Seen and Heard in Edmonton

Meet the creator and co-host of That's a Thing?!, a podcast in which a teen explains her media culture to her mom (that's me). In addition to a mother-daughter conversation about our new podcast, this episode is also a swan song for Seen and Heard in Edmonton. Brought to you by Alberta Women Entrepreneurs (https://bit.ly/AWELearningDay) and ATB (https://atb.com/listen), founding sponsor of the Alberta Podcast Network (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com).

Meet Kat Griffiths, a fangirl of the highest order who shines a light on the artists who make the songs she loves with a podcast called Start the Music. Find the full show notes at https://seenandheardyeg.com Seen and Heard in Edmonton is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com) Brought to you by the Edmonton Community Foundation (https://ecfoundation.org) and ATB's The Branch for Arts and Culture (https://atb.com/thebranch).

Meet the co-host and co-creator of the Northern Nerdcast, a showcase for the geeky, nerdy people, groups and events in and around the Edmonton area. Seen and Heard in Edmonton is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com). This episode is brought to you by the Edmonton Community Foundation (https://ecfoundation.org) and ATB (https://atb.com).

Meet Josh Shenfield and Alan Techsmith, two prolific nerds who talk about video games, movies, TV, comics and "more geekery than you can shake a joystick at" on Press Start to Join. Full show notes at https://seenandheardyeg.com Brought to you by the Edmonton Community Foundation (https://ecfoundation.org) and ATB's Branch for Arts and Culture (https://atb.com/thebranch) and a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com)

Hear how a writer and traveller who has turned her curiosity about people from elsewhere into a podcast called Migration Patterns. She makes lots of great recommendations, too. This podcast is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com), and is sponsored by ATB (https://atb.com) and the Edmonton Community Foundation (https://thewellendowedpodcast.com)

Doug Hoyer has written more Edmonton podcast music than anyone I know, even though he doesn't live here any more. So when he came back to Edmonton for a few days in October, I grabbed the opportunity to ask him about that work at the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup. See the full show notes at https://seenandheardyeg.com/2017/11/06/episode-77-meetup-with-doug-hoyer/ Seen and Heard in Edmonton is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com).

In the pilot episode of That's a Thing?! — a sometimes belated, already outdated guide to your teens, tweens and everything under 20 —Elizabeth explains the deliciously disturbing literary phenomenon known as creepypasta. This is a departure from the usual Seen and Heard in Edmonton. We'll return to interviews with local podcasters and bloggers, as well as audio from podcasting meetups, in a couple of weeks.

Hear how an interview and a dirty martini led a music writer and a rock-n-roll mom to start Agnes + Sandra's Three-Way, a podcast to shine a light on creative people. Brought to you by the Edmonton Community Foundation (https://ecfoundation.org) and ATB (https://atb.com), founding sponsor of the Alberta Podcast Network (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com).

The host of The Tear Down talks about getting to the heart of Edmonton's music scene through frank discussions with local musicians. Brought to you by ATB (https://atb.com/listen) and by the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com)

Meet Sylvia Schneider, co-host of the Equinely-Inclined podcast for Canada's horse community, and a pioneer of Alberta podcasting. Seen and Heard in Edmonton is a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB (https://albertapodcastnetwork.com) Brought to you by the Edmonton Community Foundation (https://thewellendowedpodcast) and ATB (https://atb.com/listen)

Meet Jeff MacCallum, one-half of the team behind two Edmonton podcasts that focus on independent music on the prairies: Cups N Cakes and Inside the Artist's Studio. Brought to you by ATB, founding sponsor of the Alberta Podcast Network.

One of the voices behind Verity! and many other podcasts shares what she knows about growing a fandom.

An interview with a visual artist and advocate about making connections online, helping artists make money, and supporting local independent media.

I had the pleasure of moderating a discussion about urban planning wishes at a live event put on by Taproot Edmonton, my other adventure in building a future for local media, which I've been working on for the past year with Mack Male. It was an interesting discussion on a profoundly local topic, so I figured it might also be of interest to listeners of Seen and Heard in Edmonton. Here you go. This episode is also available in Apple Podcasts, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. For more on Ryan Stephens's urban planning wish and planner Erik Backstrom's commentary, read the Taproot recap: 'High Line' on the High Level. For more on Michelle Taylor's urban planning wish and architect Shafraaz Kaba's commentary, read the Taproot recap: 'Nature-bombing' Jasper Avenue. If this makes you want to join Taproot, we'd love to have you! Sign up here. Our next regular Edmonton Podcasting Meetup will be held on July 30 at Variant Edition Comics & Culture. It will be on the topic of growing a fandom, and we'll be talking to Erika Ensign, a podcaster with many fans and member of many fandoms. It's free — register here. Many thanks to Castria for editing this podcast, recorded at the Sugar Swing Ballroom on June 21. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by ATB Financial, founding sponsor of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. ATB listens to you, whether you’re an entrepreneur in search of advice, a parent saving for your kids’ education, a homebuyer in need of a mortgage or a podcaster hoping to reach more people! Learn more about how ATB listens at atb.com/listen.

Meet Scott and Amy Fralick, the smart and creative couple who are chronicling their adventure with pregnancy later in life on their new podcast, 40 & Knocked Up!  You may know them as two-thirds of The Frolics, a surf-punk band that started in Nashville and is now part of Edmonton's music scene. You may also know Scott as a broadcast journalist who is now at CITY-TV. But they are also parents who decided after 40 that they wanted to have another child. It has not been easy, and they had trouble finding useful and non-boring resources, so they're making them themselves: Amy is writing a book, and the two of them are making this podcast. In this episode, you'll hear about how an epiphany at NorthwestFest's LunchPods series led to the creation of the podcast; the therapeutic value of talking through a difficult experience, even if there's a microphone in front of you; how the Internet has changed everything for both music and journalism; the story of the podcast's infectious theme song; how to make an interesting podcast rooted in your own experience or passion, but relevant and interesting to other people; and what happens to 40 & Knocked Up! when the baby comes. This episode is also available in Apple Podcasts, on Google Play, on SoundCloud and on Stitcher. Scott and Amy made a couple of local podcast recommendations: Start the Music by Kat Griffiths, also known as one-sixth of Verity!; The Broadcast by Alex Zabjek and Trisha Estabrooks. We mentioned in particular the episode on male feminism with Reakash Walters and Andrew Knack, and the live show on which Scott was the guest at NorthwestFest. You can subscribe to 40 & Knocked Up! in Apple Podcasts, and you can find the podcast on Facebook, too. Check out The Frolics on CD Baby, and on Twitter: @TheFrolicsBand. Seen and Heard in Edmonton will be a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB. Learn more about the network and sign up for updates here. This week's Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by YESS Quest, a 24-hour gaming marathon to be held at Northlands Expo Centre on Aug. 19-20 in support of Youth Empowerment & Support Services.  On this episode, you'll hear YESS board member and Diablo aficionado Ashley Janssen talk about how to get involved in YESS Quest and who you will be helping. If you want to play games all night to raise money for a good cause, or you want to pledge your support for other gamers, visit yessquest.com. 

For our June podcasting meetup, we had a chat with Michael Short of Let's Go Outdoors about how to make a living in new media. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Michael is a man ahead of his time. Long before the Internet made it a whole lot easier to be an independent media producer, Michael was doing it with Let's Go Outdoors, where he covers all kinds of stories to do with land, air and water, and distributed them on radio, TV and now online. His business model on Let's Go Outdoors is sponsorship. Like-minded organizations pay to be associated with his stories, but don't dictate what his stories are; they look to him to use his news judgment, tell the stories in a compelling way, and then get them in front of the right people. He also does freelance video and is always on the lookout for his next opportunity. As the media landscape has changed, Michael has changed along with it, and I think he has a lot to teach us about resilience, perseverance, and the power of good stories. He was also very frank about the challenges. This isn't an easy path, but if you want to make a go of it, Michael shows it's possible — you just have to go in with your eyes open. In this episode, you'll hear about how Michael got started in mainstream media; what it took to make a go of it on his own; how to keep sponsors happy; how to serve audiences well; the value of going deep on a niche; the pros and cons of having a direct connection to your audience; the primary power of curiosity; and the importance of strong production values — especially audio — if you want to sell sponsorships. This episode is also available in Apple Podcasts, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. You can follow Let's Go Outdoors on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and you can subscribe to the Let's Go Outdoors podcast in Apple Podcasts. Thanks to our door prize donors for adding a little sugar to our meetup: Variant Edition, which also kindly hosts our regular get-togethers; Unbelts, which has a special offer on right now in honour of its launch; and Taproot Edmonton, which is putting on a live event on June 21, called Taproot Live: What's your urban planning wish? Thanks, too, to CafeRista for catering our event. Our next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup is slated for July 30 at Variant Edition. Save the date and watch for details. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you take your podcast from idea to reality. Castria’s Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky record and edit both our live meetups and the regular interviews you hear on Seen and Heard in Edmonton. If you’d like them to help you, visit wearecastria.com. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.  

Meet Andrew Paul, who uses his journalistic chops to tell stories about philanthropy and good works in Edmonton as part of the team that produces The Well-Endowed Podcast. Andrew came up through alt-weeklies and magazines after he graduated from the journalism program at MacEwan. He shifted into doing public relations for arts and non-profit organizations with his now-wife, Fawnda Mithrush, and ended up at the Edmonton Community Foundation, which encourages philanthropy and funds charitable activities. The podcast is an extension of the foundation's efforts to tell the stories of its donors and the work it supports or is aligned with. Andrew co-hosts it with Elizabeth Bonkink, and Lisa Pruden produces it. As you'll hear, Edmonton is a trailblazer among community foundations by reaching out in this way. The foundation is looking for freelance contributors to the podcast. If you have experience and interest in producing audio stories, contact Lisa at lpruden@ecfoundation.org. Also in this episode: the story behind Well-Endowed's snappy theme song; what Andrew learned from Paul Matwychuk of Trash, Art, and the Movies; where a journalism degree can take you; lessons learned from producing I Don't Get It, a podcast about contemporary dance; and Andrew's advice for a not-for-profit contemplating starting a podcast. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Andrew made the following recommendations: Omar Mouallem's four-episode run as guest host on Canadaland: Travel Journalism's Dirty Little Secret;  Jason Kenney Is A Charming Man: Inside Alberta's Weird Conservatism; Why Your Rap Lyrics Could Land You In Prison; It Was Illegal To Print Their Names: Alberta's Lost Children. Modern Manhood by German Villegas; The Broadcast by Trisha Estabrooks and Alex Zabjek. You can subscribe to The Well-Endowed Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Play. You can find the Edmonton Community Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter (@theecf). The next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup takes place on June 17 at 1 p.m. at Variant Edition Comics & Culture. We'll be talking to Michael Short of Let's Go Outdoors about how to make a living in new media. Register here to attend. Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you this week by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. Taproot is having its first live event on June 21! Join us at Sugar Swing for Taproot Live: What's your urban planning wish for Edmonton? Tickets are $10 for Taproot members, $15 for non-members. Check out Taproot's latest story, Syncing traffic lights: Tech fixes, enduring challenges. If you're curious about such things, join Taproot to satisfy your curiosity and help us put more stories into the world.   Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.

I had the great pleasure of talking to Ben Yendall of Tales from the Hydian Way and Trina Shessel from the Northern Nerdcast on stage at the Needle on May 12 during NorthwestFest's LunchPods series. Both Ben and Trina have cultivated a community around their podcasts, and are members of Edmonton's growing and increasingly connected podcasting community. They shared a lot of excellent insights about how and why they got into podcasting, and what they have learned about "community" in all (or at least many) senses of the word. I also talk a bit about the Alberta Podcast Network, which is now officially in the works thanks to funding from ATB Financial. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. You can hear even more about the Alberta Podcast Network, and ask me anything about it, at the next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup on May 28 at 1 p.m. at Variant Edition Comics and Culture. Register here to attend.  Some other links mentioned in the show: The Northern Nerd Network's YouTube channel; Ben's other podcast, Heroes of the Hydian Way; The Tales from the Hydian Way Patreon campaign; The meetup where Ben and Trina offered advice to The Broadcast; Two big Doctor Who podcasts made in Edmonton: Radio Free Skaro and Verity!; The Chicago Podcast Cooperative, a model for the Alberta Podcast Network; Local examples of using music on podcasts: CKUA's Capital City Records podcast, Kat Griffiths's Start the Music, Cups N Cakes on Mixcloud;  Local examples of live phone-ins: The View Up Here, Northern Nerdcast on Google Hangouts; Chris Sikkenga and Paul Deleeuw's Montreal Sauce; My Edmonton podcast roundups; Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you make yours (and help me make mine); The Needle Vinyl Tavern, great hosts for the inaugural LunchPods series. Some of the other LunchPods sessions have made their way into various feeds: Northwestfest Panel, featuring Paul Matwychuk of Trash, Art, and the Movies, Erin E. Fraser and Matt Bowes of Bollywood is for Lovers and JP Fournier of The Movie Jerks; Mind the gap: How podcasting can fill a news void on women and politics: Alex Zabjek and Trisha Estabrooks of The Broadcast talk to Scott Fralick about podcasting as a vehicle for journalism. NorthwestFest is over for this year, but you can see who won the awards, and mark your calendar for more nonfiction fun in May 2018. Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you this week by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community.  This month Taproot published Mack Male's popular list of summer festivals and events. If you're looking for something to do over the next few months, Taproot has you covered. Taproot is a member-supported site — our stories are free for all to read, but members gets to participate in the stories from the beginning, and we have more perks coming. If you'd like to get in on the ground floor of a new way of doing and funding local journalism, join us. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.  

Our April meetup gave us a chance to talk about the power of cross-promotion by engaging in some cross-promotion — I love me some meta. We had a chance to talk Fawnda Mithrush, who is managing director of NorthwestFest, Edmonton's international festival of nonfiction film, art and music. Fawnda is the brain behind LunchPods, a series of live podcast shows on at The Needle Vinyl Tavern throughout this week in conjunction with the film festival. Fawnda also hosted I Don't Get It, an award-winning podcast about contemporary dance, which she's hoping to resurrect one of these days. But she's an awfully busy person — besides helping Guy Lavallee put on NorthwestFest, she is also the executive director of LitFest, the nonfiction literary festival that comes to Edmonton this fall. In the episode, you'll hear all about LunchPods, as well as the "wicked fun" of doing a podcast about dance; why we need to find ways for creative people to get paid; how podcasts fit in with NorthwestFest and might fit into LitFest in the fall; why nonfiction appeals to her and to Edmonton; and the collaborative spirit of our city. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. The LunchPods will be recorded, so if you miss one, you can catch up, but of course it's more fun to hear in person (plus there's lunch provided): May 8: Passion Pods: Where Art and Sport Collide: Taylor Chadwick of What It Is interviewed Erika Ensign of Beginner’s Puck and Steven Schapansky of Hockey Feels about arts and sports; May 9: Dime a Dozen: Podcasting About Film: Paul Matwychuk and Erin E. Fraser of Trash, Art, and the Movies will talk to Matt Bowes of Bollywood is for Lovers and JP Fournier of The Movie Jerks about movie podcasts; May 10: Short Story Long: How Podcasts Pick Up Where News Outlets Drop Off: Alex Zabjek and Trisha Estabrooks of The Broadcast will discuss podcasting as a vehicle for journalism; May 11: Sound and Fury: The Key to Outstanding Sound and Content: Adam Rozenhart of The Expats will explore the importance of great sound and structure with Sam Power of All Intensive Purposes and Lauren Albrecht of Nerd Nite Edmonton. May 12: Together We're Stronger: YEG's Podcast Community: I’ll be talking to Trina Shessel of the Northern Nerdcast and Ben Yendall of Tales from the Hydian Way about cultivating an Edmonton podcasting community. Many thanks to NorthwestFest, Flatter:Me Belts and Variant Edition for donating door prizes, and to CafeRista for catering. (Extra shout-out to Variant Edition for hosting us despite having a flood in their store mere hours before the event. Heroes!) I said at the end of this episode that there might not be a meetup in May, but I've changed my mind, because I have big news to share: We're creating the Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB! Read the back story, and then join us at the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup on May 28 at Variant Edition to discuss the network, where I'll answer as many of your questions as I can. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you take your podcast from idea to reality. Castria’s Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky record and edit both our live meetups and the regular interviews you hear on Seen and Heard in Edmonton. If you’d like them to help you, visit wearecastria.com. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.

Meet Elliott Tanti and Michael Vecchio, two friends who started sparring about politics for fun and decided to turn their frequent debates into the Highlevel Showdown podcast. Highlevel Showdown started in the Tory Building at the University of Alberta, where Elliott and Michael found themselves engaging in political discussions that spilled over onto the LRT on the way home. Elliott had done a podcast called What's Up UAlberta, and it felt natural to capture the conversations they were already having. A terrific politics podcast was born. In this episode, you'll hear how the show has changed over the past two years; how kitchen-table debates prepared them for political argument; how to prepare for a structured but vibrant discussion; what opera, wrestling and politics have in common; how the show benefits from Elliott's campaign experience and Michael's historical knowledge; the coming municipal election; and how to make a podcast with a friend. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Michael and Elliott made the following recommendations: NewsWired, a discussion of current events distributed on Guerrilla Radio; The Modern Manhood Podcast, German Villegas's interview show exploring different facets of masculinity; The Broadcast, the show about women and politics in Alberta with Alex Zabjek and Trisha Estabrooks; daveberta, Dave Cournoyer's long-running blog about politics in Alberta; The Casual, Nate Villegas's podcast about forgotten flicks. You can also read Michael's thoughts on movies and pop culture at Before the Cyborgs, and you can hear Elliott's thoughts on sports from time to time on Hat Trick Sports. They are also on Twitter: @tanti90 and @michaelvecchio2. You can also follow the Highlevel Showdown on Twitter and Facebook, and find it on iTunes and Guerrilla Radio. Michael and Elliott are kind enough to shout out to the Seen and Heard Podcast Network. Stay tuned for some exciting network news in the coming weeks.   The next episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton will be delayed by a week — watch for it on May 8. You can experience the next episode in real life on April 30 at our podcasting meetup, featuring Fawnda Mithrush of NorthwestFest, which is putting on a mini-podcast-orama in conjunction with the documentary film festival in May.  This week's Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community.  Read the latest Taproot story, Fluffy snow + high standards = a noisy Edmonton winter, Mel Priestley's examination of why it seemed like we were hearing leaf blowers an awful lot this past winter. Curious about something going on in Edmonton? Join Taproot so you can seed your own ideas and support the creation of more stories like this.

Our March podcasting meetup offered a local spin on #trypod, a campaign that started in the U.S. to encourage more people to listen to podcasts. I am, of course, strongly in favour of more people listening to podcasts of all kinds, but I am particularly interested in carving out some mindshare for locally produced shows. That's why I invited Chris Chang-Yen Phillips, creator of Let's Find Out, and Katrina Ingram, interim CEO of CKUA, to give their perspectives on how to do that. Chris's podcast was part of his successful application to be Edmonton's historian laureate, and his aim was to extend interest in the city's history beyond the usual heritage community. So far he has succeeded, with 400 to 500 downloads per episode and a ripple effect beyond that can be felt in mainstream media coverage of his stories and new questions from people curious about our past. He is also news director at CJSR. Katrina, a marketer by trade, is currently at the helm of Canada's first public broadcaster, which has seen a tremendous amount of technological and cultural change over its 90-year history. She has been paying close attention to the evolution and growth of podcasting ever since her friend Tema Frank introduced her to her show, Frank Reactions, and has been working with me to see if we can put together a sustainable local podcast network. (It will grow out of this.) You'll hear them address what it will take to get more people to listen to more local podcasts; what podcasters can learn from independent radio stations like CJSR and CKUA; how to activate a community of support; why quality and uniqueness matter; why local matters; and how networks can help. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. We also mentioned these resources along the way: The Infinite Dial, Edison Research's annual look at digital audio; The technology adoption life cycle; Kevin Kelly's 1,000 True Fans concept; The Incomparable network. You can subscribe to Let's Find Out on iTunes and Stitcher. I highly recommend the Let's Find Out live show, recorded earlier this year at The Needle. Also, check out the excellent podcast CKUA does with the Edmonton Public Library called Capital City Records, featuring a taste-maker's recommendation of a song by an Edmonton artist. Thanks again to Studio Theatre for donating guest passes to Bright Burning (on until April 8); to Variant Edition for hosting; and to CafeRista for catering. Our next podcasting meetup is on April 30. Join the meetup page or subscribe to the Seen and Heard in Edmonton newsletter for details as soon as they're available. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you take your podcast from idea to reality. Castria’s Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky record and edit both our live meetups and the regular interviews you hear on Seen and Heard in Edmonton. If you’d like them to help you, visit wearecastria.com.

Our February meetup was kind of a sequel to an earlier meetup on how to get started. Among the aspiring podcasters in that audience were journalists Trisha Estabrooks and Alex Zabjek. At that point, they knew they wanted to do a podcast, but they had so many questions. They got some answers at that meetup, and found a lot more on their own on their way to launching The Broadcast, a show about women and politics in Alberta. So I decided to have them back to share what it took to pull the trigger. "You guys inspired us to dig a little deeper and figure it out," Trisha told the assembled podcasters. That was nice to hear! You'll also hear them talk about the weird obstacle of getting iTunes cover art; overcoming other technical and psychological barriers; understanding everything takes longer than you think; an interesting way to possibly get paid; the logistics of where to record when the Edmonton Public Library's Makerspace isn't available; and the difference between broadcasting and podcasting. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. You can subscribe to The Broadcast in iTunes. You'll also find it on Facebook. Find the hosts on Twitter: @a_zabjek and @trishestabrooks. Thanks to CafeRista for catering, and Edmojis for pins to give our guests, and many thanks to our door prize donors:  PodSummit, Western Canada's first podcasting conference, happening in Calgary on May 6 (I'll be there);  Edmonton Opera, which has announced its 2017-18 season; Variant Edition, which also hosts the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup. The next meetup is March 26 on the topic of how to get more people to listen to podcasts, especially local ones. We'll have Chris Chang-Yen Phillips of Let's Find Out and Katrina Ingram of CKUA Radio on the panel. Sign up here. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you take your podcast from idea to reality. Castria’s Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky record and edit both our live meetups and the regular interviews you hear on Seen and Heard in Edmonton. If you'd like them to help you, visit wearecastria.com.

Meet Lauren Dary, an Edmonton photographer and one-half of the team behind That’s So Maven, a podcast by, for and about female entrepreneurs. Lauren and her co-host, Andrea Beça, discovered in a series of texts that they had both been thinking about starting a podcast. Then they discovered they were both interested in focusing on women in business. Kismet. Off they went. At first they thought it would be bi-weekly, but when they started building their list of potential guests, it was quickly more than a year long. So now they have a weekly interview show, talking to a female entrepreneur about how she got into business, what she has learned, and what it's really — and I mean really — like to be the boss. In this episode, you'll hear why Lauren chose to podcast instead of blog; why she and Andrea decided to start tying the podcast more closely to their businesses; how the show has helped her find customers and collaborators; how she has refined her own online presence; and how the podcast has become a crash course in entrepreneurship that can literally make her crash (in a good way). This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Lauren made these recommendations: Linda Hoang's blog, linda-hoang.com, which focuses on fun things to do in Edmonton; The Modern Manhood Podcast, German Villegas's podcast on the many facets of masculinity; Capital Ideas, a community of business owners helping business owners by sharing what they know, at live events, online and in a podcast. Speaking of Capital Ideas, Lauren and Andrea will be on the panel at the live show on March 22, along with Bryan Smith of Bluetrain Inc., for an event called "Squirrel! The elusive art of finding your focus." Get your free tickets here.  I host that show, so yes, this is log-rolling, but what can I say? It's a good log. That's So Maven is on iTunes, and you can follow @yegmavens on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Find L Photography at lphoto.ca, and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. (And since we're talking about podcasts, you're invited to the next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup on March 26. Open to podcasters and listeners alike.) This week's Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. Read our latest story, 104th Street: Marquee area, mismatched market, by Mel Priestley. If you'd like to put more such stories into the world, and get in on more ways to stay informed about Edmonton, join Taproot.

Our January meetup was billed as a debate between Taylor Chadwick of What It Is against Andrea Beça of That's So Maven on how long a podcast should be. "Debate" turned out to be a bit of a strong term. As Taylor says at one point, "it sounds like we're just going to agree the whole time." I accept responsibility. Everyone's just so nice. They do come from different points of view on what works for the length of their own shows. The sweet spot for What It Is — an arts interview show that Taylor does with Chris Cook and Brian Bergum — is 70 minutes. That's So Maven — a show for, by and about female entrepreneurs that Andrea does with Lauren Dary — is about half an hour. Both have sound reasons for that, which you'll hear in the podcast, along with the following points: How your content and format dictate length; How the growth of podcasting has made shorter shows more common; Audience feedback on length and what to do with it; Batch recording vs time-sensitive recording; Preparation vs editing for controlling length. You'll also hear questions and comments from Troy Pavlek of Basket of Yegs, Brandon Schatz of Yegs and Bacon and Doctor Whooch, Nick McQuik of The Quik and Slow Comedy Show, and Chris Chang-Yen Phillips of Let's Find Out. Incidentally, I usually like to keep my podcast to less than half an hour, but this one was so full of good stuff that it's pushing 50 minutes. I guess you win this round,Taylor.  This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. For even more on the art of podcasting, listen to Taylor's conversation with Andrea along with Adam Rozenhart of The Expats and German Villegas of The Modern Manhood Podcast. Many thanks to Edmonton Opera for sending one of our audience members to Cinderella (remember that Elektra is coming in March!). Thanks to Variant Edition for their hospitality, and to CafeRista for the treats. Shout-out to Edmojis, too.  Our next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup is on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Variant Edition. The topic is "How to get started, Part 2," and we'll be drawing on the experience of the team behind The Broadcast, which was in development at our first meetup on getting started, and is now a real thing. Register to attend here. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you take your podcast from idea to reality. Castria's Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky will be on a panel about podcasting at iMedia on March 11. If you miss them there, find them at wearecastria.com.

Meet Tyler Butler, the always-learning digital marketing strategist and musician who explores social media on the new podcast Don’t Call Me A Guru. Don't Call Me A Guru is a monthly conversation about social media strategy between Tyler, who works at MacEwan University, and Linda Hoang, who used to work at NAIT and now works at Calder Bateman. They met kibbitzing with each other online, and now we get to listen in on their "conversations we would have had anyway," and learn a lot about social media in the process. Tyler also produces Clock Radio, a podcast that tells stories about staff and students at MacEwan. It started because there seemed to be a lot of good stuff left over from stories done for the MacEwan website, and it has turned into quite an interesting show, whether you have anything to do with MacEwan or not. Music is responsible for getting Tyler into social media in the first place. Facebook events turned out to be a powerful tool to get people to shows, and he also experimented with some crazy content marketing of sorts for Old Ugly, a beloved local label. You'll hear all about that in this episode, along with how time-consuming yet necessary editing is; how to get internal buy-in for a podcast within an organization; the power of planning; the necessity of setting attainable goals; and much more. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Tyler made the following recommendations: Writer and filmmaker Lizzie Derksen's website; The Edmonton City as Museum Project, both the podcast and the blog; Let's Find Out, historian laureate Chris Chang-Yen Phillips's podcast; Doug Hoyer, the musician who has written many Edmonton podcast theme songs (and who launches his latest album on Feb. 11 at the Empress); The Expats, Adam Rozenhart's interview show with Canadians abroad, including his episode with Doug Hoyer! You can find Don't Call Me A Guru on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud, and is coming soon to Stitcher. The show is @dontcallmeaguru on Twitter and Instagram. Clock Radio is on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. You can find Tyler himself at @tylerjackbutler on Instagram and Twitter, and that's his name on Snapchat, too. Also, both Tyler and Linda are speaking at the iMedia social media conference on March 10 and 11, so if you want to soak up their wisdom in real life, you should go! This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. In this episode, you’ll hear about a couple of stories that tackle the way we see pedestrian safety in this city, and the consequences of that approach. Taproot just released another story, this one on Indigenous place names in Edmonton. Check it out, and if you’d like to put more such work into the world, join Taproot.

Meet Nick McQuik, the always hustling comic who co-hosts The Quik and Slow Comedy Show, a long-running podcast featuring "comedians interviewing comedians about comedy in a basement." Nick started podcasting in part to learn more about his craft, a good trick I may have adopted myself a time or two. He also jumped in with both feet by buying a lot of equipment, so he kind of had to make it happen after that. I suspect I am too old and square for some of the comedy on Nick's show, which he co-hosts with Aaron Maslow and a cast of other artists, but I admire the work that goes into producing a weekly podcast while forging a full-time career in comedy. That requires a tremendous amount of discipline and entrepreneurial spirit, which we talk about a fair bit in this episode. You'll also hear about the connections between Nick's stage show and the podcast; his philosophy of giving to get; Quik and Slow's most downloaded episode; the thriving nature of Edmonton's comedy scene; and some interesting ways to use social media to build a fan base.  This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Nick made a couple of podcast recommendations: The Movie Jerks, where JP Fournier and Shawn Gramiak talk about movies they love to hate (on which Nick made his podcast debut); Dave Rae's The Devil's Advocate, where Dave debates a guest on any topic and always wins.  He also shouted out to some local businesses he admires:  Big Rig Distillery Flat Out Apparel Tasty Tom's High Level Diner He also mentioned a bunch of non-podcast comedy pursuits, including Chew On This, an Internet comedy show; The Debutantes and their biweekly Odd Wednesday sketch comedy show; and Rigby Muldoon: Bad Situation, a movie currently in post-production.  Find The Quik and Slow Comedy show on iTunes, Stitcher and TuneIn, as well as on Twitter and Facebook. Nick himself is @nickmcquik on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  This week's Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. In this episode, you'll hear about Taproot's most recent stories, which tackle the way we see pedestrian safety in this city, and the consequences of that approach. Read the stories, and if you'd like to put more such work into the world, join us at taprootedmonton.ca.    

We kick off 2017 with the audio from our November meetup with Haley Radke of Adoptees On and Wang Yip of The Dip on how to find your niche. In a way, these two podcasts couldn't be more different, in format, audience and tone. Haley's podcast is an interview show that gives a voice to people who were adopted, and Wang's is a conversation with co-host Shawn Kanungo riffing on interesting things they've heard other podcasts about business, entrepreneurship, creativity and the like.  But they have a lot in common in that they serve a particular niche, and they aim to be relevant and useful no matter when you happen to discover them. In this episode, you will hear: Why they started; Why podcasting was the best medium for them; How and why The Dip changed formats between Season 1 and Season 2; Haley's plans for Season 2 of Adoptees On; How to get people to listen (including a very hands-on tip!); What iTunes reviews accomplish; Why being very targeted can help you reach more people than you imagined.   This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. You can find Adoptees On in iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can find The Dip in iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher. Wang and Shawn can be found on Twitter: @wangyip and @shawnkanungo. The next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup is set for Jan. 29 at Variant Edition, and it features a debate between Taylor Chadwick of What It Is and Adam Rozenhart of The Expats on how long a podcast should be. There will be goodies from CafeRista and door prizes from Edmonton Opera and Variant Edition. Register here to attend! This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you take your podcast from idea to reality. Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky talk about what they can do for you in this episode, which they also produced and edited. If you’d like them to help you, visit wearecastria.com.

This week’s podcast features the audio from our October meetup with Kelly Froese of the Edmonton Nerd List and Jeff Williams of Guerrilla Radio. Kelly and Jeff have each devised ways to shine a spotlight on local creators and ventures. As you know, that is pretty much my favourite thing, so I brought them together and called it "how to reach your audience," because one of the ways to do that is to get noticed by one of these cross-promotion sites. You can also derive some lessons for how they have built their own audiences. In our conversation, you'll hear: The wildly different origin stories of the Edmonton Nerd List and Guerrilla Radio (one was an accident, one was on purpose); How and why they have grown; How each brings in revenue and what they've learned about monetizing; What impresses them about the local podcast scene; How to spread your podcast via guests; How to get listed on the Nerd List or join Guerrilla Radio; Future plans for each. They mentioned a few local producers, including the Shessels at Northern Nerdcast, Vue Weekly's Best of Edmonton podcast winner The Awesome Hour, and Nintendo Dads, a well-known podcast with an Edmonton connection. You'll also hear a great question from German Villegas of The Modern Manhood Podcast. Follow the Edmonton Nerd List on Twitter, like it on Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel. You can also support the list on Patreon. Follow Guerrilla Radio on Twitter and Instagram, like it on Facebook, subscribe to the feed of every show on iTunes or find it on SoundCloud. There's also an app (iOS and Android). Audio from our November meetup will be up in January, and that's when we're planning to resume our meetups at Variant Edition. Join the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup page to get the details when they're available. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you make your podcast. You'll hear Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky talk about what they can do for you in this episode, and you're also hearing their handiwork, as they produced and edited this episode. If you'd like them to help you, look them up at wearecastria.com.  

Meet Dave Rae, the comic, sketch comedian and improviser who takes any side of any debate and always wins on The Devil's Advocate. I first learned of Dave and his podcast through the Northern Content Network, a collection of primarily (but not exclusively) comedian-produced podcasts gathered by Dan Clarke and Dan Taylor. The Devil's Advocate quickly caught my attention as a smart, funny exercise that was unlike anything else I had heard. Dave has made me laugh out loud so many times. He did it a lot during this episode, too. He started in standup when he moved to Edmonton because that was easiest as a guy who didn't know anybody yet and wanted to get into comedy. But he has since found a way to do sketch comedy, too, through The Debutantes, which puts on a sketch show called Odd Wednesday every other week at the Sewing Machine Factory. In this episode, you'll hear about Edmonton's comedy scene, how it interacts with podcasting, the parallels between Dave's approach and pro wrestling, the formidable Stan Ostrowski, sketch vs standup, and much more. We also talk about one of his favourite episodes and mine, a debate with Dan Taylor about the merits of having living relatives. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Dave made these recommendations:  The Movie Jerks with JP Fournier and Shawn Gramiak; 30 Minute Week with Dan Taylor and Ben Proulx; The Quik and Slow Comedy Show with Nick McQuik and Aaron Maslow; The Worst Podcast Ever with Alex Fortin and Dan Clarke. Follow The Debutantes at @debssketch on Twitter or on Facebook. You can see some of their sketches on YouTube, as well. Find Dave on Twitter @thedaverae or on Facebook. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, which commissions curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. The British website journalism.co.uk recently interviewed Taproot co-founder Mack Male. Read the story and listen to the podcast, which is excerpted in this episode. Check out Taproot's latest story, How do stop discounting pedestrian deaths. And if you'd like to see more stories like that, buy a membership at taprootedmonton.ca. 

Meet Robyn Wilson, the fearless and empathetic interviewer behind The One, a podcast featuring everyday people and the love stories that make them unique. The One was "spurred out of jealousy," Robyn says. She had been helping her husband, Phil Wilson, with his podcast (more about that below), and decided that she wanted something of her own. Hearing other people's love stories made her happy, so she decided to go with that. In this conversation, you'll learn more about how Robyn approaches her interviews, what it was like to have the microphone turned on her and Phil, what it was like to make Vue Weekly's Best of Edmonton list, and how the podcast gives her an opportunity to bring joy. Have a listen. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Robyn made the following recommendations: That's So Maven, Andrea Beça and Lauren Dary's interview show by, for and about female entrepreneurs; The Expats, Adam Rozenhart's smooth-voiced show about the experience of living abroad; Baconhound, Phil Wilson's celebrated food blog, and the Off Menu podcast that goes with it. Robyn is up to her ears in homework right now as she pursues her degree in social work, so the podcast is on a wee break. But the episodes are evergreen, so dive in to the back catalogue. And if you want to share your love story, Robyn would to hear from you on Twitter (@joyfulfollies) or by email. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you make your podcast sound great. In this episode, Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky discuss how they use their decade's worth of experience in podcasting to help bring other podcasts into the world. If you want their help, look them up at wearecastria.com.

This week's podcast features the audio from our meetup on how to start a podcast, which we recorded way back in September. This was a departure from our usual format. We had veteran podcasters on one side of the room and aspiring podcasters on the other, and we invited the rookies to pepper the vets with questions. You'll hear questions such as these: Which sound editing program should I use? What would you do differently if you started again, especially for business? How frequently should podcasts come out? What social media channels should you use? What analytics should you track? How do you make crowdfunding work? How do you record guests remotely on your podcast when they may not be technically savvy? Where's the best place for your podcast live, for hosting and distribution? And you'll hear answers from these podcasters: Ben Yendall of Tales from the Hydian Way; Erika Ensign of Verity!, The Audio Guide to Babylon 5, Lazy Doctor Who and Uncanny Magazine; Chris Sikkenga of Montreal Sauce; Dan and Trina Shessel of Northern Nerdcast; Danica LeBlanc of Yegs and Bacon; Troy Pavlek of Basket of Yegs; Steven Schapansky of Radio Free Skaro, Hockey Feels, Lazy Doctor Who, The Memory Cheats and Uncanny Magazine. Have a listen. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Many thanks to CafeRista for hosting us. Thanks, too, to CKUA Radio and the University of Alberta Music program for donating door prizes to give away. Audio from the October meetup on how to get the word out (featuring Kelly Froese of Edmonton Nerd List and Jeff Williams of Guerrilla Radio) is slated to be published in December. As you can see, there tends to be a lag between meetup and audio release, so if you can, join us in real life. The next one will be on Nov. 19 at Variant Edition. Watch for details on the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup page. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Castria, where award-winning podcasters help you make your podcast sound great.  In this episode, you'll hear Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky talk about how they got into podcasting and how they use the expertise they've earned over the past decade to help bring other podcasts into the world (including this one).

Meet Tema Frank, an author, an Internet pioneer, and the creator of Frank Reactions, where she explores customer experience and customer service in the digital era. Tema has long been a woman ahead of her time, putting up her first website in 1995 to promote her first book, Canada's Best Employers for Women. Most people around her didn't even know what a website was, but the experience taught her things she would use later on, which is a theme, as you'll hear. Credit perhaps is due to the University of Alberta, where she was part of the first business class that had to take a computer course. She now serves on Senate. Tema has one of the coolest podcast origin stories I've heard yet. She was living in France and wanted to get into Le Web, which cost a lot. So she decided to pitch a story to the CBC show Spark so she could get press credentials. It worked, and she not only got into the conference, but learned that she had a good voice for radio (you'll hear that) and a love for interviewing interesting folks. You'll learn how the business model of her podcast has changed over the years, and how it has become both a source of the research for her latest book — PeopleShock: The Path to Profits When Customers Rule — and a way to sell the book and her consulting services. She has some solid advice for those who'd like to do the same. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Here are Tema's recommendations: That's So Maven: The podcast by, for and about female entrepreneurs, by Andrea Beça and Lauren Dary; Science for the People: An interview show that explores the connections between science, popular culture, history and public policy; The podcast roundup on my own Seen and Heard in Edmonton (thanks, Tema!). She'd also love to see you this week at LitFest, Edmonton's nonfiction festival, which runs until Oct. 23. (I'll be at CANADALAND Live on Monday night and the Story Slam on Wednesday.) Find Tema on Twitter (@temafrank) and Frank Reactions on Facebook. PeopleShock is also available at Audreys Books. This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. Taproot's second story, Making a ripple toward reconciliation, is up. In this episode, you'll hear writer Anna Holtby discuss her approach and explain why she wanted to be part of Taproot.   Want to satisfy your curiosity about something going on in the city? Join Taproot. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.        

Meet Jeremy Bibaud, the gaming aficionado who co-hosts The Clickbait Podcast, and the enterprising writer behind a story-mapping project called YEG Storyhood. Jeremy is a guy who sees an opportunity and grabs it. He'd been writing for the online magazine PlayStation LifeStyle. When its previous podcast stopped, Jeremy and co-hosts Jeffrey Gordon and Brandon Hoover stepped in to make a podcast that, in part, addresses the community's reactions to stories. "Most people say, 'Don't read the comments,' but we read the comments," Jeremy says. "That's our job." And it is a paying gig, which is pretty cool. He's not getting rich, but podcasting doesn't cost him money, and he gets paid a bit for his time, too. You'll hear some sound advice in this episode on how to get into media about gaming. Jeremy is also a storyteller. You may have seen a story of his on your coffee sleeve as part of Jason Lee Norman's #yegwords project, and he has been published in various magazines. From that creative mind sprang the idea for YEG Storyhood, an effort to map Edmonton one story at a time. The way Jeremy sees it, there are people in all 286 of Edmonton's neighbourhoods, so there must be stories there, too, and he wants them. Learn more about what he's looking for in this episode, and hear his advice about breaking into fiction, too. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Jeremy recommended a couple of locally made podcasts with a global vision: The Expats: Adam Rozenhart's interview show with Canadians abroad. Jeremy shares a great story about the Portugal episode. Bollywood is for Lovers: Where Erin E. Fraser and Matt Bowes explore their passion for Hindi cinema. You can find Jeremy on Twitter: @misterbeebo. The Clickbait Podcast is on Twitter (@clickbaiters). YEG Storyhood is on Facebook, and give it a like on Make Something Edmonton, too. This is the last of the episodes I recorded at the Makerspace at the downtown Edmonton Public Library on 100 in 1 Day back in June.  P.S. The next Edmonton Podcasting Meetup is on Oct. 23 at Variant Edition. RSVP here. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. We're gearing up to publish our next story later this month, so here's one more reminder to read our first one, a story about the deer off 23rd Avenue by Mel Priestley.  Satisfy your curiosity about the city by joining Taproot.

Meet David Rauch, the strategic planner, open-data enthusiast and onetime journalist who makes connections through Beta City YEG, Edmonton's civic technology meetup. David is the kind of guy who radiates enthusiasm. It's that energy that has animated and incited all kinds of interesting projects, such as the Open Piano project that brought music to city streets; ArtTourYEG, a guide to Edmonton's public art; the LinkYEG app to connect Edmontonians in need with services; and a map of historical Edmonton photos, among many other projects. Beta City YEG convenes citizens, public employees and members of Edmonton's tech community on the fourth Wednesday of the month at Startup Edmonton. They work to apply the power of data and technology to address challenges in our city and region. And, as David notes, baked goods are often involved. The next one, on Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m., features presentations on the CommonGood web app and the Edmonton Shift Lab. Like many of my recent guests, David came to see me at the Makerspace at the Edmonton Public Library back in June during 100 in 1 Day. I enjoyed our chat, and I hope you do, too. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. David made a couple of recommendations: Mack Male's indispensable blog, MasterMaq Capital City Records, the collection of locally made music available for streaming and download from the Edmonton Public Library. (There's a podcast, now, too!) He also hails Eugene Chen of Darkhorse Analytics, who always has interesting ideas on the go. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. Writer Mel Priestley drops by to talk about her story, South Edmonton's surprising deer paradise. Satisfy your curiosity about the city and support more stories like this by joining Taproot.

Meet Jim Bilodeau, a NAIT instructor with a passion to help artists make money online, and the man behind The Museum Project, an interesting idea to help make that happen. Jim was one of the people who came in for an interview on 100 in 1 Day back in June, when I took over a studio at the Edmonton Public Library's Makerspace to talk to Edmontonians about what they are making. Unlike most of my interviewees, Jim doesn't write a blog or make a podcast or have a YouTube channel. But he wants to help those who do. "I want every individual artist to be in charge of their own career," he says. "If you have talent, you can make money at your art now." He has an idea that he hopes will kill two birds with one stone: Incubate online artistic ventures by providing a production facility, and save the old Royal Alberta Museum building in Glenora in the process. The new downtown museum opens in 2017, but it will take until 2019 to empty. After that, anything could happen to the building, including tearing it down. Jim doesn't want that to happen, and you'll hear more about his idea in this interview. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Jim recommended a couple of Alberta artists who are making a go of it on Twitch TV: Body painter Kay Pike Fashion Artist Fady Lace You can follow The Museum Project on Facebook and on Twitter (@yegmuseum). Learn more about Your Entertainment Guild (YEG Society) at yegsociety.ca. You can also see some other ideas for uses of the old RAM on this petition to save the building. This episode of Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a source of curiosity-driven stories about the city, cultivated by the community. Learn more about the project in my chat with co-founder Mack Male. And watch taprootedmonton.ca for our first story, coming soon.  Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.  

Meet Ben Yendall, the storytelling, community-building co-host of Tales from the Hydian Way, a podcast about a role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. As Ben says, Tales from the Hydian Way is about as niche as you can get, but podcasting is a great medium for serving your particular pack of people. He followed the advice we've often heard here and elsewhere: Make the podcast you want to listen to. I don't play the game and I stopped watching Star Wars at Return of the Jedi, and yet I tune into Tales from the Hydian Way from time to time just to hear them talk. Ben and his co-hosts David and Joshua improvise fan fiction online with people all over the world in the game, and then analyze how to do it better on the podcast. Isn't that amazing? It might be tempting with that level of expertise to exclude newcomers. But Ben has no time for gatekeeping or noob-shaming. "It doesn't do us any good to make the community smaller," he says. That's pretty great, too. This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Ben made these great local recommendations: Basket of Yegs, Troy Pavlek's podcast about civic affairs Northern Nerdcast, Dan Shessel's look at all things nerdy in Edmonton RPG Casts, a repository of role-playing-game-related podcasts. You can find Tales from the Hydian Way on Twitter (@thehydianway) and Facebook. Ben himself is @deuteriumice on Twitter. And you can often find him in real life at our Edmonton Podcasting Meetup. The next one is on Sept. 18 at Cafe Rista, on the subject of how to start a podcast, and we'll be mining the expertise of our veteran podcasters to help people start their own. Sign up here. This episode was one of several recorded at the Makerspace at the downtown Edmonton Public Library on 100 in 1 Day. Watch for more episodes recorded that day in future weeks. This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a new member-supported home for local stories created with the community and not just for it. We just launched the Story Garden, which you'll hear Mack Male talk about in this episode. If you’d like to help create a new way to sustain how-and-why journalism in our city, join Taproot today. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.

Meet German Villegas,  a youth worker who conducts interviews about healthy masculinity on The Modern Manhood Podcast and jaws about hockey with his buddies on Your Team Sucks. German has been interested in podcasting for awhile, and had a music one that didn't go anywhere. Hockey turned out to be more fruitful terrain for a lively debate, hence Your Team Sucks, where fans of three different teams chirp each other and discuss various hockey-related happenings. That's where I first became aware of German. Your Team Sucks is fun, but it's clear that German's deeper passion lies in The Modern Manhood Podcast, which he started this year to initiate conversations between men about being men. In the course of his work, German has observed that men often have trouble talking about their vulnerabilities, and he wanted to create a safe and empathetic space to do so. The podcast is affiliated with Men Edmonton,  a movement to empower men to speak out against violence and to take on positive roles. It is most certainly not affiliated with "men's rights activists." The Modern Manhood Podcast is a feminism-friendly place.  German made these interesting recommendations: Michael Cameron's blog at passionpridepurpose.com; YEG People, especially the one with Blake Loates and her We All Believe In You project  Linda Hoang's food and lifestyle blog at linda-hoang.com Megan McCormick's Mastering Health The Modern Manhood Podcast is on iTunes, on Facebook, and on Twitter (@modernmanpod). It also has a GoFundMe campaign to help German further his work. Your Team Sucks is on iTunes, on Facebook, and on Twitter (@ytsshow). German himself is on Twitter, too: @germanNOTgerman. And if you ever get an opportunity to talk to him in real life, do it. He is such a joyful person. This episode was one of several recorded at the Makerspace at the downtown Edmonton Public Library on 100in1Day. Watch for more conversations captured that day in the coming weeks.   This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a new member-supported home for local stories created with the community and not just for it. Mack Male explains the origins of the name and why the stories are free but membership isn't in this episode. If you’d like to help create a new way to sustain how-and-why journalism in our city, join Taproot today. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.

This week's podcast features the audio from our meetup on how to get good sound, featuring multimedia photojournalist Ryan Jackson of Full Circle Visuals and podcaster and video editor Chris Sikkenga. We gathered at Variant Edition Comics and Culture in June to learn more about why sound is so important, how to control the room to improve the conditions for recording, how to work the microphone to avoid common errors, how to monitor your sound along the way, and what, if anything, you can do after the fact to fix it up if you mess up. The irony is not lost on me that the sound for this is not pristine, as it was recorded on a snowball mic on a table in a room with a lot of hard surfaces. And it occurred to me after re-listening to the recording that I still haven't mastered their advice for good microphone technique. It's not terrible, but there's room for improvement. Do as they say, not as I do.  This episode is also available in iTunes, on Google Play, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Be sure to follow Full Circle Visuals on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And please listen to, subscribe to and rate Chris's podcasts, Montreal Sauce and Film Frown. Thanks again to Variant Edition for technical assistance, the room and a door prize; to NeWest Press for another door prize; and to CafeRista for delicious treats. Our next meetup will be held at CafeRista (14213 103 Ave.) on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 1 pm. Save the date, and watch for details on the Edmonton Podcasting Meetup page. Here is some of the gear that Chris brought along for show and tell: Behringer XENYX 802 eight-channel compact audio mixer Rolls Pro switchable microphone mute/talk switch Shure SM58-LC vocal microphone Pyle Pro PHA40 four-channel stereo headphone amplifier Zoom H4nSP four-channel handy recorder A lot of that is next-level stuff. If you're just looking for gear to get started, previous podcast meetup guest Justin Jackson recommends this setup: Microphone: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Pop filter: "Find one that will work with your mic. This one is a good start." Headphones: Sennheiser HD 202 II Editing software: Garage Band (for Mac) and Audacity (for PC) This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Podcast Canvas, a tool to help businesses and organizations that want to start a podcast figure out who to reach, what to say, and how to make it happen. If you want to start a podcast, want to help your company start a podcast, or keep getting asked "How do I start a podcast?", visit podcastcanvas.com for a free planning tool and guide.  Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.  

Meet Jessica Cooreman and Katie Woodfine, the hardcore footy fans behind For Kicks, a podcast that follows the Canadian national women's team on the road to Rio, as well as women's soccer in general. I hope some day to love something as much as Katie and Jessica love soccer. Their passion for the game is infectious and so fun to listen to. And I was thrilled to hear in our conversation that even though the podcast was born to follow the team's progress towards the Olympics this August, they plan to keep their podcast going afterwards. The podcast comes out once a month, which means there's a lot to pack into every episode. They also have a very active For Kicks Tumblr, which provides quite a window into a community of fans and players that doesn't get much mainstream media attention. We talk about how Edmonton is a place that gets excited about women's soccer, thanks to the U-19 tournament where Christine Sinclair made her mark, the success of the Women's World Cup games that were played here, and homegrown talent such as Erin McLeod. Jessica and Katie made a ton of soccer-related recommendations: Alberta: Loyal Company of the River Valley The Young Gaffers Canada: Canada Soccer Experiment (@footyexperiment)  North America and International: The Mixxed Zone from Howler Women’s World Football Show 2 Drunk Fans Off The Post The Equalizer NWSL Team Podcasts: Houston Dash/Dynamo: Keeper Notes blog and Houston Soccer Podcast Washington Spirit: Follow Your Spirit Orlando Pride: Queen’s Cast Portland Thorns: Riveting! Chicago Red Stars: 5th Star You can — and should! — find For Kicks on Twitter (@forkickspodcast) and on Facebook. The podcast is on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud. This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a new member-supported home for local journalism created with the community and not just for it. You’ll hear me talk to Mack Male about the project in this show. If you’d like to help Mack and me create a new way to sustain how-and-why journalism in our city, join Taproot today. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.

Meet Marcia J. Hamm, the wine lover who explores her passion and makes educated but accessible recommendations on her blog, Joy of Wine. Marcia wasn't always into wine, but an encounter with a pinot gris made her want to learn more about it. As she started studying, her husband told her she should really start writing down what she was experiencing, and that's where her blog began. She has pursued a lot of wine education over the years, including earning her WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) certification and status as an Italian Wine Ambassador. But she strives to take the snobbery out of wine-tasting. She strongly feels that people shouldn't be made to feel stupid about wine, as you'll hear. Here are Marcia's recommendations: YEG Women in Wine, a non-profit organization focusing on female entrepreneurs in the beverages industry What the Truck?!, Edmonton's food truck extravaganza I Heart Edmonton, Emil Tiedemann's celebration of the city Marcia will be a judge at the 2016 Alberta Beverage Awards in Calgary in July, and you can also find her at Hicks Fine Wines in St. Albert. You can hire her, too, for home wine-tastings or corporate events. And she's on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This episode was one of several recorded at the Makerspace at the downtown Edmonton Public Library on 100in1Day. Watch for more conversations captured that day in the coming months. This week's Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Seven Music Fest, a day of great music in beautiful Seven Hills Park in the heart of St. Albert on July 9. The headliners are the Juno-award-winning Walk Off the Earth, and they're just one reason to check out the festival, as you'll hear in this episode. Get your tickets at sevenmusicfest.com. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.

Meet Matt Mercer-Slingsby, one of the hosts of Drink This Podcast, a celebration of pub culture that lets you eavesdrop on smart people talking about everything from restaurant life to Disney, over beers, of course. Drink This Podcast started as a review show four years ago, but that had some limitations, Matt says, and it got complicated when he got a job in the beer industry. So they shifted their focus to great conversations over tasty libations. Matt and his co-host Paul recently brought on Vancouver's Mia Steinberg as a third regular co-host after she blew their minds in a conversation about Star Wars. We talk about what she brings to the show, as well as lessons Matt has learned about equipment — "A $1,000 life lesson that I should have been able to learn for free," as he says. We also talk about the great theme song that a.i. wrote for the show. Listen to it after you listen to this. This episode is also available in iTunes, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher. Matt recommended the following Alberta-made podcasts: The Lip Talk The Strategists Highlevel Showdown What It Is 30 Minute Week You can find Drink This Podcast at drinkthispod.com and on iTunes, as well as on Facebook and on Twitter (@drinkthispod). Matt himself is @slingsbot on Twitter, and you can find out what he's drinking on Untappd. This episode was one of several recorded at the Makerspace at the downtown Edmonton Public Library on 100in1Day. Watch for more conversations captured that day in the coming months. This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a new member-supported home for local journalism created with the community and not just for it. If you'd like to help Mack Male and me create a new way to sustain how-and-why journalism in our city, join Taproot today. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.  

This week’s podcast features the audio from our meetup with Jeff Samsonow of the edmontonian media co. on the subject of how to ask good questions. Jeff first started asking questions in a professional capacity when he got into journalism in high school, which put him on a path that led him to radio and then Accessible Media. Along the way, he and his partner Sally Poulsen founded the edmontonian, a blog that gave many other bloggers and podcasters their start. Jeff now runs Capital Ideas in Edmonton and Calgary. You can hear his past interviews with local business owners about what they’ve learned along the way on the Capital Ideas Edmonton podcast. And be sure to check out Jeff and Sally’s latest production, The Underdogs of Comedy. The next meetup will take place at Variant Edition on June 19 at 1 pm. We’ll be talking about how to get good sound. Sign up here, and watch for details in the coming days. As you’ll hear in the podcast, I’m making some schedule changes to give myself more time to work on the podcast networkand Taproot Edmonton. The blog roundups and podcast roundups will now come out every two weeks, and starting next week, the podcast will come out every two weeks, too. The newsletter will likely follow the same schedule, though I will send an extra if I’ve got something important to tell you.

Meet Jess Holt, the wry wit and graphic designer by trade who offers a raw, insightful look at life as the mother of twins on Grace and Champ. Jess started the blog as a way to connect with adults after emerging from the first-year fog of somewhat unexpected parenthood, multiplied by 2. “I didn’t want it to be just about parenting, but it turns out that’s all I do,” she says. You don’t get tips from Jess, nor do you get a candy-coated celebration of the joys of motherhood. You get candour, which brings with it reassurance that raising kids is stressful and crazy-making, and all you can do is your best, which is good enough. We talk about shutting down unsolicited advice, the heebie-jeebieness of the term “mommy blogger,” and the feeling of being outnumbered, among other things.  Jess recommended these local blogs and podcasts: Raising Edmonton, Lori Godin’s compendium of things to do with your kids; The Momoirs, Hannah Hamilton’s unvarnished truth about parenting; The Undad, Trent Wilkie’s blog about raising one (and soon two) kids; I Have Some Notes, the new podcast from Colin MacIntyre and Gregg Beever on how to fix a bad movie. You can follow Grace and Champ on Twitter and on Facebook.  

Meet Alyssa Lau, the blogger who shares her unique and striking approach to style at Ordinary People, and the proprietor of New Classics Studios, an online shop for sustainable fashion.… More Episode 40: Alyssa Lau

Meet Nathan Terlesky, one half of the soccer-loving duo that chats about FC Edmonton and other football-related matters on the Loyal Company of the River Valley podcast.… More Episode 39: Nathan Terlesky

Meet Trent Wilkie, the writer, performer and blogger behind The Undad, where he tries to "make sense of being a father, a husband and a malcontent."… More Episode 38: Trent Wilkie

Meet Jeanshorts and Baggedmilk, two hockey fans who parlayed their passion for communicating about the game into paying jobs at OilersNation and the Nation Network.… More Episode 37: Jeanshorts and Baggedmilk

Meet Troy Pavlek, a close observer of civic affairs and the man behind Basket of YEGs and yegvotes.info.… More Episode 36: Troy Pavlek

Mayor Don Iveson discusses why he blogs, the good and bad of social media, and the changes happening in media in general.… More Episode 35: Don Iveson

Meet Paul Matwychuk, a writer, editor and film aficionado who compares and contrasts movies in the most erudite way on Trash, Art, and the Movies.… More Episode 34: Paul Matwychuk

Meet JP Fournier and Shawn Gramiak, aka The Movie Jerks, two comedians who make people love the movies they hate, or hate them more.… More Episode 33: The Movie Jerks