Lessons from Resonate Podfest 2023

 

The Allusionist gives a live performance. Photo credit - Ilana Nevins

On November 3-4, 2023, the Resonate Podfest was held at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Richmond VA. Created by Dr. Chioke l’Anson and hosted by Dr. l’Anson and Kelly Jones, this two-day podcast festival welcomed experienced producers and new creators alike. We heard from some industry friends who attended the Podfest to hear about their experience.

A thank you to our contributors:


What were your key takeaways from the podcast festival?

The listeners aren't going anywhere, they're listening more often and longer than they used to. There is still a hunger to create and innovate in the medium. - Ronald Young Jr., host/Creator Weight for It


Creators are HUNGRY for audio-focused gatherings. The energy was absolutely buzzing and everyone was friendly and eager to connect. We really want the great podcast experiment to succeed. (Of course, it's been successful before and it will be successful again, we're just currently experiencing a shrinking). It's clear that everyone is so passionate about the audio work that they do and wants to have the resources to keep making things. There are a number of ways to tell impactful and riveting stories through audio. There's no one right way. but it does help to be aware of the frameworks that seasoned creators use to decide what's right for your style. I learned from Juleyka Lantigua about the arc of intentionality, from Anna Sale about the art of not cutting to tracking when conversations get tough, from Ellen Horne about "being telly," (AKA telling your listeners what you want them to get from your story). And so much more. All of the above will contribute to how I experience audio and tell stories going forward. - Arielle Nissenblatt, Founder of EarBuds and Community at Descript


This was my first podcast festival / conference and I was very nervous and intimidated heading into it. My idols and heroes were there! So honestly, my biggest takeaway was that audio / podcast people are so kind. They listen well, they love to chat (duh) and they go to after parties and discuss things like, "what was the worst thing you've ever done," but in like... a lighthearted, fun way. - Ilana Nevins, Tink Media & Freelance Audio Producer


It may sound overly simplistic, but I was heartened by Chioke I'Anson's remarks that "The stories we tell help people get closer to the truth. Your work matters.” He was talking about how the Israel-Gaza war is being simultaneously covered too much and not covered enough. What he meant by the latter is that we need journalists to get to the truth of people's lives now more than ever -- and that we're missing so much truth, because, in the case of the war, we've lost many journalists to violence. He reminded us that "To be a journalist, to be a storyteller, is to court danger" -- both physical and emotional. I'm impressed by the bravery I saw in almost all of the storytellers present at the festival. I also took away that this community of audio storytellers is as passionate as ever about our craft, and hungry to learn as much as we can (endlessly) about it. We need and appreciate the community so much that everyone I met seemed to be breathing a sign of relief to be together in a venue designed for us. Third, there's obviously a great deal of worry about what the economic model to support podcasting can and should be going forward. And there's also some cautious optimism about growth – Ben Riskin said Roomtone sees the climate as like a river - "icy on top but the water is flowing underneath”. Finally, I was also interested to hear from a few people that we need to intentionally lift up podcasts as an art form, a piece of our culture, the way that film, books, writing are all considered art forms. Davy Gardner of Tribeca called out the need for many more festivals like Tribeca and Resonate. - Elaine Appleton Grant, Host of Sound Judgment and CEO of the production company Podcast Allies, LLC.


There was a real sense of collective optimism among attendees at Resonate. Not from a place of naivety, though. Despite the wave of budget cuts, layoffs, and show cancellations in 2023, there's optimism for a new and different version we know this industry is capable of becoming—one that prioritizes the craft of audio storytelling while reenvisioning more equitable (and sustainable!) business models. I'm so grateful for spaces like Resonate because we are reminded of what's possible and we can dream those possibilities together. - Dane Cardiel, VP of Creator Partnerships at Gumball and Publisher of Good Tape


People were hungry to gather, and the mood was joyous. There was a genuine collective spirit and a friendly tone. It did not feel competitive, or especially hierarchical. - Samantha Hodder, creator of Bingeworthy

What were some of the most innovative ideas or pieces of advice you heard during the festival that you think podcasters should be paying attention to? 

Tuck and several other creators mentioned using Patreon as a means to both build community as well as subsidize the cost of creating. They also mentioned that their patrons are appreciative enough of the podcast that they're not as concerned with what they receive in terms of perks or swag. This felt encouraging to know that people are willing to support creators on this level with no need for extras in return. - Ronald Young Jr.


Sayre Quevedo's talk touched my heart. His talk helped us self interrogate our motives and shared the importance of sitting with an idea and figuring out what the emotional drive is. Veralyn Williams shared her journey and talked to us about how we (Black Women) add value to every project/job/gig and how to leverage that for future opportunities. From KaLaLea, I was reminded to lean into the uncomfortable moments while interviewing and for all of us to remember that our interviewees are giving us their precious time and they are going through this thing called life, so practice care and compassion when talking to people. As a fellow interviewer, when Anna Sale said "an interview is more than just a two way."- I wanted to shout! But most importantly she talked about how mistakes can be rectified no matter how long it takes. Don't just let it go. Fix it. - Keisha TK Dutes of Philo's Future Media and AIR Board member

Sayre Quevedo's session on "A Manifesto in 21 questions" blew me away. I have been thinking about it every day since. His questions and musings around the stories we choose to tell and how he thinks through the burden, truth and care within that process was everything. Also, Kelly Prime's session on story editing was exceptional. She unpacked the beautiful relationship between editor and reporter and how to care for one another through the vulnerable process of getting edited. - Ilana Nevins


The presentation from Sayre Quevedo was a beautiful evocation of what he called 21 Questions (to ask while making documentary work). There was a moment in the presentation where a clip played from a Toni Morrison television interview from the 1980s. The male TV interviewer asked about the truth that underlies Morrison's (fiction) plots. From the get-go, it was a ridiculous question to ask; a white man asking a black woman if the facts of Beloved were real or not? Here is a woman who has just created a masterwork…of fiction…why were the “facts” contained especially important? But she quickly retorted: There are Facts, and there are Truths. And the two should not always be confused with each other. This interview clip hung heavy in the room around me. It made me think about the idea that fact and truth can co-exist, but they do not always overlap. Yes, with an in-depth and investigative piece, facts are especially important. But with every fact comes a weight of truth. Morrison reminded me that it’s not always a straight line between truth and fact, and that many questions should be asked along the way. As we tell stories about voice and truth and objectivity, we should stop to consider who brought these “facts" to the room. And from there, lead the way to the truth that they tell; and allow for more than one version of “truth.” - Samantha Hodder

Based on your experience at Resonate, where do you see the podcast industry heading, and what should podcasters do to stay ahead of the curve?

With the big money receding I think that in the next 18 months the little, consistent money will return. This means if you can survive as an independent and continue to hone your skill set there will be more opportunities to create and make money in the future. Creators are still creating, so if you want to make something, now is the time to invest in yourself and do it. - Ronald Young Jr.

This is a tough question because no event or podcast festival will single handedly change the way the business is being run (or not run). But I do think Resonate served as a reminder that there are actual humans behind the work. The challenge for management and for companies is to remember that. To remember Resonate as the place where you were reminded that producers want to tell dream stories and do the work ethically. For podcasters in general- the way to stay ahead of the curve is to be as flexible as possible. Be open to as many ways of working and storytelling as possible and you have colleagues that will champion you through whatever types of storytelling as possible. - Keisha TK Dutes

It's heading in whatever direction Podcast Queen Arielle Nissenblatt says it's heading in. I will follow her… anywhere. - Ilana Nevins


From a practical standpoint, I think the economics of the industry are going to continue to be difficult for the foreseeable future, as the market corrects. I also believe that the market correction is highlighting the need for us all to once again lean toward listener engagement, content-listener fit, and listening time more than downloads. This may sound obvious to a roomful of storytellers, but the competitive advantage will now go to podcasters who continually improve the quality of their content and delivery (hostiness, of course)! After navigating a year of ups and downs in the industry, what advice or lessons did others share about preparing for the future? - Elaine Appleton Grant


It's so important for creators to get closer to the economics of their podcast(s) and podcasting in general. It may feel like an accomplishment to rely on a third party ad network or podcast network to manage things, but if a creator keeps their business insights at an arm's distance—focusing solely on the content itself—they're unlikely to gain the business IQ required to keep pace with a rapidly evolving and emerging medium. To stay ahead of the curve, creators need to understand what business model they are working with and what strategies and tactics they need to consider to make a sustainable living. - Dane Cardiel


I also wrote about this in my own dispatch from Resonate, but I really saw a moment of reckoning in the industry. It stands at a moment of change, and which way it will fall will be very interesting. So many of the old power players have lost some of their power, the tide is shifting. Budgets are being redrawn, whenever that happens, I believe there is an opportunity to change some aspects of how the industry players mete this out. It could signal that the balance of power is shifting; I definitely saw an appetite in the room to change how that power is dispersed going forward, after this market-correction, right-sizing, downsizing-experience shakes out. - Samantha Hodder

After navigating a year of ups and downs in the industry, what advice or lessons did others share about preparing for the future?

Creators are beginning to come to terms with the idea that in addition to being on the creative side, a baseline understanding of the business of the industry is important, too. When I speak with recent college grads or folks looking to move into audio making, I always recommend that, in addition to learning the fundamentals of Descript, ProTools, getting good tape, and all that good stuff, they're also reading newsletters about marketing, audience development tactics, and more. It may not be exactly the reason you got into the audio space, but in order to get people to listen to our stuff, we need to be able to market to those people. - Arielle Nissenblatt



To continue to create for yourself and your friends. To fling yourself down rabbit holes and trust that you can sniff out a good story and a good story is worth the hard work. And that we're at a junction where we can still choose an industry-wide future that is good for most/all of us, rather than just the few (a la Hollywood). - Ilana Nevins


We need to talk to each other more. More group chats. More impromptu dinners. More questions about what work we want to hear, support, and invest in. More collaborative conversations. More scheming and dreaming across the board, I say. - Dane Cardiel


Keep hold of your IP. Find ways to partner with publishers who are willing to share it and be transparent. Also, keep pushing forward with serialized narrative shows - don’t give up! The listening public wants them. I heard about new ways that smaller companies are working to try to make that happen in the future. - Samantha Hodder

What moment from the festival got you excited for what’s next in podcasting?


Anna Sale's talk was incredible and engaging and made me really happy. But honestly, back in February at On Air fest, Dane Cardiel mentioned that he wanted to put together a podcast magazine that talked about what was going on in the industry. He mentioned he was working on it aspirationally and hoped to have it out later in the year. At Resonate, copies of Good Tape were everywhere and available for people to read. Dane Cardiel reminds me that ideas that we think can actually exist in the world, and that is what makes me excited about seeing a room full of creative folks released into the world after being inspired by other creative folks. I'm pumped to see what we're going to accomplish! - Ronald Young Jr.

I can't point to one moment, but just the fact that every single session was packed and every single person was invested in what the speakers had to say. It's very clear that the people in this industry love being in this industry and I think that bodes really well for the future of audio. - Arielle Nissenblatt


I really enjoyed the Pitch Party. The 3 people that pitched had really interesting stories to share and plans on how they intend on making their projects. Their vulnerability and willingness to get critiqued got me excited for my own passion project and I think it energized others as well. - Keisha TK Dutes

I also loved what Chioke said to/about Anna Sale: "The reason Death, Sex & Money is so good is because you and your team have found a way to codify your empathy into journalism practice." Now that is inspiring! - Elaine Appleton Grant


One of the more impactful sessions, to me, was Sayre Quevedo's session "A Manifesto in 21 Questions" where he outlined his art practice through the swirling questions he implicitly considers with his work. Questions like, "What am I willing to risk; what am I willing to ask others to risk; does it breathe; what have I left out; have I honored life in this work; is the work true?" As we center artistry in podcasting, we open ourselves up to be moved and changed and influenced. The practitioners we have today in podcasting, the level of thoughtfulness and empathy they bring to their practice, that brings me the most excitement about what's next. - Dane Cardiel


I left very much fired up and ready to get back to work! I’m excited that there’s a documentary being made about this moment: Age of Audio, by Shaun Michael Colón. I'm excited to see how smaller companies figure out different business models to keep doing the kinds of stories that they want to do with narrative shows, and in-depth interview shows like Death, Sex and Money. Anna Sale closed the conference and hit the pitch perfect note, with the question: Why do we do this? Her show hangs in the balance as we speak; her vulnerability to come and speak to an audience was incredible. And wow, did she leave us with a lot to think about! - Samantha Hodder

 
Lauren Passell