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Podcast Launch Pad
wITH THRESHOLD’S AMY MARTIN
How do you get from an idea to audio? This series guides you through turning a concept into a podcast. Led by Amy Martin, founder and executive producer of the award-winning podcast Threshold.
In our first three sessions, we’ll walk through the basic steps you need to go from “I have this idea…” to “listen to my podcast!” This short, introductory course is designed for people with an interest in creating a podcast, but have little to no experience in audio production.
In our fourth session, “The Art of the Interview,” we focused on the reporting work: from preparing with in-depth background research to figuring out how to ask hard questions, and how to let your interviewee’s knowledge and personality shine through.
We hope that these workshops will be useful not just for (aspiring) podcasters, but also creators of other media, journalists, and people who are curious about how a podcast is made and are looking to become better conversationalists and listeners.
Everyone is welcome to join these workshops: no special skills, experience, or equipment are required.
DONATION-BASED
We are offering these webinars on a donation basis to keep them accessible for everyone. Please purchase the highest tier ticket you can afford. Your donation helps fund Threshold's independent environmental journalism.
WHEN
These webinars have ended, but you can still view the event recordings.
You can register for just one, two, three, or all of the webinars.
SESSION ONE: READY (MAY 6)
CONCEPT, FORMAT, AND GEAR
We’ll start the series by asking why. Why do you want to make a podcast? Why do you want to make a podcast about this particular thing? What’s motivating you, fueling your passion for this topic? Who else might care about this, and why?
Then we’ll get into the how. What are the possible formats you could use? How might you structure your show? What gear do you need, and how do you use it? If there’s time, we’ll also do a brief introduction to scripting and voicing.
SUGGESTED DONATION: $45
This workshop already passed! If you’d like to retroactively register to access the webinar recording, or have us notify you when we offer this workshop again, please get in touch with us below.
SESSION TWO: SET (MAY 13)
SCRIPTING, VOICING, RECORDING, AND MIXING
Time to start experimenting! In this session, we’ll focus on ways to get yourself out of the hand-wringing stage, and into the process of making quick drafts, receiving feedback, and refining. We’ll also dig deeper into scripting and voicing, answer any remaining questions about recording technique, and introduce basic mixing concepts.
SUGGESTED DONATION: $45
This workshop already passed! If you’d like to retroactively register to access the webinar recording, or have us notify you when we offer this workshop again, please get in touch with us below.
SESSION THREE: GO (MAY 20)
GETTING YOUR PODCAST HEARD: HOSTING, DISTRIBUTION, AND MARKETING
We’ll spend more time on mixing in this session and then we’ll talk about how to get your masterpiece out into the world, including hosting, distribution, and promotion. Your questions and feedback will be welcomed throughout the series, but we’ll make extra time for Q & A in this last session. We’ll also reconnect with that all-important original question: the why.
SUGGESTION DONATION: $45
This workshop already passed! If you’d like to retroactively register to access the webinar recording, or have us notify you when we offer this workshop again, please get in touch with us below.
SESSION 4: THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW
LEARNING WHAT TO PREPARE, WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK, aND ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS
This event will focus on the art of the interview: from preparing with in-depth background research to figuring out how to ask hard questions, and how to let your interviewee’s knowledge and personality shine through. We hope that this workshop will be useful not just for (aspiring) podcasters, but also creators of other media, including print journalism, and people who are maybe just looking to become better conversationalists and listeners.
SUGGESTED DONATION: $45
This workshop already passed! If you’d like to retroactively register to access the webinar recording, or have us notify you when we offer this workshop again, please get in touch with us below.
ABOUT AMY MARTIN
Amy Martin is the creator and executive producer of Threshold, an award-winning podcast and public radio show. Each season, Threshold takes a deep dive into one story of pivotal change in the natural world.
Under Amy's leadership, Threshold has received a national Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, a citation from the Overseas Press Club, the Montana Broadcasters Association, and more. Threshold has also been included in best-of lists by Outside Online, High Country News, Bello Collective, and The Philadelphia Enquirer.
Amy’s stories have been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, PRI’s The World, Reveal, Here and Now, and other national outlets. She’s been invited to present her work at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital, TEDx at the University of Montana, and at a variety of universities around the country. In 2016, she was selected for the Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Amy was raised on an Iowa farm and has lived in Missoula, Montana since 1999.
Photos on this page were taken by Threshold producers Amy Martin and Nick Mott.