The BIPOC Audio Story Slingshot
Fall Course Dates: Friday, November 12th - Sunday November 14 2021
2021 APPLICATIONS OPEN Thursday September 30, 2021 - Friday October 22, 2021
Course valued at $900/person, made free by a Denver Human Services grant
Join Colorado media experts for an immersive weekend storytelling course to learn to produce compelling audio content for podcasts, radio, sound art, and more.
Based on the popular From the Margins to the Center podcast incubators for women of color, this shorter course will return to the powerful fundamentals of audio storytelling -- focusing on story development, sound gathering, audio editing, and writing for the ear. Want to learn how to make the best recordings you can with what you’ve got? Ready to take creative risks and experiment with unconventional storytelling? Already thinking outside the limitations of what you’ve been taught radio is supposed to sound like?
Then this course is for you.
The BIPOC Audio Story Slingshot will be taught by Ann Marie Awad, host of Colorado Public Radio’s On Something podcast, as well as Rebecca Mendoza Nunziato and Jeanette Harris-Courts, hosts of the From the Margins to the Center podcast and story editors for the award-winning Guardians of the River series. Additional teaching and support will be offered by the greater House of Pod and Amped teams.
Participants will spend 20 hours developing a focused short four-minute piece during the course, which could end up being the start of a new podcast, a work sample for applying for an industry job, or a submission for a future radio-race.
Applicant Requirements:
Participants must be at least 18 years-old at the time of the course.
Participants must bring their own laptop and a smartphone with voice memo capabilities.
Participants must be able to be physically present for all days of the course: Friday 6pm-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 9am-5pm.
Participants must present proof of a vaccine or a negative covid test at the start of the course.
Participants must be willing to produce a four minute piece in two days.
Participants will primarily include residents of the Denver Metro Area, though we welcome applicants who are willing to travel.
Participants must have English-language proficiency.
Participants must have intermediate computer and technology literacy and willingness to learn new programs and skills for editing and recording.
Participants must identify as BIPOC: Black, indigenous, or a person of color.
TiMELINE:
Thursday, September 30th, applications open.
Friday, October 22nd, applications close.
Friday, October 29th, selected applicants will be notified.
Friday, November 5th, participants will receive a short homework assignment.
Friday, November 12th, may the course begin!
fREQUENTLY aSKED questions:
Q: I don’t live in the Denver-Metro area, can I still apply?
A: Although local applicants are preferred, we are open to applicants who are able to come to the Denver-Metro area for the weekend. We do not have funding for applicant travel/lodging.
Q: Is childcare provided?
A: No, however stipends are available to support covering this cost, please let us know if you would like to apply for consideration.
Q: Will you fund my podcast?
A: Not yet. This course is meant to be a low-stakes, and supportive environment to fall in love with audio and sound. Might you launch your own podcast as a result? We hope so! And could it eventually receive funding? Maybe! But that will not be the focus of this course.
Q: What should I expect on the application?
A: Our typeform application is not able to save your progress. Plan on submitting your final application once you start.
You will be asked for a sample of your work (an original short one-page story, social media post, or video that the applicant has independently written or recorded), so it’s important to have that ready before you begin.