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Ryan over at PFA posted a list of podcasting movers and shakers. I think he missed a few, and added a few that I would have left off, but it was a good idea and overall a very good list. I liked the idea so much that I want to expand on Ryan’s list with my own and, add a twist.

Here’s my list. I call it Podcasting’s five unsung heros:

1) Paul Figgiani

Standing in the shadow of Doug Kaye and Michael Geoghagen, Paul holds the title Chief Engineer at the IT Conversations Network and GigaVox Media. While there’s no doubt that Doug and Michael play vital parts in the success of IT Conversations and Gigavox, it’s Paul who edits (or oversees the edits) for nearly every show. In fact, there are some months where Paul edits dozens of quality podcasts. That alone would make him worth mentioning here. But what makes Paul special is that he does his job with true passion. Paul gave up a career on the floor of the NYSE to become an audio engineer. And he’s done so in fine form. In the old days, when I worked in real radio, I hung out with some First Class Tickets (FCC Class One rated engineers). These guys are all terribly smart and Paul reminds me of them. While he doesn’t have the First Class Ticket, he does probably have as much knowledge on the podcasting production side as anyone. His site PodcastRigs.com is very informative and something he does as a gift to the podcasting community. I have the pleasure of knowing Paul and I can tell you, he’s one of the nicest guys in podcasting and deserves our respect.

2) Dan Klass

Dan Klass is an actor, podcaster and new media guy who is the co-author (along with Michael Geoghagen) of Podcast Solutions. Michael is the guy who seems to get most of the attention but, Dan deserves to get his own props. While I don’t have the pleasure of knowing Dan, I sure know his work. His podcasts, The Bitterest Pill and Old Wave Radio/New 80s Music are very well done. I don’t know if it’s because he’s an actor and has the training or if it’s because he’s just talented, but Dan is a great example of a storyteller/communicator. Too many podcasters get caught up in gear and technology. Too many podcasters will spend three weeks deciding which mic to buy and forget that they have to talk into those mics and hold an audience. Dan reminds us that what you say, and how you say it, is just as important as the mic you say it into. He’s one of the podcasting pioneers that doesn’t get mentioned as often as he should.

3) Alex Lindsay

Alex Lindsay, the founder of PixelCorps, is one impressive young man. He’s probably the only guy in the world who thinks it’s a good idea to shoot HD video for podcasting on a 1080P camera in a real studio using a green screen and a cyc wall! That’s all you need to know about Alex to understand he’s special.

I met Alex about six years ago and found him to be driven, intelligent and articulate. Did I say intelligent? The guy is freakin Mr. Wizard when it comes to almost any audio/video technology. He’s worked on everything from “Star Wars” the movie to “MacBreak” the podcast! And like Paul Figgiani, Alex stands in the shadow of a podcasting giant. In this case, Leo Laporte. Most people don’t realize that Alex is the wizard behind many of the TWIT.TV network podcasts. Sometimes Alex is the guy in front of the camera and many times, he’s the guy who operates the camera, or the mic or the sound board, etc. His production skills are superb. His understanding of Internet-based media unsurpassed and to top it all off, he has a vision to share this knowledge with the world. While we’re all complaining of the slow service at our local fast food chain, Alex is off on a 28 hour flight to Africa where he’s teaching young people there how to operate video cameras, do post-production work and create animation for video. He doesn’t get paid to go to Africa. He does it out of love.

Alex is a producer, a talent and a teacher and someone who deserves recognition from the entire podcasting community for the hard work he does each week producing or appearing on shows like MacBreak, TWIM, and MacBreak Weekly.

4) Leesa Barnes

Leesa Barnes from Podonomics is one of the few female thought-leaders in podcasting. She has a laser focus on the business side of podcasting and spends a great deal of her time working with women (and men) who want to figure out a way to help corporations weave their way through the podcasting maze. Leesa publishes a blog, speaks at podcasting seminars, hosts several podcasts, runs her own marketing company and is generally someone you can expect to see anywhere that podcasters are congregating.

The podcasting industry needs more female input. That’s a problem. And Leesa is part of the solution.

5) Lee Gibbons

Lee Gibbons is the CEO of Podango. Podango is a network of networks for podcasters and podcast listeners. As the lead man at Podango, Lee has set a course that all future podcast networks should try to follow. At every turn, Lee has put the interest of the podcasters and podcast listeners above his own. The Podango podcaster agreement is the most generous I have seen of any of the existing networks. And Lee’s experience in traditional radio sales, combined with a knack for attracting early stage investors, has helped him to create a network that listeners will no doubt enjoy due to Podango’s ingenious “station” metaphor.

I have no idea whether or not Podango will be the network that emerges from the pack as the best of the existing (or future) podcast network models. But I can say this, there’s nobody out there with more integrity or heart than Lee. In my book, that’s worth applauding.

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