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Podcast Movement Evolutions: Our favorite moments

Podcast Movement Evolutions: Our favorite moments

2022.04.07

Nearly two years since the last in-person event, podcasters, advertising partners and industry professionals from around the world came together at Podcast Movement Evolutions in Los Angeles, to celebrate and discuss the future of podcasting. And Acast was there all week. 

Here are some of our favorite moments.

“We're Getting Out The Vote”: How to use podcasts to amplify big cultural moments

At the first Acast-hosted session of the event, Trace Gaynor, our Associate Content Partnerships Manager, took to the stage with the team from TYT to discuss upcoming content leading into the 2022 midterm elections. 

Following the session, Trace said: “Political podcasts are an increasingly influential aspect of the media landscape and few know it better than the TYT team. We wanted to give the audience takeaways for their own shows, and concrete ways to drive engagement for positive action — and the insights TYT gave were extremely valuable.”

Betting on Black Joy

Bringing the first full day of programming to a close, Shantae Howell (Director of Acast Creative, Americas) was joined on stage by Tiffany Ashitey (Director of our US Creator Network), Daniel Belair (Creative Content Director at Martell Cognac), and Mack Wilds, Ryan Fletcher and Mouse Jones (hosts of the Guys Next Door podcast). 

This energetic session covered how Acast brought to life a recent brand campaign between Martell and Guys Next Door during Black History Month. While on stage, we also announced an expanded partnership between Acast Creative and Martell, which includes sponsored podcast episodes by Martell with guest appearances by Janelle Monáe on Acast’s The Table is Ours, TransLash, and Naked Beauty shows. This is part of Martell’s “Soar Beyond Expected” campaign, which sheds light on what it means to feel joy and marks the brand’s commitment to driving positive change. 

Daniel said:“Martell looks to give creators of color opportunities through everything we do, either in front of the camera — and microphone — or behind the scenes. Through the success of our recent campaign with Guys Next Door, we understood that we had an equal partner in Acast Creative and are now expanding our great work together.” 

Shantae added: “With Martell and Guys Next Door, we set the groundwork for many more important conversations that Acast Creative invites brands to be a part of. Continuing this work with Martell through more branded episodes with Janelle Monáe attracts listeners in an authentic way through her personal stories and sharing her passions across Acast podcasts and speaks volumes to the success we’ve already achieved in creative brand conversations and to all that’s still to come.”

Growing as an Indie: Lessons on IP and building a podcast business with Sex With Emily

Closing out the official Acast hosted events, Nicole Ngo — our Content Development and Acquisition Manager — spoke with Dr Emily Morse of the Sex With Emily podcast, to discuss what she’s learned about intellectual property in her nearly two decades of podcasting. 

In this fireside chat, Emily shared her secrets on how to grow an independent podcast from scratch, how to monetize content in a field and subject matter that some brands shy away from, and how creators can maintain ownership of their work. 

Later that evening, Emily was also named to the Podcast Hall of Fame.

Nicole said: “There’s this myth in podcasting that in order to monetize your content you need to sacrifice your IP. The industry has grown so rapidly — with headlines of multimillion dollar signing deals popping up almost overnight — that it can be challenging to dispel this belief. But as a near 20-year veteran in podcasting Emily is the perfect example of how, by keeping your IP, you can monetize not only a great podcast but an entire brand around your content.”

Official Evolutions Kickoff Party, presented by Acast 

Of course, we couldn’t write a round-up of our favorite moments without mentioning the official conference kick-off party. We celebrated our podcasters who’d join us on stage throughout the week with signature cocktails named after their shows, and spent the evening talking with old friends and meeting new ones from across the podscape.

Thanks to everyone who made Podcast Movement Evolutions such an unforgettable time together — we hope to see you all at the next Podcast Movement in Dallas this August.

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