BEHIND THE SCENES: PODCASTING COURSE (FUNDED BY MAES)

Here at Reform Radio, we kick-started the year with another one of our podcasting courses. In January, we had a group of eager, new podcasters come in for a two week program funded by MAES. During their time here, our participants learned the ropes of podcast production including scriptwriting, audio recording and editing. The attendees also got the exciting opportunity to visit the BBC Studios. They headed to Media City for the day to experience the liveliness of the broadcasting industry first hand. The group worked hard to create their own podcast show, which was aired live from the Reform studios at the end of the project. Listen to the show via the link below.

We spoke to Madi and JB to uncover their personal experiences of the podcasting course and their exciting future prospects.

Please can you introduce your name, and pronouns, and tell us a bit about what you like getting up to in your free time?

M: I’m Madi, my pronouns are she/they. I’m very involved in the art scene. I am a freelance director and actor, which is very cool and fun. I’ve also done a few short films, but I’ve not really had the opportunity to learn much about podcasting, which is why I’m here.

JB: I’m JB, my pronouns are he/him. I’m a musician outside of here, I really like music and photography as well. I also had no clue about podcasting or radio, so that’s why I’m on this course.

Describe yourself in three words.

M: Energetic, passionate and caring.

JB: Passionate, calm and sporadic.

If you had to recommend a podcast to someone who’s never listened to a podcast before, what would it be and why?

M: I think it depends on your mood so I’m gonna do two. If you’re looking for a storytelling, human experience, I would recommend ‘The Moth’. I think ‘The Moth’ stories are absolutely excellent, they’re from all over the world. If you’re looking for a sit down comedy, I’ve got to say my girl Brittany Broski.

JB: I didn’t listen to a lot of podcasts before, so I’ll say one that really got me, which was ‘George The Poet’. It really expanded what I thought podcasting was. I think he talks about some really interesting things.

If you could have anyone on your own podcast as a guest, who would it be and why?

M: This is a really random one, and I think my answer to this would change day to day, but recently I’ve really gotten into Dolly Parton. I just love that diva. So if I could have the opportunity to sit down and chat with her, I would absolutely jump on that.

JB: There’s a rapper I really like called Earl Sweatshirt, I feel like he’d be fun to interview. I’d like to pick his brain about stuff – he seems quite with it.

What prompted you to get involved with the Podcasting Course?

M: I’ve always been really interested in radio and podcasting. I had a horrible podcast in school with one of my friends. It was just a phone set up in our car and we would eat and just chat. And so, I was really excited to do the audio aspects. I’ve always done film, but I’ve not really had the opportunity to learn specifically about the audio. Bad audio really ruins an entire film, so I really wanted to get into the nitty gritty of that.

JB: I think I actually feel the same, but also peer pressure… Someone who was on this course told me “you have to do this course,” and they weren’t wrong. I did a video podcast sort of thing in the past and I came here trying to revitalise it. I ended up thinking about it so much more broadly as a result of coming here. It’s opened my eyes a lot.

What has been your favourite thing about audio production and podcasting through the project?

M: I definitely didn’t think it was going to be something I was good at. I have hearing damage, and so, I didn’t think at all that I was going to be good at it. Originally I just wanted to do a chat with someone, but now I am actually able to listen to the audio and know how to edit the tracks. I think that’s been an eye opening thing; how much I really do love sitting down and editing.

JB: I second that. Editing has been the most fun part. It’s like a big puzzle for me, getting all the pieces together and finding what works. My serotonin levels are at an all time high.

Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?

M: I graduated in July and it’s been a constant stream of applying for different creative jobs and every single one coming back and saying no. So, I came in feeling defeated about my career, what I was doing and not really having creative juices left. It’s been really refreshing here and I think it’s built up my confidence again. I can go out and feel like the way I think is worthy in and of itself within the creative industry.

JB: I think I’m a lot more comfortable. I think that the space, the mentors, the people you’re surrounded by on the course and also the people who work at Reform are all so welcoming and quite warm. I feel that over time, it’s not just thawed me a bit. But it’s definitely made me a bit more like ‘yeah, I can be comfortable here.’ I feel like it’s a great space to facilitate that.

What will you take from the podcasting course moving forward & what are your plans from here onwards?

M: There’s definitely the confidence of going back into the world as a freelance artist, which is exciting. On top of that, after leaving the education system where so much of the art you’re pushing out is for a grade, it’s nice to have a personal creative endeavour that I want to continue. I’m not going to get anything from this apart from satisfying my own brain and head. But, I think that’s really cool and it’s important to have projects like that.

JB: I do want to continue the concept I’ve got. The original idea was to do my previous show and make it animated but including the audio. I think I’d still do that but with this new idea. This course has opened a lot more doors. I can now gather as much creative potential as possible and see where it lands.

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