Go interview some grass (the original field recording)
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To quote the bard of our times, Taylor Alison Swift, August really did slip away like a bottle of wine.
For you, dear reader, I hope that wine was a delicate rosé, a refreshing sauvignon blanc, or a zesty zinfandel.
September always brings with it that freshly-sharpened-pencil feeling. For me, there’s an essence of going back to school, even though I am ostensibly (hopefully) done with my academic career once and for all.
If you’re feeling ready to shake off the sweaty haze of summer and sign up for a course, the Bello Collective rounded up workshops and seminars to boost your podcasting skills.
But also, it’s the last long weekend of the summer. It has been a very weird summer. I recommend everyone just log off and, as the kids say, go touch some grass.
Extra, extra! Xtra is hiring a new senior culture editor. If you have a deep knowledge and passion for arts and entertainment, and have a meaningful connection to the LGBTQ+ community, apply by Monday, September 20 at 10 am.
Bell Media is hiring a freelance social strategy contract producer for a 5-month contract. They’re looking for someone with a focus on TikTok, so if you’ve been TikTok-ing up a storm through the pandemic, now’s your time to shine! Whoever said spending hours on apps designed to sap your attention is a waste of time clearly doesn’t know anything about the ATTENTION ECONOMY!
BNN Bloomberg is hiring a full-time, permanent producer. If business is your beat, and you have 10+ years experience, apply by September 14.
Would you believe I’m listening to As It Happens as I write this very newsletter? My mom has it on in the kitchen and I’ve been working at her house. CBC is hiring a permanent, full-time producer for the iconic evening current affairs show, and you have until 11:59 p.m. on September 13 to apply.
Apologies in advance for making you navigate X University's* career page, because it is extremely annoying and I can’t link to the posting directly. However! The Creative School (formerly the Faculty of Communications, Art & Design) is hiring a teaching assistant for the Magazine Masthead course, AKA the Review of Journalism. To get to the posting, you have to scroll down and check off “TheCreativeSchool-Journalism.”
The New York Times is hiring for a whole whack of audio positions, including a senior producer for Serial. Spooky!
New York Magazine is hiring a manager of podcast operations. Fancy!
*X University is what many people are calling Ryerson until it gets renamed
Have you revisited your rates lately? AIR (Association of Independents in Radio) has created a new calculator to help you figure out what your day rate should be. This is part of AIR’s work on rate guides, which every independent producer should read. Scratch that—everyone who works with audio should become familiar with their rate guides!
Alright, I am biased with this one, but trust me, it’s REALLY good. My friends at Probably Theatre Collective, Dylan Tate-Howarth, Laura Gallagher-Doucette, and Lou Campbell, have an audio piece in this year’s Halifax Fringe Festival, This Inescapable City. It’s a “poetic sound installation that explores our collective relationship to water, memory, and time.” The sound design is rich and immersive, and I am so excited by their exploration into what’s possible with audio storytelling.
They designed the piece to be experienced in the presence of any body of water, but if you’re in Halifax, they recommend listening along the Halifax Waterfront, and if you’re in Toronto, they recommend Sunnyside Beach.
Tickets are $10, and you can get yours through the Halifax Fringe site.
The Halifax Fringe runs through Sunday, September 12, and you need to buy a ticket in order to download it.
Senior Producer Jay Cockburn wrote a blog post about how to break an interview down into beats. He also made a beat sheet that you can download.
This week on Building Good, Natasha Fritz talks about sexism in the construction industry. It’s not just catcalls on building sites, it’s tradeswomen being passed over for contracts. It’s being told you’ll never be as good as a man. It’s bad jokes… and sometimes it’s abuse.
Najwa Zebian joins guest-host Shivani Persad on this week’s episode of Well Said to talk about her book, Welcome Home. It’s a reflective, thoughtful conversation about building a home of self-acceptance within yourself.
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 September 10, with a newsletter from Emily Latimer. Until then, here’s an update from my friend Daisy, who I was taking on walks last month.
Look at her, sitting like a human lady. What a weirdo!
I love her.
Yours in friends and fries,
Michal
