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When my grandma had my mom at 22, my great-great grandmother (who lived in my grandma’s attic until she died at the ripe old age of 101) famously said: “babies having babies!” Fun fact: my grandma went on to have five more babies by the time she was 29. The magic of twins!

This has nothing to do with podcasts.

*This is what I imagine she was like, but instead of a fiddler on the roof, she was a grandmother in the roof.*

But when I saw the news that Spotify will acquire an audiobook distribution platform called Findaway, my first thought was: businesses buying businesses!
And that made me think of my great-great-grandma Bella saying, “babies having babies.” She was born in the 1870s and my mom grew up with her living in the next room until she was 19! Time, man.

Anyway. This was just announced yesterday, and there isn’t a lot of detail on the acquisition yet, so I don’t have much to say in the way of analysis, besides the fact that Spotify is obviously making big strides towards becoming the audio juggernaut it wants to be.

I like to imagine the CEO of Spotify snapping up companies as Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development, saying, “what could one banana cost, Michael? Ten dollars?”

This is also where I will tell you that the fourth annual Vancouver Podcast Festival returns next Saturday, November 20! Virtual passes are $25, less than the cost of most parking tickets. Read those signs carefully, kids.

It’s based in the U.K., but iNews is hiring 22 journalists right now. Go through the thread, get your working holiday visa in order if you need one, and maybe move to England?

Lower Street is hiring a fully remote podcast producer to make branded podcasts.

Creative audio studio Gilded Audio is hiring a production assistant, though I’m not positive this one’s open to non-U.S. citizens.

CBC Radio is hiring a reporter/editor assigned to the afternoon drive show in Windsor, Ontario. Apply by EOD on November 17.

CBC is hiring a full-time, permanent producer for the National. Apply by EOD on November 24.

Still a lotta editorial positions open at the Globe and Mail, which feels… hopeful? For the state of journalism in Canada? Maybe? I’ve been called a pollyanna before but this makes me feel just a teeny bit optimistic.

Applications are now open for the Hot Docs Podcast Festival Career Accelerator! Emerging Canadian audio storytellers between the ages of 18 and 34 have until December 1 to apply.

You can also submit for the festival’s opening act program! You have until December 15 for that one.

This is your final reminder to apply for the CBC Radio Doc Mentorship Program! Submit your pitch by next Saturday, November 19.

Deals! Deals! Deals! iZotope is having its big holiday sale. Get your audio wizardry tools now and don’t forget to claim them on your taxes.

When I started freelancing full-time in September of 2020, I decided I would give it a go for one full calendar year and then reassess. I have to say, as I approach the end of that calendar year, I find it very hard to imagine going back to just one full-time job instead of three to seven part time jobs. What can I say? I’m a Gemini through and through. Freelance writer Shweta Gandhi wrote about six women who quit their dream jobs for Girlboss,* and it’s a good read for anyone who’s toying with the idea of getting on the bandwagon with the Great Resignation.

*Caveat: I hate the term girlboss, I do not presently nor have I ever identified as a girlboss, and I do not endorse corporate feminism. But the article is good.

I think of Heavyweight as being pretty ubiquitous—it’s a Gimlet show that’s been around since 2016, and it’s hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, host of the now-defunct CBC show Wiretap. So I’m often surprised when I mention the show to a friend and they haven’t listened. Gregor is arguably the episode that made the show a hit. In my mind, it’s the platonic form of what Heavyweight is: a show that invites people to go back to a moment in their past that they wish they could change.

Listen to Gregor, but then listen to the most recent two-parter: Justine, and then Stephen. Make sure you listen to those two in chronological order. I listen to Heavyweight when I’m looking to get sucked into a compelling story and feel connected to humanity at large. This show has given me a pavlovian response to its theme song, Sun in an Empty Room by the Weakerthans. I hear the drums and the first few chords and immediately find myself in a state of wistful longing, but also contentment about my place in the world. Which is to say, that’s often how I feel at the end of a Heavyweight episode. Brains!

Speaking of audio wizardry, digital producer Emily compiled a small list of podcast-making apps that you could try out if you wanted to… and she included some holiday sales deals in there, too!

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