PodMov Daily: Friday, January 17

Episode 123: Week Download Complete

Full Spring: Podcasting’s Major Presence at SXSW 2020

At the festivals of SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, TX this March, podcasting will be a powerful presence. Schedule announcements include the expected — live recordings of hit shows like FiveThirtyEight Politics and Acquired — and the remarkably topical.

Heavy-hitting panel discussions like “Harnessing Anger to Create Change in Podcasting” will take place alongside medium-specific community events, like the Meet Up for Podcasters of Color and the Inclusivity in Podcasting Meet Up.

This year’s plans kick audio into high gear. Just one example of many: Renowned researcher and author Dr. Brené Brown will launch her first podcast Unlocking Us, live on stage. Brown will be joined by Queer Eye star and Getting Curious host Jonathan Van Ness.

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Balancing Act: Strategies for Podcasting with Full-Time Work

Most podcasters are familiar with the challenges of juggling their show alongside a full-time job. Alyse Kalish for The Muse discusses clever balancing techniques with four busy, established creators.

Kelsie Brunick of Permission to Grow gives wise advice for networking and planning, but emphasizes initiative — just get started: “[…] if it’s consistent and good content [listeners] may excuse the fact that the audio doesn’t sound like their favorite podcasts.”

The article explores detailed coping strategies within a range of circumstances. Established as well as new podcasters will find valuable tips. Natasha Nurse, who co-hosts the podcast WokeNFree with her husband Kahlil, tells Kalish, “Ultimately you make time for what you love to do.”

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The Joy of x: Science Podcasting with Mathematician Steven Strogatz

Mathematician and author Steven Strogatz is the host of The Joy of x, a new podcast for Quanta Magazine. The publication’s mission of “illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism” made for a tall order at first, but Strogatz is joyfully confident in the first season.

“I […] hoped the interviews might go beyond the merely intellectual […] to reveal something of a scientist’s struggles, dreams and setbacks,” Strogatz writes about the planning stages. “Such intimacy would tap into the peculiar power of podcasts to be deeply moving — far more so than television and print interviews.”

Clearly a sharp and passionate interviewer, Strogatz describes the rush of “astonishing” conversation with guests like astrophysicist Janna Levin. The first full episode of The Joy of x will be released on January 22.

Happy Friday, readers, especially to our audio fiction fans. Thanks to Radio Drama Revival for repping the track at PM20 and reminding the world that it’s time to polish those speaker proposals. Like RDR, we can’t wait to see your talents at work.

Cheers,

Team PM

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Here’s what else is going on:

• Page turner: Jack Mitchell of WBUR Boston assesses how “dozens of major metro newspapers — from the Los Angeles Times to the Miami Herald — have gotten into the newscast business” and the effects of these ‘papercasts’ on public radio.

• Body positive: Physicians, researchers and care teams at The Mayo Clinic share “knowledge about topics including cancer, heart health, scientific advances, artificial intelligence and wellness” on Mayo Clinic Q&A, its just-launched weekly podcast.

• Master class: Next month in Toronto, The Canadian Journalism Foundation will host The Podcast Promise, a panel discussion of 4 experts on the country’s podcast landscape and the “challenges of creating compelling audio narratives.”

• Double it: Veteran podcasters Ming Chen and Michael Zapcic (I Sell Comics) will open a second location of A Shared Universe PodcaStudio. The Eatontown, NJ space to “create, record, market, create and love your show” is expanding to Asbury Park.