Tag: podcast

In ‘Looking for Esther’ One Woman Searches for Answers to Her Past

April 25, 2022

the cover art for the podcast looking for esther

Esther Robertson wasn’t born an “Esther.” In fact, the Scottish woman had three different names before she was three years old. This is just one of the unusual circumstances surrounding Esther’s adoption—and readoption—in the 1960s. Now, in a new Spotify Original podcast, Looking for Esther, she’s ready to discover the truth about her past.

The idea for the series was born out of Spotify’s 2019 Sound Up program, in which Esther was a participant. During the intensive, weeklong U.K. program, Spotify provides education, mentorship, and support to train the next generation of underrepresented voices in podcasting. Esther used this time to polish the idea for her podcast, learn from other successful podcasters, and even acquire hands-on experience with the equipment that would help bring her voice to life.

Over the last two years, Esther and Gayle Anderson, the series writer, executive producer, and Esther’s partner, have been on a search for the answers that make up Esther’s past. What they found is detailed in the eight-episode series. “What a journey it’s been working with Esther Robertson on bringing her remarkable story to life,” shared Natalie Tulloch, Sound Up Global Lead. “Our longstanding Sound Up program is all about supporting underrepresented voices in podcasting—whether in front of or behind the mic. We are so excited that the world finally gets to listen to her remarkable story.”

For the Record had the opportunity to chat with Esther about her personal journey and the challenges she faced along the way.

What prompted you to embark on this journey to discover more about your past?

A cancer diagnosis in 2018. I was told that I had stage four ovarian cancer. It was a huge shock and it gave me time to reflect on my life. I found I had a few regrets and one of my biggest regrets was not finding my birth mother. I’d made a few attempts to trace her over the years, but every time I tried, it opened up another can of worms. I suppose I was too afraid to follow it through. But this time it was different. The way I see it is, if you can face up to cancer, you can face up to pretty much anything. I’m currently in remission, by the way, and loving life.

Considering how much time had elapsed since your adoption, what challenges did you face as you searched for answers?

I had a bag full of old social work notes that I’d been given when I was in my early twenties and pretty much nothing else. I didn’t even have any pictures of me as a baby and I still don’t. Gayle and I had to basically become private investigators to try to piece the jigsaw together. This was made even more challenging as a lot of it was done during COVID restrictions. We contacted the social work department, the Church of Scotland, the Moving Image Archive of the National Library of Scotland, and hundreds of other people and organisations. I reconnected, too, with my siblings, the Robertsons, and also my Uncle Eddie Lindenberg. They were all really helpful and were able to shed light on a lot of things—but not by any means everything. 

a school photo of esther robertson at the age of 11 or 12What made you want to document your story in a podcast format?

Because I feel that it’s a very powerful medium and this is a very powerful story. The immediacy of it would allow listeners to join me on my journey, share my happiness and my disappointments along the way. They’d get a sense of the urgency of this real-time search for my mum. I’m a huge podcast fan and listen to hundreds of them. I was working on an outline for a podcast series for my story when I happened to read a tweet about Sound Up U.K. in 2019. The rest, as they say, is history!

The series writer and executive producer is your partner, Gayle Anderson. What was it like working on this project with someone you’re so close with? 

I’m not going to lie, we both found it extremely challenging at times. We’ve been together over 13 years. Getting through the cancer diagnosis and treatment had made our relationship stronger, but we did need to draw on those reserves to get us through making the podcast series. To keep it real and demonstrate just how much stress we were under, we even use a phone conversation of one of our rows in an episode. I’d accidentally recorded and we just decided to put it in. We’re totally fine now, of course, and we have zero regrets about doing it. We’re both very, very proud of what we’ve managed to produce. 

What advice do you have for anyone else who’s been in a similar situation and feels they either don’t belong or have unknowns about their past?

My advice would be, don’t be afraid to face up to the truth. It’s better to know than not to know. A sense of identity is vital. Without it, life can feel so rootless, so transient. Be yourself and speak your truth. And remember, it’s never too late to begin your journey.  

If you could rewrite the adoption or foster care systems, what are some of the changes you would make to help kids today have easier access to their histories? 

Huge changes have already been made. We talk to social workers in the podcast to find out if what happened to me in Scotland in the early 1960s could happen now, and we’re pleased to report that it definitely couldn’t. There’s a whole system of checks and balances to ensure that everyone understands the child’s circumstances and identifies the right solution for them. If that’s adoption then that’s absolutely great, but prospective adopters now require a real understanding of the impact adoption might have on a child. The preparation prospective adopters go through is really thorough. These days, many adopted children also receive “later life letters.” These are written by social workers to a child who’s being adopted to help the child make sense of their past. But they’re kept and read later in the child’s life when they’re old enough to process it all. What a wonderful idea! 

esther robertson as a flower girlCan you tell us about your experience with the Sound Up program? What part of it did you find the most valuable?

It was a week of intense podcast boot camp—but I loved it. My cohort was full of creative, talented, and super supportive women. There was a real feeling of camaraderie. Hearing their personal stories and listening to their pitches was incredibly inspiring. 

Learning to pitch was invaluable. Things like, how to get your idea across clearly and concisely, how to make it stand out, and how to make it memorable. We received lots of advice on this from established podcasters such as Tolly T from The Receipts and Chantelle Miller from the Island Girls Rock Podcast. How to use the Zoom H5 recording equipment that was supplied was incredibly important too—we recorded all of Looking For Esther on it. I left the week exhausted but with renewed confidence and determination to make Looking For Esther happen.

Now that you’ve wrapped this podcast, what are you looking forward to working on next?

First of all, this has been super emotional so I’m planning a looooooong break. Gayle and I are off to Turkey for six whole weeks in early June. We can’t wait. I’m hoping that my next project could be to trace my birth father. All I know is that he was an African American Air Force man called Bob Hubbard who was based in Scotland in 1960-1961. I do a shout-out for information on the podcast and I’m hoping it leads somewhere. I still very much need to find out about my paternal heritage.

 

Join Esther on her journey by streaming the first episode of her podcast below:

Vulnerability, Sex, Parenthood, and Podcasting With Damon Young

April 19, 2022

Where to send your child to school, the existence of God, and accountability on the internet are big and complex enough topics to make your head spin. So on Stuck with Damon Young, the award-winning author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker ventures into the world of podcasting to grapple with these questions. He dives deep and candidly into each of these topics and more—and he does so with some of the brightest and Blackest people he knows.

The new Gimlet and Crooked Media podcast, which debuted in mid-March, features Damon Young himself in conversation with guests like writer Samantha Irby to discuss money, comedian Roy Wood Jr. to cover religion, author Jason Reynolds to understand sexuality, and journalist Nikole Hannah Jones to dive into education. In each conversation, the guests deconstruct and explore all of these topics, as well as their intersections with race and class—and how that makes for some unrealistic expectations around human behavior. 

For the Record had the opportunity to discuss some of this with Damon and even threw a new topic into the mix: the opportunities and struggles of podcasting for the award-winning writer. 

You cover sex, parenthood, religion, and performing Blackness—what would you say is the overlying theme of all these conversations?  

The umbrella theme of the series is etiquette. When we think of etiquette, we think of silver spoons and table manners, things of that nature. But it’s really more about expected behavior and expected experience. This show is about the collision of expectation, socialization, reality, and dreams. All of these expectations of behavior, all of these actual behaviors, and all of these aspirational behaviors: When they collide and collapse into each other, what happens to your brain? Does that affect your anxiety? Does that create neuroses? For me, the answer for all of those is: definitely. The show is a very granular, even esoteric, look into topics that so many Black people are grappling with.

What’s one of the subjects listeners get to work through with you?

The sex episode features Saida Grundy, a friend of mine and professor at Boston University, and Jason Reynolds, the LeBron James of children’s books. I wanted to talk about sex with them and the anxieties that Black people bring to it. And it’s a very hetero episode—I want to make that clear, because there are many different ways to have sex, but I wanted to speak from my experience. 

And so we talked about some of those intra-racial anxieties and how, when you’re Black and male, there’s what people call a “positive stereotype” of virility—that we as Black men are aware of. And so I have this expectation to perform in a certain way too. And that can create neuroses within you even though it’s supposed to be a positive stereotype. 

That idea of the hyper-hetero, hyper-virile straight Black man, even if you recognize, “hey this is bullsh*t, this is a racist stereotype that has permeated our cultural understandings of sex and of gender and race,” or whatever, even if you have all the knowledge, education, progressive politics, it can still affect you. We have this shield we bring there, and this armor, and that armor is considered swag. It’s considered cool. But it’s still armor. Even if that’s all you see, it was still something that was constructed to protect us, to protect ourselves from the world. 

Vulnerability is a theme that is coming up in your stories, and Black men are not often given space to be vulnerable. Do you see podcasting as a medium that can expand or allow for more of those opportunities? 

What I’ve tried to do with the podcast is bring as many elements from my writing as I possibly can, and my writing does that. In my writing, particularly in the last five or six years, I’ve been very intentional with exploring all of these anxieties and neuroses and vulnerabilities. And I’ve been trying to do it with humor, trying to do it with some observational rigor. Maybe trying to tell a larger story about America, about white supremacy, about Black people, about Pittsburgh, about whatever—but that’s been a very consistent element of my writing and so there’s no other way I’d do a podcast. 

How are you enjoying the podcasting experience? What are you learning from it? 

Podcasting is not aspirational for me. Writing is my thing. I always passed on podcasts because I wanted to have a level of control. And one of the many challenges with podcasting is not necessarily the lack of control, it’s just that I don’t have as much control speaking out loud as I do when I write.

When I’m writing, sometimes words just come immediately. And I can always figure out the perfect analogy or perfect phrase, or perfect adverb, or whatever. And sometimes, speaking out loud, it takes a little bit longer. But one of the benefits of this medium is that it has expanded my writing. There are certain distinctions in the writing you do that is meant to be read, and the writing that is meant to be heard. So I’m still learning, I’m still rewriting, I’m still editing, and just being able to hear the voices in my head when I speak them out loud to myself will help me with my essay writing and my book writing too.

What are you hoping fans walk away with? 

I’m a fan of so many of the authors who are working and writing today, and I just want to create things that hit people and that f*%k up your brain, the same way some of the books that I read f*%ked up my brain in a good way. Or, “Whoa, I didn’t realize you could write a sentence like that.” And I have some of those writers—some of my favorite writers—on the show. And so again, I want to bring some of those elements to my podcast to maybe have the same effect on people.

Look out for new episodes of Stuck with Damon Young every Tuesday. This week, tune in for “Stuck on All the Shiny Sh*t I Want to Buy,” where Damon unpacks the whiplash of new money with Samantha Irby and Mehrsa Baradaran.

Spotify estrena ‘Drag Love,’ el podcast de cultura pop y vivencias LGBTQI+

April 6, 2022

Spotify celebra a todos y todas las artistas animándolos a expresarse en el ámbito que más aman, disfrutan e identifican.

Es por esto, que Spotify se enorgullece de presentar el nuevo podcast original Drag Love, dedicado a brindar un abanico completo sobre temáticas de cultura pop y vivencias LGBTQI+. Además sus hosts, Dyhzy, Fabrii Watson, y Lady Nada, analizarán la actualidad pop con una mezcla de humor, risa y diversión. 

Crear un personaje, vivir la fantasía e informar

Todo esto es Drag Love podcast. Es un espacio de encuentro para hablar sobre el movimiento LGBTQI+ en la región y dar voz a una serie de artistas, personalidades, y personajes que no aparecen en los principales medios de comunicación. Por su parte, Spotify busca que la comunidad drag queen pueda hacer ruido y dar a conocer su presencia en la sociedad en general.

Sin dudas, las hosts semanalmente brindarán una cuota de mucho humor, concientización, y noticias aseguradas.

Sus hosts, las más destacadas drag queens

Drag Love llega de la mano de tres estrellas de la cultura Drag Queen. Por un lado, Dyhzy “Drag Queen del cosmos”, como se define, Dj y diseñadora gráfica, que desde 2019 participa activamente con sus sets y performances en la movida nocturna de Buenos Aires.  Tani, como también es apodada, es una destacada activista en la lucha por los derechos de la comunidad LGBTQ+.

Por su parte, todos los oyentes también tendrán el agrado de contar con la presencia de Lady Nada, performer destacada de la noche porteña que supo abrir sus propios espacios para seguir creciendo como artista gracias a su trabajo en redes sociales en donde supo expandirse y lograr conquistar corazones de todo el mundo. Sin dudas, uno de sus programas más exitosos es Montante Darling en el cual hace vivir a sus invitados la fantasía de ser unas estrellas con todos los detalles: desde tacos hasta el último rulo de una peluca.

Y por último llega ella, Fabrii Watson, famosa en la escena excéntrica que recorre las noches de Buenos Aires, Fabrii es una de las drag queens locales más conocidas y aclamadas por sus looks originales, talento, y buena onda. Desde chica, Fabrii supo que el arte y el show eran lo suyo, por lo que poco a poco fue desarrollando sus habilidades en maquillaje, actuación, baile, peinado, y todo lo que hoy la caracteriza como una gran performer en el mundo drag.

Hablamos con Lady Nada sobre el estreno 

Le preguntamos qué encontrará de nuevo el público fan de la cultura drag queen en este podcast y Lady Nada resalta, “Primero que nada, a las drags más icónicas del país en un espacio que todavía no se había conquistado. Segundo, mucho delirio, información y, por sobretodo, love.”

Además, sobre qué esperan de este podcast, Lady Nada destaca, “Realmente pensamos que es algo super revolucionario y muy positivo para la comunidad, además de que hace mucho tiempo teníamos ganas de encabezar un proyecto como este, ni hablar de que lo mejor de todo es que somos amigas, por ende, imaginense la cantidad de chismes que vamos a largar”, y agrega acerca de mitos y desinformación sobre su cultura, “estamos para romper con todo y que nos vean como lo que somos, no solo drags sino que también somos modelos, cantantes y actrices, y ahora hosts.”

Para conocer más sobre este gran mundo, Dyhzy, Fabrii Watson y Lady Nad, te invitan a escuchar el primer podcast de habla hispana conducido por Drag Queens en Drag Love, solo en Spotify.

 

A áudiossérie Batman Despertar está pronta para voar mundo à fora no maior lançamento simultâneo do Spotify

April 5, 2022

Sempre que o cavaleiro das trevas retorna para limpar as impurezas do submundo de Gotham, a adrenalina é inevitável. É possível que você tenha esperado ansiosamente pela chegada de Batman Unburied (Batman Despertar, em Português), a próxima série de áudio do Spotify criada em parceria com a Warner Bros. e a DC. Para a sorte dos ouvintes, a espera está próxima do fim: Batman Despertar estreia simultaneamente em nove países, no dia 3 de maio. É isso mesmo! Junto com a versão original em Inglês, adaptações de Batman Unburied também chegarão em Português, Francês, Alemão, Hindi, Indonésio, Italiano, Japonês e Espanhol. Agora que o trailer em Inglês já está no Spotify, quem quiser espiar, pode conferir abaixo.

A estreia global de Batman Unburied vem logo após o lançamento do Spotify Os Últimos Dias de Maradona, em novembro, que estreou simultaneamente em seis mercados; e também da recente adaptação da áudiossérie chilena Caso 63 para Brasil, Índia e Estados Unidos. Batman Unburied segue o exemplo; desenvolvida e produzida pela Warner Bros; elencos e equipes de produção totalmente localizados garantirão que essa história realmente ganhe vida para os fãs de todo o mundo. Ele estreia como nosso maior lançamento simultâneo até hoje.

“Com o lançamento global de Batman Unburied, estamos empolgados em trazer a franquia icônica e o legado de Batman para nossas centenas de milhões de ouvintes em todo o mundo”, disse Dawn Ostroff, Diretora de Conteúdo e Publicidade no Spotify. “Por meio da nossa extraordinária parceria com a Warner Bros. e a DC, temos a oportunidade única de inaugurar uma nova era dos mundialmente amados Super-Heróis da DC pelo mundo do áudio, dublado por elencos de estrelas. O poder dos podcasts nunca foi tão evidente quanto com a obra-prima da paisagem sonora arrepiante de David Goyer, que conta a história transcendente do primeiro e único Bruce Wayne.”

Escrita pelo Produtor Executivo e roteirista de Batman Begins David S. Goyer, Batman Unburied nos leva a uma nova jornada nas profundezas da mente de Bruce Wayne, apresentando uma série de reviravoltas sombrias com vários super-vilões clássicos do Batman. Trabalhando como um patologista forense nas entranhas do Hospital de Gotham, o super-herói não deve apenas enfrentar seus próprios demônios mentais, mas superá-los para salvar os cidadãos de Gotham.

“David Goyer, esse elenco incrível e toda a equipe de Batman Despertar criaram uma experiência de Batman que estende o meio narrativo do podcast a novos níveis, juntamente com suas expectativas sobre o quão imersiva e convincente uma história do Batman pode ser”, disse Peter Girardi, Vice-Presidente Executivo, Programação Alternativa, Warner Bros. Animation. “Eu não poderia ter pedido uma maneira melhor de iniciar nossa parceria criativa com o Spotify.”

A nova série reúne um elenco poderoso. A versão em inglês de Batman Unburied apresenta Winston Duke como Bruce Wayne, cercado por um elenco de primeira linha que inclui Hasan Minhaj como The Riddler, Gina Rodriguez como Barbara Gordon, Jason Isaacs como Alfred e Lance Reddick como Thomas Wayne. 

Mas as adaptações globais de Batman Unburied conseguiram elencos próprios. E para o papel de Batman, eles trouxeram alguns dos melhores talentos internacionais. Esses atores incluem Rocco Pitanga (Brasil), Dali Benssalah (França), Murathan Muslu (Alemanha), Amit Sadh (Índia), Ario Bayu (Indonésia), Claudio Santamaria (Itália), Ryohei Otani (Japão) e Alfonso Herrera (México). O elenco para a adaptação em Português Batman Despertar ainda não está confirmado. 

Ainda não sabe o que fazer enquanto o Bat-Sinal não é acionado em 3 de maio? Que tal começar com este quiz para descobrir o quanto você conhece o elenco americano de Batman Unburied!?

La audio serie ‘Batman Desenterrado’ está listo para tomar vuelo alrededor del mundo en el lanzamiento simultáneo global más grande de Spotify

April 5, 2022

Cada vez que el Caballero Oscuro vuelve a limpiar los sórdidos rincones de Ciudad Gótica la emoción está garantizada. Los fans han estado esperando ansiosamente la llegada de ‘Batman Desenterrado’ (Batman Unburied), la nueva serie de audio de Spotify creada en colaboración con Warner Bros. y DC. 

Por suerte para los oyentes, la espera está a punto de terminar: ‘Batman Desenterrado‘ se estrena simultáneamente en nueve mercados mundiales el 3 de mayo. Así es, junto con el guión original en inglés, ocho adaptaciones de ‘Batman Desenterrado’ llegarán también en español, Portugués, francés, alemán, hindi, indonesio, italiano, japonés y portugues- Y ahora que el tráiler de Estados Unidos está en Spotify, los que quieran echar un vistazo pueden hacerlo a continuación.

Este próximo lanzamiento global de ‘Batman Desenterrado’ se produce después de que Spotify estreno en noviembre ‘Los Últimos Días de Maradona’ que se lanzó simultáneamente con seis adaptaciones, y de la reciente adaptación del chileno ‘Caso 63’ para Brasil, India y Estados Unidos. ‘Batman Desenterrado’ sigue el mismo camino y se cementa como el lanzamiento simultáneo global más grande de Spotify, hasta la fecha. Desarrollada y producida por Warner Bros., los elencos y equipos de producción totalmente localizados garantizan que los guiones adaptados, elaborados específicamente para reflejar las distintas culturas e idiomas sin dejar de ser fieles a la historia principal, darán vida a ‘Batman Desenterrado’ para los fans de todo el mundo.

‘Con el lanzamiento global de Batman Desenterrado estamos entusiasmados por llevar la icónica franquicia y el legado de Batman a nuestros cientos de millones de oyentes en todo el mundo’, dijo Dawn Ostroff, Directora de Negocios de Contenido y Publicidad. ‘A través de nuestra extraordinaria asociación con Warner Bros. y DC, tenemos la oportunidad única de inaugurar una nueva era de los universalmente queridos superhéroes de DC a través del mundo del audio, con la voz de un elenco de estrellas. El poder de los podcasts nunca ha sido más evidente que con la escalofriante obra maestra de paisaje sonoro de David Goyer que cuenta la trascendental historia de Bruce Wayne (Bruno Diaz)’.

Escrita por el productor ejecutivo y guionista de Batman Inicia, David S. Goyer, ‘Batman Desenterrado’ nos lleva a un nuevo viaje por las profundidades de la mente de Bruno Diaz, introduciendo una serie de oscuros giros con varios supervillanos clásicos de Batman. Trabajando como patólogo forense en las entrañas del Hospital de Gotham, el superhéroe no sólo debe enfrentarse a sus propios demonios mentales, sino superarlos para salvar a los ciudadanos de Ciudad Gótica.

“David Goyer, este increíble reparto y todo el equipo de Batman Unburied han creado una experiencia de Batman que lleva el medio del podcast narrativo a nuevos niveles junto con tus expectativas sobre lo inmersiva y convincente que puede ser una historia de Batman”, dijo Peter Girardi, Vicepresidente Ejecutivo de Programación Alternativa de Warner Bros. Animation. “No podría haber pedido una mejor manera de iniciar nuestra asociación creativa con Spotify”.

La nueva audio serie tendrá mucho poder estelar. La versión estadounidense de ‘Batman Unburied’ cuenta con Winston Duke como Bruce Wayne, rodeado de un reparto de primera línea que incluye a Hasan Minhaj como El Acertijo, Gina Rodríguez como Barbara Gordon, Jason Isaacs como Alfred y Lance Reddick como Thomas Wayne. 

Pero las adaptaciones globales de Batman Desenterrado también cuentan con repartos propios muy bien logrados. Y para el papel de Batman, han traído a algunos de los mejores talentos internacionales. Entre estos actores se encuentran Alfonso Herrera (México), Rocco Pitanga (Brasil), Dali Benssalah (Francia), Murathan Muslu (Alemania), Amit Sadh (India), Ario Bayu (Indonesia), Claudio Santamaria (Italia), y Ryohei Otani (Japón).

¿Todavía no sabes qué harás hasta que se emita la Bati-señal el 3 de mayo? Te recomendamos que empieces con este test y descubras hasta qué punto conoces el reparto estadounidense de Batman Desenterrado.

La série audio ‘Batman Autopsie’ prête à embarquer le monde entier

April 5, 2022

À chaque apparition de la chauve-souris pour nettoyer les bas-fonds de Gotham, l’excitation est inévitable. Les fans l’ont attendu avec impatience, Batman Autopsie, la prochaine série audio de Spotify créée en partenariat avec Warner Bros. et DC fera bientôt son apparition: elle sera diffusé simultanément dans neuf pays dès le 3 mai. En effet, outre le scénario original en anglais, huit adaptations de Batman Autopsie seront également disponibles en portugais, français, allemand, hindi, indonésien, italien, japonais et espagnol. Et dès à présent, la bande-annonce française est disponible pour ceux qui veulent un premier aperçu de la série audio tant attendue.

Le lancement mondial de Batman Autopsie fait suite à la sortie en novembre dernier de la série Les Derniers jours de Maradona, lancée simultanément sur six marchés, et à la récente adaptation de la série chilienne Caso 63 pour le Brésil, l’Inde et les États-Unis. Batman Autopsie fait de même ; développé et produit par Warner Bros, les équipes de production et les acteurs entièrement localisés garantissent que les scénarios adaptés, spécialement conçus pour refléter les différentes cultures et langues tout en restant fidèles à l’histoire principale, donneront vie à Batman Autopsie pour les fans du monde entier.

“Avec le lancement mondial de Batman Unburied, nous sommes ravis de faire découvrir la franchise emblématique et l’héritage de Batman à nos centaines de millions d’auditeurs dans le monde“, a déclaré Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content & Advertising Business Officer au sein de Spotify. “Grâce à notre partenariat extraordinaire avec Warner Bros. et DC Comics, nous avons l’occasion unique d’inaugurer une nouvelle ère des super-héros DC Comics universellement appréciés par le biais du monde de l’audio, avec des voix de stars. Le pouvoir des podcasts n’a jamais été aussi évident qu’avec le chef-d’œuvre sonore de David Goyer, qui raconte l’histoire transcendante du seul et unique Bruce Wayne.“

Écrit par le producteur exécutif et scénariste de Batman Begins, David S. Goyer, Batman Autopsie nous emmène dans un nouveau voyage au cœur de l’esprit de Bruce Wayne, introduisant une foule de rebondissements sombres avec un certain nombre de super-vilains classiques de Batman. Travaillant comme médecin légiste dans les entrailles de l’hôpital de Gotham, le super héros doit non seulement faire face à ses propres démons mentaux, mais aussi les surmonter afin de sauver les citoyens de Gotham. 

“Avec David Goyer, ce casting incroyable et toute l’équipe de Batman Autopsie ont créé une expérience Batman qui pousse le podcast narratif vers de nouveaux sommets, tout comme vos attentes quant à la façon dont une histoire de Batman peut être immersive et fascinante”, a déclaré Peter Girardi, vice-président exécutif de la programmation alternative de Warner Bros. Animation. “Je n’aurais pas pu rêver d’une meilleure façon de donner le coup d’envoi de notre partenariat créatif avec Spotify.”

La nouvelle série compte également sur de nombreux acteurs de premier-plan pour incarner cette nouvelle itération. La version américaine de Batman Unburied met en scène Winston Duke dans le rôle de Bruce Wayne, entouré d’un casting phénoménale comprenant Hasan Minhaj dans le rôle du Riddler, Gina Rodriguez dans celui de Barbara Gordon, Jason Isaacs dans celui d’Alfred et Lance Reddick dans celui de Thomas Wayne. 

Mais les adaptations mondiales de Batman Unburied ont elles aussi des castings accomplis. Et pour le rôle de Batman, elles ont fait appel à certains des meilleurs talents internationaux. Ces acteurs sont Rocco Pitanga (Brésil), Dali Benssalah (France), Murathan Muslu (Allemagne), Amit Sadh (Inde), Ario Bayu (Indonésie), Claudio Santamaria (Italie), Ryohei Otani (Japon) et Alfonso Herrera (Mexique).

Vous ne savez toujours pas ce que vous allez faire de vous-même jusqu’à ce que le Bat-Signal soit lancé le 3 mai ? Nous vous recommandons de commencer par ce quiz et de découvrir à quel point vous connaissez le casting américain de Batman Unburied.

The ‘Batman Unburied’ Audio Series Is Ready To Take Flight Across the World in Spotify’s Largest Simultaneous Launch

April 5, 2022

Anytime the Dark Knight returns to clean out the seedy Gotham underworld, excitement is bound to follow. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Batman Unburied, the upcoming Spotify audio series created in partnership with Warner Bros. and DC. Luckily for listeners, the wait is nearly over: Batman Unburied will premiere simultaneously in nine global markets May 3. That’s right—along with the original English-language script, eight adaptations of Batman Unburied will also land in Portuguese, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. And now that the U.S. trailer is out on Spotify, those wanting a sneak peek can check it out below. 

The upcoming global launch of Batman Unburied comes on the heels of Spotify’s November release of The Last Days of Maradona, which simultaneously launched in six markets, and the recent adaptations of Chile’s Caso 63 for Brazil, India, and the United States. Developed and produced by Warner Bros., Batman Unburied follows suit; the fully localized casts and production teams ensure that the adapted scripts, specifically crafted to reflect the different cultures and languages while remaining true to the core story, will bring Batman Unburied to life for fans across the globe. It will debut as our largest simultaneous launch to date. 

“With the global launch of Batman Unburied, we are excited to bring the iconic franchise and the legacy of Batman to our hundreds of millions of listeners around the world,” said Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content & Advertising Business Officer. “Through our extraordinary partnership with Warner Bros. and DC, we have the unique opportunity to usher in a new era of the universally beloved DC Super Heroes through the world of audio, voiced by all-star casts. The power of podcasts has never been more evident than it is with David Goyer’s spine-chilling soundscape masterpiece that tells the transcendent story of the one and only Bruce Wayne.”

Written by Executive Producer and Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer, Batman Unburied takes us on a new journey deep into the mind of Bruce Wayne, introducing a slew of dark twists and turns with a number of classic Batman super villains. Working as a forensic pathologist in the bowels of Gotham Hospital, the superhero must not only face his own mental demons, but also overcome them in order to save the citizens of Gotham. 

 “David Goyer, this amazing cast, and the entire Batman Unburied team have created a Batman experience that stretches the narrative podcast medium to new levels along with your expectations on how immersive and compelling a Batman story can be,” said Peter Girardi, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Warner Bros. Animation. “I could not have asked for a better way to kick off our creative partnership with Spotify.”

The new series will have plenty of star power. The U.S. version of Batman Unburied features Winston Duke as Bruce Wayne surrounded by an A-list cast that includes Hasan Minhaj as the Riddler, Gina Rodriguez as Barbara Gordon, Jason Isaacs as Alfred, and Lance Reddick as Thomas Wayne. 

But the global adaptations of Batman Unburied have accomplished casts of their own. And for the role of Batman, they’ve brought in some of the best international talent around. These actors include Rocco Pitanga (Brazil), Dali Benssalah (France), Murathan Muslu (Germany), Amit Sadh (India), Ario Bayu (Indonesia), Claudio Santamaria (Italy), Ryohei Otani (Japan), and Alfonso Herrera (Mexico).

Still not sure what you’ll do with yourself until the Bat-Signal is cast May 3? We recommend starting with this quiz and finding out how well you know the U.S. cast of Batman Unburied.

Hosts of True Crime Podcast ‘And That’s Why We Drink’ Are Partnering With Parcast for New Occult Variety Show ‘Rituals’

March 29, 2022

Ghost stories, true crime reporting, and boxed wine recommendations are the pillars of Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz’s podcast And That’s Why We Drink. In each episode, Christine reports on unsolved crimes and murder mysteries while cohost Em covers all things paranormal. But since the podcast’s launch in 2017, the pair has wanted to dive deeper into the themes that exist beyond the physical realm. Now they’re doing just that with their new Spotify Original podcast, Rituals.

Produced in partnership with Parcast, Rituals will explore topics like witchcraft, sorcery, alchemy, satanism, spiritualism, and the occult. Christine and Em will separate fact from fiction as they take listeners on a tour through the dark arts and share stories about people who have first-hand experience bridging the gap between our world and the realms beyond it. 

“I’ve loved reporting on this type of content during the few times I have on And That’s Why We Drink. However, I feel like my brand on ATWWD is primarily centered on hauntings, and that’s kept me from letting myself really look into more spiritual topics,” Em told For the Record. “With Rituals, I’ve been having so much fun discussing new cases that I’ve always hesitated to cover before now.” 

This occult variety show will give fans of And That’s Why We Drink more opportunities to bond with Em and Christine as new episodes release each Monday. To celebrate the podcast’s launch, For the Record asked the dynamic duo more about what listeners can expect from their new project. 

How can your fans who love And That’s Why We Drink expect this new podcast to be similar? Different?

Christine: Fans of ATWWD will get the same banter they’ve grown to love (or at the very least, tolerate), plus the same brand of spooky topics. But having the Parcast research team behind us is a game changer; they are experts at what they do and dig up so much incredible info, allowing us to focus on the fun part—sharing the story with you all, and each other! 

Em: The main difference is that we cover less of the true crime cases and focus more on the occult and spiritual topics. Some people at Spotify joked that Rituals is the “occult variety show” and that definitely feels on target.

Why is podcasting a good medium for these kinds of stories? 

Christine: At the core, we are storytellers. ATWWD grew out of our love of sharing spooky stories over wine late into the night. We just added a microphone! 

Em: We’ve been told over and over that people who listen to our podcast feel like they’re just “catching up with friends.” I think our way of storytelling has made people feel comfortable to learn about darker topics without any pressure, because for them it feels like a laid-back conversation amongst pals.

On the surface, true crime and comedy seem like an unlikely pairing. Why do you think the mix works so well for your podcasts?

Christine: We have always made it a priority to entertain our audience, but never at the expense of the victims. We try to sprinkle in some humor to help us cope with how dark these topics can get. 

Em: We have always tried to keep the levity away from the actual stories and more on ourselves. It’s always been important to us to keep things in perspective and remember that the content we cover is often the worst parts of someone’s life. The comedy element is never about their cases, and we try to poke as much fun at ourselves as we can.

What is your favorite topic you cover in the podcast? 

Christine: My favorite topic so far has been tarot. I learned so much and have a whole new appreciation for the art of it. I have even pulled out my own decks and have begun dabbling myself! 

Em: I loved reporting on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I love the history of spiritualism and always knew the author was a big part of the movement, but I never totally knew where he fit in. It was a bonus to find out that he and I are both members of the same parapsychological organizations!

Ready to start learning about healing waters, love potions, and tarot decks? Listen to the first episode of Rituals here.  

 

Spotify Celebrates 10 Years in Germany

March 11, 2022

It’s been 10 years since Spotify first launched in Germany, and what a decade it’s been. In that time, German listeners have streamed music on Spotify more than 450 billion times. There have been plenty of local picks available for fans, too, as more than 150,000 German-language artists are on the platform.

But music isn’t the only reason Germans flock to Spotify. Podcasts are very popular in this market, with more than 70,000 German-language pods on Spotify. And here’s a fun fact: from January 2017 to December 2021, German listeners streamed 1.3 billion hours of podcasts on our platform. 

“Being able to listen to your favorite music anytime, anywhere, and completely legally was one of the main objectives when Spotify was founded in 2006. Between the launch in March 2012 and February 2022, listeners in Germany streamed 310 million personalized playlists, thus creating their own personal audio moments,” shared Michael Krause, General Manager Europe at Spotify. “All in all, we are pleased with the positive growth of Spotify in the German market to date and also look forward to continuing to shape the future of audio with innovations and content.”

To celebrate the decade, we’re taking a look back at some of the major moments the German market has experienced.

Tune in to these highlights for listeners

  • September 2013: We launched Spotify Connect, allowing listeners to stream across multiple devices like their TV, gaming console, or speakers.
  • September 2014: Spotify Premium Family became available for family members living under the same roof.
  • July 2015: The first personalized playlist called Your Mix of the Week debuted.
  • December 2015: Spotify started sharing its annual Wrapped review of the top lists of the most successful artists, songs, and albums worldwide while also giving users insights into their very individual listening behavior.
  • May 2016: Fest & Flauschig, the first-ever worldwide Spotify podcast, launched.
  • October 2019: Daily Drive, the first playlist to combine podcasts and music, became available for listeners. 
  • November 2021: The Lyrics feature, which displays in-app song lyrics, rolled out for listeners.

Showing support for German creators

It’s a priority for Spotify to work with emerging talent and amplify their music and podcasts to reach new audiences. Sound Up, Spotify’s podcast education program for underrepresented creators, was launched in Germany in 2019. RADAR, Spotify’s emerging artist program debuted in 2020, and EQUAL, Spotify’s program to foster equity for women in the music and audio space, got its start in 2021.

Ten years of top songs, podcasts, and trends

  • The most-streamed song was “Roller” by Apache 207, followed by Tones And I’s “Dance Monkey” and The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.” 
  • Hip-hop held a solid place in listeners’ earbuds as CRO was the most-streamed artist in 2012, and Bonez MC claimed the top artist spot in 2021.
  • In 2018, Fest & Flauschig, the first Spotify Exclusive podcast, took the spot of the most-streamed podcast globally.
  • In Berlin, listeners streamed a particularly high volume of music in 2021. The capital city ranked first among German cities where the most music was streamed on Spotify last year. 
  • On December 24, 2021, a new record was set: it was the day the most music was streamed on Spotify in Germany since 2012.
  • Favorite genres didn’t change much over the years; pop music was the most popular genre in 2012 and it remained so in 2021.
  • Podcasts are as popular as ever: more than half of the 18- to 24-year-olds in Germany regularly stream podcasts. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, the figure is over 40%.

 

To learn more about this decade of streaming decadence, grab your party hat and head on over to Spotify Germany’s 10th Anniversary website.

‘Sounds Like A Cult’ Podcast Gets Its Own Fervent Following as It Rises in the Charts

February 24, 2022

With more than 3.2 million podcasts on Spotify, it’s impossible for listeners to know every show that drops. Fortunately for fans, our Podcast Editorial team is here to help. They follow the trends, listen to new episodes, and determine what shows should be recommended to Spotify users across a variety of genres. By highlighting different shows and topics—such as true crime—the team gives podcast creators a way to build new audiences while helping listeners discover a new binge.

So when Sounds Like A Cult was placed in the coveted spot on Spotify’s main podcast page, it was thus propelled into the earbuds of new listeners.

Cohosted by Isa Medina and Amanda Montell, Sounds Like A Cult offers a humorous take on the true crime genre as each episode examines modern-day “cults.” From cheerleading to astrology, they analyze what it is about the topics, people, and companies that results in such a loyal fanbase. And it seems that the creators struck a chord with listeners because their show soon made its way onto Spotify’s Top 50 charts and even ranked in the top 10 in the Comedy category. 

Fans have been craving more from Isa and Amanda, so Spotify worked with the duo to create a new curated playlist called The “Cults” We All Follow. The collection features some of their favorite episodes across a variety of podcasts, giving listeners who love Sounds Like A Cult new shows to check out. For the Record recently spoke with the hosts to learn more.

What gave you the idea for this podcast?

The podcast initially stemmed from Amanda’s book Cultish. There were so many fascinating “cults” from pop culture and the zeitgeist that didn’t make it into the book, and we wanted to explore them in a fun and conversational, but still insightful, way. We were inspired by the juicy-meets-bantery format of “cult-followed” podcasts like My Favorite Murder and Be There In Five, so Isa’s hilarity combined with Amanda’s nerdiness felt like the perfect way to cover the “cults” we all follow!

When it comes to the people and things who are at the center of these “cult” groups, are there any shared characteristics or qualities that lend themselves to this level of fan worship?

You can’t earnestly compare the “cults” of Trader Joe’s (which happens to be our favorite cult that we’ve covered) and The Bachelor franchise to flat earthers and multilevel marketing schemers, but that’s why we have our three cult categories—Live Your Life, Watch Your Back, and Get the F*ck Out—which we use to classify the “cult” of the week at the end of every episode. 

As a broad generalization, though, what these different groups offer is the promise of belonging, ritual, and meaning, which are fundamental human drives that a lot of us find ourselves sorely lacking during this turbulent time in history. Some groups mostly deliver on their promises, but some become powerful by way of deception and exploitation. We genuinely hope these conversations make people feel better equipped to engage in life’s “cultiness” the healthy way. That’s why our sign-off at the end of every episode says, “Stay culty . . . but not too culty!”

How has working with Spotify helped you broaden your audience reach?

Spotify is the perfect platform for us. The core Spotify listener seems savvy and curious, and that’s exactly the type of listener who vibes with our show. We would not be where we are today without Spotify’s support. Almost 90% of our listenership comes from Spotify.

How was having your podcast featured on Spotify’s “True Crime Scene” section on the main podcast page impactful?

The Spotify true crime feature was vital for us. True crime fans are always thirsting for new pods, but it’s becoming harder to find ones that add something new to the mix—not to mention, in these tough cultural times, we don’t always want to listen to a pod that’s going to make us feel worse! We basically made this show for Spotify’s true crime listener demo, and Spotify’s audiences really trust their playlists, so getting that exposure was like lightning in a bottle for us.

After the Spotify feature, we saw a significant uptick in streams and shares on social media. Appearing in this section seems to have caused a word-of-mouth snowball effect, and we’re so grateful for it.

What are some ways you’ve seen success with the podcast? 

Sounds Like A Cult wound up on Spotify’s Top 50 charts (and Top 10 in the Comedy category), and after gaining some traction, we were able to sign with the podcast network All Things Comedy to receive production help and actually start earning revenue from the pod! Up until a couple weeks ago, we just made the whole thing on our own in our bedrooms for free. We’ve also seen a flood of new followers engaging with us on social media. Our listeners are so engaged, constantly messaging us and recommending episode topics.

You recently announced that the podcast is moving to a weekly format. What factored into the decision to release episodes more frequently?

The least we can do for our supportive listeners (or “culties,” as we call them) is to use these new resources to deliver the show weekly! Our team agrees it’s also just better for the growth of the podcast not to have long mid-season breaks. Consistency is everything.

Can you tell us about the curated playlist you made for Spotify? What podcasts made the list?

We wanted to curate a diverse mix of episodes from shows that you might not think of as “cult” podcasts but that comment on the cultiness and scaminess in various corners of everyday life in a smart, entertaining way.

 

All you “culties” out there, are you ready for more? Check out what shows made it onto Isa and Amanda’s The “Cults” We All Follow playlist.

 

Catch Up on the Festival di Sanremo With Camihawke and Alice Venturi on the ‘Tutte le Volte Che’ Podcast

January 31, 2022

Italy’s Festival di Sanremo is an annual music competition where artists perform new songs in the native country’s language. The show, which takes place at the famous Ariston Theater, is broadcast live on television and the winners are determined both by votes from a jury and by guests watching and voting from home.

This year, whether you’re a fan watching the performances in Liguria or tuning in from the comfort of your living room, you can find plenty of Sanremo-related podcasts and music on Spotify. Listeners can explore songs through playlists like Sanremo 2022 and Sanremo: La Storia on Spotify’s Sanremo Hub, and they can sing along to their favorite hits with the Lyrics feature on the app.

Fans looking to dive deeper into the festival can check out Tutte le Volte Che, the popular Spotify Studios podcast cohosted by Italian influencers Camilla Boniardi and Alice Venturi. For their weekly show, where they chat about their personal experiences, they will release six special episodes focused on the Festival di Sanremo. In these episodes, the two have fun recounting and sharing their opinions on this year’s performances.

For the Record caught up with Camilla and Alice to learn more about their special edition episodes and why the festival is so important to them.

The Festival di Sanremo is a pretty significant event for you two. Isn’t that where you first met?

Alice: We met in Sanremo in 2017 while we were both working with the same brand, in the same place, and with the same agency. But we had never met before! The job consisted of leading daily livestreaming from the brand’s spot in Sanremo.

A member of the staff introduced us and asked us to test making a livestream video together. The result was unexpected: We felt like we had known each other for forever, despite just meeting. A director of an Italian radio show saw us interacting and, just one year later, we started a new adventure as radio hosts together!

Why did you decide to create special podcast episodes dedicated to Sanremo? 

Camilla: Our podcast, Tutte le Volte Che, aims to share real chats between 30-year-old friends sharing their point of view about everything happening—from serious to entertaining topics. And we couldn’t miss Sanremo! Festival di Sanremo is known as the most important music event in Italy and for a week, it’s the talk of the town! Everybody talks about Sanremo, especially the morning after each show. So, in this special edition of our podcast, we are going to talk about what’s happening during this festival but also share some gems from the past.

What is your favorite part of Sanremo?

Camilla: My favorite part of the show, besides the music performances, is the artists’ “grand entrance.” I don’t know why but I always hope one of the artists slides down the stairway, obviously without getting hurt. It would be a very fun moment!

Alice: I obviously love the music performances but also everything about Sanremo. Every year, I spend all of my “Sanremo week” watching artist interviews, sound checks, and I can’t resist following the festival’s bizarre moments, like “police chases in the night” (i.e., “the Orietta Berti situation” in 2020). Sanremo always has some big surprises!

Can you share a past winner (or winners) of Sanremo that you are big fans of?

Camilla: “Come Saprei” by Giorgia in 1995. Everybody knows that song by heart—even today. That’s why I think it was very deserving of the win.

Alice: Totally agree with Cami. But my favorite edition ever is the 2001 one, when Elisa won with “Luce” and Giorgia got second with “Di sole e d’azzurro.”

 

The festival starts tomorrow and the first special edition episode of Tutte le Volte Che is available now. Give it a listen.

 

‘The Big Hit Show’ Podcast Analyzes What Makes Something Pop in Pop Culture

January 12, 2022

What makes something a cultural phenomenon? Is it the people involved or the topics covered? Or does it just have to have that special je ne sais quoi? The Big Hit Show, a new podcast from Spotify and Higher Ground—President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s media company—is setting out to examine the rise and enduring power of global sensations. 

This new podcast looks at a moment where a title made it big across mediums—film, music, TV, internet culture, and video games. Each topic gets its own “chapter,” with each chapter spread out over five episodes. “The shows and films and albums we explore have all been chosen not just because they’re massive pieces of popular culture. We’ve picked them because each has had a profound butterfly effect on our culture,” said host Alex Pappademas. 

The first chapter of the podcast will highlight Twilight, the four-book teenage vampire series that became a global phenomenon and eventually inspired a movie franchise. To understand fans’ love for the saga, just look at Spotify, where listeners have made more than 1.3 million Twilight-themed music playlists. The movies’ soundtracks have also seen quite a bit of play time, from Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole – Twilight Soundtrack Version” (almost 310 million streams) to “Bella’s Lullaby” (almost 18 million streams). 

Now, nearly two decades after the first book’s release and 13 years since the first movie premiered, The Big Hit Show will explore this unlikely success story as well as the power of teenaged girls and the rise of fan fiction.

In the second chapter, which debuts in February, Alex will explore the musical styles of American rapper Kendrick Lamar—and specifically, the effects of his album To Pimp A Butterfly. The music that won Kendrick a 2016 Grammy for Best Rap Album was born out of his grappling with personal tragedy and the world around him. Since 2015, the album has seen more than 1.5 billion streams on Spotify, and every year it has remained in the top 1,000 of the most streamed albums on the platform.

“Whether we’re tracing how an author’s vivid dream about a sparkly vampire led to an entirely new fan culture or how a megastar reckoning with success, expectation, and survivor’s guilt crafted a masterpiece that became the soundtrack to the biggest protest movement in a generation, listeners will know from chapter to chapter they’re getting a high-stakes narrative that explains how our culture has been influenced and shaped by these creations,” explained Alex.

After dissecting Twilight and To Pimp A Butterfly, the show will continue its deep dive into pop-culture phenomenons. Follow the podcast to find out which topic it will cover next.

Athletic Greens is the premier sponsor of season one of The Big Hit Show. Dive into the first chapter on the Twilight phenomenon, below.