PRX to Host Pop-Up Podcast Garage Experience in Nairobi, Kenya
Join the PRX Training Team and special guests including “The Stoop” and Radio Workshop for virtual and in-person events as a part of the Africa Media Festival
Public media organization PRX is headed to Nairobi, Kenya!
As a part of the inaugural Africa Media Festival, PRX’s Training Team will host a two-day pop-up PRX Podcast Garage in person at Baraza Media Lab on February 16th and 17th.
Baraza Media Lab is a media collective and co-working hub providing space and resources to innovate and drive the growth of independent media among Kenyan makers. PRX is thrilled to join forces with Baraza to bring the PRX Podcast Garage experience to the Lab for a pop-up experience, linking arms with Nairobi’s creative communities and providing a space for audio creators and storytellers to network, skill-share, and inspire collaboration.
During the PRX Podcast Garage residency at the Baraza Media Lab in Nairobi, visitors will be able to participate in live workshops on audience-first podcast design, storytelling, interview skills, podcast production workflow, and more, facilitated by PRX and collaborative partners including “The Stoop” and Radio Workshop. In the evenings, the PRX Podcast Garage will host live podcast episode tapings, panel discussions, and audio-maker mingles.
All PRX Podcast Garage events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Read on for more information about pop-up programming including virtual live-streamed events free to attend to anyone across the globe, as well as in-person events at the Baraza Media Lab in Nairobi, Kenya.
EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS
Events with “The Stoop” podcast featuring hosts and creators Hana Baba and Leila Day
Joining the PRX Podcast Garage Pop-Up Experience at Baraza Media Lab will be the incredible co-hosts and co-creators behind the podcast The Stoop. “The Stoop” — part of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX — tells stories from across the Black Diaspora, digging into the stories about Blackness that are not always shared out in the open. Leila Day and Hana Baba start conversations about what it means to be Black and how we talk about Blackness. It’s an exploration of the joyful, the painful, and everything in between. Leila is African-American, Hana is Sudanese-American, and through their own stories, interviews, and field reporting, they explore questions that are personal and cultural.
Thursday, February 16th @ 6:00pm
“The Stoop” live show — “The African Writer’s Dilemma”
Who gets to choose which African stories are written? This live episode of “The Stoop” will examine this literary question with African and diaspora authors who are tired of reading the same stories that cater to global mostly white audiences.
Baba and Day will be joined by three writers, each of them pushing against a mostly U.S. and U.K.-based publishing industry in their own way: Siyanda Mohutsiwa from Botswana, Nigerian author Sarah Ladipo Manyika, and Zambian author Namwali Serpell.
Friday, February 17th @ 3:00pm
“The Stoop” workshop series — “Podcast Journalism: From Idea to Air” and “Telling Our Stories Our Way: Voice and Audience”
Join the “The Stoop” for a double-header afternoon workshop series:
“Podcast Journalism: From Idea to Air”
Join Hana and Leila this class on podcast journalism and documentary-style storytelling. In this workshop, they’ll go through an episode from idea to air, sharing how to build a story from concept to completion.
Through listening to clips, Hana and Leila will also break down concepts such as topic vs. story, writing for the ear, research, and what audio elements can be used to enhance an episode.
“Telling Our Stories Our Way: Voice & Audience”
This workshop tackles the question: as a podcaster, how should I sound? Many factors inform that decision, including audience, format, style, and goals. This session will explore this question through listening to clips from “The Stoop” and will also include audience participation.
The workshop will also explore writing for your voice, language, accents, dialects, using your authentic voice, and conversational delivery.
Events with Radio Workshop featuring Lesedi Mogoathle, Dhashen Moodley, and Mike Rahfaldt
Radio Workshop trains youth across Africa — a new generation of African journalists, thought leaders, storytellers, and advocates — to make radio and podcasts tackling the issues that matter to them and their community. Founded in 2006 as the Children’s Radio Foundation, Radio Workshop has trained over 5,000 youth reporters at more than 100 radio stations across 10 countries in Africa, reaching up to 9 million listeners weekly. Additionally, the team’s podcast brings African youth stories to global audiences.
Friday, February 17th @ 12:30pm
Radio Workshop — “The Art of the Interview in Africa”
Mics. Headphones. Batteries. You need one more ingredient for an interview: Great questions. Often, an interview starts long before you sit down and ask your first question. In this workshop, participants will learn tips and tricks to elicit an emotional story and to craft compelling narrative through the art of the interview. Radio Workshop’s podcast hosts and producers Lesedi Mogoalthe and Dhashen Moodley will demonstrate their interview process in front of attendees, detailing each step from preparation to execution.
Friday, February 17th @ 6:00pm
An Evening with Radio Workshop — “Telling Stories with Youth Across Africa”
The work of Radio Workshop is two-fold: collaborating with youth reporters and radio stations across Africa to tell stories from places that are often overlooked, and training African storytellers to produce high-production value and well-reported stories. Through this, Radio Workshop is not only looking to ensure podcast represents a wide range of lived experiences, but also playing an active role in building the African podcast community. Come hear more about Radio Workshop’s mission and how we might work together.
Events with the PRX Training Team featuring Alexandra Blair, Toni Carlson, and Stephanie Kuo
The PRX Training Team offers bespoke training and resources to independent media creators and organizations of all sizes around the world, including mentorship-based podcast accelerator programs, tailored workshops, consultancies, webinars, and more.
Our innovative and rigorous approach to podcast design empowers creators to actualize their potential to make meaningful media that connects them to audiences and audio communities. Creative development is our core product. Our goal is to create an agile, supportive, and accessible learning environment for all.
We are a team of friends championing PRX’s commitment to community-building and media innovation worldwide. We help our partners reimagine their digital futures and catalyze organizational culture changes essential to an open and vibrant media ecosystem.
Thursday, February 16th @ 12:30pm
PRX Training Team workshop — “Is This Thing On?”
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. In this orientation, PRX will help you tackle all the fundamental questions of podcast production so that you can begin your podcasting journey with clarity and confidence.
After this orientation, you’ll walk away with the basics around:
The landscape of podcast makers, distributors, and listeners across the globe
Different podcast styles, formats and genres
The basic steps and considerations of producing a podcast including gear, software, and hosting
This session is recommended for people new to podcasting or those looking to get more context on the audio ecosystem as a whole.
Special thanks to our friends at SemaBOX for helping to make this workshop happen.
Thursday, February 16th @ 3:00pm
PRX Training Team workshop — “The Power of Persona”
At PRX, we believe a podcast for everybody is ultimately a podcast for nobody. So, let’s get specific! In this workshop, we will help you develop a strong sense of your target audiences, starting with a persona — a listener who embodies the spirit, style and purpose of your podcast.
After this workshop, you’ll walk away understanding how to:
Go beyond audience research and data
Develop a personalized understanding of your target listener — including their interests, values, and needs
Leverage the power of your persona to make better creative decisions about your show, minimize risk when trying new ideas, and craft great pitches for potential partners
This session is facilitated by the PRX Training Team and is open to podcasters of all experience levels, but will be especially beneficial for producers who are already in the process of developing or producing a show.
NETWORKING
Friday, February 17th @ 7:00pm
PRX Podcast Garage Pitch Fair with “The Stoop,” Radio Workshop, and the PRX Training Team
Join a free networking event with Radio Workshop, “The Stoop,” and the PRX Training Team. The teams are looking to hear from local audio creators and journalists about the stories they’re developing and will be on hand to give feedback, foster professional connections, and to help refine your pitch.
Bring a story and join us in toasting to the final evening of the PRX Podcast Garage residency at Baraza Media Lab.
This programming is made possible by generous support from PRX and the Google Podcasts creator program.
