from me, you're hearing from the guests that I interview, but you're not hearing from the listeners and everyday people and their stories and how they're impacted," Matt says. "To be able to highlight those stories — one, is just something I'm so proud of — to engage them, to amplify them, to celebrate them, to highlight how important they are."
But beyond individual stories, Matt found an even bigger payoff: the ability to stitch those responses together into something larger than the sum of its parts.
"I was able to take all of these stories and weave them together into one bigger narrative that paints a picture of just how meaningful the Survivor community is. And as long as the show's been around — 25+ years — there's never been anything like that, that centers the community and its voices and its stories."
The return on investment is helping folks see the power of the community and see that it's something that's great to tune into, but also get involved in.
Matt sees this as a pattern that extends well beyond one project: "Amplifying people's voices has such a way of helping other people see that they should be involved and they could get engaged."
For Matt, Vocal Video's value comes down to something simple but profound — creating an invitation to share your story.
"One reason I appreciate Vocal Video is that oftentimes people are not asked to share their stories, including in the world of podcasting, in the Survivor community that feels so flat at times," Matt reflects. "Sometimes we center certain voices and people, and to create an opportunity for people to be heard and to share their voice and be part of the narrative that you're sharings really goes a long way."
"Vocal Video makes it really easy for people to be heard. Which is simple, but that's really the value of something like Vocal Video.
With Vocal Video they could go from being silent participants and observers to actually being part of the conversation.
Ready to start easily collecting, editing, and publishing customer testimonial videos and video reviews? Get your free Vocal Video account.