Hey there,
This year has been a big year for us, as we’re sure it has been for you too. Despite the challenges, this has given us an opportunity to consider how far we’ve come as an audio creative industry.
That growth is very much reflected in the evolution of the Audiocraft Podcast Festival – from 100 people gathering at 107 Projects in Sydney in 2015, to over 600 people from around the world joining us online this year.
Over the past five years we’ve:
- Hosted 5 Festivals and 24 live events
- Featured more than 150 Australian audio makers
- And 30 international guests
This year was by any measure our most successful Festival. More people joined in than ever before, the audience was more diverse, the ticket price more accessible, and the feedback the best we’ve ever received.
It’s been a pleasure planning, curating and hosting the Audiocraft Podcast Festival each year, and it’s with some sadness we’ve decided 2020 will be our last. Running the event alongside our production commitments has become too much of a stretch for our small team and the challenges of this year has made this all the more clear.
Knowing how strong the Australian podcast industry is today makes this decision easier. What was an emerging community of makers in 2015 is today a thriving industry bolstered by creativity and innovation across all sectors, and we’re excited to contribute and collaborate in new ways.
In 2021 we’ll continue to support the industry through our production work and development opportunities within the Audiocraft Agency. We want to do our best to model the podcast industry we’d like to see. An industry that is inclusive and champions the work of local creators, and one that values creativity and mastery of the audio medium.
At the end of the first ever Audiocraft Podcast Festival, Australian audio legend Sherre DeLys reflected on the questions that came up throughout the day. They’re questions we’ve continued to grapple with over the past five years.
How to make sound that gets us by the scruff of the neck? How to push the people we’re working with, just gently or hard enough, so that the world gets their best? How to make stories where sound and voice become as tactile as leaves?
Sherre said that the first Festival ‘created an intergenerational conversation, bringing together producing leaders and emerging talent at a very interesting time for audio’. It’s still a very interesting time for audio, but it’s a very different time. We’ve loved the last five years with you all, and can’t wait to be part of what happens next.
Jess, Kate, Jess OC, Selena & Bernie X
