Jaws Turns 50: Lessons for Podcasters
The blockbuster movie is now a half-century old. And a film historian says podcasters can learn from director Steven Spielberg all these years later.
Everybody out of the water!
Jaws hit movie theaters on June 20, 1975, and a young director named Steven Spielberg made everyone afraid to go swimming.
Personally, I grew up on the coast of Maine so this movie scared the crap out of me. I used to go fishing, boating and sailing in the north Atlantic so falling overboard was a major fear. And not an option.
Why?
Because of Jaws.
“Jaws may be the greatest popcorn movie ever made,” said Jason Fraley, host of the Beyond the Fame podcast and film professor at Hood College in Maryland.
“Not only did it invent the summer blockbuster as we know it, it remains one of the Top 10 highest-grossing films of all time when adjusted for inflation domestically,” he said. “It was also a Best Picture nominee with filmmaking techniques worthy of college courses.”
Steven Spielberg was only 27 years old when he filmed this summer classic. But he made some masterful decisions. Fraley said the making of Jaws - and some complications Spielberg faced - serve as a reminder that podcast creators should:
Adapt to the moment
Lean into music when necessary
Emphasize storytelling
“When the mechanical shark didn't work,” Fraley said, “Spielberg smartly opted for underwater P.O.V. shots set to John Williams' iconic score. That score is still imitated by kids at the beach to this day -- even if they haven't seen the movie! That is pop-culture legacy.”
Fraley, who’s teaching a course on the history of American movies this fall, said Spielberg’s production challenges are a lesson for podcasters about flexibility.
“If your original plan doesn't work,” he said, “don't be afraid to pivot with theater of the mind, remembering that less is more and that a good story will draw us in.”
Forgotten how scary Jaws is?
Watch the original trailer below. Enjoy the haunting theme music. And have fun at the beach this summer.
Chomp!
MY RECOMMENDATION Heading to the beach and need something for your ear buds? Check out Radiolab’s limited series Swimming with Shadows: Week of Sharks (and please don’t call it SharkWeek.) Other podcasts about Jaws worth your time: The Jaws Obsession and Let’s Talk Jaws. There is also Inside Jaws, a Wondery+ series that will bite into your wallet at $5.99/month.
John Wordock runs his own podcast and media consulting firm John Wordock Media. He served as Executive Editor and SVP for Podcasting at Westwood One from 2019 to 2024, helping build Cumulus Podcast Network into a top ten network and top channel on Apple. He also served as Executive Producer for Podcasts at The Wall Street Journal until 2019. He started podcasting back in 2006. Wanna talk? Email John@JohnWordockMedia.com.