Spooky season is here
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A wee content note: in the intro, I write a bit about the sound in the shower scene in Psycho, in which a woman is murdered. If you don’t want to read about that, scroll straight to jobs!
As I write this, it’s not even quite October and I’ve already dipped into the Halloween candy.
What can I say? I like getting into the spirit.
But as you’re reading this, it is October and that means: time for spooks.
We have a lot of producers who are *very* into spooky season.
It’s not surprising, really.
Audio is a fundamental part of horror—think about the Jaws theme song, or the Monster Mash.
Can you imagine the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho without the iconic shrieking violins? Apparently, the stabbing sound was made by stabbing a casaba melon and they actually auditioned different melons. Talk about foley!!!
Plus, producers Jay and Max did just make a show (with Katie as host!) that explored growing brains in jars . Have you listened to Playing with Marbles yet? You should. They did an unreal job with the sound design and you’ll learn so much about brains.
The truth is, I am too much of a scaredy cat to watch most horror movies . I have been slowly working up my tolerance, because I don’t like feeling shut out of an entire genre. I get FOMO really easily.
But back to audio. My promise to you is that I will find some very spooky podcasts to accompany your ghoulish delights. In the meantime, here’s the Nosferatu soundtrack.
Kicking off with a fun one from CJLO in Montreal. They’re hiring a part-time music journalist-in-residence that runs from October 22 to August 31, 2022. This is part of a project called Mapping Montreal Music, which uses immersive audio to explore Montreal’s vibrant music scene. You’ll be producing an eight-part audio documentary series, along with a production assistant. This position is based out of Montreal, and applications are due by October 11 at 11:59 p.m.
The Globe and Mail is now accepting applications for their 2022 summer job program! This is not an internship—participants cover staff vacation time during the lazy days of summer. They’re hiring a podcast producer for the Decibel (which, as I’ve mentioned before, I help produce on a freelance basis outside of Vocal Fry) so aspiring daily news producers… apply! The deadline for applications is Friday, October 29.
The New Quarterly is hiring a managing editor. Deadline is October 12.
The Frequency Podcast Network is hiring a business development manager! This is a full-time position, and the opening is “immediate,” which I take to mean they’re trying to hire someone ASAP.
Two producer jobs at Gimlet: How to Save a Planet and Stolen are both hiring producers. These are both permanent positions that are remote-eligible throughout North and South America.
CBC Prince Edward Island is hiring a multi-platform producer. Apply by October 7 at 11:59 p.m.
CBC Edmonton is hiring two associate producers for Radio Active, the afternoon current affairs show. The two positions are slightly different, so check them both out. These are full-time, permanent positions, and you have until October 21 at 11:59 p.m. to apply.
Have you ever thought about doing a residency to work on a Big Project where you just need absolute quiet for your brain to work through some stuff?
Historically, my procrastination-Googling has been dominated by travel. I obsessively check for flight sales and research places to add to my “to visit, one day” list. Of course, travel looks different now, and I haven’t been on a plane since January 2020. That said, I sure do feel the need for brain space, so I’ve been obsessively researching places for writing retreats instead. Am I working on a writing project? Not really! Have I booked anything? Surely not! But I do have a round-up of fun places I’ve found in my research, some of which I got from this list from Firefly creative writing:
Artscape Gibraltar Point, on the Toronto Islands, is a relatively affordable option, with winter rates starting at $450/week. If you’re in Toronto, you don’t even need a car to get there!
If you have a project that isn’t just a jumbled mess in your brain, apply for the Al Purdy A-frame Residency. It’s located in Ameliasburgh, in Prince Edward County, and writers-in-residence receive an honorarium for their time there. Applications for the period between July 2022 and June 2023 are due on October 15, so the time is now!!!
If you’re working on something that allows you to go off the grid, look at Cabinscapes, which are off-the-grid cabin rentals throughout Ontario. They are very charming. Since most (if not all?) tend to be solar-powered, bring your typewriter or a pen and paper. Analog, baby!
One of my favourite memories from taking creative writing classes during my undergrad at Dalhousie was visiting Gaspereau Press in Kentville for their annual Wayzgoose. I think the gathering at the Lion’s Head Tavern in Wolfville was maybe the coziest afternoons of my adult life. Ripe for inspiration, if you ask me. The Sunrise Suite at the Gingerbread House Inn in Wolfville has the bathtub of my dreams AND gorgeous windows. Couldn’t ask for a lovelier spot for a self-directed retreat.
Here’s a good source on tax tips for writers—while you may not be able to write off a residency (assuming you’re paying to do it), don’t forget there are lots of things you can write off that might help you finance it.
September 30 was the first nationally recognized Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Having this day recognized as a holiday is one of the 94 calls to action made following the Truth and Reconciliation commission. I listened to the Reconciliation episode of Telling our Twisted Histories, a CBC podcast that examines the concept of decolonizing language, one word at a time. Host Kaniehti:io Horn takes the listener through perceptions and understandings of reconciliation, and ultimately asks: what does a decolonized version of reconciliation look like?
I also recommend listening to all (or parts) of the September 30th broadcast of The Early Edition, Vancouver’s morning show, hosted by Angela Sterritt. In this segment, she talks to Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc leaders reflecting on the discovery of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Residential School.
PLAYING WITH MARBLES HAS LAUNCHED! Listen everywhere.
Another new podcast, Stories from the Field, has also launched! Producers Sabrina and Katie have been working with Susan Blue and Maureen Cava from the Bloomberg School of Nursing to make a show all about what exactly public health nurses do.
This week on Well Said, Shivani Persad interviews author Ivan Coyote about storytelling as a connective tool.
We want to hear from you! What are you looking for in your podcast news? Let us know on Twitter, Instagram, or by email at info@vocalfrystudios.com.
Thanks to Emily Latimer for editing this newsletter, and to Katie Jensen for designing it.
We’ll see you again on October 8th. Until then, here’s an update from Katie's golden retriever Dolly, who is most definitely committing a podcasting crime (eating the mic).
Yours in friends and fries,
Michal
