This is the engine room.
Your only two jobs are to open doors and show up. Booking, logistics, travel, recording, edit, publishing, and promotion are all owned, scheduled, and standardized below.
The quality bar, 4K and broadcast-grade now, cinematic later, is the moat, so every part of this system protects it.
Episodes 1–6 · Remote
We record on Riverside in 4K, no travel. This launches the show fast, banks a back catalog, and proves the format on a ~$63 / month tool stack.
Episode 7 onward · In person
The travel-to-guest, multi-cam, cinematic upgrade kicks in as momentum and budget justify it: the durable moat. Riverside stays our remote-recording and tech-check tool the whole way.
Six weeks from greenlight to episode one, live.
The schedule sets the rhythm; the checklist is the work.
| Week | Focus | Key deliverables | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brand & identity | Logo, cover art, color/type system, channel art, thumbnail template | Justin / designer |
| 1–2 | Music | Intro theme + the signature Suno outro system; confirm commercial license | Justin / Sivan |
| 2 | Distribution & tech | Podcast host + RSS, Apple / Spotify / YouTube, site, newsletter, analytics | Justin |
| 2–3 | Tools & kit | Riverside + Descript set up; remote kit; coach-the-guest checklist | Blair / Justin |
| 3 | Guest pipeline | Tracker live, first warm intros out, first 3–4 booked | Justin |
| 4 | Internal pilot | A/V test with Matt; lock look & sound; cut a sizzle | Blair / Justin |
| 5 | Dry run | First guest record + post dry-run; templates, SOPs, show bible final | All |
| 6 | Launch | 3 episodes in the can, episode 1 live, clip engine on | All |
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Brand & artwork
Cover art (3000×3000, legible at thumbnail), channel banner and avatar, a thumbnail system (guest face + a 3–5 word hook), lower-thirds, and a per-guest template. Build each once, then fill in the guest.
Music
An intro sting plus the one-of-one Suno outro built from each guest's last 30 days. Lock commercial + monetization rights before episode 1, the one signature element that could become a takedown risk.
Distribution & tech
A video host with dynamic ad insertion (Transistor, Captivate, or Megaphone), RSS live to Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, captions, the l30 landing page with email capture, analytics wired. Pick video + ads now so Phase-2 needs no migration.
Gear & legal
Remote 4K kit at home base, Riverside + Descript tested with local backup every session, cloud storage, guest release form, documented licenses (the show owns all masters), and P&L, banking, and insurance set up. Travel rig before episode 7.
One pipeline, one tracker, clear owners.
| Stage | What happens | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Wishlist | The tiered 50, prioritized by reach and reachability | Justin |
| 2 · Brief-ready | Run /last30days on the target; personalize the ask | Justin |
| 3 · Outreach | Warm intro via Matt first; personalized direct ask otherwise | Matt / Justin |
| 4 · Responded | Handle scheduling; double opt-in the connector | Justin |
| 5 · Booked | Date locked; calendar + Riverside or travel confirmed | Justin |
| 6 · Pre-record | Tech check + day-before reminder; brief prep pack | Justin |
| 7 · Recorded | Episode captured, in person or remote | Blair / Justin |
| 8 · Published | Live; clips out; guest assets sent | Sivan |
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Sequence smart
Lead the pitch with a marquee, but fill the calendar from the tiers where Matt's network runs deepest. Don't let a moonshot gate the schedule.
Warm-first rule
Every Tier 1–2 name gets a warm intro from Matt before any cold touch. The /last30days brief is the cold-outreach hook: we've done the homework, which flatters the guest.
One source of truth
The tracker holds name, tier, contact, intro source, status, target episode, last touch, and next action. Reviewed weekly.
Remote-first season
Episodes 1–6 record on Riverside in 4K, no travel, to launch fast. From episode 7 we travel in person for marquee guests and city clusters.
Drop-in copy for every step of the booking flow.
Brackets are fill-ins. The producer is cc'd on all guest-facing mail. Tap any template to expand.
AForwardable intro requestMatt → contact
[CONTACT], would you be open to introducing me to [GUEST]? I'm launching Last 30 Days, a video podcast bringing the top voices in AI on camera. It's the show from the team behind the /last30days skill ([STAR COUNT] GitHub stars). I'd love [GUEST] as an early guest: we come to them, it's a real conversation, and the audience is exactly their people. Happy to send more. Thank you! [MATT]
BDirect outreachMatt → guest
[GUEST], I'm Matt Van Horn; I built the /last30days skill ([STAR COUNT] stars on GitHub). I'm launching the podcast version: the top voices in AI, in person, on camera. I've been following what you've shipped over the last 30 days, [SPECIFIC, FROM THE BRIEF], and I'd love to have you on. We travel to you, it runs about an hour, and it's a real conversation, not a press tour. My producer Justin (cc'd) handles all logistics. Would [TIMEFRAME] work to find a date? Matt
CDouble opt-inMatt → contact
Thanks [CONNECTOR], moving you to bcc to spare your inbox. [GUEST], great to meet. Short version: Last 30 Days brings the top voices in AI on camera; we come to you, about an hour, a real conversation. My producer Justin is cc'd to find a time that works. Looking forward! [MATT]
DBooking confirmation + tech checkMatt → guest
Hi [NAME], thanks again for coming on the podcast, really looking forward to the conversation. A few quick technical questions so we capture the best possible recording: – Do you have an external microphone? – Do you have headphones that connect to your computer? We'll record via Riverside. Here's your studio link: [RIVERSIDE LINK] Plan for about an hour. I'd love to get into [THEME, e.g. the lessons behind the build, where AI goes next, the calls you'd make differently]. It'll be a natural conversation, so there's nothing to prepare. I've copied my producer, Justin, who handles scheduling and logistics. Shout with any questions, looking forward. [MATT] In person instead? Swap the Riverside line for: "We'll come to you. Justin will confirm location, timing, and our setup, so all you have to do is show up."
EDay-before reminderJustin → guest
Hi [NAME], a quick reminder for tomorrow at [TIME, TIMEZONE]. – Riverside link: [LINK] (no download, works in Chrome or Edge) – Please use headphones and your external mic if you have one – A quiet room, wired internet if possible, other apps closed We'll do a 5-minute tech check at the top. Nothing to prepare, see you then. Justin
FPost-record thank-you + share askJustin → guest
[NAME], thank you, that was a great one. Next: we'll edit and send you the episode link before it goes live ([TIMEFRAME]). When it publishes, you'll get a clip pack, short captioned cuts plus graphics, ready to post, so sharing takes 30 seconds. Anything you'd like us to highlight or link (company, hiring, projects), send it over and we'll work it in. Thanks again, Justin
GPublish-day assetsJustin → guest
[NAME], your episode is live! – Watch / listen: [YOUTUBE LINK] · [PODCAST LINK] – Your clip pack, ready to post: [LINK] – Suggested caption + tags: [LINK] If you share to X or LinkedIn, tag @slashlast30days and we'll amplify. Thank you for a great conversation. Justin
HGentle nudgeMatt / Justin → guest
[NAME], floating this back up in case it slipped by. Still would love to have you on; we make it easy and we come to you. Even a 20-minute call to find a date works. No worries at all if the timing's off. [MATT / Justin]
Lock the look and sound before a single guest.
We record an internal pilot with Matt. It locks the standard, stress-tests the rig, doubles as our sizzle, and becomes the written reference every future shoot matches.
- Schedule 60–90 minutes with Matt; treat it as a real episode.
- Test Riverside: 4K capture, separate per-person tracks, progressive upload on.
- Confirm a local backup is running. Never rely on one capture.
- Set audio levels: mic gain, no clipping, headphones on.
- Frame the camera at eye level; check background and lighting.
- Record a 10–15 minute mock segment in the cold-open format.
- Review the footage together; note every fix.
- Document final settings in the show bible; cut a short sizzle.
| Element | Standard | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 4K, 24–30 fps, lens at eye level, eyes on the upper third | Mirrorless (Sony ZV-E1 / a6700 or Canon R-series), clean HDMI; coach remote guests to raise the webcam to eye level |
| Audio | Pro dynamic mic, 48 kHz / 24-bit, a separate track per person | Shure SM7B / MV7+ or RØDE into a Rødecaster or Focusrite; remote guests need an external mic |
| Headphones | Mandatory for everyone, closed-back | Kills echo and bleed. Non-negotiable, including for remote guests |
| Lighting | Soft key at ~45°, near eye level; no window or backlight behind the subject | Add fill plus a subtle hair/back light; carry a consistent travel light kit |
| Recording | Local + cloud, double-ender; 4K video with separate audio | Riverside captures high-res per track; always run a local backup alongside |
| Connectivity | Wired ethernet, no VPN, other apps closed | Keep a hotspot fallback on location |
| In person (ep. 7+) | 2–3 camera angles (a wide + two tight), lav + shotgun mics, portable lighting | Standardize a "studio-in-a-bag" so quality is identical city to city |
| Delivery | Audio −16 LUFS (podcast) / −14 LUFS (YouTube); captions on every episode | Lock these once so every export matches |
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Send guests a one-line checklist: external mic, headphones, a quiet wired room, Chrome or Edge, other apps closed. Template D already asks the first two.
Raw to published in a repeatable two-week window.
Each episode posts while the next one records. Owners and target days are fixed; only the guest changes.
| Stage | Owner | Output | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingest & backup | Justin / Blair | All tracks pulled, 3-2-1 backup, logged | Day 0 |
| Story edit | Blair / editor | Rough cut to structure: brief → build → take → best takes → outro | Day 3 |
| Polish | Editor | Color, audio mix to spec, lower-thirds, B-roll, Suno outro | Day 5 |
| Review & lock | Justin → Matt | One notes round, Matt sign-off, locked master | Day 7 |
| Versions | Editor | YouTube master, audio master, captions / transcript | Day 8 |
| Clips | Sivan / editor | 8–12 platform-native clips, captioned | Day 9 |
| Package | Sivan | Title, thumbnail, description, chapters, episode art | Day 10 |
| Publish | Justin / Sivan | RSS + YouTube scheduled; clip calendar; newsletter | Day 12 |
| Go live + guest assets | Sivan | Episode live; clip pack + graphics sent to guest | Day 14 |
| Archive & measure | Justin | Project archived; analytics logged vs. targets | Day 15 |
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Edit & caption
Descript is the core tool: transcript-based editing, AI cleanup, auto-subtitles. Premiere or Resolve only when an episode needs heavier polish.
Review
Frame.io for time-coded notes, which keeps Matt's sign-off to a single pass.
Clips
Vertical (9:16) and horizontal, captioned, with a hard 3-second hook; lead each with the guest's sharpest best take.
The flywheel
Every guest gets a ready-to-post clip pack on publish day: the single highest-leverage growth habit we have.
Who owns what, at a glance.
| Workstream | Justin · Prod. | Matt · Host | Blair · Content | Sivan · Social |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vision & P&L | Owns | Aligns | · | · |
| Guest intros | Coordinates | Owns | · | · |
| Booking & logistics | Owns | · | Supports | · |
| Travel & on-site | Owns | Shows up | Runs set | · |
| Recording / A&V | Directs | On camera | Owns rig | · |
| Edit & post | Manages | Signs off | Owns cut | Clips |
| Distribution | Owns | · | Supports | Channels |
| Promotion & clips | Coordinates | Amplifies | · | Owns |
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A deliberately lean stack. Two tools do the heavy lifting.
| Function | Tool | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Recording | Riverside, 4K remote recording · riverside.com | $39 / mo |
| Editing & subtitles | Descript, AI editing, transcript, captions, clips · descript.com | $24 / mo |
| Review & sign-off | Frame.io, time-coded notes, one-pass approval | Free–low |
| Podcast host | Transistor / Captivate / Megaphone (video + ad insertion) | ~$19–99 / mo |
| Tracker & show bible | Notion or Airtable, single source of truth | Free–low |
| Storage | Cloud (Drive / Dropbox) + local; 3-2-1 backup | ~$10–20 / mo |
| Newsletter | Companion brief on the l30 domain | Varies |
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The whole system exists so this list stays short.
Open doors
Warm intros to your top picks, starting with Tiers 1–2.
Show up
One recording day every two weeks. We handle everything around it.
Sign off
One quick review per episode before it locks.
Amplify
A post on publish day. We hand you the clips and the caption.
The non-negotiables that keep us protected as we scale.
Signed guest release
In hand before every episode, no exceptions.
Music cleared
Commercial use + monetization confirmed for the Suno tier and any beds.
We own the masters
The show holds all episode masters and assets.
Recording redundancy
Cloud + local on every shoot. Never one capture.
No-show policy
48-hour confirm, one easy reschedule, a backup guest on deck.
The show bible rules
Tracker, templates, brand kit, gear specs, and SOPs all live in one place.
The show bible is what lets this scale past you. When an editor or teammate joins, the system is the document, not anyone's memory.
Two jobs for you: open doors, show up. The machine does the rest.