Earlier this year, Podquest called for story-driven podcast ideas. They were looking for Radiotopia’s next podcast. Radiotopia is from PRX and is a curated network of extraordinary story-driven shows. Podquest recently revealed their ten semifinalists.
Podquest says that it had 1,537 people respond to their call for story-driven podcast ideas. Ten of those people’s ideas have been selected as semifinalists (which Podquest is calling PQ10). A total of three will be chosen as finalists.
The PQ10 are:
* Dear & Sincerely – by Genevieve Kersten. “Unemployed, depressed, and living in her parent’s basement, Genevieve decides to ask the smartest person she knows for advice, herself.”
* Do Over – by Kelly Jones, Chioke l’Anson and Claire Tacon. “Do Over is the real fake story of how your life could have turned out if you’d just done that one thing differently.”
* Ear Hustle – by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Nigel Poor. “Ear Hustle brings you the hidden stories of life inside prison, told and produced from the perspective of those who live it.”
* Meat – by Jonathan Zenti. “Meat is a podcast about our bodies and the lives we live because of them.”
* Reflected Message – by Jon Tjhia. “Perched at the edges of music and radio storytelling, Reflected Message is like an update of ‘folk’ – pop-sized experiments with voices, memory, repetition, and the everyday.”
* The Difference Between – by Jerico Saria and Hadrian Santos. “The Difference Between dives into the world of “information dopplegängers” – the stuff you always confuse for that other thing – to find out what makes them truly unique”.
* The Stoop – by Lelia Day and Hana Baba. “The Stoop is a space where race, identity, fun, funk, and journalism come together in a tightly produced podcast that will go deep into issues about black identity that aren’t always openly discussed.”
* Third Culture – by Naima Sakande. “Third Culture celebrates those who are from everywhere and belong nowhere, unearthing stories of juggled identities”.
* This Isn’t Working – by Susie Cagle. “This Isn’t Working is a show about “making a living” in the U.S. in an age of corporate domination, industrial transition, and general labor wierdness.”
* Villian-ish – by Vivian Le. “Villian-ish is a show about gaining perspectives on dubious figures that we’ve been taught to revile, and exploring the hidden details we may have never considered.”
Each of the PQ10 semifinalists will receive $300, office hours with Radiotopia producers, free Hindenburg editing software and a year-long membership with the media talent network AIR. The three finalists will be announced July 6-8 at Podcast Movement 2016 in Chicago.