Arkansas Podcast Festival Announces Podcast Pitch Contest

~ jen

Do you have an idea for a podcast? We’d love to hear it! ARKAST, the annual podcast festival in Arkansas, is announcing a podcast pitch competition. ARKAST is now in its second year and has grown from a one-day event to a week-long festival.

To kick off the week, a podcast pitch competition will be held on Sept. 1 at Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock from 6-9 p.m. This Shark Tank style competition gives Arkansans an opportunity to have help creating their podcast. The winning pitch will receive a podcast launch package with podcasting equipment and help with getting the podcast set up on all major platforms.

Contestants will take the stage to present their ideas to a panel of judges made up of industry professionals. The judges will provide valuable feedback on all pitches. Entering the contest is free but those wanting to enter must fill out a pitch form and be approved. The form can be found at arkansaspodcasters.org. 

Tickets to be in the audience are free and also available at arkansaspodcasters.org. The website has the lineup of all ARKAST events taking place from Sept. 1 – 7.

ARKAST is organized by the Arkansas Podcast Collaborative, a nonprofit dedicated to growing and diversifying Arkansas’s podcasting community.

Festival sponsors include Power of Pod, American Business Engine, the Central Arkansas Library System, and the North Little Rock Library System.

Widecom Launches Zeeko – Podcast Creative Agency

~ jen

Widecom officially launched a new business unit specialized in the creation of podcasts. Zeeko – Podcast Creative Agency’s mission is to produce professional podcasts for experts, brands and institutions, thus taking advantage of one of the most effective, efficient and fastest growing worldwide.

The investment in this area, “follows our propensity for content production, given our experience and long history in the media sector,” says Jorge Souto, Head of Management of Widecom. 

Zeeko – Podcast Creative Agency come to occupy a space that is not exhausted in production. Jorge Souto adds that “training will be one of the areas that Zeeko intends to develop in a more consistent manner” in the preparation of future professionals. The podcast is one of he media that best reflects the trend adopted at the level of Content Marketing, not only by the ease it offers to those who listen, but also by the versatility it proposes at the level of personal communication, brand or corporate.

Currently, Zeeko already has a portfolio of thematic podcasts, including Planeta do Futebol by journalist and commentator Luís Freitas Lobo, O sue fica do tempo que passa by Paulo Pisco, Member of the Portuguese Parliament, or A Faca de 3 Gumes by journalist António Rolão, among others. – https://zeeko.co

Founded in 2010, Widecom is a consulting and advisory company in communication, marketing, and media, which provides a range of integrated services, from the definition of strategy to the development of median instrumental means for its implementation.

With a background in journalism, marketing and business management, Jorge Souto began his career in radio, having spent over 20 years linked to the media – Lusomundo Media and Media Capital – where he preformed functions at the management level.

The Independent Podcast Awards Partners With The Podcasting, Seriously Fund

~ jen

The Independent Podcast Awards are media partners for the Podcasting, Seriously Fund which offers reimbursement for award entrants, supporting 200+ independent audio producers every year.

The Fund aims to make audio awards and competitions more inclusive, elevate the work of creators who may not have yet achieved the recognition they deserve, and help create opportunities for underrepresented communities, independent producers and early-career aspirants.

LWC Studios, the Fund’s pro bono operator in the US, alongside AIR, Pacific Content, Acast and Triton Digital as fund partners, launched The Podcasting, Seriously Awards Fund to support independent BIPOC, Queer and Trans audio professionals in submitting their work to key media and journalism awards. The Find covers submission fees for producers, editors, and others.

The Fund covers entry fees for high-quality work to podcast/media/journalism awards, accepting application on a rolling, year-round basis. The Fund has also been extended to cover enrollment/registration fees for audio production training courses.

The Independent Podcast Awards were set up by whynow and Verbal Diorama, who seek to celebrate the truly independent talent of UK and Ireland based podcasters that don’t have the financial backing of brands to support them. There are 18 categories, including True Crime, Sport, Music and Film & TV, and an Overall Podcast of the Year will be chosen from the winners of each category.

Juleyka Lantigua of the Podcasting, Seriously Fund says: “Media partners like the Independent Podcast Awards, go a long way in extending the work of the Fund and the door-opening effect it can have on our beloved podcast industry. It is a pleasure to welcome them to the Fund.”

Those interested in applying can submit their information here.

Those interested in contributing to the Fund can donate via Patreon, AIR, and Buy Me a Coffee.

Nina Robinson UK Fund Ambassador and CEO of Soundtruism which is also a Fund media partner says, “The Podcasting, Seriously Awards Fund continues to go from strength to strength in the UK, and it’s great to have the Independent Podcast Awards on board. For too long, accolades in the British audio industry have been selected and judged by people from largely similar, privileged, white backgrounds and unconscious bias and favouritism have played their part. This Fund is an important step in opening up the industry to allow greater recognition of talent, for those from underrepresented backgrounds.”

Emma Turner, Head of Events and Publicity at whynow said: “We’re delighted to be working with Juleyka and Nina to help those from underrepresented areas of the podcasting community to enter these awards. One of the major reasons for launching the Independent Podcast Awards was to shine a light on all the amazing talent out there that often doesn’t get recognition at other awards. By working together we’re moving closer to this goal, and making the awards more accessible to more people.”

To find out more about The Podcasting, Seriously Fund including eligibility criteria and how to apply go to: https://www.podcastingseriously.com/fund.

The winners of the Independent Podcast Awards will be announced at an event in London in October and are open for entry now at: independentpodcastawards.com

Logitech’s Streamlabs Adds To Powerful Streamlabs Ultra Product Suite With New Podcast Editor

~ jen

Streamlabs, a leading provider of live streaming tools and brand of Logitech, expands its Streamlabs Ultra subscription offering with podcast editing capabilities through Podcast Editor. This new tool will add to the popular streaming platform’s already robust suite of offerings, elevating the creator experience and providing a new stream of revenue and engagement.

With the ease of text-based editing, Podcast Editor helps creators record and edit their video and audio content fast with easy text-based editing, auto-generated transcripts, and resizing tools so they can promote and share content across different platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and more. It will also allow creators to customize clips, create subtitles, add images, and perform real-time translations of their video content.

Plus, with the AI-assisted tools, it is possible to easily find clip highlights, cut unnecessary filler words like “oohs” and “ums”, and even remove awkward pauses within seconds, trimming off hours of total edit time.

As the world of podcasting continues to explode, with as many as 464.7 million listeners tuning in globally, Streamlabs’ Podcast Editor comes to creators at a time when more people than ever are listening to their favorite content and more streamers are favoring talk-show-like formats. In fact, according to Stream Hatchet data, Just Chatting has been the most popular Twitch category racking up over 826 million hours watched in Q1 2023 alone. This new tool is a game changer for live streamers who rely on the ability to seamlessly upload and distribute content to entertain, educate, and connect with their communities while monetizing a hobby they love.

Content creators can edit up to one hour of content per month at no cost. Through Streamlabs Ultra, 40 hours of content can be managed through the software, and users receive access to the Podcast Editor along with premium features available for Streamlabs Desktop, the Streamlabs Web Suite, Streamlabs Mobile, Talk Studio Pro, Video Editor Pro, and Cross Clip Pro, providing a holistic suite of products under one service to help streamers with streaming, recording, branding, editing and sharing short and long-form content.

“Logitech is committed to serving the needs of gamers and creators by delivering breakthrough product experiences to unlock their potential. Streamlabs has been an extension of this philosophy toward the booming gaming community since the creator economy took off during the pandemic,” says Vincent Borel, Head of PC Gaming & Creators at Logitech G. “Podcast Editor now enables Streamlabs to provide the most robust suite of offerings for creators to reach their audiences wherever they are while focusing on the elements of content creation they love the most – streaming and engaging with their audience.”

With Streamlabs’ experience in monetization, brand building, and audience engagement tools, the company is eager to give users a robust suite of tools to expand their reach, build and engage their audience across platforms. 

Users can subscribe to Streamlabs Ultra to start using the premium benefits of Podcast Editor or access the free version here. https://streamlabs.com/

AMA Launches AI-Powered Features For Personalized Audio Advertising

~ jen

AMA (A Million Ads), the global leader in dynamic creative and personalization for digital audio advertising, announced the launch of its innovative AI-powered product features, Studio.AI, designed to further enhance the speed and precision of the AMA dynamic decisioning engine. The new solution intelligently syncs audio files with script lines and selects relevant data triggers for highly-personalized ad experiences and is available for use across leading audio platforms, including Spotify, Pandora, Acast and iHeart.

The digital audio advertising market has skyrocketed, fueled by consumer adoption of premium content through music streaming services and podcasts, increased programmatic availability of inventory for advertisers, and advertiser interest in investing in privacy-safe channels. In 2023, digital audio ad investments are expected to surpass $10 billion, and within the next four years, will climb to nearly $13 billion. To continue to unlock growth, particularly form new and smaller brand advertisers, however, the production and targeting of campaigns must become more intelligently automated and data-driven.

“Brands, big and small should be equipped with creative capabilities enabling them to develop experiences that are scalable, performant and cost-effective,” said Steve Dunlop, Founder and CEO of AMA. “We are introducing AI that, makes it easier to build and launch campaigns that are tailored and high-performing, thereby reducing the barriers to entry for advertising on digital audio.”

Enter the Studio.AI product suite. Built into AMA’s flagship platform, AMA Studio, this suite activates AI to:

Effortless Audio-Script Synchronization

Studio.AI streamlines the creative process for producers by automatically matching the ideal audio voice elements to each script, ensuring a seamless and engaging listening experience for users. With this feature, producers can reduce time-to-live, bring ideas to life quicker, and reach audiences with the benefits of dynamic content faster than ever before.

Hyper-Personalization with Data Triggers

Studio.AI enables advertisers to deliver tailored and relevant audio ads to listeners by choosing the best data triggers such as location, day/time, weather, device type, events and ad rotation. This technology enhances ad engagement and effectiveness by ensuring each listener receives a unique and contextually relevant ad experience.

“The launch of these AI-powered features marks a significant milestone in digital audio advertising,” said Paul Kelly, CRO of AMA. “By harnessing the power of AI to support enhance and accelerate dynamic creative optimization, we are making incredible leaps in helping advertisers connect with listeners, delivering highly personalized and effective experiences and campaigns.”

In addition to these advanced features, AMA is exploring integrations with the powerful AI tools available including OpenAI’s ChatGPT to support creative development. This collaboration will further enable advertisers to craft highly engaging and personalized audio ads, amplifying their campaigns’ impact.

Studio.AI’s features are now available around the world for advertisers taking advantage of audio platforms like Spotify, Pandora, Acast and iHeart among others who are already partnered with AMA. Brands currently using the new AI-powered features include Target, Walmart, Google, and booking.com among others. 

Rob Greenlee Partners With StreamYard

~ jen

Podcast pioneer Rob Greenlee revealed on 100TV’s “StreamLeader The Report” that he is teaming with StreamYard to advance the company’s commitment to serving podcasters in creating audio and video content.

In his first extended interview about the partnership, Greenlee told 100TV, founder, Ross Brand supports StreamYard’s podcasting industry outreach. 

“I’m incredibly excited to partner with StreamYard,” said Greenlee. “Together, we will revolutionize the way video and audio content is produced and shared, allowing creators to reach wider audiences and maximize their impact via live and on-demand video podcasting.”

A 2017 inductee into the Podcast Hall of Fame, Greenlee has a long history of building partnerships in the podcast industry. He has severed as a senior executive at podcast-hosting companies such as Libsyn, Podbean, PodcastOne, and Spreaker. At Microsoft, Rob led the integration of audio and video podcasts into Windows Media Center, Zune, Xbox, and Windows Phone. InsideRadio selected Greenlee to their list of 2020 Podcast Power Players.

“We are honored to have Rob Greenlee join StreamYard as an official partner,” said StreamYard co-founder Geiger Vandentop. “His deep understanding of the podcasting and new media industry is unparalleled, and his passion for empowering creators resonates strongly with our own values. We believe this partnership will open up new opportunities for our users, enabling them to elevate their content and engage with their audiences like never before.”

StreamYard has added a whole range of features to appeal to podcasters in need of the highest audio quality, such as record-only mode, separate audio tracks, and local device recording. While StreamYard has been popular with podcasting influencers who livestream their shows since 2019, the opportunity to capture a larger share of the podcasting market is within reach, thanks to its professional audio recording tools and the explosion of interest in video podcasting, particularly on YouTube.

“We’re thrilled to see our top live-streaming app and favorite podcast executive joining forces to marry podcasting with live-streaming,” Brand said. “Our shows at 100TV have both video and audio versions. The overwhelming majority of our creators record in StreamYard.” With his experience as a prolific podcast creator and his leadership on the industry’s business side, Greenlee has the rare portfolio to appeal to independent podcasters and major industry brands. Not only can he educate podcasters on the benefits of StreamYard’s full audio and video feature set, Greenlee can help StreamYard’s millions of livestream customers add podcast distribution to their content mix.

Co-founded by Geige Vandentop and Dan Briggs, StreamYard launched its live-streaming studio in 2018. StreamYard grew quickly over the next two years to become the world’s most popular browser-based live-streaming app. StreamYard’s three pillars are 1) ease of use, 2) stability, and 3) professional streams. 

Virtual event company Hopin acquired StreamYard in early 2021. Vandentop and Briggs continue to operate StreamYard, innovating and developing new features to serve better creators while staying true to their three pillars. 

Greenlee hosts “Trust Factor” Mondays at 10 am on ET on 100TV Network. He also co-hosts the “New Media Show,” which has been recorded and streamed live for over a decade and subsequently distributed in audio and video podcast versions.

100TV Network launched in May 2023 as a collaboration of independent creators hosting exclusive shows and supporting each other through cross-promotion and monetization opportunities.

mowPod Promotes Chase Hattie to Chief Revenue Officer Amid Rapid Scaling

~ jen

mowPod, a trailblazing entity in the podcasting world announced the promotion of Chase Hattie from Executive Vice President of Business Development to the critical role of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Hattie, a crucial pillar of the mowPod team since 2019, has demonstrated exceptional leadership in spearheading revenue growth and team development.

As CRO, Hattie will extend his leadership over the sales team and work in tandem with the C-Suite to enlarge mowPod’s podcasting Ad tech product offerings. This endeavor empowers the podcast community to expand their audience, aligning with mowPod’s mission of democratizing podcasting.

“Chase’s strategic foresight and leadership have been instrumental in growing mowPod’s revenue since he joined the team in 2019,” said Mike Wiston, CEO and Co-founder of mowPOd. “We are thrilled to have him lead our efforts as CRO, especially at this crucial period of aggressive scaling.”

Beyond leading the sales and business development teams, Hattie will also prioritize fostering wider partnerships with podcast networks, hosting platforms, and agencies. He brings to the table a track record of successful team-building, having constructed the existing sales team the has proven pivotal to mowPod’s growth.

This announcement comes on the heels of the recent release of mowPod Boost Self-Serve (boost.mowpod.com), the first self-serve product in podcasting that drives listeners from the open web to podcasts with transparent delivery and reporting. Hattie’s leadership will be crucial as the company seeks to expand its reach and impact in 2023 and beyond.

 

RSS.com Releases Free Audio To Video Conversion Tool

~ jen

RSS.com, a leading podcast hosting company, has unveiled PodViz, an innovative in-house technology that simplifies the process of transforming audio podcast episodes into captivating videos. Notably, RSS.com has integrated this solution into its hosting platform, empowering podcasters to effortlessly convert their episodes and upload them to popular video distribution platforms like YouTube.

Setting itself apart from similar offerings, PodViz goes beyond basic functionality by also supporting Podcasting 2.0 chapters, ensuring the converted audio-to-video files retain elements such as chapter art, title, and metadata.

The development of this new technology reflects the growing trend among podcasters worldwide, who are leveraging video distribution platforms to expand their listener base and enhance the discoverability of their primarily audio-focused shows.

Podcasters from all corners of the globe can take advantage of this revolutionary audio-video conversion toll for free by visiting RSS.com/podviz.

“We are thrilled to offer our podcasters the ability to showcase their Podcasting 2.0 enabled chapters and chapter art in video format, all without additional fees. This exciting audio to video feature bridges a gap between YouTube’s offering and outstanding Podcasting 2.0 enabled apps such as Podverse, Podfriend, and Fountain. By expanding the reach of Podcasting 2.0 features, we’re giving our podcasters the opportunity to reach new audiences. Now any of our podcasters who wish to distribute their podcast to their own YouTube channel can effortlessly do so.” – Ben Richardson, Co-Founder of RSS.com. 

In addition to integrating with YouTube, RSS.com plans to expand its support for video content platforms such as Vimeo, PeerTube, and TikTok.

About RSS.com

Founded in 2018, RSS.com is a podcasting platform with a global community and strategic investments in audio technology, IP and production of original content.

 

Podchaser Develops AI-Powered Data Capabilities With Launch of Collections+

~ jen

Podchaser – the podcast industry’s intelligence engine – announces the launch of a groundbreaking AI-powered capability to allow advertisers to expand their reach in podcasting and refine their targeting further than ever before. Podchaser’s Collections+ has been developed and tested with Acast, and is now being made available to any hosting provider, ad platform or marketplace in the industry looking to enhance its own targeting offering for advertisers.

With Collections+, data on podcasts and their audiences is pulled from the widest range of sources across podcasting – including the hosting platform’s own data, Podchaser’s first-party data, Apple Podcasts and Spotify category and chart data, IAB categories, surveys and transcriptions. 

The data is then synthesized using AI models, sorting podcasts into verticals based on all available data points. This creates the highest quality collections for advertisers to target against in the industry, replacing the traditional method, where podcasts are categorized manually into groups which advertisers then choose to buy against for their campaigns.

Bradley Davis, CEO at Podchaser said: “We’re turning what once was the art of podcast buying into a true science using everyone’s best friend, AI. By combining Podchaser’s position as the industry’s intelligence engine with Acast’s decade of deep experience in packaging podcasts to help advertisers reach valuable audiences, we’ve been able to create the highest-quality collections in the industry, which go beyond simple manual human classification.

“As audience-first buying becomes increasingly important, and more and more dollars flow into brand campaigns, we’re optimizing ad planning for everyone. Advertisers are empowered to plan smarter campaigns and we’re enabling more podcasters to earn more revenue. Most importantly, this data technique is being made available to the whole industry to use, to improve podcasting for all.”

Data shows that 44% of US podcast advertising investment lands with the top 500 shows. But these shows only account for 12% of monthly reach, which means advertisers are missing the opportunity to target nearly 88% of the addressable podcast audience. Collections+ benefits all parties in podcasting: for advertisers it brings more scale, increased longevity of creatives, better campaign diversity and increased effectiveness. For podcasters, it means greater discoverability amongst advertisers, increased chance of revenue and more shows monetized.

For example, a podcast may present itself as focusing on travel, but through Collections+ Podchaser can deduce that episodes veer heavily into discussions around, say, mental health as well as self-development, allowing that show to be included in more relevant sales verticals, making the podcast more discoverable to advertisers and attracting even more relevant advertising to engaged audiences than before.

At Acast, Collections+ has already seen uptake from a large number of brands including several Fortune 500 companies, and has enabled Acast to monetize 5% more shows in the first seven weeks of testing. For advertisers, buying through Acast, the capability is available in all markets at no additional cost – whether brought through Acast’s sales teams, programmatically or via Acast’s self-serve advertising program.

Collections+ is available now for any podcast hosting or ad platform – contact cole@podchaser.com for more information.

PRX And Sonic Partner To Provide Podcast Creation And Production Services

~ jen

Leading audio production company Sonic Union and top podcast distributor PRX, an award-winning public media organization, announced a new strategic partnership. PRX Productions – PRX’s team specializing in high-quality audio production and storytelling – and Sonic Union will jointly provide podcast creation and production services to brands seeking to create original podcasts.

Sonic Union serves as a nationwide creative services and audio production house, for collaborations with ad agencies, Fortune 500 companies, museums, and entertainment clients. PRX Productions has created original podcasts in partnership with significant consumer brands, creatives, and mission-focused entities alike, including Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, Simon & Shuster, the Woman’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, America Abroad Media, and more. To date, PRX and Sonic Union have partnered on podcasts including Out Travel the System, a travel podcast from Expedia, and an acclaimed teen advice podcast, We Got You.

In addition to expertise in podcast development, PRX operates Dovetail, a best-in-class podcast distribution platform trusted by a variety of major producers and acclaimed storytellers. The platform is an advantageous component for aligning distribution with data, analytics, and monetization.

According to a recent study, podcasting is on the rise as an effective medium to engage with audiences. The reach of podcasts are growing particularly among younger demographics, reaching nearly as many individuals between ages 18 and 34 as radio and television. Additionally, audiences are also more likely to consider brands they hear via podcasts than from other forms of media. 

In this compelling time for podcasting, PRX Productions and Sonic Union aim to draw on their shared expertise, success, and commitment to quality while also increasing their capabilities to serve as close audio partners to brands, organizations, marketers, and advertising agencies as brand media plans to include podcasting.

“We’re proud that PRX is one of the top podcast distributors in the world,” notes Jason Saldanha, Chief of Business Development at PRX. “Our in-house production team PRX Productions creates premium audio and podcasts for and with outstanding partners. The team at Sonic Union are masters of the craft and have deep relationships with major advertising agencies and creatives across the U.S. Our hope is that we’ll complement one another while together delivering the best possible opportunities and service.”

“Audio narrative is a powerful and effective tool for engagement. As our agency and brand clients ideate attention grabbing campaigns, podcasting will more steadily become part of media plans, and may not include the integration of podcasting with social channels, YouTube, and video components. This is a territory we are collectively poised to help navigate,” says Halle Petro, Sonic Union Executive Creative Director. “This exciting partnership will help to provide strategy ahead of the curve within the industry.”