The Promise of Audio

Thursday, October 17, 2024

2p.m. - 6p.m. EST

376- 401 Richmond Street West Toronto, ON
Registration opens October 1 (FREE EVENT)

Many journalists who have traditionally worked in print and broadcast are making the move to audio, embracing the opportunities that the medium offers – longform conversations with nuance, serialized storytelling, and communicating with intimacy and immediacy. Audio journalism has the possibility of telling stories and building community with audiences, without the reliance on the old gatekeepers.

Join us for an afternoon of insightful sessions featuring journalists who work on the vanguard of audio, demonstrating its power and possibility.

Co-presenters:

Asking Questions and Getting Answers: The Art of the Audio Interview
2pm-2:45pm

Podcasts provide listeners with unparalleled access to, and intimacy with hosts and guests simply not afforded by any other medium. A good podcast host can bring listeners into a conversation, making a methodically designed interview feel effortless and natural. 

In this session, some of the top audio interviewers share their tried and tested methods for getting great tape.

Moderator:
Rachel Pulfer, Journalists for Human Rights

Panelists:
Noor Azrieh, The Backbench
Jordan Heath-Rawlings, The Big Story

How To Keep Them Coming Back: Creating a Serialized Narrative
3pm-3:45 pm

There is nothing more satisfying for a listener than that feeling of finishing one episode of a serialized podcast and waiting with baited breath for the next one to drop on their feed. Ten years ago, Serial set the bar for how to tell a story over the course of weeks and months. In this sessions, learn from great journalists who picked up the torch and built their own playbook filled with tactics and techniques to weave a story filled with twists and turns that hooks an audience and leaves them wanting more.

Moderator:
Samantha Hodder, Bingeworthy

Panelists:
Katrina Onstad, Love, Janessa
Sam Mullins, Chameleon – Wild Boys
Arshy Mann, Commons

Premiere of CanadaLabs’ Local Correspondent Audio Contest Finalists
4pm-4:45pm

In spring of 2024, Canadaland opened up a call for journalists and audio makers from across the country to tell stories from their community. With a set of guiding rules, people were invited to create three minute short pieces that would tell interesting and surprising local stories in interesting and surprising ways. Submissions came in from across the country and eight finalists were selected and will have their story published on the CANADALAND podcast feed. Be the first to listen to the wonderful work of the finalists ahead of publication.

Informal Networking
4:45pm-6pm

Full list of speakers to be announced and event registration is now open