The Podcast Academy will work to elevate awareness for podcasts as a major media category and to provide knowledge and business relationships within the industry. The group will serve independent podcasters and industry professionals. In pursuit of those goals, it will recognize achievements in the field with an annual awards program called The Golden Mics. It will also offer resources such as webinars, whitepapers, networking events, and a searchable directory of members. The group was officially announced during Podcast Movement.
Founding members of the Academy include several familiar and noteworthy names from the audio industry. They are:
- Donald Albright of Tenderfoot TV
- Erik Diehn of Stitcher
- Anya Grundman of NPR
- Kerri Hoffman of PRX
- Courtney Holt of Spotify
- Hernan Lopez of Wondery
- Christy Mirabal of Sony Music
- Rekha Murthy, independent
- Lauren Spohrer of Criminal
- Alia Tavakolian of Spoke Media
The Podcast Academy plans to begin accepting applications for membership in the spring. Interested parties can sign up for updates on the organization’s website.