with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
with Steve Pratt, Author of the hit book Earn It
CASE STUDY
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Cirque du Soleil has spent decades building extraordinary live experiences that combine acrobatics, music, theatrical performance and visual spectacle. Every production is carefully designed to captivate audiences through movement, colour, costume and physical performance.
Podcasting presented a very different challenge.
The qualities that make a Cirque du Soleil performance unforgettable are the very things listeners cannot see. Simply recording interviews with performers or describing what happens on stage would never capture the emotion or imagination that defines the brand.
The opportunity was not to recreate the live show in audio. It was to create an entirely new experience that could deepen audiences’ connection to Cirque du Soleil by revealing the people, ideas and creative process behind every performance.
Together, JAR and Cirque du Soleil developed Cirque du Sound, an original podcast built specifically for the audio medium rather than as a companion to a stage production.
Instead of attempting to describe performances, the series focused on the artists, directors, musicians and creators whose ideas shape every production. Rich interviews were combined with cinematic sound design, original music and immersive audio storytelling to create an experience that reflected the imagination and emotion audiences associate with Cirque du Soleil.
JAR partnered with Cirque du Soleil across the entire production process, including:
Every editorial and production decision was guided by a simple question:
If someone closed their eyes, would this still feel unmistakably like Cirque du Soleil?
The challenge was never finding compelling stories. Cirque du Soleil has always been filled with extraordinary performers, creators and ideas. The challenge was discovering how those stories should be told in a medium where audiences could not see the spectacle.
The JAR System reframed that question from the very beginning. Instead of asking how to recreate a stage production in audio, it asked what role a podcast could uniquely play in the relationship between the brand and its audience. That shift influenced every creative decision, from the editorial structure and guest selection to the sound design and pacing of each episode.
The result was not an audio version of a Cirque du Soleil performance. It was a new way to experience the imagination behind it, giving audiences something the theatre never could: an intimate journey into the creative minds that make the impossible look effortless.
The JAR System helped shift the focus away from the performances themselves and toward the creative world that makes those performances possible.
| Before | After applying the JAR System |
|---|---|
| Create a podcast about Cirque du Soleil | Create a podcast that feels like Cirque du Soleil |
| Describe performances | Reveal the creative process behind them |
| Depend on visual spectacle | Build emotional immersion through sound |
| Speak primarily to existing fans | Invite new audiences into the creative world of Cirque |
| Extend a marketing campaign | Extend the brand experience itself |
The most effective branded podcasts don’t simply translate an existing experience into audio. They ask what audio can uniquely offer an audience.
For Cirque du Soleil, the answer wasn’t another behind-the-scenes interview series or an audio version of a live performance. It was an opportunity to create intimacy. Through thoughtful conversations and immersive sound design, listeners could experience the creative decisions, artistic philosophy and personal stories that audiences in the theatre rarely get to hear.
By defining the podcast’s job before production began, the JAR System helped create something that expanded the Cirque du Soleil universe rather than simply documenting it. The result was a podcast that stood on its own while remaining unmistakably true to one of the world’s most distinctive entertainment brands.
Before discussing format, guests or production, JAR worked with Cirque du Soleil to define the podcast’s Job, Audience and Result.
Create a deeper emotional connection with the Cirque du Soleil brand by giving audiences access to the stories, creative philosophy and artistic process behind its productions.
The podcast wasn’t intended to replace the live experience. It was designed to extend it.
The series was created for devoted Cirque fans, curious newcomers and anyone fascinated by creativity, artistic collaboration and performance. Rather than speaking only to people who had already bought a ticket, the podcast invited listeners into the creative world that exists long before the curtain rises.
Success meant creating an audio experience that felt unmistakably like Cirque du Soleil while giving the brand a new way to engage audiences beyond the theatre. Every creative decision, from sound design and pacing to guest selection and storytelling, could then be measured against that objective.
Rather than adapting a stage performance for podcasting, Cirque du Sound established audio as its own creative medium, giving listeners an experience designed specifically for headphones.
The series combined thoughtful interviews, cinematic sound design and original music to recreate the emotional richness people associate with Cirque du Soleil without relying on visuals.
The podcast gave audiences access to the artists, creators and ideas behind the performances, strengthening the emotional connection between the brand and its fans long after they left the theatre.
Each episode became a lasting piece of branded storytelling that continues to introduce new audiences to the imagination, craftsmanship and creative culture behind Cirque du Soleil.
“Cirque du Sound is not just a podcast. It’s a voyage into imagination. We wanted something that felt as alive and boundary-pushing as our stage shows.”
Michel Laprise
Creative Guide and Director
Cirque du Soleil
