Who Are We?
Blk Pod Festival is powered by Blk Pod Collective; a digital community for Black podcasters. Blk Pod Collectives’ mission is to fill the void of adequate representation for Black creatives within the audio industry.
Our Story
In April 2019, Blk Pod Collective started as a simple Instagram page intended to share information about industry trends and best practices. In 6 short months, it quickly blossomed into a thriving community.
From hosting events focused on audience building, game night meet and greets, a how-to podcast for podcasters to an expansive blog with tips tricks, and app reviews; Blk Pod Collective quickly became the go-to resource for aspiring and current Black audio creatives.
In August 2020, Blk Pod Collective’s founder; Ona Oghogho, decided it was time to create an event that could bring Black podcast enthusiasts and creatives together to learn, connect and build lasting partnerships; and thus, Blk Pod Festival was birthed.
Our goal is to create a staple event in the podcast industry that promotes diversity and inclusion, giving the underserved and underrepresented a voice. Although, by and large, Black podcasters, like in many spaces, don't often have the same opportunities and access, Blk Pod Festival intends to be the door, creating that access point.
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Our first conference in 2020 had 800+ attendees join us virtually for an interactive 4-hour event with sessions on Marketing, Sponsorship, and Systems. We had speakers from Kenya and Eygpt share about ways to connect with audio creatives in Africa and an amazing panel about ways to Diversify the Industry.
We came back in March 2021, with an all-day virtual conference that saw 1,300+ attendees join us from across the globe. With sessions on Accounting for Creatives, Legalities for Podcasters, to Ways to Secure a Job within the industry we touched on the full spectrum of the Business of Podcasting.
This was when we knew that it was time to bring Blk Pod Festival live and in person.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create a safe space for aspiring and current Black audio creatives to share their knowledge, develop new skills, and create lasting partnerships.
This 2-day conference will be a launchpad for the next wave of Black storytellers. Whether they’re behind the microphone, engineering the sound, or creating the visual identity, there is room for them to launch and grow. The world needs more Black stories. Our mission is to give Black creatives a platform to bring those stories and ideas to life authentically. Furthermore, we intend to help foster diversity and inclusion in a space that was not traditionally or historically for Black creatives.
THE ATLANTA EXPERIENCE
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We've dubbed our first in-person conference The Atlanta Experience because it's so much more than just a podcast conference. This annual experience will serve as a transformative space to help launch podcasts that will leave a lasting impact.
Hosting the event in Atlanta, GA, means we have a unique opportunity to offer attendees an authentic Atlanta experience. We will have local vendors, excursions, and other exciting activities that will have people talking for years to come.
Blk Pod Festival will be the destination podcast conference for aspiring and current Black audio creatives, that provides access to resources.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Our team is incredibly passionate about bringing Blk Pod Festival to life, live, and in person! We are dedicated to the mission and vision of the brand to create an unforgettable experience while empowering, educating, and enlightening attendees on how to launch, grow and monetize their podcasts leaving their unique mark on the world.
But we can't do this alone! Our team is already working to make this experience an unforgettable one. Putting on a conference of this magnitude will cost more than $100,000. From the venue, entertainment, audiovisual to the experiences, we know that we can't bring this to life without our community. Hence; we are inviting you to be part of the process. We need your help! Keep reading to see how you can show your support!
DONATE: Your donation will go directly to creating and curating this experience, by keeping the cost low for attendees. We want this conference to be accessible to all who want to enjoy it, so showing support with a donation will make it happen!
SPREAD THE WORD: If this project resonates with you, create a personalized Instagram grid graphic or story graphic like below showing your support and share on all your social media platforms. Tell your family, friends, coworkers, church, and community about Blk Podfest and encourage them to make a donation!
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FOLLOW US: Keep updated on all things Blk Pod Festival by following Blk Pod Festival and Blk Pod Collective on Instagram and subscribing to our email list, don’t worry we won’t spam!
