Australian podcasters come together online for Audiocraft’s 5th year

Now in its fifth year, Audiocraft Podcast Festival launches for 2020, with an online program designed to open up new ideas and opportunities for Australian podcast makers.

Covid-19 means the Festival will take place on Podbean and online venue Hopin, with speakers from around the world joining in to talk about the art of audio-making and the evolving podcast industry.

Tickets go on sale today.

SPEAKER highlights announced today include:

• SPOTIFY & GIMLET — Gimlet co-founder Matt Lieber presents on the state of the podcast industry and how creatives can thrive in the era of audio. EP and host of Science Vs Wendy Zukerman returns home (virtually) to talk about audio-journalism and the challenges of covering Covid-19.
• NANCY — Critically-acclaimed WNYC podcast Nancy features queer stories and conversations. Co-hosts and best friends Kathy Tu and Tobin Low take to the virtual stage with Benjamin Law (Stop Everything!) to talk about their podcast-making process, and explore the ways queer stories thrive in audio form.
• FOREST 404 — Creators of the game-changing BBC audio eco-thriller share their story-crafting secrets at Audiocraft 2020. Director Becky Ripley and writer Timothy X Atack reach into sound to find a story, and get podcasters thinking about how audio fiction can set off ripples of truth in the real world.
• LIVE PITCH SESSION —Attendees can pitch their podcast ideas to Spotify’s Australian podcast team. Three shortlisted makers will pitch their concept live in front of the Audiocraft audience and get valuable feedback and insight.

Audiocraft Podcast Festival is made possible with the support of our 2020 Lead Partner Spotify, Major Partner the City of Sydney, and our Supporting Partners: Audio-Technica, CBAA, CMTO, Hindenburg and Podbean, and our Media Partners: 2SER and RNZ.

QUOTES ABOUT AUDIOCRAFT 2020:

“Most people who come along to Audiocraft work on their podcast projects alone or with a really small team. They’re used to being the only audio-obsessive in the room. Audiocraft is our annual chance to come together as an industry; to push big conversations forward and shake things up creatively. We’ve been working hard for the last three months to make sure that’s still possible even without gathering in person, and we’re excited for the possibilities an online Festival presents. It’s not what we imagined for our fifth year, but Covid-19 forced us to really think about our purpose as a Festival and engage with that purpose in the program. We’re so excited for the audio community to experience this day and learn from these legends.” — Jess O’Callaghan, Festival Manager, Audiocraft Podcast Festival

“Since the first Audiocraft Podcast Festival five years ago, the Australian audio industry has seen huge changes. This is particularly true of the last 12 months and you can really see this reflected in our program. Birds Eye View, created in collaboration with women in Darwin Correctional Centre, show the scale and quality that’s possible when audio is pushed in new ways. Spotify is actively commissioning new and exciting podcast projects in Australia and New Zealand. Horror-romance musical Slaughterhouse Road proves we have no idea what audio surprise is going to hit our feeds next. As it has been for all those working in the arts, 2020 has been professionally challenging. But the most creative storytelling is happening in podcasting right now, and we’re going to celebrate all of it on July 25.” — Jess Bineth, Co-founder Audiocraft.