Two prezzies for my besties 🎁
Plus, how my podcast got featured on Find That Pod!
Merry *Almost* Christmas!
I hope you're having a wonderful break, regardless of what holidays you celebrate. First, I have a couple of special announcements that I hope you'll enjoy:
Podcast Bestie is now weekly! It was an easy decision — I've been able to connect with a ton of new podcasters, there are so many more pod people that I want us to learn from, and even an interested sponsor (so glad I got the sponsorship download from Jay Acunzo in the last edition). So see you next week!
I'm starting a new feature where podcasters can recommend their favorite episode of ANOTHER podcast, and if I run it, I'll also feature their favorite episode of their own podcast. I want to discover and feature more indie shows, and hopefully, this is a good way to do it.
➡️ Here’s the link to submit. I look forward to hearing from you!
iHeart podcasters' unionization efforts are underway - A majority of iHeartMedia's writers, producers, hosts, editors, and researchers agreed to unionize with the Writers Guild of America East, extending a recent wave of unionization efforts from digital media workers across the industry. We'll be diving deeper into this with Pod Queen Jamie Loftus in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled on this development!
Pacific Content asks, "What's next?" as they predict 2022 podcasting trends - Pacific Content tapped industry leaders for their predictions on the opportunities and challenges to podcasting in 2022, like the future of subscriptions services, legacy media competition, and independent marketing strategies. (And here's Part Two.)
Indie podcast your way into producing for Seth Rogen - This article by Skye Pillsbury explains how Richard Parks III's innovative and eccentric indie podcast led to him being tapped as the producer for Seth Rogen's unique new podcast — all thanks to Colin Anderson's excellent matchmaking skills.
Multiple Managerial Positions (full-time) at The Podglomerate | Remote
Multiple Reporter/Producer Positions (contract) at Monument Lab | Remote + Travel
Various Positions (full-time) at Headgum | New York, NY or LA, CA
Producer/Senior Producer (full-time) at Morning Brew | Remote
Director, Podcasts (full-time) at First Look Media | New York, NY
🎧 STORY EDITOR TRAINING
This training and mentorship program from Sound Path endeavors to diversify the audio industry’s editor pool. I highly encourage you to apply if that applies to you! Check out this glowing review. ⬇️
✍️ JOURNALISM WORKSHOPS
The Craig Newark School of Journalism is hosting dozens of workshops for eager journalists in the new year, including a few for podcasters. Here are some of the workshops: Sound Design for Narrative Audio, How to Run a Podcast, The Business of Freelancing, Reporting on Indigenous Communities… and so many more insanely useful topics. I signed up for a few of them myself. See you there, maybe?!
My podcast, Private Parts Unknown, was featured recently in the popular podcast newsletter Find That Pod. Each week, they recommend five great podcasts for their readers to listen to, and it's always fun to see what episode they suggest listeners start with. Here's how we got featured. ⬇️
I saw this Twitter callout for podcasters looking to promote their show.
I replied with a brief synopsis of two of our latest episodes that we really loved.
They reviewed their submissions, and our show was selected. It was that simple! And you can do this too — just make sure you're following Find That Pod and keep your eyes peeled! 👀
NICE TRY! BIOSPHERE 2: THE THEATER OF UTOPIA - This episode recounts the dramatic and deeply-flawed history of an Arizona research facility that began as an experimental space colony in 1991 and ended as a lesson on hubris and human nature.
AM I NORMAL?: IS IT REALLY THAT BAD TO MARRY YOUR COUSIN - What did Queen Victoria, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein have in common? They all married their first cousins. And maybe it’s not so weird after all? Host Mona Chalabi explores the genetic consequences of marrying your cousin and what taboos say about cultural and social norms.
NOT PAST IT: SMALL TOWN SECESSION - Every week, host Simone Polanen picks a moment from that date in history to explore how it shapes our world today. I grew up in Minnesota, so I particularly enjoyed the episode about a small Minnesota town named Kinney that — fed up with their government — voted to secede from the U.S. So can LA be next or…?
TODAY, EXPLAINED: THE SHOOTER'S PARENTS - Perhaps the only silver lining to the recent shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan is that it may demonstrate a new way to prosecute (and hopefully prevent) more situations like this in the future. This episode offers insight into the Oxford shooter's parents and how the aftermath is playing out.
Suzanna Ehlers, a longtime advocate for women's rights and CEO of the Malala Fund, talks with host Dan Schulman about girls' education, gender equality, changing a system that wasn't built for you, and how to turn a position of weakness into a strength.
In our last episode of the year, host Mesh Lakhani and Rennick Palley — who has a background in public equities, private credit, VC, and crypto — dig into how stocks, bonds, and crypto are behaving going into the end of the year and where he sees the markets going in 2022.
So… ROLL CALL! 🗣
What are you doing for the holidays? I'm spending Christmas at home with my boyfriend and dog; please let me live vicariously through you!
Follow me @courtneykocak on Twitter and Instagram. For more, check out my website courtneykocak.com.