What can only be defined as a collaborative effort, will soon blossom into Charlotte’s first podcast festival. While the original plan was to have an in-person event, Perrine DeShield and team have had to pivot due to current events.
The Charlotte Podcast Festival will now take place this October, and it will all happen virtually. The first ever of its kind in our city, this fest is for the dreamer and the doer, for the amateur and the professional. It is for the people who love podcasts and content creation, and want to learn to perfect their craft.
The idea for the event was birthed out of a rejection from WFAE Queen City PodQuest and an important connection between DeShield and Joni Deutsch with WFAE.
“I made a deck and I started coming up with ideas and strategies to pitch to Joni last fall,” DeShield told The Block. “I took the deck, presented it, and I got it in front of a few people.”
DeShield was trying to fill a void in the podcasting community, but it turned into gathered support from WFAE, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Eclecs Creative Agency and the Queen City Podcast Network— to create a free event for storytellers and podcasters alike.
This festival, for DeShield, is an even larger platform for Black and brown voices. The current podcast realm has been heavy on the white male narrative, and as the only Black person on the planning committee, representation absolutely mattered to her and the team. In a time where we are currently battling a health and racial pandemic, it is vital for the stories of underserved communities to be heard.
“Our stories deserve to be told, and they are just as vital,” DeShield’s said.
When we examine the pieces of our stories as a community, it seems that we only see the “rags to riches” stories being shared. Despite this narrative, you don’t have to have a tragedy to share your story. This festival will feature panels to help you explore the various parts of your own experience, so that if you are interested in podcasting, you will be prepared to launch.
“That’s the beautiful thing about podcasting. It’s storytelling, while also lending a platform to diverse stories. That’s why we made the event as long as we did. We want to make sure that every week we are hitting on different levels and priorities when it comes to a podcast.”
The Charlotte Podcast Festival will be held from October 5-30. Be prepared to learn, to grow, and establish a new standard for your podcast. Even if you are not a podcaster, the festival is providing sessions for podcast fans. There will be opportunities to engage in the technical aspect from set up and mics, to marketing, mental health, sponsorship and more. This free event is meant to serve as an accessible resource for anyone who is on their podcasting journey.
“It is important that we are accessible, as we have had to master the art of the pivot,” DeShield said. “But it is exciting to bring together so many diverse audiences.”
To learn more and to view the event schedule, visit the website: www.charlottepodcastfestival.com.
