Fil-Am entry among 6 chosen for first Google podcast creator program

FilAm podcasters Paola Mardo and Patrick Epino of “Long Distance” are in the first batch of podcasters selected from thousands to be part of the accelerator portion of the Google Podcasts Creator Program. LONGDISTANCERADIO.COM

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California –A Filipino American millennial host, producer and creator of an independent narrative podcast about the Filipino diaspora, together with her Fil-Am co-producer and voice actor for the podcast were among the teams selected for the first cohort of podcasts in the accelerator portion of the Google Podcasts creator program.

Chosen for the program were Paola Mardo, host-producer of “Long Distance”, and her co-producer Patrick Epino, who recently starred as the black sheep family member Troy in Fil-Am director’s H.P. Mendoza’s award-winning dark comedy, “Bitter Melon” (an ABS-CBN Cinematografo Original film in collaboration with Ersatz  Film and Gravitas Ventures). The six winning teams were chosen from thousands of entries and represent perspectives from around the world.

The podcast accelerator program is a collaboration between Google and PRX, a leader in podcast content, training and technology.

Funded by Google and run independently by PRX, the creator program aims to remove barriers to podcasting, increase the diversity of voices in the industry, and make sure content is available for all audiences through a series of educational programs, including a 20-week podcast training and accelerator program, a press statement explained.

The selected teams are:

• > AfroQueer, Nairobi, Kenya (Maeve Francis, Aida Holly-Nambi, Selly Thiam): A reported, narrative-driven podcast about queer Africans living, loving, surviving and thriving on the African continent and in the diaspora.
• > Las Raras, Santiago, Chile (Martín Cruz, Catalina May): This Spanish-language non-fiction podcast tells stories of “The Weird Ones,” the people who live on the margins of society because of their background or life choices, and how these stories challenge social norms.
• > Timestorm, Bloomfield, New Jersey (Michael Aquino, Dania Ramos): This audio fiction series tells the story of twelve-year-old twins, Alexa and Beni Ventura, who travel through time to uncover hidden moments in the history of Puerto Rican culture.
• > Long Distance, Los Angeles, California (Patrick Epino, Paola Mardo): This reported, narrative podcast uncovers unknown histories and present-day realities about life in the Filipino diaspora.
• > The Colored Girl Beautiful, Baltimore, Maryland (Aseloka Smith): Explores black women’s concepts of beauty then and now using Emma Azalia Hackley’s 1916 book The Colored Girl Beautiful as a framework.
• > Who Taught You How To Drive?!, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Tanikka Charraé, Melissa Tsuei, Tezarah Wilkins): A humorous interview podcast about how we get around told through the stories of drivers, walkers, riders, and bikers and their habits on the road.

The all-expenses paid training program begins with a one-week intensive course at PRX’s Podcast Garage in Boston later this month during which teams will receive editorial and production training, with a strong emphasis on developing content for real listeners.

Then, armed with assignments and goals, the teams will meet again each month to hone their skills and pitch iterations of their podcast to a panel of experts for feedback. PRX will establish weekly webinars with industry leaders, mentorship through the advisory program, and specific instruction on all aspects of podcasting relevant to their team. During the 20 weeks, teams will be developing and testing pilot episodes as well as establishing a production and marketing plan. The program culminates in June with a live launch show which will be open to the public.

Google initially announced this program in June 2018 with the launch of its podcast app for Android users. PRX will begin seeking applications for a second round of the Google Podcasts creator program in April 2019. More information can be found at googlecp.prx.org. (Story from PRX with additional report from ABS-CBN International)