WAVS Podcast Festival

Are you interested in making podcasts, crafting audio stories, or learning more about storytelling? WBRU, in collaboration with the The Public’s Radio, is co-hosting a free podcasting festival on March 27th, which will talk about these topics and more! Sessions will be live-streamed to all ticket holders from 10 am to 6 pm EST on Saturday, March 27th. See wavs.wbru.com for more details.

WAVS Schedule + Event Descriptions

We have a bunch of great sessions all happening at the same time. Take some time now to plan out what sessions you’d like to attend. You are welcome to join as many sessions as you’d like throughout the day. The cool thing is you get to choose your own journey depending on what topics are most interesting to you.

All of the sessions will be held on Zoom. When you sign up, we will send you the Zoom links for ALL of the sessions on the day of the conference. I’m sure you know the drill by now 🙂 Let us know if you have any questions.

Without any further ado… here is the schedule with descriptions for each session!

WAVS Podcast Festival

Saturday, March 27, 2021 | 10 AM to 6 PM

10:00 – 10:20 AM

*Welcome to WAVS: Morning Kickoff*

hosted by Ana González and Tammuz Frankel

In addition to introducing the conference and explaining how the day will go, The Public’s Radio’s Ana González and WBRU’s Tammuz Frankel will discuss the idea behind the day’s events: community storytelling.

10:30 – 11:50 AM

*Interviewing Skills*

hosted by Mia Raquel

How do you get people to open up to you? Is there such a thing as bad tape? What even is an “interview”? Storycorp alum Mia Raquel will guide you through their interviewing methodology and help you hone this integral podcasting skill.

*Using Music and Soundscapes*

hosted by Ari Mejia and Mara Lazer

How can you add meaning and emotion in audio storytelling without using words? Ari Mejia and Mara Lazer explore DIY methods to create your own soundscapes.

12:00 – 12:50 PM

*What’s Not Reflected in the Media Landscape*

panel with DJ Rukiz, Valerie Tutson, and Tony Mendez

In this community panel, media professionals will talk about their decades-long careers in local media. The discussion will touch on topics of justice, equity, ownership, and the importance of telling all of our stories.

*News, Media, and Activism*

hosted by Steve Ahlquist and the Providence Student Union

With subscriber-funded publications and podcasts, the intersection between local news and activism can be blurred. But is there a limit?

*Reporting From Within An Insular Community*

hosted by Ash Sanders and Sarah Ventre

Hosts of Unfinished: Short Creek Ash Sanders and Sarah Ventre discuss the process of telling a story from deep within an insular community, including techniques around building trust, developing sources, and allowing yourself to fall deep into a story.

1:00 – 1:50 PM

*Lunch Meetups*

WAVS Participants

During this block, there will be a variety of informal and themed discussion rooms to meet other participants at WAVS. Maybe you’ll meet your future co-host or sound designer??

2:00 – 3:20

*Having Uncomfortable Conversations*

hosted by Anita Rao

How do you approach conversations about taboo or explicit topics? Anita Rao, host of Embodied, will share her strategies for finding and owning your voice.

*So You Want To Start A Podcast?*

hosted by Chioke I’Anson

The road from podcast idea to podcast pitch can be long, but it doesn’t have to be. Join us for some tips on how to refine your pitch and make your show the best version of itself.

*Constructing Anything For Selena*

hosted by Maria Garcia

Maria Garcia was 9 years old and living on the U.S.-Mexico border when Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla was murdered. Twenty-five years later, Maria made the podcast Anything For Selena to understand what it means to love, mourn and remember Selena. In this workshop, she’ll take us through her process of combining personal, cultural and journalistic methods to create this intimate series.

3:30 – 4:20

*The Music Scene and Music Discovery in Rhode Island*

hosted by DJ Franchise

It’s easier than ever to create music, but it’s not as clear how artists can go mainstream. We’ll explore how new networks find and promote local music in RI.

*Making Audio Your Own*

hosted by Liza Yeager

If you’re just getting started, it can be tempting to go seeking out podcast rules. But sometimes your first impulses are worth listening to.

4:30 – 4:50

*Happy Hour*

WAVS participants

1-to-1 “speed networking” with other participants at WAVS. Join in the fun and get randomly matched with other participants for a brief, 2-minute conversation before switching to the next person.

5:00 – 5:50

*Closing Keynote*

Hosted by DeRay Mckesson, Pod Save The People, in conversation with Torey Malatia, CEO of The Public’s Radio

DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, he graduated from Bowdoin College and holds honorary doctorates from The New School and the Maryland Institute College of Art. As a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter Movement and a co-founder of Campaign Zero, DeRay has worked to connect individuals with knowledge and tools, and provide citizens and policy makers with commonsense policies that ensure equity. He has been praised by President Obama for his work as a community organizer, has advised officials at all levels of government and internationally, and continues to provide capacity to activists, organizers, and influencers to make an impact.

Torey Malatia is the CEO of The Public’s Radio. A general journalist and music critic, he wrote for The Scottsdale Daily Progress, Phoenix Magazine, the alternative weekly, New Times, and the Chicago Sun-Times.  He hosted classical music programs on Phoenix stations before being hired as the Director of Programming for the Beethoven Satellite Network at WFMT in Chicago.  He produced for ABC/Capital Cities WLS, Chicago and produced and programmed public station KUOW, Seattle.  He joined Chicago Public Media in 1993 as Vice President of Programming.  He began several local and national initiatives there, including multiple regional news bureaus for multilingual reporting on underserved communities and created Vocalo.org, a multi-platform 24/7 digital/broadcast service for young people of color.  After 20 years overseeing Chicago Public Media, he joined the US and Global teams at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, an NGO in Arlington, Va.  He became CEO of The Public’s Radio in 2015.

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Invite your friends!

It’s still not too late to sign up. If you know any friends or colleagues that would enjoy WAVS please send them the invite link: https://hopin.com/events/wavs-podcast-festival

See you Saturday!