Logan Schultz estimates there are more than 400 active podcasts currently being produced in the state of Iowa. His company, Upload Media Group, is launching the Iowa Podcast Awards, a full-day event that aims to “celebrate and unify” the podcasters of Iowa.
“This idea of utilizing an event to connect a community that’s not connected yet is really interesting to me,” said Mr. Schultz, founder and CEO of Upload Media Group. “This is a really exciting medium and industry that people want to get into, and the barrier to entry is fairly low but the potential is very high. Finding a way to congregate and connect all those people, in a way that elevates everybody, is exciting to us.”
The inaugural event will take place on Sunday, Sep. 15 at various locations throughout the New Bohemia District in Cedar Rapids. It will present live podcasts at CSPS, workshops for new and experienced podcasters, and networking events before concluding with the awards show at The Olympic South Side Theater, 1202 3rd St. SE.
Tickets for the Iowa Podcast Awards are on sale now and submissions are open to active podcasts for award consideration. Submissions for Show Recognition Awards and Talent Recognition Awards cost $25. Honor Awards are free to submit. Submission will be accepted through mid-July, though an exact date has not yet been set.
Winners will be chosen through a committee. Mr. Schultz clarified that Upload Media Group will not be influencing the outcome of the awards, as they would also like to submit podcasts for consideration.
“We will be building a committee who will be judging different categories, and we want to make this a really diverse committee that represents not just the diversity of listeners and Iowans, but also a diversity of experts,” he said.
Mr. Schultz calls the day-long event a “mini conference,” as it will encompass more than just an awards ceremony.
“This is really designed not just for current podcasters and celebrating them, but we also want this to be an entry point for aspiring podcasters,” he said. “We plan on holding workshops on how to get your show started and we want to create these networking events where you can connect with people who are already doing it so that you can learn directly from them and build that network. I hope that we sell a good amount of tickets to people who want to get started in this and we can create something that is of value to them as well. Even if they’re not winning an award that year, maybe they’ll win one next year. That’s a dream for me.”
The podcast industry is currently booming. Listen Notes, a podcast search engine and database, estimates there are more than 3 million active podcasts globally.
To Mr. Schultz, the question of what will sustain the interest of listeners in this relatively new medium is one of quality.
“I think that if this medium ends up being long-term and successful, it will be because we find a way to drive the quality to the top,” he said. “I do think that’s one of the things that the Podcast Awards has the potential to do. Help elevate creators and showcase the best of what we have to offer … I think people are still trying to figure out what the limits are to podcasting. Once we figure that out we can ask: ‘How do we continue to innovate?’”
Mr. Schultz said more information about the event will be announced in the summer, including the official list of nominees and the lineup of live podcasts to be recorded at the event.
Information about tickets, award submissions, rules, and more can all be found at IowaPodcastAwards.com.
Upload Media Group produces the CBJ’s podcasts. The CBJ is a sponsor of the Iowa Podcast Awards.
