Who gets to be outdoorsy? 🏕

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Are you hot? I am so, so hot. My days are measured in iced americanos. I’m basically on an all ice cream diet. Especially since I’ve discovered the wonder that is Honey's Ice Cream, which I can enjoy even without taking a lactaid. A true miracle of the modern era. 

It feels like forever since I’ve written this newsletter! What a treat it’s been to be a reader for these last two weeks – Jay Cockburn and Kattie Laur both wrote stellar newsletters. 

The last time I wrote this newsletter was the day that Roe v. Wade was overturned in the U.S., which was a dark day. I wondered in this very newsletter: what are we supposed to do now?

Well, very soon after, Arielle Nissenblatt of EarBuds Podcast Collective came up with a GREAT idea. She started a campaign of host-read pre-roll/mid-roll/post-roll ads addressing the Supreme Court decision, directing listeners to a website where they could find more information about what they can do to help. She’s put out a whole guide document, and if you have a podcast of your own, you can get involved.

Here’s what else I’ve been reading this week:

Dan Misener is leaving Pacific Content, and we will miss reading his insights on their blog! As a parting note, he wrote about the most important things they’ve learned about making successful podcasts with brands. 

Ashley Carman reported that Malcolm Gladwell's Pushkin Industries is acquiring Transmitter Media. 

Skye Pillsbury’s newsletter The Squeeze is so good. This week she wrote about MPR cancelling their hugely popular show “In The Dark” halfway through producing the third season. She will surely keep reporting on this story, and you should subscribe. 

This made me laugh a little: PodNews did an investigation into which podcasting platforms were the most spammy.

“So uhhh what have you been up to since reply all ended?”

“Well I’ve been thinking a lot about what if Ethan Hawk’s name was Ethan Honk. Could you imagine that?”

— Alex Goldman (@AGoldmund) July 14, 2022

The Globe and Mail is hiring a podcast producer for the Globe Content Studio, the Globe’s content marketing division. 

Spotify is hiring a few positions for The Journal, their daily show with the Wall Street Journal: a producer, and a supervising editor. Both of these roles are remote eligible, working in Eastern Time. 

There’s been a lot of movement out of Pacific Content lately, and they’re hiring a senior director. 

CBC North is hiring a permanent, full-time reporter/editor to work out of Whitehorse. Apply by EOD August 3. 

CBC Nunavut is hiring a permanent, full-time reporter/editor with excellent skills in Inuktitut to work out of Iqaluit. Apply by EOD August 3.

CBC Ottawa is hiring a weekend news editor presenter for a full-time position that runs until April 2023. Apply by EOD August 2.

CBC Halifax is hiring a permanent, full-time community engagement producer. Apply by EOD August 1.

CBC Vancouver is hiring a part-time, permanent social media editor to work weekends. Apply by EOD August 4. They’re also looking for someone to work full-time until June 2023.

CBC News is hiring a permanent, full-time ​​senior producer, daily news. Apply by EOD July 25.

Proximity Media is hiring a podcast intern! Apply by July 29. 

It is once again time to apply for the Canadian Association of Journalists mentorship program! Apply to get yourself a mentor by 5 p.m. on August 3.  

Now that we’re deep into summer – some might even say peak summer – I want to be outside as much as humanly possible. I have long struggled with the label “outdoorsy” – I love the outdoors, but I’m not a huge fan of struggling or being uncomfortable outdoors. I enjoy canoeing, but prefer a one or two-hour paddle over an eight hour slog between campsites. I didn’t grow up in a particularly “outdoorsy” family – last year I told my parents I was going camping, and they asked, “why would you do that?” 

When I ask my roommates what they’re listening to, the answer is often the Outside podcast, their most favourite episodes being the ones where extreme outdoor adventurers tell harrowing tales of surviving in the wilderness. I’m sure it’s a great podcast, and if you’re into those kinds of stories, you should check it out. I, however, am stressed out by survival stories. Like true crime, it’s a genre where I can maybe tolerate one story a year.

So when I started listening to a podcast called The Trail Ahead, I was intrigued. This is a podcast about the outdoors for the big adventurers, sure, but it feels like there’s room for the amblers, the gardeners, the casual swimmers and cyclists. Their focus is exploring the intersections between race, the environment, and the outdoors. They unpack the ways outdoor culture can be really exclusive, and talk about people and ideas that make the outdoors more accessible to everyone. It’s hosted by friends, athletes, and environmental justice advocates Faith E. Briggs and Addie Thompson. They’re warm hosts and generous interviewers, and listening to them really does feel like bringing insightful friends with you on your walk. 

I listened to their interview with Noël Russell as I walked through the ravine near my house, more sweat than human in the midst of this never-ending Toronto heatwave. “Gardening is being outdoors,” she argued. “There is no going into nature, we are part of nature.” This particular episode delved into the conversation pushing back against the idea of always needing to move forward – both in the context of outdoor activities and in life, more broadly – and learning the value of contentment with where you are.

It feels a little too convenient that I was drawn to this particular episode – that was exactly what I needed to hear. How lucky I am that I have a lush ravine walk so close to home – a ravine with marshes, streams, shade from mature trees, and all sorts of birds flitting about. Listening to The Trail Ahead on my walk, I began to wonder if “outdoorsy” is a term I could, indeed, claim for myself.

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 July 29! Until then, here’s Dolly getting her teeth brushed. 

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