Get yourself a pod-pod 💃💃

Plus: a textbook you'll actually want to read

Back in March (who remembers March? what is time?), I spotted a message on one of the radio listservs, asking if anyone wanted to join a ‘creativity hour’ for audio makers. The idea was to meet (virtually, obvs) once a week to chat about whatever audio project we were working on.

What followed was six weeks of Zoom hangouts with five brilliant, creative audio pros. We took turns sharing our current stories and podcasts, giving each other notes and just generally commiserating about the state of the world (the regular meet-ups coincided with the first few weeks of lockdown, so it gave a welcome sense of structure amidst the chaos).

It was a treat to receive insightful comments on my stuff, and get the chance to hear works-in-progress. The six of us continue to keep in touch on Slack and it’s led to other collaborations and projects.

Putting together a working group of fellow audio pros, or a *pod of podcasters* (a pod-pod? you can thank me for that later), has a number of benefits, particularly if you’re an independent producer working on your own. They include…

👉 Accountability: it can be hard to muster the determination and discipline it takes to get a new project off the ground, especially an independent/freelance one. Having a group to report back to makes summoning the motivation a whole lot easier.

👉 Support: having a welcoming community of friendly faces is great for your work, but it’s also good for your mental wellbeing, especially In These Times™. Freelancing can be lonely!

👉 Feedback: whether it’s a pitch or some tape you’ve gathered, getting a second (or fifth) pair of eyes / ears on something can be really helpful to check you’re on track. I found it really useful to practise giving feedback as well.

👉 Collaboration: you never know where your *pod-pod* (sorrynotsorry) might lead — I ended up teaming up with one of my group members for KCRW’s Radio Race. Your group could even morph into a DIY podcast network, where you promote and boost each other’s podcasts.

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What I’m listening to

📚 I’m going to cheat a bit this week and share something I’m reading, not listening to. It’s Eric Nuzum’s fantastic book Make Noise: A Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling. It’s an instructive, funny read, covering everything from interviewing to story structure to building audiences. Eric weaves in his insights from his years spent at NPR, launching the likes of Invisibilia, TED Radio Hour and many other hit shows, and has a really warm, personable writing style that’s a joy to read.

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