Sound Up: Spotify is holding a bootcamp for aspiring women of colour podcasters in London

Spotify and ShoutOut Network want to find the next generation of podcasting voices 
Burst / Pexels
Amelia Heathman3 September 2018

It used to be that everyone has a book inside them but in 2018 it’s more likely to be a podcast.

And if you identify as a woman of colour, then Spotify wants to help you get your voice and podcast idea out there.

The Swedish-based tech company is holding its first UK-based Sound Up Bootcamp in London this November, designed and facilitated in partnership with the ShoutOut Network, whose company mission is to find the next generation of voices.

It will be a week-long residential workshop, led by podcast industry experts, and is a chance for aspiring podcasters to learn all about the audio art form, receive mentoring and advice, as well as guidance to find their narrative voice.

The bootcamp will follow the pattern of Spotify’s first Sound Up event, held in New York. The course had over 18,000 applicants and the company called it a “huge success”.

James Cator, head of podcast partnerships, EMEA, for Spotify, said: “The UK is a leading light in the world of podcasts, so we’re expecting to see a similarly enthusiastic response from ambitious podcast creators in the UK.

“We are hugely excited to be able to support and promote more diverse and talented voices in the field of podcasting, and to give them a creative platform to share their work with the widest possible audience.”

The event will take place between 5 – 9 November in London. But, if you’re interested you need to get your application in soon: Spotify has recently extended the deadline so it closes on 17 September.

Applicants can apply here and fill out the form to submit their podcast idea. Crucially you do not need to have a background in audio and podcasting as the point of the workshop is to amplify voices who may not have had the opportunity to do so before.

Spotify says it will review all the applications, before calling some people in for interviews and whittling it down to the final 10 who will take part in the bootcamp.

At the end of the week, all the participants will take part in a pitch session to a panel of industry experts, with the top three going on to receive support to further develop and record their idea.

Natalie Tulloch, director of content partnerships at Spotify, said: “The US Sound Up Bootcamp has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career. The week was so much more than planned. It was a privilege being in the room with an amazing group of women. During the course of the week, it was more than learning about the business of podcasting, it was therapy, bonding and plenty of laughter.

“We could not have done it without the amazing women in the podcast community in NYC that supported the initiative.”

According to a survey of 700 news professionals by City University London in 2016, the British journalism industry is 94 per cent white, and 55 per cent male – meaning that so many aspects of UK society are not being heard. Instead, podcasts are a brilliant way to amplify a diverse range of voices in the media, usually ones that aren’t given the column inches or radio time that their white counterparts are.

That’s why it’s great to see a company with the reach that Spotify has (75 million paid subscribers) using its power to amplify women of colour through podcasting.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT