So the headline is - we didn’t win but the subheading is: I had a great day.

Anyone who got shortlisted in the Independent Podcast Awards was offered the opportunity to go to a gathering at Apple Podcasts HQ.  So on a bright sunny Wednesday, I headed to Battersea Power station.  I admit there was a moment’s pause at the top of the escalator - turn right for New Covent Garden Flower Market or turn left for Apple… I stayed on task! 

You’re asked not to take photos inside Apple HQ, but imagine open plan floors and numerous break out sofas, with some very tall trees in the atrium. I entered a room full of podcasters where the first question was always - so what’s your podcast?  I sat next to Giles, whose podcast is called 101 Part Time Jobs. It’s about the “resilence and elbow grease of musicians” and the jobs they take on to make ends meet, when they’re not making music.  On my other side were the makers of a history podcast which talks about the things not taught on the national curriculum.  What a lovely, friendly bunch of people with so many different creative ideas in the room.  The talk from the people at Apple was also good - mysterious things like ‘getting featured’ demystified.  It may still be a ‘one in several thousand’ chance but at least I now know where the form is and when to fill it in!  And transcripts for audio is important to them which is really interesting because I don’t think we ever thought enough about that in radio. Imagine you have been listened to the Archers all your life but now its getting a bit harder but you could see a transcript whilst listening? Or there’s a radio feature or programme that you really want to access but you are deaf.

The evening affair in Kings Place was also great fun - spotting the friends made earlier in the day, looking a little more glamorous.  Again as shortlists were read you became aware of the creativity in the room.  The first winner was Tape Letters which I recommended on the blog a couple of weeks ago.  I’m so glad it won and that I got to meet Wajid Yaseen, the director of the project. He does also have a plant story so watch this space…

Sadly we didn’t win. The winner in our category- Educational: Environment and Natural World was this podcast  - Farmerama which I thought was brilliantly researched and presented. So do take a listen.

One takeaway was that several of the winners had been podcasting for 4 or 5 years which made me think - hey we have done ok in just two years and we will be back! But the biggest takeaway was that podcasting is full of people who just want to give someone a voice.  One such podcast, Uncovering Roots, tells the story of the pre World War 1 genocide in Armenia, that actually led to the word ‘genocide’.  I was lucky enough to meet Maxim Saakyan who had spent 18 months researching the story of Aurora Mardiganian, who lost her whole family in that genocide. Or Caroline Jones who I met on the tube leaving the Apple event, who has made a podcast called What Have I Done which is a gift for fundraisers in the charity sector. You can take a look at the list of winners here.  Oh and Giles (101 Jobs) also won, which was great news! 

So onward and upward.  There are episodes to be made - I walked the street route of the very exciting, still in planning, Camden Highline yesterday and that episode will be coming out soon.  Plus there’s a need to develop a bit of a marketing strategy for series 3 so I can get Our Plant Stories into a few more ears. 

Simon, who I walked the route of the Camden Highline with yesterday, had a great analogy which I will paraphrase. When seeing a speed bump in the road, he said “if you approach a speed bump slowly it’s a bit of a climb, but with a bit of speed you sail straight over it!” I need to get up a bit of momentum for series 3! 

Have a lovely weekend

Sally

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