Despite having no children to listen with, I’ve recently stormed through the catalogue of creation stories pulled together on In The Beginning. The show is made with children in mind (and with children in the cast!) and children will enjoy the playful way of connecting to other cultures through the sound design, acting and storytelling. But Producers Lucia Scazzocchio and Hawa Khan have created a show that is also perfect for adults wanting a light-hearted snippet of global culture in their podcast playlists.

I sent some questions over to Lucia to find out more about how the team pulled this show together…

What were the origins of this podcast – take us back to the Beginning of the show!

In the Beginning… Hawa Khan my co-writer/producer and I created a new family audio tour for the Tower of London where historical events are experienced through the eyes of two child ghosts. We had so much fun writing and producing together that we decided we would like to something else. Hawa is a natural storyteller and we are quite passionate about traditional stories and myths. We both come from quite mixed backgrounds and realised that many of these stories aren’t that well known in the UK. We wanted to tell these stories in a way that fully represented multi-cultural Britain in voices and styles of speech familiar to young audiences.

We pitched the idea to all the children’s networks we could think of, but kept hitting a wall. We then applied for an Audio Content Fund and partnered in Fun Kids who backed the idea from the start. We applied three times before the project was finally funded.

Did you take inspiration from any podcasts in particular before you started?

Not directly, I listen to many, many different podcasts and I did immerse myself in audio drama, especially the more immersive productions from QCode or Gimlet. There are some children’s podcasts that possibly inspired on a subliminal level, like Wow in The World, Radio Lab for kids and I was an avid listener of audio books when I was child. I bought by niece a Yoto player and rediscovered many of the stories I had listened to on cassette.

Co-producer and voice actor, Hawa Khan

The show was originally a radio show and made into a podcast – can you give us a little insight to how it worked between yourself as Producers/Writers and then the actors/the Fun Kids radio station.

The radio show and the podcast are the same format. I would say the big difference when producing for a radio station is that everything has to fit exactly into the time allocated, which isn’t the case for podcasts!

The process was: Hawa and I first selected, then researched the stories, gathering as much information as we could about the people and places these stories come from.

Many of these stories are from ancient indigenous cultures and have been passed down over generations and some are still very much part of religious and cultural life. We wanted to make sure we properly acknowledged the people who these stories belong to and spent a lot of time researching the names, places and religious aspects.

Leona Fensome did a brilliant job helping us contact academics and indigenous elders to make sure we used the correct language and terms.
The next stage was writing the scripts. Hawa and I co-wrote each script by trying to embody the characters, Hawa is a brilliant voice artist so she developed the characters as we went along, deciding what accents, intonation and personality each character would have. We had decided from the outset that the voice of each character would be decided by their personality rather than from where the story is from. This means a Chinese dragon has a West Indian accent, or the Taino Sun is based on an Indian Raj. Hawa then worked with the children and adult actors to develop their characters and give them voice. The children played themselves, but the adult actors are all experienced in channelling diverse accents and characters so they really brought that into the studio when we recorded. We had already worked with some of the children and actors on the Tower of London project so this was helpful.

Once everything was recorded I worked on the pacing and sound design. Fun Kids helped us hone the original application and concept but they didn’t intervene during production. They trusted us to produce these stories in our own way. The final addition to this series becoming a podcast, was the creation of the artwork by Delphine – each episode has its own image which is gorgeous.

One of the things I really liked in the series was the children’s voices in the show. How important was it for you to have that?

Children love listening to other children and the children’s voices provide a narrative thread through the series. The children in the series are being told the stories and ask the kinds of questions that children listening might also ask. There is also a little life lesson in each episode that connects to the children’s interaction at the beginning of each episode.

As Producers, how did you find doing that aspect? (Never work with children or animals comes to mind!)

Hawa Kahn is a creative school facilitator so she is very used to working with children and firing their imaginations. The children in the series aren’t professional actors and the script was written around them – they are two sets of siblings. Time and patience is the key, with plenty of breaks. These children were superb to work with and incredibly literate. The youngest were 5 when we recorded and they were all just amazing.

Have you seen a difference in the reaction from listeners since it became a podcast?

Fun Kids has a very specific audience – children! The difference now that the series is a podcast is that it can reach audiences beyond Fun Kids and I think adults will enjoy listening just as much.

Do you have any advice for budding producers for Children’s audio?

Test your concepts and ideas with children first. They will tell you if it’s good and engaging. We got the children involved to read through the scripts, they were quite vocal if they thought something didn’t make sense or wasn’t funny.

Do you have a creation story you haven’t told yet but would love to?

There are so many! I think we will have to do another series. For example closer to home is the ancient story of Queen Albina and her sisters who was exiled from Syria to an uninhabited island which is now Britain.

Lastly, is there anything we didn’t ask that you’d like to add?

It was important for us to have a space to share more detail about the creation stories so In The Beginning.. now has a bespoke website inthebeginning.world where you can learn about the different myths, where they are from and more about the people they belong to. We have also transformed the artwork into a colouring book and postcards.

And finally I would say have a listen, you will hear stories from all over the world, told in a very unexpected and humorous way by an incredibly diverse and talented cast.

Listen to In The Beginning on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

The post Lucia Scazzocchio: Producing stories for children with In The Beginning appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Now with more than sixty episodes in the back-catalogue, Claire has found success as a solo podcaster, with nominations for the International Women’s Podcast Awards and recently with features on the Amazon Music app. We caught up with Claire to ask her all about it…

Creativity Found has been listed as 10 Inspiring Indies in a featured list on Amazon Music in the US – how do you feel?

Excited that people who may not have otherwise come across the podcast might now find it, and also proud that some clever people at Amazon think its worthy of being highlighted and promoted this way. I know its worthy, but it’s always nice to know someone else thinks so too.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

Bear Brook from New Hampshire Public Radio. It’s a true crime series. I still listen to a lot of true crime, shows about cults, and podcasts about podcasts and podcasting.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

Because I realized I could. I accidently went on an online workshop about using Anchor, which I don’t use, that showed me that I could audio edit and produce something good. I had been speaking to people in general about returning to an artistic endeavour after time away for whatever reason, and thought it was an interesting topic to explore. And it is! And other people want to hear about it too, so two years down the line and I am booking guests six months in advance.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

I am inspired by my new podcast buddies that I have met since starting, in particular all the indies doing absolutely everything themselves, as I do. Podcasts with similar themes to Creativity Found are More Than Work by Rabiah Coon and The Second Chapter by Kristin Duffy. Clare Murigande’s Narratives of Purpose is really interesting, and Zoe Langley-Wathen’s Head Right Out is about outdoor adventuring, which is NOT something I do but great to hear how other people do it. I was very impressed with the production of Conning the Con by Sarah Ferris. She has done more shows now but for a first series it was very skilful.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

All of my guests so far are dreams, and I love them all equally! I did ask Johnny Vegas to come on. He talked on Grayson’s Art Club about using Naomi Woolf’s book The Beauty Myth as influence for his final show at uni, and I used it for my dissertation. I was at a crime writer’s event recently and asked author Clare Macintosh and the rest of the panel a question – I was very nervous. I managed to make it relevant to the podcast and asked Clare if she’d like to be a guest – she used to be a police officer. That one may actually happen, which is exciting.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

That I like people! I always thought I was a bit of a lone bird, but I love meeting new people and having a good chat.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

My guests cover all disciplines of the arts, so you might choose to hear from a photographer if photography is something you’re interested in, for example. There’s also an element of the emotions of an episode. If you are in the mood for something touching and emotional, I would recommend the episodes with Lou Hamilton, Leanne Tibiatowski, Andrea Carter Brown or Anna Lovind. For something more light-hearted, I’d suggest Maxyne Ryan, Tara L Lacey or Rabiah Coon.

Listen to Creativity Found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and other popular podcast apps. 

The post Creativity Found: Stories of new-found artistic experiences appeared first on POD BIBLE.

What was your introduction to podcasting as a listener?

I started listening to podcasts a few years ago when I was in my final year of uni. I was feeling lost and unsure of what to do next so I turned to podcasts to help me find my way. I would listen to podcasts, like Oprah’s ‘Super Soul Sundays’, that would interview people who have done amazing things in life to motivate me. After a while I learnt that just like any other medium there are so many different genres in the podcasting world! I started listening to dramas and audio documentaries and I’ve been listening ever since!

Why was audio the right medium for your project?

Audio was the only way this project could come to life. It allowed me to mix the dramatisations with expert interviews without taking away from the seriousness of the topics. Audio also gives the listener freedom to visualise the worlds described in a very personalised way and I think that’s important for a series like this one that is so reliant on the imagination.

What the biggest thing you’ve learned from making the podcast?

On a personal level I learnt just how much I really love storytelling! This was the first project that I worked on where I had all the creative licence and it was just so much fun trying different forms of storytelling. I also learnt the importance of having a great team around you! My AP, Researcher and drama writer made the experience so enjoyable and the long hours less painful!

What would you like to see more of in the podcast space?

More diverse voices. And not diverse in order to tick a box but podcasts that allow people from all walks of life to tell stories that are authentic to them. I think The Digital Sisterhood podcast does a great job of this! The host interviews Muslim women from all walks of life and allows them to speak candidly about subject matters that are close to them. We hear so many discussions about Muslim women but we rarely hear them speak for themselves and this podcast does that beautifully.

Listen to The Museum of Bad Vibes now on BBC Sounds and other popular podcast apps.

Don’t forget to check out the other interviews in this series.

The post BBC Sounds Audio Lab: Hanna Adan – The Museum of Bad Vibes appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

My name is Jeff Townsend and on my newest podcast, Indie Podcaster, I interview content creators of all stripes to find out what it is they’re passionate about and what drives them. The show’s goal is to highlight and promote creators and artists.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

My friend and I started creating audio content back in 2005-2006 while in college, originally for a class project. It was called Washington State of Chaos and it was about things we thought were chaotic about our college. And also our state. We enjoyed it so much we created a website and hosted the show from there.

What’s the first podcast you ever listened to?

A friend was listening to Never Not Funny, hosted by comedian Jimmy Pardo, and told me I had to check it out.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

Never Not Funny, The Daily Source Code, The Adam Carolla Show, WTF with Marc Maron, Serial, Casefile, True Crime Garage, The Trail Went Cold, Wrestling Observer Radio and Something to Wrestle.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

This is a tough question… I’m going to give two answers and stick to the theme of my current content and say podcasters Conrad Thompson and Adam Curry. I think it’s incredible what they’ve accomplished.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

This is even tougher! I’m going to say check out my recent episode with Mandy Matner from one of the most popular podcasts today, the Murdaugh Murders podcast. She had some great insights to share about her podcast creation process and the impact of podcasting on journalism.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

To give back to the awesome podcasting community. A few individuals helped me out like this 15+ years ago and now, my focus is on doing exactly the same.

Where can your audience find out more about you?

My website is podcastfather.com or find me on Twitter @podcast_father and the podcast @indie_podcaster.

Listen to Indie Podcaster on APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY, and other podcast players.

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