Welcome back to the Podcast Academy blog, where we'll be narrating the journey of our six projects. Each week, our seven participants will engage with industry professionals, Production Lab mentors, and one another to produce their own narrative, episodic podcasts. The ultimate goal of these workshops is a trailer and first episode presented during Podcast Academy’s Live Pitch Event (September 26th), where our participants will pitch their podcasts to a live audience and industry professionals in hopes of getting picked up for further development. We are now in Week 2! Let’s start our recap of Thursday’s session!
An Intro to Topic & First Look Media
To kick off our second official week at Podcast Academy, we hosted Leital Molad and Lisa Leingang of the production house Topic. They introduced us to the brand, Topic’s parent company First Look Media, and gave us a short rundown on some of the company’s work, which spans multiple media and genres. Leital and Lisa highlighted their work on both the nonprofit side of First Look Media (the Intercept) and the for-profit facet of the company (Topic). From award-winning films like Spotlight to innovative podcasts like Anthem, First Look Media produces a variety of stories that all contain a compelling narrative, a dynamic personality behind the story, and most importantly, a strong perspective.
Learning From Leital and Lisa
Following their lesson on idea development, Leital and Lisa spoke on some past audio projects they worked on, offering us some important lessons for podcast production at a media organization. Following these case studies, Leital and Lisa opened up the floor for a quick AMA session, which helped the Academy with their current production and pitch roadblocks.
Major Takeaways from the Exercise:
I) Strong supplemental tape could sometimes substitute narration.
II) Collaboration is crucial in a creative space, especially in team-oriented production like audio.
III) Recurring tension is crucial for narrative continuity and audience investment.
IV) Know when things do not work out and move on. There is no use wasting resources and time.
V) Within a teaser or sizzle, you must clearly convey plot and your message for maximum effect.
And that’s all for Podcast Academy’s third session and the official start of the incubator’s second week! Once again, follow our blog for a look into the exciting activities and trips we have in store and a glimpse into how to produce your own independent podcast. Remember to pay close attention to our blog because there may be a special prize given out during our Live Pitch Event for those of you who followed our journey! Until next time, stay updated here at NYU’s Podcast Academy!