A Conversation With “What Went Wrong” Podcast: Monetization, Laughs, and Live Events
Interview by Andreea Coscai, EarBuds Newsletter & Community Coordinator
The What Went Wrong podcast investigates some of the most infamous film productions in Hollywood history, uncovering the chaos that unfolded behind the scenes — whether the result was a huge failure or a box office smash. In every episode, hosts Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer take on a different movie, unpacking the wild (and often frustrating) challenges that show just how difficult it is to make a film — let alone a great one.
The podcast will host their first live events during the Cheerful Earful Festival, a global festival of funny podcasts. Cheerful Earful is a relatively new podcast festival that is coming to New York City for the first time after having presented previous events in the U.K. and Australia. Catch them October 8-9 at the Caveat theatre in Manhattan.
I spoke to the What Went Wrong podcast team for the EarBuds blog about their journey with the podcast, monetizing it, engaging their listeners, and getting ready for their first live events.
Andreea Coscai: How did What Went Wrong start, and what’s the story behind its creation?
What Went Wrong Team: What Went Wrong was born at the Veggie Grill outside the Arclight [movie theatre] in Los Angeles, where Chris, Lizzie, and David were chatting about how many podcasts just dunk on movies. We thought: what if we did something different and explored how incredibly hard it is to actually make a film? Chris and David had just wrapped their first feature, Wyrm, and suddenly had a lot more empathy for filmmakers. We realized we’d been way too confident in thinking we could do better.
AC: How has the show grown and evolved since then?
WWW: Over time, we fell in love with the behind-the-scenes stories, the creative risks, the internal conflicts, and the real people trying to make something work. Now, we don’t just focus on box office flops, we cover everything from mega-hits to tiny indies. The goal is to create episodes that act like time capsules, preserving all the best info about how these films came together (or fell apart).
AC: What role has Patreon and your audience played in helping the show grow and shift to a weekly format?
WWW: Ad revenue can be wildly inconsistent, so even though Patreon doesn’t make up the bulk of our income, it gives us a stable foundation. Thanks to our subscribers, we’ve been able to hire researchers and editorial support, which made going weekly [with our production schedule] possible. It’s also helped us explore bonus content and live events, like our upcoming show at Cheerful Earful!
What Went Wrong
AC: What do you think makes What Went Wrong resonate with listeners?
WWW: We try to bring humor without being mean. Lizzie and Chris often have very different takes, which leads to richer conversations and draws in a wider audience. We’re also very aware of our generational blind spots — we’re Millennials, after all. But ultimately, we aim to offer thoughtful, nuanced criticism that doesn’t rely on snark or hot takes.
AC: You’re doing your first live show as part of the festival. How are you feeling and what can the audience expect?
WWW: We’re absolutely terrified — and totally excited. We’re working on a musical element, some audience participation, and a format that lets Lizzie and Chris present “dueling” information. We’re really trying to keep it dynamic and fun, which means tweaking our format in ways we’ve never tried before.
AC: What’s one unexpected lesson you’ve learned from making What Went Wrong?
WWW: We’ve learned to let the movies be the stars. It’s easy to let our own opinions or biases take over, but we’ve found that the best episodes are the ones where we step back and let the story of the film lead. We’re not here to lecture — we’re here to celebrate the wild, messy, brilliant process of making movies.
AC: The festival is expanding into the U.S. this year. What excites you most about being part of this new chapter?
WWW: Podcasting can be a pretty solitary experience. So the chance to connect with listeners in person is huge for us. We’re thrilled to be part of Cheerful Earful’s first U.S. edition, and we can’t wait to meet everyone.
Thank you to the What Went Wrong team! Listen to the podcast here.