Youth Radio Seeks a Podcast Producer

Youth Radio produces top level media and provides education and career opportunities for diverse youth. Youth Radio is seeking a Podcast Producer.

The Podcast Producer will join Youth Radio’s media team to take our podcast programming to the next level. You’ll be the creative force behind the podcast feed for the nation’s lead producer of youth reporting and opinion. Youth Radio has won Peabody, Dupont, Kennedy, and White House Awards, and reaches tens of million of listeners through syndication. Now, we want to build and engage a new, energized, audience through podcasting – and have fun doing it.

Position Responsibility:

  • Lead podcast product development, working with youth in Oakland and around the country, and collaborating with editorial and marketing colleagues at Youth Radio’s headquarters and outlets.
  • Explore and cultivate strategic partnerships with podcast distribution platforms and networks.
  • Lead development of a workflow and production schedule, and serve as lead producer and editor of Youth Radio’s distinctive podcast feed.

The candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience, a minimum of three years experience producing excellent creative audio, and experience in a key role on a successful podcast or radio show working on a tight deadline. Read the Youth Radio ad for more details.

Required skills include being fluent in scripting, tape skills, and coaching; expertise mixing with ProTools and field/studio recording with a range of audio recording equipment; experience marketing a new product, (and more).

The Youth Radio ad for a Podcast Producer says: “This position includes a comprehensive health, benefits, and vacation package, with a salary commensurate with experience.” Read the Youth Radio ad for more details.

Radiotopia Launched Ear Hustle Podcast

In November of 2016, Radiotopia announced the winner of Podquest.  They narrowed it down to ten finalists, and then declared Ear Hustle to be the winner. Recently, Radiotopia launched the first episode of Ear Hustle.

Ear Hustle is the newest show from Radiotopia. The podcast brings you stories of life inside prison, shared and produced by those living it.

Ear Hustle is a partnership between Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, who are currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison; and Nigel Poor, a Bay Area artist. The team works in San Quentin’s media lab to produce stories that are sometimes difficult, often funny, always honest, offering a nuanced view of people living within the American prison system.

The first episode of Ear Hustle was released on June 14, 2017.  It is titled “Cellies”. A “cellie” is a person that a prisoner shares a cell with. The episode describes the 4’x9′ cell and what it contains, and provides stories about negotiating space and relationships in such close quarters.

Part of the About Page for Ear Hustle says: “All of Ear Hustle’s episodes are reviewed and approved by an official at San Quentin prior to release. Due to the unique nature of our production, we do not respond to outside requests or pitches for material. We also do not comment on any inmate activity (beyond episodes) or relay messages to anyone inside the facility.”

To celebrate the launch of Ear Hustle, all of the Radiotopia podcasts will produce episodes around a common theme: Doing Time. You can check the the full list of episodes that fit this theme from each of the Radiotopia podcasts, and listen to as many as you want to.

NPR Seeks Sponsorship Audio Producer

NPR is seeking a Sponsorship Audio Producer for National Public Media (NPM), which is the corporate sponsorship subsidiary of NPR.  National Public Media is hiring a full-time audio producer to own the production of their new custom audio sponsorship format, Brand Soundscapes. These sponsorship messages will be featured in NPR and NPR digital platforms.

The successful candidate will be a creative, collaborative producer and interviewer who can successfully work with corporate sponsors to generate content that creates brand value while respecting NPR’s sponsorship storytelling aesthetic and guidelines. We are looking for someone who can bring fresh ideas to the world of audio sponsorship that will excite brands and engage with the audience. This position is an opportunity to build a new model for public media audio sponsorship.

NPR wants a candidate who has a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. They require candidates to have at least five years in experience in:

  • Radio production experience on broadcast digital audio workstations
  • Conducting interview and voicing creative
  • Working with daily deadlines
  • Copywriting experience

There is a long list of other skills and abilities that they would like to see in people who apply for the Sponsorship Audio Producer.

Essential duties include: produces audio creative for NPR sponsors, and manages production process for freelance producers. The ad states that NPR “offers a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package, including health and wellness benefits, retirement, and work/life balance programs, as well as opportunities for growth and development.”

Submit Your Podcast to PopCon Podcast Awards

PopCon was founded to celebrate all aspects of pop culture, rather than just hyper-focusing on a specific genre. Podcasters have just a few more days to submit their podcast to the 2017 PopCon Podcast Awards. The event takes place on July 7-9, 2017, in the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.

PopCon covers gaming, comics, cosplay, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, and more. They have a section that focuses on “Internet”. It is described this way:

The landscape of entertainment and pop culture is changing. Where previously a celebrity or star needed to be “discovered”, today’s new breed of celebrity simply needs the drive and motivation to self-publish. YouTube Star and Podcaster Extraordinaire are now legitimate titles for a business card.

Podcasters have just a few more days left to submit their podcast to the 2017 PopCon Awards. They are only accepting podcasts that are produced in the state of Indiana for this first awards ceremony. (The submission says: “Future years will likely extend beyond Indiana”.)

To submit a podcast, you must fill out the submission form. Chose which Podcast Category you believe best fits your podcast. PopCon might reassign or merge categories if existing submission pool warrants it to better facilitate an effective and entertaining award show.

Next, provide a short description of who you are as a podcast. This description will be used to describe your podcast at the ceremony. Provide a maximum of 15 minutes of your podcast in MP3 format, and give PopCon a link to your podcast’s website.

In addition, PopCon will have an Internet Alley which will feature podcasters, YouTube channel creators, and Twitch.tv streamers. Podcasters, YouTubers, and Twitch streamers will have an opportunity to participate in PopCon’s Live Podcast and Let’s Play stages. Read the PopCon website for information.

TED Presents Sincerely X Podcast

Earlier this year, TED announced the Sincerely, X podcast. It is an original audio series that features speakers sharing their important ideas in TED’s signature format, anonymously. Recently, Midroll became the exclusive ad representative for the podcast.

Episodes include speakers who need to separate their professional ideas from their personal lives; those who want to share an idea, but fear it would hurt someone in their family if they did so publicly; and quiet idealists whose solutions could transform lives.

At first, the Sincerely, X podcast was an original audio series by Audible. It was hosted by June Cohen, and executive produced by Deron Triff, both of whom are TED veterans. Colin Campbell from Audible was also an executive producer.

On June 16, 2017, Midroll announced that it is the exclusive ad representative for the TED Presents: Sincerely, X podcast. The ten episode-series debuted on Audible Channels in February of this year, and the ad-supported launch will be July 20, 2017.  A preview is available on Stitcher.

Midroll’s announcement included a quote from host Julie Cohen. “The reach of TED Talks has expanded widely over the years. But one question always nagged us: How may ideas worth spreading remain hidden because people can’t speak publicly about the very thing they feel the world needs to hear? It’s an exciting moment for use to now have Sincerely, X as a vehicle for unearthing and sharing this kind of idea.”

LeVar Burton Reads Short Fiction to You

LeVar Burton Reads debuted on June 12, 2017. Listeners can sit back and enjoy as LeVar Burton reads a hand-picked piece of short fiction to you every episode.

You might recognize LeVar Burton from “Roots” (where he played Kunta Kinte). Or, you might know him from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (where he played Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge). Fans of “Reading Rainbow”, where LeVar Burton talked about children’s books, will enjoy LeVar Burton Reads.

LeVar Burton is the honored recipient of 12 Emmy Awards, a Grammy, and five NAACP awards.  LeVar Burton Reads is on Stitcher (Midroll Media). The podcast’s website is at ART19. Audible is a sponsor of the podcast – which truly seems like a natural fit.

A short “sneak peek” episode was released on June 2, 2017. In episode 1, LeVar Burton reads “Kin” by Bruce McAllister. It is part of his collection titled THE GIRL WHO LOVED ANIMALS. In episode 2, LeVar Burton reads “The Lighthouse Keeper”, which is part of FEN: STORIES from Graywolf Press.

I have subscribed to this podcast (via iTunes) and am looking forward to listening to what I think will feel like “Reading Rainbow” for grown ups. Short stories, either in collections or on their own somewhere on the internet, tend to be hard to find. It is wonderful that LeVar Burton will be featuring a short story on each and every episode.

AudioBoom Debuts In-House Network of Original Podcasts

AudioBoom has launched a new lineup of original, on-demand audio content. In addition to hosting, distributing, and monetizing content, audioBoom will debut five new podcasts.

The launch marks the company’s first wave of original podcasts featuring a mix of shows in the following categories: Arts, Comedy, News & Politics, and Society & Culture. This growing network will also provide greater advertising option for audioBoom’s brand partners.

Newly launched audioBoom original podcasts include:

The 45th premiered on February 26, 2017. It is hosted by Rabia Chaudry (former public advocate for Serial‘s Adnan Syed and host of Undisclosed) and features legal professionals Susan Simpson and Sarah Basha. The 45th provides a deeper dive and closer look at the latest developments out of the White House.

Very Bad Words premiered on June 14, 2017. It is hosted by WNYC radio producer Matt Fidler. He reaches out to experts, linguists, and historians to explore forbidden words and their cultural significance. He includes personal stories and interviews to help shed light on the power of bad words.

Inbox is scheduled to premier in July of 2017. It is hosted by UBC Theater-trained comedians Nicole Drespel and Matt Stroup. They invite celebrity guests to the show and then riff on the emails they find in the guest’s inbox. Nicole has written for Netflix Original “Wet Hot American Summer” and “The Chris Gethard Show”. Matt is a writer for NBC Sports and Rotoworld.

Mission to Zyxx is scheduled for September of 2017. It is hosted by producers/comedians Alden Ford, Seth Lind, and Jeremy Bent. They play an unlikely trio exploring the far reaches of the galaxy in this audio fiction, improvisational comedy show.

FORK is also scheduled for September 2017. It is hosted by Cassie House, the wife of filmmaker and podcast creator Payne Lindsey (Up and Vanished, and Sworn). The podcast is in the true crime genre, and it introduces listeners to people who have come to a crosswords, revisiting the circumstances and choices that saved their lives.

Podcast Awards Nominations

The 12th Annual Podcast Awards nominations open on July 1st.

The 12th annual event is shaping up to be an interesting year with the new site, new rules, and voting process. The changes made by the Podcast Awards committee in response to significant process inequity over the past two or three years are on the surface, appear to prevent virtually handing the win to a group of shows that teamed up for group nominations and group voting. The changes to voting process appear to attempt to level the playing field, and according to the podcast awards rules page restored the spirit of the awards.

With the awards being boycotted by a small number of shows that are part of the Diamond Group due to the rules change, controversy does continue.

“Todd Cochrane the Awards founder said it’s unfortunate what’s happened the last couple of years. He said his reaction following the awards last year was not the best, and to a point, he felt upon review what the Diamond Group did was within the rules, it sure definitely was not in the spirit of the awards. The mocking and off-channel discussions showed a small percentage of the participants were in it for sport.” He goes on to say, “I did not create the awards to have them manipulated, but in hindsight, the committee should have made the changes as soon as I reacquired the awards.  He states the Awards Committee worked really hard to bring equity back to the event”

With the Podcast Awards about two weeks away, it will be interesting to see how the process flushes out.  As has been often by the founder, the awards process is never perfect. You can register all the way through the end of July but remember nominations open on July 1st.

SoundCloud (Probably) Needs More Funding

SoundCloud LogoThe topic of SoundCloud’s shaky financial future has been covered here often in the past. And the latest news to come out of the Berlin-based music/podcast distribution company doesn’t do much to improve SoundCloud’s outlook.

A Hacker News user known only by the username throwaway-sc posted this question to that website’s message board:

SoundCloud has deferred salary reviews until the next funding round is complete.
Over the last few years, travel between offices has been restricted to business critical travel only. More expensive food items have started disappearing from our kitchen.

Employees used to get a small bottle of champagne on their birthdays & employment anniversaries. This doesn’t happen anymore.

All of the above feels reasonable.

However, they recently announced that the July 1 salary review that everyone was promised will be deferred. There is no information about back pay or a date about when the next salary review will happen.

Salary increases are predicated on the next round of funding. They anticipate that the round will close over the next couple of months, if not weeks.

I’m sure that everyone here will have been in similar situations before.

What did you do? And, how did you decide whether to continue working or start looking for other opportunities.

It’s worth noting that this is an anonymous post on the internet. There’s no way to confirm its authenticity. In the replies that follow the original post, other Hacker News users condemn throwaway-sc for even mentioning his employer’s name.

But if this post holds any voracity, it proves what we probably already knew; SoundCloud is still struggling financially and will need to raise more funding in order to keep going. The company’s already gone thru multiple rounds of venture capital and debt funding. How much longer can SoundCloud continue to operate on borrowed cash?

Vote Now for Ignite Podcast Movement Presentations

Ignite Podcast Movement logoA new offering at this year’s Podcast Movement conference in California is the Ignite event that will be held the night before the conference officially opens. Ignite is described as a series of five-minute presentations (called Sparks) consisting of 20 slides that automatically advance every fifteen seconds. Sparks are designed to keep things moving so presenters stay on their toes and audience members remain engaged.

Spark submissions for Podcast Movement’s Ignite 2017 have closed. Now conference organizers are asking registered attendees of Podcast Movement to vote on the Sparks that have been submitted. On the voting form, attendees are shown a list of different Sparks with descriptions provided by the presenters who created them. Attendees are asked to select one of three choices for each Spark: Gotta See It, Sounds Okay, and Meh, I’ll Pass.

While the form is technically open and accessible to anyone, the form instructions stress that only registered attendees of Podcast Movement 2017 should be placing votes. These votes are limited to one vote per person. Spark submissions will be removed if Podcast Movement determines there has been cheating on any Spark’s behalf. There’s also a bit of advice for overeager self-promoters:

You cannot post this on your blog or share it in your podcast asking the public for votes, however, do encourage your fellow PM attendees to head this way and vote for their favorites!

The Spark voting form asks for an e-mail address, and that’s presumably how Podcast Movement will determine which votes are legit and which are not. The voting form for Ignite Podcast Movement 2017 can be found here.