University News Last updated 20 April
A podcast creator festival is coming to Birmingham for its fourth year, aiming to tackle the lack of diversity in UK podcasting and spotlighting the growth of video podcasts.
UniPod26: A Podcast Creator Festival for Brum is bringing together media professionals from across the industry to address skills gaps, explore the need for greater representation, and offer practical insights, including AI tools and video podcasting.
The event, hosted at Birmingham City University’s (BCU) Curzon Building on Friday 8th May, will also feature a mystery headliner guest.
Previous Uni Pod headliners have included George The Poet (121k followers) and Kelechi Okafor (165k followers).
Festival Director, award-winning journalist and founder of podcast production company Soundtruism, Nina Robinson, reflected on the impact of previous events.
“The Uni Pod headliners in previous years have platformed diverse voices in the podcast landscape, and this year will be no exception,” she said.
“This is the only event in the UK podcasting space with a clear ethos to increase diversity.”
She added: “Last year, Uni Pod highlighted gender inequity at the top of podcasting by bringing together some of the most influential women in the industry, alongside original research on the issue.
“We welcomed Kelechi Okafor, who spoke about her Black feminist perspective on politics, including the racial dynamics of the workplace whilst sharing her insights on building a massive audience. The year before, George the Poet explored generational differences in the experience of being young and Black in the UK today.”
Robinson also pointed to ongoing disparities in the industry, saying: “Currently, there are no women of colour in the UK’s top 25 podcast charts, and women are still underrepresented as sole hosts rather than co-hosts.
“Uni Pod’s work has been recognised by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity in ‘Representology’, a journal for research and best practice in how to make UK media more representative of all sections of society.”
This year’s programme will include a panel on the growth of video podcasting led by award-winning broadcast journalist Marverine Cole, and featuring Em Kwenortey Francis, Strategy Lead for Video Podcasts at BBC Sounds.
There will also be a panel on one of the fastest growing genres of podcasts: sports. Dr Pete Olusoga, from the Eighty Per Cent Mental podcast, will host the discussion alongside podcasters who are creating content on a range of sports.
Guests will have an exclusive opportunity to book a recording session at the Festival’s Pod Lounge, featuring three cameras, audio set up and producer.
Whether it’s for recording an episode, interviewing, or trying something new, Uni Pod is giving creators a change to elevate their podcast.
For the second year, Uni Pod is being sponsored by BBC Sounds and Amazon Music.
The winner of the Uni Pod Award, sponsored by BBC Sounds, will also be announced at the event. The prize includes development time with BBC assistant commissioner Lorraine Okuefuna with the opportunity to have work reviewed by experienced media professionals.
BCU students and staff can access £5 tickets using the promo code BCUUP26. More information and tickets are available here.