Get into a room with our team of journalists and editors, as well as featured guests and industry leaders to build crucial skills and a foundational network of colleagues and collaborators.
CanadaLabs 2024 events include:
CanadaLabs is supported by:
Fellowships Partner:
Lead Workshop Sponsor:
Exclusive Design Partner:
As with every show, story, and investigation that we publish, the success and sustainability of CanadaLabs relies on your generous support:
Thursday, Oct 17, 2024
Many journalists who have traditionally worked in print and broadcast are making the move to audio, embracing the opportunities that the medium offers – longform conversations with nuance, serialized storytelling, and communicating with intimacy and immediacy. Audio journalism has the possibility of telling stories and building community with audiences, without the reliance on the old gatekeepers.
Join us for an afternoon of insightful sessions featuring journalists who work on the vanguard of audio, demonstrating its power and possibility.
Co-presenters:
Thursday, October 17 2pm-6pm EST
376- 401 Richmond Street West Toronto, ON
Register to attend
Programming
Asking Questions and Getting Answers: The Art of the Audio Interview
2pm-2:45pm
Podcasts provide listeners with unparalleled access to, and intimacy with hosts and guests simply not afforded by any other medium. A good podcast host can bring listeners into a conversation, making a methodically designed interview feel effortless and natural.
In this session, some of the top audio interviewers share their tried and tested methods for getting great tape.
Moderator:
Rachel Pulfer, Journalists for Human Rights
Panelists:
Noor Azrieh, The Backbench
Jordan Heath-Rawlings, The Big Story
How To Keep Them Coming Back: Creating a Serialized Narrative
3pm-3:45 pm
There is nothing more satisfying for a listener than that feeling of finishing one episode of a serialized podcast and waiting with baited breath for the next one to drop on their feed. Ten years ago, Serial set the bar for how to tell a story over the course of weeks and months. In this session, learn from great journalists who picked up the torch and built their own playbook filled with tactics and techniques to weave a story filled with twists and turns that hooks an audience and leaves them wanting more.
Moderator:
Samantha Hodder, Bingeworthy
Panelists:
Katrina Onstad, Love, Janessa
Sam Mullins, Chameleon – Wild Boys
Arshy Mann, Commons
Premiere of CanadaLabs’ Local Correspondent Audio Contest Finalists
4pm-4:45pm
In spring of 2024, Canadaland opened up a call for journalists and audio makers from across the country to tell stories from their community. With a set of guiding rules, people were invited to create three minute short pieces that would tell interesting and surprising local stories in interesting and surprising ways. Submissions came in from across the country and eight finalists were selected and will have their story published on the CANADALAND podcast feed. Be the first to listen to the wonderful work of the finalists ahead of publication.
Informal Networking
4:45pm-6pm
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Space is limited, RSVP to secure your spot at The Promise of Audio
Part 1: Pitching Workshop: Fri. Nov. 1 @ 6pm – 7:30pm Eastern
Part 2: Podcast PitchFest: Thu. Nov. 14 @ 12pm – 5pm Eastern
Pandemic University and Canadaland have partnered on this two-part virtual event that gives audio journalists and producers, at all career levels, practical pitch training before selected applicants have an opportunity to pitch their projects and wow industry leaders
Like speed dating for audio journalists and producers, Podcast PitchFest puts you in a virtual room with more than a dozen podcasting industry leaders and gatekeepers — including representatives from This American Life, CBC, Wondery, Radiotopia, Frequency Podcast Network and more.
Selected applicants will be provided with a handbook containing specific interests, mandates, and submission guidelines from the participating shows and networks. Participants will also receive pitching training on Friday, November 1 (6pm – 7:30pm EST)* from Mia Lobel, veteran audio producer and the former VP of Content and Production at Pushkin Industries, who will teach you how to turn your idea or story into an effective, attention-grabbing podcast pitch that will make commissioning networks and shows take notice. Through industry analysis, personal anecdotes and case studies, Mia will provide concrete tips and tricks to help you turn your idea or story into an effective, attention-grabbing podcast pitch that will make commissioning editors take notice.
*Tickets for this workshop are available by donation to all members of the public, with proceeds going to support Audio Flux, a home for independent audio, new voices, and innovative ideas in podcasting. Click here to RSVP without applying for PitchFest.
Then, on Thursday, November 14 (12pm – 5pm EST), it’s pitch time! Selected applicants will rotate through breakout rooms with executive producers and network reps, each giving you 25 minutes to wow them with stories or to simply learn more about what they’re specifically looking for from future pitches. Participants will also take part in a guided “greenroom” conversation in between pitching sessions with industry experts.
Click here to learn more about eligibility, see the list of participants, and apply to pitch.
Podcast PitchFest is delivered in partnership with:
Wednesday, December 11, 2pm-6pm EST
There are over six million podcasts available on Spotify. It would seem nearly impossible to break through the noise and create something new that has a shot in hell of finding an audience and making any money. It isn’t!
Join the Canadaland team and a selection of industry leaders who will take stock of the current challenges and opportunities in podcasting, share their expertise, and demonstrate how they have managed to grow their audience, monetize their hard work, and create sustainable models for podcasting that you can emulate.
Lead Workshop Partner:
Wednesday, December 11, 2pm-6pm EST
376- 401 Richmond Street West Toronto, ON
Registration opens November 26 (FREE EVENT)
How to Make a Local Story Go Global
2:00pm-2:45pm
We Canadians are a humble lot. We have an incredible amount of talent and unbelievable stories to tell but we find it hard to believe that an audience beyond our borders would take notice. Exceedingly, Canadian made shows are becoming breakout hits that resonate globally – climbing to the top of the charts, garnering media attention and buzz, winning awards, and reaching big audiences. In this session, we study a number of recent Canadian made hits and learn how they broke out and how your show can too.
On the Therapist’s Couch – Podcast Edition
3:00pm-3:45pm
The doctor will see you now! Shreya Sharma (Tink Media) invites a series of podcast industry leaders to lie down on the therapist’s couch, offering them an opportunity to share their hopes, dreams, fears, and regrets. What are the podcast related traumas keeping them up at night? The (podcast) doctor is here to help. Get unfettered access to some of Canada’s brightest audio minds and a clear picture of emerging industry trends, issues, and opportunities.
How to Create a Sustainable Podcast Business
4:00pm-4:45pm
Over eleven years, Canadaland has done things differently – bucking legacy thinking and experimenting with new ideas, they have created a sustainable model for a Canadian podcast company and media business – one that is replicable. In this session, the Canadaland team will take the stage to give people a peak under the hood and spill their trade secrets. They will divulge how they built and sustain their 11,000 person base of supporters, how they think about sponsors and ad revenue, and how they have started diversifying their revenue stream by working with partners and foundations, building an online store, harnessing the power of online events, and growing their video presence on their own terms.
Full list of speakers to be announced and event registration opens November 26th
