Podcasting in Australia has come a long way in recent years and the quality was on show at this year’s Australian Podcast Awards, held at the Spiegeltdent in Melbourne‘s suburb of Collingwood.
Among the 250+ podcast enthusiasts at the event were BE Media Production‘s Managing Director Nick Schildberger, Director of Audio Peter Letts and Head of Podcast Partnerships Chris Ashmore.
Hosted by Tim Reid, the awards recognised the best podcasts in Australia from 12 self-nominated categories alongside four other special prizes.
BE’s own Chris Ashmore was one of the 25 judges, who was impressed with the high standard of finalists.
“It was a difficult task to decide which podcast should win the ultimate prize in the categories I was asked to judge. I think overall the quality of podcasting is improving as producers and editors learn to understand what’s needed to create decent audio content,” Ashmore contends.
For those producers who might be wondering why they didn’t make it to the final stage, Ashmore offers his thoughts.
“Ultimately, for many podcasts, it comes down to two things: recording quality and production quality. If the guest’s sound levels are so low that you’re struggling to hear what they’re saying, then you’re unlikely to engage with the conversation. Likewise, if the questions are too long or the answers are superfluous, it detracts from the listening experience. Don’t make it boring – edit it down if it needs it. And it always needs it!”
The category winners of the 2018 Australian Podcast Awards:
STORYTELLING
Am I Funny
Hosted by Leon Sjogren, Produced by Leon Sjogren, Thomas Green & Sam Cavanagh
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Across the Aisle
Produced & hosted by Carla Donnelly & Philip Thiel
DOCUMENTARY STYLE
Trace
ABC, Host: Rachel Brown
Hello Bump
For Westpac, Producer: Mamamia Podcast Network, Hosts: Bec Judd & Monique Bowley
NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS
The Little Red Podcast
Hosts Louisa Lim & Graeme Smith
COMEDY
Childproof
Producer: Bad Producer Productions – by Tony Martin and Sarina Rowell
SPORT
By Association
Produced & Hosted by James Parkinson
BEST NEWCOMER
Dating Upside Down
Host & producer Alison Tinderland. Editor, Belinda Coombs
FAMILY & KIDS
The Beanies
Produced by Kinderling Radio, The Beanies are Miriam Rizvi, Laura Dawson & Michael Yore
LIFESTYLE & HEALTH
Ladies, We Need to Talk
Produced by ABC Audio Studios – Kellie Riordan, Claudine Ryan, Jess Bineth & Olivia Wills. Hosted by Yumi Stynes
BUSINESS & MARKETING
The Small Business Big Marketing Show
Produced & presented by Tim Reid
TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE
The Next Billion Seconds
Host Mark Pesce and producer Alex Mitchell, for PodcastOne
CAREER & INDUSTRY
Pomegranate Health
Produced & hosted by Mic Cavazzini for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
HOST OF THE YEAR
Book Who’s Talking
Independent, Hosted by Fiona Newbold, Laura Newbold and Ben Cook, Produced by Josie Steele
POPULAR VOTE
The Weekly Planet
Planet Broadcasting Network, hosted by James Clement and Nick Mason
