FRANCE – In the age of snackable content, is there still appetite for twelve-course dinners? Serial is a classic example of meaningful storytelling overcoming format and exceeding expectations. Its combination of rigorous investigation, evolving story and unresolved ambiguities kept millions of listeners, including me, hooked over twelve long-format episodes.
I became a fangirl of Sarah and Dana (and Mailchimp), waffled about Jay, got teary-eyed over Hae Min, screamed in my head at Asia, and refused to convict Adnan on the days I thought, maybe he isn’t an accomplished psychopath. The opening music was my sign that it was almost the weekend. New episodes came out Thursday in the U.S., so I saved Friday afternoons for my Serial dose and closed the office door.
McKinney brought Serial to the Cannes stage, with chairman and CEO Brad Brinegar doing interviewer and fanboy duties. The panel, called “Binge-worthy Journalism,” featured Sarah Koenig, Julie Snyder, and Dana Chivvis, all names known to Serial fans.
Sarah said, “The parts aren’t new. It was a ten-hour audio documentary. It doesn’t scream, ‘FUN’!” Julie commented, “We thought, well, it’s just a podcast. No pressure.”
“No pressure” meant they could focus on the details that mattered. Sarah read her draft of the introduction to episode 1, and then showed an email from Julie that sharpened what she initially wrote into the familiar, “this search sometimes feels undignified on my part.”
The search for the truth led to memorable moments, many unplanned. Dana showed probability flows. “If this happened, we would do this and this.” Sarah said, “We hoped that as we rolled out the story, people would come forward.” (In an interesting epilogue to Serial 1, the Maryland court granted Adnan an appeal in February 2015.)
This openness to where the story could lead, the shared uncertainty between reporter and audience, was crucial to Serial’s success. McKinney’s survey showed that nearly a quarter of listeners said Serial was their first podcast experience, and nine of ten wanted to try more podcasts.
Julie had insightful advice for those who tell stories: “We should not be running away from details in stories that reflect how life is really lived. We don’t run away from ambiguities and contradictions. Telling stories this way – that’s artistry. It moves stories from being entertaining to being meaningful.” And with that, we all wait impatiently for Serial 2.
