For independent producers in Canada, the gate has been firmly shut - APRIL 2022 - PODKATT REVIEW
A personal blog post about podcast discovery and my podcast world.
It is my belief that networks have a duty to uplift the Canadian podcasting ecosystem as a whole, celebrate all Canadian podcasts, and remember where they came from.
April came and went in a whirlwind of emotions. I was on vacation in Portugal for about half the month and that meant that the beginning of the month was a stress-fest and the end of it was a bit of a shock to the system returning back into the flow of things. Vacation was AMAZING and my entire being was in dire need of some time off - a feeling any fellow freelancers can relate to I’m sure.
Even though I worked for about two weeks this month, I still managed to be a part of some really exciting podcasting endevours that were a little out of my comfort zone. Lately, my podcast brain has been really locked into a few themes that I can’t seem to shake: the accessibility of podcasting and the massive gap between the indepedent podcasting community and network podcasts. I’d been stewing on the latter all year and Katie Jensen was kind enough to give me the space to write about it on the Vocal Fry Studios Blog in an piece I boldly titled, ‘Dear Canadian Networks: Don’t Abandon Indie Podcasts’. It launched at the end of the month. More on that later.
I also had a really cool opportunity to talk to some High School students about the indie-podcast-discovery-problem through the Beanstalk Project. It was a lot of fun talking to their curator, Brandon Love, and picking all those teen brains for some creative solutions to help bring more awareness to independently produced podcasts. Talking to High School students was more intimidating than I expected - or maybe it was the fact that they were all little black boxes on my screen - but I came to realize that there’s a lot of room for improvement to welcome Gen Z into the podcasting space. People under 25 are in the midst of a heartbreaking mental health crisis and only a few of the teens I met during my session actually felt comfortable enough to speak up and share their ideas with me. Podcasting is easy for extroverts, optimists and people who already believe they have a opinions and stories that matter, but the number of those kinds of people seems to be dwindling. Podcasting is more than a career to me, it’s cathartic so I hope more young people can find some resolve in this space too. Let’s go easy on ‘em okay?
For this reason, I’ve opened up free consultations to teens!
P.s. I’ll be checking out some of their podcast recommendations in May, including a nearly unanimous choice from the class: Dissect from Spotify.
HERE’S WHAT MY EARS LOVED THIS MONTH:
(Wait to the bottom of this post for a full list of what was on my podcast roster!)
Let’s Make a Sci-Fi
This podcast was the vibe I so desperately needed this month - it’s hilarious and inspiring all at once. It’s produced so well, yet doesn’t take itself too seriously. It reminded me how important it is to have fun in the creative process, and getting the chance to hear from some Sci-Fi big wigs about their approach to telling stories is always super cool. I binged Let’s Make a Sci-Fi in a matter of days and got the ultimate experience listening to the beautifully produced finale from 30,000 feet in the air - very “spacey”! Easy 5-stars.
Libsyn’s The Feed
I didn't expect much from a podcast by a podcast hosting platform. I was worried about it being salesy and "best practicey" (I’m a firm believer that podcasting is still an experimental space). BUT, I was pleasantly surprised to find that hosts Elsie and Rob are just as curious and passionate about podcasts as I am. In the podcast, they don't claim to know everything thing there is to know about podcasts and aren’t afraid to ask important questions about the podcast space as it changes - and all the while sharing a lot of incredible resources for podcasters across this the industry. This pod has become my go-to for North American pod industry news.
PODKATT PAIN POINTS: A spot for things that hurt my feelings this month because frankly, it isn’t very hard to do that anyway…
As I mentioned off the top, I wrote what was essentially an open letter to Canadian podcast networks addressing the fact they’ve abandonded indie podcasts. Whether anyone from Canadian podcast networks have actually managed to read it remains a mystery, but if that’s you and you did, I’d love to hear from you! Here’s a snippet to give you the jist:
“For independent producers in Canada, the gate has been firmly shut for a long time. It suggests that networks don’t consider freelance podcast producers worthy of their time until they’re hired into the network system. I’m proud of having worked so hard to establish myself as a professional on my own terms. So it’s a crummy feeling to know that some of my peers aren't taking the time to foster valuable relationships across all areas of the industry. I can’t help but feel like this is stunting the Canadian podcast space from earning the global recognition it deserves — and I know I’m not the only one that feels this way.
It is my belief that networks have a duty to uplift the Canadian podcasting ecosystem as a whole, celebrate all Canadian podcasts, and remember where they came from.”
You can read the whole thing over on the Vocal Fry Studios blog here.
The week that the article was published, I received numerous replies from peers and friends of mine, as well as other Canadian independent podcasters on Twitter, and it was a bittersweet experience. It was validating but also a bit depressing to know that many people in Canadian podcasting are putting so much energy and passion into podcasting and aren’t getting the recognition or leverage that they deserve. Sure, there’s a lot of work to be done in podcast apps themselves to distribute podcasts equitably, and I hope to see some of today’s incredible alogorthim technology (take TikTok for example) being used to highlight the wealth of amazing, independently produced podcasts out there. BUT, podcast networks are way too comfy and cozy behind their name brands. In Canadian media especially, I think it’s important that they’re more generous with their time and resources. Here’s what some other people had to say…
Standing at the top of Pico Ruivo - the tallest peak on Madeira Island - rocking my Hot Docs Podcast Festival dad-hat.
WHAT WAS ON MY PODCAST QUEUE IN APRIL:
NEW TO MY EARS:
- Lisbyn’s The Feed with Elsie and Rob
- Let’s Make a Sci-Fi
- Playing with Marbles
- Behind the Bastards
- The Comment Section with Drew Afualo
COMFORT PODS:
- The Cut
- By The Book
- Darts and Letters
- 99% Invisible
FINALLY, SOME THINGS THAT KEPT A SMILE ON MY FACE IN APRIL:
Obviously, my entire vacation to Madeira including: hikes with amazing views, swimming in natural pools, eating a ridiculous amount of patiech de nada and seafood, petting lambs, getting some quality time with my partner.
Feeling a lot of love and support from my fellow podcast community.
Starting my pottery class
These sunglasses and this hat —>
The ability to travel again
Dr. Pepper as always.
MORE TO COME AND HAPPY MAY!
GO GET SOME SUNSHINE ON THAT FACE AND ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN!
Kattie (@PodKatt)