The first annual ShoutOut Live Festival was definitely live! Real talk, reckless talk, conscious talk, (some) political talk, banter and crowd participation. The festival had something for everyone, giving black and ethnic minority British podcasts and more established African-American podcasts centre stage.
I only started listening to podcasts at the end of 2016. ‘But podcasts are not new’, I hear you say. Yes, you’re right they aren’t new, podcasting has been around for years. I was lured into the podcasting world because I found relatable people sharing opinions and stories that I was interested in. Simple! As a so called ‘minority’ in the UK, finding discourse that resonates with me in the mainstream media is like trying to find plantain (my fave!) at Sainsbury’s. I can get bananas there, but I want plantains… Not that I’d ever look for plantains in Sainsbury’s (I get mine from a market) but you catch my drift!
Thank the Lord for Twitter (I love Twitter), this is where I stumbled across Melanin Millennials podcast and from that discovered many more.
When the ShoutOut Live Festival was announced I was excited and intrigued. I’d never been to a podcast festival before and didn’t know what to expect. There was something for everyone (from aged18+), with the main stage hosting more established podcasts and the ‘discovery stage’ hosting up and coming podcasts…so much choice!
I spent most of my time at the main stage, so unfortunately didn’t really get to see any of the podcasts on the discovery stage. The day was running a bit behind schedule so it was tricky keeping track of who was coming on when.
I arrived just in time to see The Friend Zone and Another Round podcasts.
Of course, things got a bit more reckless when the headline act entered – The Brilliant Idiots podcast, co-created by Andrew Schulz and Charlamagne (aka Lenard McKelvey) who is also co-host of the more widely known Breakfast Club radio show in New York.
Before going to the festival, a couple of people recommended Charlamagne’s book – Black Privilege. I was surprised because they are not Charlamgne fans, so I decided to put all preconceptions of what I thought the book would be like (if you watch the Breakfast Club, you’ll know what Charlamagne is like!) and bought it at the festival to read for myself!
My main regret on the day was that I missed the Mostly Lit (love that name!) podcast. Discussing their love of literature, pop culture and wellness, I quickly became a fan.
I was impressed with the first ShoutOut Live Festival and congrats to the organisers for bringing it to fruition. It just shows how far passion can take you, BUT sometimes passion needs money to sustain it. Next year’s festival is in the works and they are accepting donations. If you want to be part of this movement then, support, support, support!
Just in case you needed reminding, a few words from Jay-Z on why it’s important to support the brands that keep our voices at the heart of their ethos…
Ad+s Diaspora Blog:
Snippets of an African legacy
Twitter: @adsdiaspora
Instagram:@ads_diaspora
The Purpose Copywriter 
One thought on “ShoutOut Live Festival 2017! Podcasts on the rise”