This year’s Podcast Academy Awards, also known as the Ambies, will be hosted by Emmy-award winning producer and comedian Larry Wilmore, the organisation recently announced.
The third annual ceremony celebrates excellence in audio and honours podcasts and podcast creators - both the ones whose faces are at the front of the shows and the ones that are working behind the scenes to make them come alive.
Wilmore is the current host of interview podcast series Black On The Air, under podcast network The Ringer. In each episode, Wilmore interviews important figures like actress Kerry Washington and screenwriter B.J. Novak across a number of industries like entertainment, sports, and politics, to weigh in on current issues.
“As a podcaster myself, one of the beautiful things about the medium is getting the opportunity to have insightful long-form conversations,” said Wilmore.
“Larry’s prolific body of work and unique humour spans the stage, screen and podcasting. To say that we are lucky to have him host this year’s Ambies is an understatement,” said The Podcast Academy chairperson and Tenderfoot TV CEO Donald Albright. “He’s an icon in his own right. We cannot wait to see — and hear — what he will bring to the ceremony.”
This year’s awards night will be taking place on 7 March in-person at the International Theater in Las Vegas and will be available for people to watch online through a Twitch live-stream running from 6-7.30pm PST.
Over 180 nominees will be highlighted this year across 26 podcast titles which are divided into “Show Recognition categories” presented to the creator or producer of a podcast - either individual or company - and “Talent Recognition categories” which are presented to individuals or teams involved in a podcast. The Board of Governors will also present additional categories such as The Governor’s Award and The Impact Award to specific deserving podcasts or individuals.
Last year’s awards were hosted by television host Ross Mathews and actress Nikki Boyer. Amazon’s original limited podcast series 9/12 - produced by Pineapple Street Studios - took home the Podcast of The Year Award while true-crime podcast network Serial won the top honour Governor's award for the powerful impact it had on the industry.
In addition to launching the Ambies awards, The Podcast Academy provides a number of learning opportunities to podcast creators including The Podcast Academy’s Spring Mentorship Program 2023 which is taking place this February and is made in partnership with BIPOC Podcast Creators community.
