In our largest production call yet, seven audio makers share takeaways on our Episode 3 findings: 1) How audio memes work in the brain (and what we can steal from them), and 2) spatial audio as a stepping stone toward interactive storytelling. We talk about audio memes (ie. pieces of sound listeners already know the contextual meaning of) that already exist inside of podcasts (e.g. the chime for the news, the creaky door in a horror story, the way the conventions of This American Life have trickled through the ecosystem as best practices). And we brainstorm what else we can borrow or steal from audio memes to make podcasts more compelling. We also dive into spatial audio and surround sound, imagining spatial as a stepping stone interactive audio.
Potential quotes
- "Audio has access to certain topics that they can do really, really well. So stick to those instead of the ones that other people can do well in other forms." - Angie Chatman, Writer, editor, storyteller and pushcart prize nominee.
- "I think as radical as you can get with sound, that's how you'll stand apart. But I think we're slowly going to get out of this formula of what is a podcast, and what is radio, and what is an audio meme. We're all just on our phones and it doesn't matter."- Imani Mixon, longform storyteller whose multimedia work centers the experience of Black women and independent artists.
- "[W]hen sound hits the ears and there isn't necessarily a visual input, it hits different somehow. It enters my brain and my body and has an impact on me that I really feel is different from any other medium."- Skye Pillsbury, Author of the newsletter The Squeeze, former contributor to HotPod and Inside Podcasting. Also hosted interview podcast called Inside Podcasting.
- "What kind of implementations it might have for people who are disabled in some way. [….] I just think that there's a whole world that we haven't explored yet that's related to the various uses for [spatial audio]." -Skye Pillsbury, Author of the newsletter The Squeeze, former contributor to HotPod and Inside Podcasting. Also hosted interview podcast called Inside Podcasting.
- "There could be a world in which there's a Tik Tok for podcasts [….] But I usually just tend to think of it as like the top of the funnel."- Rob Puzzitiello, marketing director of the pro audio brand Mackie.
- "We just struck lightening on the one [viral video] because it was so simple, and because […] we weren't trying to like, sell anything. […] People have this ability to sense when something is authentic or not too."- Rob Puzzitiello, marketing director of the pro audio brand Mackie.
- "It really triggers the emotions in a stronger way than standard audio. But […] I can't imagine wanting to watch the news in spatial audio, for instance, because that would just be too much."- Katie Semro, audio creator of non-narrative documentaries, audio installations, and sound worlds.
- "There's not a law, like if you're being nice to somebody you can use their IP willy nilly."- Marlene Sharp, actress and founder of Pink Poodle Productions, who writes about the entertainment industry in various publications such as Examiner.com and The Baton Rouge Advocate.
- "I think there's something really powerful about tapping into the collective creative nature of people. […] I think audio memes are definitely a part of shifting our creative culture."- Kacie Willis, creator and arts advocate based out of Atlanta, and founder of the production company Could Be Pretty Cool.
- "With audio, I think the challenge of our job is going to be […] to add some flavor and some color and to play with form and structure, but finding that sweet spot between innovation and making sure no one feels alienated. It's a challenge that we're going to be trying to figure out probably our entire careers."- Kacie Willis, creator and arts advocate based out of Atlanta, and founder of the production company Could Be Pretty Cool.
Special thanks to our guests
- Angie Chatman, Writer, editor, storyteller and pushcart prize nominee.
- Imani Mixon, longform storyteller whose multimedia work centers the experience of Black women and independent artists.
- Skye Pillsbury, Author of the newsletter The Squeeze, former contributor to HotPod and Inside Podcasting. Also hosted interview podcast called Inside Podcasting.
- Rob Puzzitiello, marketing director of the pro audio brand Mackey.
- Katie Semro, Audio creator of non-narrative documentaries, audio installations, and sound worlds.
- Marlene Sharp, actress and founder of Pink Poodle Productions, who writes about the entertainment industry in various publications such as Examiner.com and The Baton Rouge Advocate.
- Kacie Willis, a creator and arts advocate based out of Atlanta, and founder of the production company Could Be Pretty Cool.
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