REVIEW // UniPodFest 2024

UniPodFest took place at Birmingham City University on Wednesday 5th June. We asked freelance writer, Saskia Masaun, to give us a review of her experience at the festival…

As a podcast enthusiast, attending UniPodFest at Birmingham City University and immersing myself in the world of storytelling was a particularly enjoyable experience and one that will continue to inspire me throughout my journalistic career.

The UniPodFest first took place at Birmingham City University in 2023 after founder of Soundtruism Productions Nina Robinson thought there needed to be more inspiration around the podcasting community in the West Midlands and that’s how the idea was born.

UniPodFest has lived up to its name by emphasising the university community, at the event, attendees included students not only from Birmingham City University but universities and colleges from around the West Midlands which created a dynamic range of perspectives for students who might want to take a leap into podcasting in the future.

This year included panels and workshops from audio professionals such as BBC radio presenter Adrian Goldberg and Jon Gill, podcast lead producer for Goalhanger Podcasts, alongside Sal Ahmad, executive producer of the Zero Ducks Given Podcast. On the day, I was volunteering at the podcast festival as head of desk registration but when I got the chance, I popped into watch this discussion and particularly enjoyed it as the panel delved into the future of sports podcasting, whether there is a market for it anymore and the importance of women in football.

Other workshops included, a pod-trepeneurs panel with Journalist and Good Morning Britain Presenter Marverine Cole as the chair, alongside guests, Emma Conway, Taylor James and Julie Anna Needham.

At the end of the event, a touching tribute was held by Dr Martin Glynn, lecturer at Birmingham City University to Handsworth-based poet, activist, and spoken word artist Benjamin Zephaniah who sadly passed away in December 2023. Truth be told, I did not know a lot about him before the podcast festival but after reading up on him and reading his poetry I was inspired by how he opened the door for other poets of colour to follow in his footsteps.

Benjamin Zephaniah – Photograph: David Morris Creative Commons

Before attending UniPodFest I had always had an interest in podcasting, as audio is my favourite medium to work with. On a daily basis I listen to a variety of podcasts but mainly ones that focus on people’s lives, as a journalist I love to find out what makes someone ‘them’. As a podcast listener, my preference is to actually watch a podcast on social media such as YouTube rather than listen as I like to gauge people’s reactions.

After the event, I felt I learnt a lot about the diversity of the podcasting industry and how we can use the platform to create a bigger voice for those who feel underrepresented. Hearing from professionals who have been in the industry a long time was compelling and I was inspired to continue with future projects.