Your Chance to Shine on BBC Sounds in 2025

BBC Sounds Audio Lab is returning for the fourth year to find and support new audio creators. Four successful participants will receive a full-time salary for seven months, along with professional training and production support. The winners will work with one of four partner production companies across the UK.

NotebookLM to Tune "Friendliness" After AI Hosts Get Snippy

Google's NotebookLM, known for creating AI-generated podcast-like discussions, launched a feature called "Interactive Mode" where users can interrupt the conversation to ask questions. When this feature was first introduced, the AI hosts seemed irritated by these interruptions, sometimes making sharp remarks to callers. As a result, the NotebookLM team decided that adjustments were needed to make the AI responses friendlier.

New Podcast to Explore 1990s Theft of Sisi's Diamond

A new true-crime podcast named "A Most Audacious Heist" will soon launch on Curiouscast. The show tells the story of Daniel Blanchard's 1998 theft of a precious diamond and pearl hair ornament from Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, which previously belonged to Austrian Empress Sisi. Set to debut on January 28th, this is the second project by Blanchard House in partnership with Curiouscast.

Ravi Handa Talks About Money Struggles in Podcasting

Ravi Handa, the founder of Handa Education Services, has warned against seeing podcasting as a career due to financial issues. He shared his personal experiences of struggling to make money from podcasts in a detailed post. He stated that he tried several ways to monetize his podcasts but they did not work out financially.

Kelly Education Launches New Podcast 'Wake Up and Teach'

Kelly Education has launched a new podcast called Wake Up and Teach, addressing issues and opportunities in the education workforce. The podcast, hosted by Nicola Soares, will discuss topics such as teacher shortages, hiring strategies, leadership development and more with experts in the field. This initiative is part of Kelly Education's goal to reimagine recruitment and support for educators while providing solutions for education leaders.

Erik Wolken is the host of the 'Why Make?' podcast. He's passionate about creativity and enjoys interacting with creators to understand their process. With a friendly and engaging persona, Erik ignites stimulating conversations about the joy of making things

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

I am trained as a woodworker and have built custom furniture and cabinets for over 30 years. I take a very sculptural approach to my work and use materials other than wood. I have always had a love of story telling and documentary audio and video and have incorporated those elements into my work as well

What inspired you to start a podcast?

I was sitting in my woodworking studio with a close friend 5 years ago and we decided to interview each other and record it as experiment in making a podcast. We knew from that first experiment that what we were interested in was the creative process and where we found inspiration not the how to process of actual making something

How did you come up with the name of your podcast?

The term "Making" has become an it word for artists of all types and the Why was our central focus so it just seemed to fit together perfectly. Why Make?

What is the main focus or theme of your show?

Our main focus is where artist find ideas and inspiration and the process they use to form that into a finished idea. Not the how or the tools they use but the process for formulating ideas. We also consider ourselves as playing an oral history role by focusing on makers out of the mainstream

Have there been any particularly memorable moments during the recording that stick out to you?

We started our podcast recording it live in artists’ studios before COVID-19 hit. When we decided to continue on with the podcast by going remote the connection it brought during those rough times was a wonderful thing in and of itself

Who has been one of your favorite guests so far, and why?

Adrien Segal is an amazing sculptor who turns environmental data into 3d sculptures. The conversation we had with her about her process and inspirations was eye-opening

What's next for your show – any exciting plans we should know about?

In this our 5th season of doing the podcast we are doing a series of podcast episodes called Mind of a Maker. The idea is that instead of taking a broad brush look at how an artist approaches the creative process and finding inspiration, we focus on one particular work or body of work. The Mind of a Maker series will run alongside our regular podcast interviews with artists.

Create your own podcast website in minutes, it’s that simple.

Monetize your podcast with your own landing page & products or services.

Effortless publishing for driven brands, you create, they distribute & you grow.

• Plan Your Podcast Workshop

• Date: Jan 23, 2025

  Cost: $0 - $27

  Location: Crowne Plaza Newcastle - Stephenson Quarter, an IHG Hotel

  Forth Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3SA United Kingdom