We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marz Marcello. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marz below.

Hi Marz, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

After years working across PR, production, and many roles in the podcast industry, one truth stood out: the traditional path to monetization, hitting 10,000 downloads, is a barrier most creators will never overcome. Only about 1% to 5% ever make it there.

But I’ve seen something more important: podcasts with smaller, deeply engaged audiences converting listeners into paying customers for apps, communities, and merch. The real strength of podcasting lives in its niches. The saying “the riches are in the niches” isn’t just a cliché – it’s fact.

At the same time, I saw makers and physical creators succeeding in real world markets, building their own creator economies at craft fairs, makers markets, etc. Those creators deserve support too.

Certified Crucial was created to serve both sides of this economy. We empower digital creators to monetize their podcasts faster and smarter, often launching merch as their first product and generating revenue in weeks instead of years.

For example, we helped one podcast bring in $1,500 in just two weeks through a limited edition merch drop. That kind of immediate return changes the game for creators looking for real results.

Merch also shifts the conversation around engagement. Downloads only tell part of the story. What matters is how many listeners take action and merch sales show true audience loyalty. We’re pushing the industry to value that metric alongside downloads when it comes to sponsorships and ads.

This is a pivotal moment for creators to make a lasting cultural impact. Certified Crucial exists to help them claim their space – and do it on their own terms.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Marz, CEO and co-founder of Certified Crucial. I came into the podcast world through years of experience in production, PR, and marketing. It stood out to me early on was how hard it was for most creators to monetize their work. The industry’s standard of hitting 10,000 downloads before earning revenue leaves out the majority of podcasters, many of whom have passionate, engaged audiences.

Certified Crucial was created to change that. We help indie podcasters and niche creators turn their audiences into revenue through custom merchandise. We handle everything from product design and production to fulfillment and shipping using a pre-order model that eliminates upfront costs and risk for creators.

What sets us apart is our creator first approach. We focus on meaningful, collectible merch like limited-edition vinyl and uniquely crafted items that deepen audience connection. On top of that, we donate 1% of all sales to carbon offsets because sustainability matters.

Above all, we are committed to creating a podcast merch landscape that is healthy and equitable for all creators, especially those who have been historically overlooked.

I am most proud that we have built a queer owned company that supports these creators, helping them grow their brands and income on their own terms.

Certified Crucial doesn’t just create merch. We help creators turn moments into something you can hold – and make real revenue doing it.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

We don’t manufacture products in house. Instead, we partner with trusted vendors and a growing network of indie creators we call Crucial Creators. We’ve built a database of these individuals to support a decentralized manufacturing and shipping system – it’s faster, more sustainable, and keeps money in the hands of the creators.

The biggest lesson we’ve learned? It’s not manufacturing, it’s promo. We’ve worked with massive names and creators with huge followings, but if they don’t promote the merch, it doesn’t move. Audience size doesn’t equal sales – engagement and trust do.

That’s why we always build merch around what audiences actually want and why we work closely with creators to plan meaningful, strategic rollouts. Without that, even the best products don’t land.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Time + Consistency = Trust.

I’ve been in this industry for years working in production, marketing, merch – and I’ve shown up in all the ways creators need. That kind of track record builds trust. I’m not speaking from theory, I’ve done the work. And because Certified Crucial is built by creators for creators, people know we get it. We see them, we are them, and we’re building something that truly has their back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.certifiedcrucial.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mediamarz/