Local startup brings podcasts to personal growth

Los Altos residents Tim and Susan Bratton, co-founders of Personal Life Media Inc., a podcasting media startup, trace the genesis of their business to a crisis in their marriage. Their firm, which offers 16 weekly Internet audio shows – known as podcasts – is an outgrowth of an experience they had after they rekindled their marriage, said Susan, 46, the CEO. “We were married 11 years and hit a rough patch,” she said. “We had grown apart. There was a wedge between us. We got counseling and attended intimacy workshops. We remembered why we fell in love. – We were so deeply connected that we wanted to do this (startup) together. It healed us, and now we want to bring that (Personal Life Media) to you.” The company, launched in March, has 250,000 monthly listeners who tune in to the company’s half-hour shows that include interviews with health and lifestyle experts such as Deepak Chopra and Dr. Andrew Weil. Other experts discuss ecology, work and career issues, elder care and raising teens. Of the 16 audio shows, eight are devoted to sexual intimacy, dating and relationships. One of their shows on ecology reached the Apple iTunes Top 100 podcasts, which is akin to reaching the top 10 on the radio charts, Tim and Susan said. Baby boomers are the target audience. “This is a new way to get information about how to improve your personal life, no matter what age group you are in,” Tim said, referring to the podcasting technology. “The sweet spot are people in their 40s and 50s.” Personal Life Media capitalizes on the popular growth of podcasting, which allows anyone to download audio material from the Internet to a personal computer, which is then transferred to an Apple iPod or an MP3 player. Instead of sitting at the computer to listen to a program, say, from National Public Radio, the listener has the option to tune in later. “This is intimate content and an intimate delivery mechanism,” Susan said. “If it were a TV show, you might not want your kids or wife to know you were watching it. Audio podcasting is a nice way (to maintain privacy).” Referring to their target listener as a “cultural creative,” the Personal Life Media audience comprises “people who share a common interest in a global perspective, who are equality oriented between the sexes and races,” Susan said. “They are activists … interested in sustainable lifestyles such as lowering their carbon footprint. They are typically found in California.” Their success with Personal Life Media is no fluke. Tim and Susan have 20 years experience in startups and high-tech ventures. Susan previously launched online advertising products for Excite, the Internet portal. She was a senior vice president for sales and marketing at Excite@Home, an Internet portal that shut down in 2001. In 1998, Ad Age magazine recognized her as one of the “10 Internet Pioneers.” Tim, 43, chief operating officer of the company, is the inventor of Rhapsody, a PC music subscription service offered by Real Networks Inc., a firm that provides ways for consumers to download entertainment from the Internet. He holds three patents related to the Rhapsody service. “This is a natural for us,” Tim said. “This is an extension of Rhapsody which has millions of (music) downloads. And Susan has been in Internet advertising since the beginning.” The firm intends to make money with paid sponsorships, which is not unlike traditional radio. “Personal Life Media is free to our listeners,” Susan said. “The sponsors run ads. National Public Radio (with half-hour news shows) is the format.” Susan has her own show dubbed Dishy Mix, a format where she interviews Internet celebrities, including technology pundit Esther Dyson, venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki and Web video blogger Robert Scoble. “My show is part MTV Cribs, part People magazine,” Susan said with a laugh, referring to MTV’s reality TV program that goes inside the homes and mansions of celebrities. Featuring content with sexually explicit material can raise eyebrows. But Susan dispels any notion that Personal Life Media is an outlet for inappropriate content. “We’re not trying to titillate,” Susan said. “This can be a resource to be a better lover or how to reapproach the life that’s not working. It’s about connecting at an emotional level. This is a soulful wanting to give back, and we’re very committed to doing that.” Personal Life Media is located at 101 First St. For more information, call 948-0500 or visit  www.personallifemedia.com .