Awards like the iHeartPodcast Awards, the Ambie Awards, and the Signal Awards aim to spotlight the cream of the crop in the podcast industry. However, amid aspirations of recognition and prestige, there’s a creeping sense of apprehension that these awards could merely be a profit-making venture. One such voice comes from Jason Hoch, a podcast creator and business-minded innovator, who found himself in a rather surreal moment when actor Joe Manganiello, known for his role in ‘True Blood’ compared his fellow podcasters to canine snacks while standing on the stage of the sophisticated Moody Theater, located in Austin.
Manganiello, in what was seen as a peculiar event, appeared on stage holding a seemingly uneasy Chihuahua named Bubbles at the iHeartPodcast Awards. One might have wondered about the relevance of his pet, but his obscure comparison of podcast hosts to Bubbles’ liking for blueberries and focaccia was the key to his presentation during the best ensemble award. Manganiello, in his analogy, made the point that just as a single or a pair of treats might be sufficient, the harmony and effectiveness of multiple podcast hosts could yield tremendous results.
Not everyone would consider Manganiello’s words a high-form of flattery, but for Jason Hoch, it hit the right notes, even if the compliment wasn’t as sophisticated as Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. One of his projects, a thrilling true-crime series named ‘Three,’ was on the nomination list for two top honors: the best crime podcast and the coveted podcast of the year. It is not lost on Jason that in the podcast business, winning or even getting nominated for such awards can provide substantial credibility and put a spotlight on good work.
Living in Atlanta, Hoch had personally financed his trip to Austin, Texas, for the iHeartPodcast Awards. These awards, hosted by iHeartMedia, are seen as a festivity that honors ‘the most innovative and influential voices and creators in podcasting.’ For Hoch, who operates independently, it offered an extraordinary opportunity for recognition among his industry peers and a venue to network with potential collaborators.
The iHeartPodcast Awards, important as they were, just represented one of many events noted down on Hoch’s yearly agenda. Throughout the last twelve months, he, in association with his production team, had endeavored to send their exemplary work to seven different awards panels. A significant portion of Hoch’s annual budget is allocated to participating in these awards, which requires payment for every category entered.
The financial burden of attending and participating in these awards could pile up rather quickly. Hoch discloses that his yearly expenditure on awards applications, excluding additional travel and accommodation costs, tends to hover between $2,000 and $3,000. To put it into perspective, this amount is almost equivalent to the cost of booking a podcast recording studio for up to 15 hours, or even employing a designer to construct the cover art for a new podcast series.
His trip to Austin, for instance, didn’t come cheap, costing him approximately $1,200 in cash and travel reward points. It’s henceforth clear to see why the commercialization of these awards has invited some skepticism, over and above the notion of recognition and celebration of talent.
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