Creativity Works: Audio Production Week #1 round-up

14 March 2023

Written by Joe

Monday

We started the week strong with our first in-person session, where we met the amazing team at A New Direction. Icebreakers allowed us to discover everyone's passions and motivations for participating in Creativity Works. It was a really fun activity and allowed us to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, which set the stage for future collaborations during the course.

Afterwards, our first contributors: Nora, Courtney and Ivan (previous course alumni) conducted an inspiring session about their experiences at A New Direction and why they got into the industry. In addition, we had the opportunity to listen to their incredible work at the end of the session.

Finishing the day we had Broadcasting 101 with Isis Thompson. It was cool to hear from someone with such an illustrious career, from serving popcorn in a cinema to creating podcasts for the leading production company, Somethin’ Else. Being able to talk to industry professionals face-to-face made our goals and aspirations even more tangible.

Tuesday

Despite Tuesday being our first online session, zoom didn’t stop us from growing closer as a group and we had a check-in session to start the day. William Gore from Mixcloud kicked off the sessions by teaching us how to take our listeners on a journey using sound. Almass Badat then followed up with an informative clinic on ideation, sharing her creative practices and providing a brilliant framework for turning ideas from imagination into reality.

Wednesday

To take your listeners on a journey you need a story. Bianca Manu took us on her journey, demonstrating how to create first-class stories and why we need them to produce compelling work.

However, creating your own personal narrative can be difficult, especially when dealing with imposter syndrome. Kei Maye shed light on how we can identify this issue and gave us valuable ways to deal with it.

In the final session of the day, Imriel Morgan of Content Is Queen revealed the importance of knowing where to distribute your content, and how to stand out on big platforms.

Thursday

On Thursday we were introduced to Arlie and Nicole, who are both accomplished audio creators producing exceptional content for the BBC and Spotify. Offering guidance and experience, Arlie and Nicole will support us throughout the course, delivering a session once weekly.

In the afternoon, Katie Callin and Joby Waldman (Managing Director) gave us insight into working at the award-winning audio production company, Reduced Listening. Learning how some of our favourite podcasts are made was truly inspiring and further motivated us in our journeys to success in audio production.

Friday

After a productive week, Friday allowed us to take some time for ourselves. We took the opportunity to reflect on the valuable insights we gained from all of our amazing contributors. This helped us to lay the foundations of our ideas and prepare to showcase them in just five weeks!