Vancouver media entrepreneur brings important stories into the light
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, March 6, 2026 /The Vancouver Sun/ - Vancouver media entrepreneur brings important stories into the light Vancouver's Jennifer Smith has built a reputation as a bold entrepreneur and industry innovator. To be successful, follow your heart and lead with integrity, she advises.
A prolific entrepreneur with seven startups to her credit, Jennifer Smith is now founder, president and CEO of Everything Podcasts.
There’s no antidote once you get bit by the startup bug.
For Jennifer Smith, her first taste of entrepreneurship came in 1997 when she helped launch CTV Vancouver (then known as VTV). Having worked previously at Rogers Radio and Standard Radio, the opportunity to take her talents from radio into television was irresistible.
She took the leap and joined the startup team behind the first independent television station to launch in Vancouver in 28 years.
“It was an incredible feeling,” Smith recalls. “An adrenaline rush that was almost indescribable. You could feel it everywhere.”
That experience was only the beginning. Over the years, Smith has helped shape several groundbreaking media ventures. She secured a broadcast license for the world’s first gay television network, OutTV; co-founded Western Canada’s first urban radio station, The Beat 94.5; and led the national commercial launch of CBC Radio 2 across Canada.
Across six startups and numerous successful media ventures, Smith has built a reputation as a bold entrepreneur and industry innovator. Her work has earned multiple honours, including the 2023 Gold Stevie Award for Best Female Entrepreneur globally and Gold Stevie Award for Social Change Maker of the Year, presented at a red-carpet ceremony in New York’s Times Square. She was also named Best Female Entrepreneur in Canada at the 2022 Stevie Awards and previously received the prestigious Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. These accolades were followed by receiving silver in the Diversity and Inclusion champion category of BCBusiness 2024 Women of the Year Awards.
Today, Smith is the founder, president and CEO of Everything Podcasts, where she works with brands to champion stories that resonate with modern audiences.
For anyone on their own entrepreneurial journey, Smith has some key advice.
Q: How have you navigated important decisions throughout your career?
A: Very intentionally. I take the time to do my research and weigh risk against reward before making decisions. I also pay close attention to trends, but now what I call “shiny penny” trends. I look for sustained shifts, patterns that hold over time through careful trend tracking and analysis. From there, I focus on differentiation. For example, our company began as Everything Podcasts, built around the idea of being a single-source, end-to-end, turnkey solution for brands and organizations that want to create a podcast. What makes us different is that we also built a media division, which allows us to help clients not only produce their shows but also drive discovery and build an audience. Over time, our brand has evolved alongside the media landscape. Today, Everything Podcasts really means everything content. We produce audio, video, TikTok, YouTube and other formats that allow brands to extend their storytelling across platforms. The goal is simple: clients can deepen their relationship with us rather than working with five different vendors. They can come to us and get everything from a single source. That philosophy is reflected in our name, Everything Podcasts, and in our brand extension: “Everything Podcasts… is Everything Content.”
Q: Why podcasts?
A: The way we consume media has completely changed. We’ve moved from a handful of television channels and cable packages to a fragmented universe of streaming platforms, FAST channels and on-demand viewing. People don’t really watch television by appointment anymore. Podcasts have grown so dramatically because they fit perfectly into that on-demand world. You can listen where you want, when you want and how you want. It’s also an incredibly versatile medium. It’s mobile, accessible and it creates space for both entertainment and learning. People can dive into storytelling, explore ideas or simply satisfy their curiosity. That flexibility and intimacy is what makes podcasts so powerful. People can really get immersed in the experience.
Q: How much pressure do you feel as a person who has the ability to put stories out there, whether that’s via podcasts, radio or TV? What does that responsibility feel like as the medium for culture?
A: I’ve never really experienced it as pressure. What I feel much more strongly is a sense of service. These are powerful mediums and I see them as an opportunity to bring important stories into the light. If I focused too much on the pressure of that responsibility, it would actually distract from the purpose, which is to use these platforms to contribute something meaningful and to pay it forward. For me, the motivation always comes back to the greater good that can come from sharing stories and ideas. And yes, there are moments of fear. There are sleepless nights. But that’s part of the process. It’s okay to feel that. The key is to trust your gut, trust your intuition and keep moving forward.
Q: How do you balance the responsibility to generate revenue with leading a company that is doing social good?
A: I tend to think about it almost like a matrix. On one side, there’s the responsibility to build a sustainable, successful business. On the other, there’s the opportunity to pay it forward and contribute to social good. In my view, those two things can absolutely exist in unison; they’re not mutually exclusive. For example, at Everything Podcasts we work with a number of charitable organizations. I created an internal working group made up of producers, writers, showrunners and members of our leadership team who sit on a not-for-profit committee. Each year, the group selects up to 10 charitable organizations that we support on a pro bono basis. They cover the hard production costs, but we don’t take any profit from the work. It’s our way of using our skills and resources to contribute to causes that matter. Interestingly, it also has a positive ripple effect for the business. About 30 per cent of our work comes through referrals. In many ways, doing good work and supporting the community tends to come back around.
Q: What is the difference between succeeding and failing as an entrepreneur?
A: Success, in many ways, comes down to your relationship with fear. You have to be willing to lean into it. If you constantly lean away from fear, you’ll struggle as an entrepreneur. It’s normal to feel terrified at times. Sleepless nights come with the territory. The key is learning to trust your gut and your intuition. I often think back to something my grandmother used to say: “Sweetheart, when your body talks back to you, you have to listen.” That, to me, is your North Star. If something in your gust is telling you to move in a certain direction, pay attention to it. Follow that instinct and lead from there. For me, the decisions that mattered most were always the ones that came from the heart.
Q: What advice would you offer to women leaders?
A: Lead with empathy. That means being authentic in your communication, fostering collaboration and also empowering others around you. It’s also important to remain calm under pressure. Your team takes its cues from you, so staying grounded and steady matters. If you need to process the stress, do that privately, but when you’re leading others, they need to see confidence and composure. Above all, lead with integrity. That’s something future generations of leaders will need more than ever. At the end of the day, integrity is one thing that truly has no price.
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content studio.
Author of the article: By Leah Bjornson
Published Mar 06, 2026
About Everything Podcasts
Launched in 2019, Everything Podcasts delivers innovative, creative, and award-winning audio production and global distribution. It features strategic planning infused by research, and partnerships designed to launch, grow, and accelerate the expansion of content across multiple platforms. Everything Podcasts is a world-class podcast production and media company dedicated to enabling businesses to harness the power of podcasting for communication, engagement, and growth. Everything Podcasts offers comprehensive podcasting solutions and strategies that empower brands to connect with their audience in a meaningful and memorable way. Led by Founder & CEO Jennifer Smith, and fueled by their team of passionate storytellers and award-winning media experts, Everything Podcasts brings innovation and expertise to a new media frontier.
Everything Podcasts is also the recipient of numerous accolades including 2023’s Quill Award for Best Podcast Agency, Most Creative Branded Podcast and Best B2B Branded Podcast. And the 2024 Quill Awards for Most Creative Branded Podcast, Best Business Podcast, Best News Podcast, Best Interview Podcast, and Best Medical Podcast. Plus, the bronze Circle of Excellence from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for Podcasts (Occasional) and the gold 2024 Prix d’Excellence from the Canadian Council Advancement of Education (CCAE) for Best Podcast.
Contact
Julia White, Senior Director, Communications
E: media@digitalsupercluster.ca
T: 604-828-2766
Jennifer Smith
Everything Podcasts
+1 604-377-7922
jennifer@everythingpodcasts.com
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