My "Radio Race" Experience (and Lessons)


Last week, I was in middle of KCRW's Radio Race, a 24-hour audio production content very similar to The 48 Hour Film Project.
 
The task: Make a non-fiction radio story of 4-minutes or less within 24 hours.
 
This week, I'm sharing my experience with you.
 
I hope this episode is helpful to those who are curious about getting into narrative non-fiction podcasting as well as podcasters interested in getting better guests and telling better stories on their current podcasts.

Topics:

  • KCRW's Radio Race (and why I decided to enter...)
  • Working from a production brief
  • Jumping into podcast production
  • How to find a great story for your podcast
  • Podcast editing tricks from a standup comic
  • Why so many NPR-style shows have narration
  • What many NPR-style shows get wrong (in my opinion – don't hate me!)
  • Lessons from hosting hundreds of radio interviews
  • A 5'7" fashion model who is "Big in Japan" – REALLY!
  • How I used my dog to build guest rapport (twice)
  • Black man in a white neighborhood
  • White kid in a black neighborhood
  • The "just a DJ" curse (and how to break it)
  • Helpful podcast production advice from my "NPR Friend"
  • How I'd spend $1000 on a mobile recording rig
  • 32-bit Float – WTF?!
  • What Back to the Future has to do with recording great podcast audio
  • Counterfeit microphones (and how to make sure you don't get stuck with one)

Check out the episode!