From All Access

The second day of PODCAST MOVEMENT EVOLUTIONS sessions at the MILLENNIUM BILTMORE in downtown LOS ANGELES kicked off with a big announcement in the keynote by WONDERY’s HERNAN LOPEZ, the formation of THE PODCAST ACADEMY and the establishment of the GOLDEN MICS, an award ceremony to launch in 2021. LOPEZ made the announcement by noting that podcasting does not have an industry non-profit professional organization to serve the business and hold awards. A ten member board of governors including major players like PRX CEO KERRI HOFFMAN, SPOTIFY’s COURTNEY HOLT, STITCHER CEO ERIK DIEHN, NPR’s ANYA GRUNDMAN, SONY MUSIC’s CHRISTY MIRABAL, CRIMINAL’s LAUREN SPOHRER, SPOKE MEDIA’s ALIA TAVAKOLIAN, TENDERFOOT TV’s DONALD ALBRIGHT, producer REKHA MURPHY, and LOPEZ has been appointed, with a total of 17 governors to be announced.

In a press release, LOPEZ said, “Film, Television, Music – all other major forms of art have long-ago established a member-based Academy with the goal of fostering and celebrating creative excellence. It’s time for Podcasts to establish their own. I am delighted to be joined by a diverse group of people who really care about excellence, from across the country, representing all kinds of podcasts, from public radio to independents and networks.”

“I welcome the opportunity to celebrate the excellence throughout podcasting — at the mic and the amazing talent behind the scenes,” said HOFFMAN.

“As an independent content creator and podcast producer myself, I’m honored to join my peers from all areas of our industry on the Board of Governors of THE PODCAST ACADEMY. This is an imperative move in podcasting, allowing us to recognize those who continue to elevate all sides of the industry,” added ALBRIGHT.

The ACADEMY plans to host monthly webinars on industry topics, networking events in LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, and publish best practices whitepapers and a searchable directory of members. Podcast pros can get updates about the ACADEMY at thepodcastacademy.com, with applications to join the ACADEMY beginning this SPRING.

Before the announcement, LOPEZ joked about podcasting going from a “paradise” of DIY shows to experiencing an “alien invasion” of big players talking about monetization and scaling, explaining that the “invasion” has happened to every form of art, from theater to movies, television, and now podcasts. “Things are changing in the podcast world for the better,” LOPEZ asserted, listing advantages like audio being immersive and intimate, not requiring people to use their eyes in a world bombarding the public with images, and a still-low barrier of entry that allows even an individual to create a successful show (beating a big company’s shows, LOPEZ said, results in the feeling of “chartenfreude”).

Another keynote featured the team behind “THE SCORE: BANK ROBBER DIARIES,” reformed bank robber JOE LOYA and producer BEN ADAIR, interviewed by SHANNON CASON. Like THURSDAY’s agenda, the day’s schedule was populated by three tracks of presentations geared at different levels of podcasting expertise.

Look for more reporting by PERRY MICHAEL SIMON from the conference all day today.

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