Last week I took my first steps into the world of audio production and editing, working on a podcast for Sebastian at London Jazz News. I don’t think the flood of job offers from podcast companies, the BBC, Channel 4 etc will start just yet but I did enjoy myself and managed to get to grips with the basics.
See the brilliant London Jazz News to hear the Essiet Essiet podcast I edited, plus a whole host of other articles, features and reviews.
I’ve been toying with the idea of starting up a podcast myself for a while now and what this job proved was how far you can get with a piece of free software like Audacity. It also got me thinking about what I look for in a podcast and which are my favourites…
Reply All – My all-time favourite podcast. It’s the only one where I’ll check pretty much daily to see whether a new episode is up. It’s about the internet, broadly speaking, but the scope is massive. What ties it together is that the two presenters, PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman, have strong chemistry and are great storytellers. Each episode will be focused on one topic with a couple of themed segments popping up regularly – Yes Yes No, where their boss brings to them a tweet he doesn’t understand and they decipher it and Super Tech Support where listeners essentially get in touch to propose stories for them to look into. Very well produced and I haven’t come across a bad episode yet.
Episode to check out: #81 – In The Tall Grass
Intercepted – This is the podcast version of online news publication, The Intercept_ and is focused on following the often surreal and terrifying activities of the US government since Trump became president. Presenter Jeremy Scahill, a well-respected political journalist and award-winning author, deals with one main issue per episode including an interview with someone connected to the issue. His conversation style when interviewing is strong and direct but not bull-headed and he presents facts and figures in a way that makes you come away feeling like you’ve learned something vital.
Episode to check out: Wikileaks vs. the CIA
WTF with Marc Maron – I’m pretty sure if you’ve ever listened to podcasts, you’ll have at the very least heard of Marc Maron’s one. This podcast perfectly sums up what podcasting is about for me; conversations and honesty. The traditional interviewer/interviewee set-up can often end up being a little stiff and reverential. It’s an artificial social situation and it feels that way. With WTF, it’s more like you’re a fly on the wall during a conversation. There are over 800 episodes and the guest list is amazing – from Edie Falco to Al Gore.
Episode to check out: 794 – Louis Theroux
I’ve searched a little for podcasts on music and books, two of my life’s great loves. But every one that I’ve found has fallen short; so many are dry or fawning. No personality.
I’m always on the look out for more to listen to, so drop me a line if you’ve any suggestions!
PS – I find my podcasts on Stitcher and Spotify.
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