More than 10,000 people joined a now-annual celebration of podcasts in London this week (May 24-25).
The Podcast Show 2023 was staged once again at The Business Design Centre, where visitors browsed trade stands and listened to talks by day. In the evenings throughout the week, venues around Islington hosted live recordings, with stars including Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo, Adam Buxton, Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani, and Jon Ronson.
Rockonteurs’ Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt were joined by Glen Matlock and Steve Diggle for a very special discussion at Screen on the Green about a 1976 gig at the venue, featuring Sex Pistols, The Clash and Buzzcocks.
The trade show was the biggest of its kind for the industry, with delegates visiting from around the world. The US was the most represented country.
Audiences heard from speakers including Katherine Ryan, Katie Price, Fearne Cotton, Russell Tovey, Nick Grimshaw, Gabby Logan, Spencer Matthews, Gary Kemp, Vogue Williams, Elizabeth Day, Sam and Billie Faiers, Alice Levine, Sam Thompson, Pete Wicks, and Roman Kemp.
Comedian Nish Kumar spoke about the launch of Pod Save The UK in a talk titled ‘A Podcaster’s Manifesto: How Pod Save The UK Can Change The World’.
The News Agents - Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall - announced that they will be launching News Agents USA on June 20.
Emily Maitlis said: “It’s going to be the same fields, big analysis, big names. All the cultural things which are happening; gun laws, abortion laws… It’s a full-on circus from now until 2024 with the presidential election, we will be tapping into all that… we get excitable talking about America.
She added: “I remember this time a year ago feeling like the biggest fraud ever, we had an idea but no name...We had left mainstream broadcasting, jobs where we knew what we were doing. Now it’s a podcast, it’s visuals, it’s a brand. It feels so rewarding.”
Headline partners for The Show were Acast, Amazon Music and Wondery.
1. The News Agents...USA!
The News Agents - Jon Sopel, Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall - announced a new US edition of the podcast. The team has its origins in the BBC’s Americast and last year Maitlis and Sopel discussed plans for what was to become one of the biggest hits in the business with Dino Sofos founder of Persephonica. He told LondonWorld this year that the company is working on creating more news and current affairs brands.
2. An appeal
“We have a multi-revenue podcast that hasn’t been done before. We want to do a deal with a platford. Who wants to do a deal?"
3. Adam Buxton and John Kennedy
Count Buckules sat down with broadcaster and podcaster John Kennedy for a discussion in front of 100 lucky audience members.(Photo by André Langlois)
4. In the news
Media Storm’s Mathilda Mallinson and Helena Wadia discussed “the news and audio” with Persephonica’s Dino Sofos and Tortoise Media’s Ceri Thomas. (Photo by André Langlois)