As humans we are drawn to stories. This year we were introduced to complex stories rich in character and subject matter diversity on one of the most adored and fastest-growing formats: podcasts. Arguably two of the year’s standouts (season three of Serial and season two of In the Dark) are in a league of their own because they interrogate the lived experience of underrepresented people and communities.
2019 is the year when we will see equally resourced, meticulously researched and well-produced podcasts from minority storytellers who will offer deep reportage about their own communities.
The need for stories from diverse voices is particularly important on platforms where audiences are growing. What this requires is a toolkit some untapped voices find as an insurmountable barrier to entry: Money, expertise, training and mentorship. While monthly podcast listenership continues to grow year-over-year, not all groups are part of the upward trend. An AudioBoom and YouGov study <a…