Hey, it’s producer Kattie again! 

Over the last few weeks, everyone’s been talking about Podcast Movement; a certain right-wing someone showed up there. I’ll give you a hint, his name rhymes with Shmen Shmapiro. 

There’s been a lot of interesting dialogue on Twitter around the “identity” of Podcast Movement and how they’ve interpreted inclusivity in the podcasting space. People have called out the sponsors they partnered with and the placement of booths sitting at the front entrance. And then, there was their apology Twitter thread (which has since been deleted). 

I don’t need to go into the details of the drama any further, because it’s more than enough to fill an entire season of Selling Sunset. Skye Pillsbury has already put out an epic, detailed, and thought-provoking report on it.

Something Skye said stuck out in particular: 

You either believe ‘inclusive’ means everybody is welcome — even those who espouse hateful rhetoric, OR you believe ‘inclusive’ can’t in good faith be applied to those who aren’t inclusive themselves.”

I’ve never been able to actually articulate my feelings around podcasting in such a perfect way – and for the record, my mindset is very much of the latter. 

The real conversation isn’t about Sh*piro showing up to a conference. 

It’s about what really makes podcasting an inclusive space. 

If you look at the big picture, podcasting has become a huge part of North American media consumption. Infinite Dial reported that in 2022, 79 percent of Americans were familiar with podcasts, and 62 percent of them have actually listened to one. Around 80 million Americans are listening to podcasts weekly. Podcast hosts are becoming TV personalities and influencers; podcasts are being adapted into TV shows. It has made a massive imprint in our modern world.

The medium of podcasting rewards free thought and “authenticity” in its hosts. We know this because of the premium costs that sponsors will pay for host-read ads, and the sheer size of audiences that have been built around opinionated talk shows, like JRE, You’re Wrong About, and Call Her Daddy. This kind of notoriety influences audiences to mimic the behaviours of their favourite personalities. Heck, a lot of my favourite hosts influence my own perception of the world. This can be a great thing! But it can also be extremely destructive.

As a career podcaster, I’m lucky to be able to surround myself with supportive and wonderful peers in the industry. But as a bisexual woman, I’m not oblivious to the fact that I’ve consciously cozied-up in a bit of an echo-chamber that makes me feel like me and my work are validated. My experience isn’t an accurate representation of the podcast industry as a whole, not by a long shot. 

Mics are easy to come by and anyone can have an RSS feed – the bad vibes coming from podcasting are rampant! TikTok-influencer-turned-podcaster Drew Afualo has built an entire career out of roasting misogynist podcasts. The amount of content she has to work with is wild and frankly scary to me! 

If I was at Podcast Movement, I would have felt uneasy not because of who was there, but the types of people who might be.

I’ve said for a long time that podcasting is for everyone, but I don’t think I can anymore. 

In my opinion, it isn’t. A community is no longer a community when people feel unsafe, and at Podcast Movement, many women, trans, non-binary, queer, and POC podcasters expressed their discomfort — not just because of who Ben Sh*piro is, but what he represents. 

So who’s in charge of holding an entire industry accountable? 

Some may want the job, but are still… learning.

I don’t think it’s up to one person or specific group. As a collective, we can’t breeze past what an impact podcasts have had on our world anymore. It’s up to all of us to decide what we want this space to look like, and what we’re willing to tolerate.

Descript beware, Canada has entered the chat. Trebble.fm is a new transcription-based editing platform straight out of Toronto.

This tweet sunk my battleship. See the pic below for proof.

JAR Audio is hiring a full time sales coordinator. Honestly, I don’t have a great idea of what this role even means, but JAR has a great team and if you have experience in sales research, data entry, and analytics, click through. It pays $70,000/year plus benefits. Apply by Sept 27. 

Podcast hosting platform Supercast is hiring a full time, fully remote customer success lead. You could be in charge of creating the ultimate listener experience and work with some incredible podcasts! Apply by Sept 27. 

JAR Audio is hiring an intern production coordinator to help manage podcast projects under their senior project lead. Dip your toes into the world of showrunning! Apply by Sept 30. 

Still open: CBC Radio is hiring a producer for The Cost of Living, a weekly business/economics show. Apply by Sept 17.

Here’s a super helpful thread from a professional dialogue editor about iZotope RX’s De-click module capabilities and how to use it. Check it out.

You should know about the Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media. Poynter’s academy is challenging, transformative and impactful. Heading into its ninth year, in-person and virtual academies have been described as “overflowing with Poynter magic.” Next year, the academy will meet in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, for three academies, each open to 30 participants in spring, fall and winter. Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Women in Media. Applications close TODAY for the 2023 program, so time is running out! 

The Podcast Academy has launched a special package that will sponsor independent podcast creators. The package provides free membership (with masterclasses, networking events, and a mentorship programme – worth $100 USD) and a free submission to The Ambies (worth $100-$175 USD). You can apply here.

The National Media Awards Foundation is hosting their Celebration of Excellence in Toronto on Sept 29, in what sounds like a fun and low-key evening of socializing, sipping, and snacking. KJ will be there and if you’ve got something to show off, you should be too! Tickets are $34 CAD and can be purchased here.

Senior producer Jay Cockburn has been thinking a lot about pitching, especially after the wonderful feedback he got on his 99% Invisible episode. For the longest time, I had no idea that you could just pitch producing entire episodes to a notable podcast, which is a very exciting proposition for freelancers. However, there isn’t a great database to find a list of opportunities. Jay has graciously compiled a list of outlets that accept freelance pitches:

PRX’s The World

Radiolab 

99PI 

This American Life

Making Contact 

Points North - Send an email with the subject line “PITCH [story subject]” to the show’s executive producer Dan Wanschura and cc editor Morgan Springer.

Let us know if you know of any others, maybe we’ll need to make a database of our own.

This week on Building Good, Geoff Capelle and Darrell Schuurman discuss creating safe spaces in the construction industry and why a supply chain inclusive of LGBTQ+ suppliers is better for business.

We want to hear from you! What are you looking for in your podcast news? Let us know on Twitter, Instagram, or by email at info@vocalfrystudios.com.

Thanks to Emily Latimer for editing this newsletter, and to Katie Jensen for designing it.
Max will be taking over next week for our issue out on September 16th! Until then, here’s an update from producer Jay Cockburn… Torontonians, beware.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS SQUIRREL?

WANTED for a recent B&E. Witnesses say it “ate a bunch of bread and made off with my bagels.”