A new improv kids comedy adventure

• Tales from the Cloud Sea might be the first 100% improvised comedy adventure podcast for kids and families. Every episode’s adventure is created by kids who call in to tell the characters where The Skytanic goes next. We’re told early feedback has been positive.

• The NYC Web Fest is now accepting podcasts as an official category in its twelfth annual celebration of indie storytelling. The festival has also announced its jury members. The festival is Oct 3-5.

• Gretchen Rubin, who signed with Lemonada Media last year for her podcast, has signed with Backyard Ventures - for her newsletters. (Opinion: interesting how podcast companies haven’t also looked at newsletters, given their popularity.)

• Host-read podcast ad platform Ossa has opened its product roadmap to the community, and formed a Product Council to help co-create the product’s new features.

• The Podcast Host has launched its 2025 Indie Podcasters Survey. It’s quick to take part, and all respondents have the chance to win a Lewitt Ray or Connect 2.

Looks like it’s US Independence Day. Sounds like a great excuse to help our independent journalism - either by giving our podcast a five star review where you listen, or posting about us on social media. Thanks!

Moves and hires

• The Modern Love team at the New York Times has gained Sara Curtis and Amy Pearl as producers.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Movement

• Wonder what tools we use to make this newsletter and our podcast? Or what the Editor’s desk looked like last time he tidied it? Wonder no longer (although, fun fact, every piece of equipment on that desk has now been replaced. Apart from the angle-poise lamp).

Podcast News

The Aussie hit podcast Half-Arsed History has celebrated its seventh anniversary with the announcement of a new book. The show has more than 9.6mn downloads so far, and will mark the anniversary with… a mini series on the French Revolution, because of course it will.

The SDR Show has a new co-host - the comedian Aaron Berg. He replaces Big Jay Oakerson. Berg is in the NYC comedy scene, “performing nightly and continuing to set the bar for comedy greatness.”

AI & Us was launched this week. Hosted by actor and science communicator Stephen McGann, it’s a six-part documentary series from AudioAlways that brings together powerful human stories and cutting-edge innovation. It charts how AI is being used to improve lives across healthcare, mental health, housing, social care, music and sport.

What is democracy supposed to mean? How have we been doing with democracy recently? Are there any ways to approach democracy differently? In the new podcast Democracy:Differently, experts and political thinkers engage on topics such as post truth and what we do about it, and what both AI and climate change mean for democracy as we know it. It launches today.

Every business has physical assets - like the buildings it’s in, or the stuff it makes - and more intangible assets, like intellectual property, technology, marketing, and personnel. Intangify is a new podcast that challenges the way business leaders see value and gives them the tools to protect, enhance, and capitalize on the unseen power of ideas - exploring how businesses and business leaders across industries can leverage their intangible assets to create lasting impact. Its new season started this week.

Hyper-local podcasts are, for some, the future of podcasting. One such example, from the town of Warrington, Cheshire, in England - the Warrington Scoop, which showcases the latest events happening in and around the town. This month you’ll hear from the team behind the Warrington Arts Festival, which kicks off on July 18th.

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