Applications are now open for The Podcast Academy’s online Spring Mentorship programme beginning 1 February, the organisation has announced.
Created in partnership with the BIPOC Podcast Creators community, the four-month programme is part of The Podcast Academy's initiative to bring up and coming podcasters together with industry experts to share knowledge.
“The Podcast Academy is committed to providing its members with the necessary tools and resources for success,” said chairperson of The Podcast Academy Donald Albright. “As part of that commitment, we’ve partnered with BIPOC Podcast Creators to ensure that podcasters–whether just getting their start or seasoned veterans–have a comprehensive understanding of the ever-evolving podcasting landscape. This includes diverse creators, audiences, voices, and beyond.”
Each mentorship program runs seasonally from February to May in the spring and August to November in the autumn. Mentees in the program are matched with up to five other peers in a group and led by an industry expert mentor who runs monthly meetings to help guide them through each of the podcasters’ growth goals.
This is The Podcast Academy’s first-ever partnership project with BIPOC Podcast Creators, a Black and Latinx women-owned organisation dedicated to creating networking opportunities for Black, indigenous, and people of colour.
“We're thrilled to partner with The Podcast Academy to support the growth and mentorship of creators across podcasting,” said BIPOC Podcast Creators co-founder Tangia Al-awaji Estrada. “This partnership represents an opportunity to ensure underserved voices receive the support they may not otherwise know how to access. Podcasting is still releasing its full potential and we firmly believe the future of podcasting is multicultural. That's why we are excited to support such a worthwhile program.”
The deadline for the Spring Mentorship Program application is on 20 January and interested Podcast Academy members can either apply to be a mentor or mentee, depending on their level of experience.
The Podcast Academy’s 2022-2023 officers include Donald Albright, president and co-founder of podcast production company Tenderfoot TV, as chairperson, Christ Mirabal, senior director of audience growth at SiriusXM, as vice-chairperson, Alia Tavakolin, EVP of content at Spoke Media, as secretary, and Rob Greenlee, vice president of content and partnerships at Libsyn, as treasurer. Governors that are part of the program include a range of podcast industry experts from Audible, Audacy, PRX, and more.
