Tag: Verdell Walker

Spotify’s Sound Up Program Seeks Aspiring Podcasters To Create Shows Geared Toward Kids and Families

March 8, 2022

Since 2018, Spotify’s Sound Up program has worked with underrepresented creators to help them develop their podcasting skills and grow audiences. To date, Sound Up has launched in 12 markets—including Japan, Italy, the U.S., U.S. LatinX, India, Mexico, Australia, Sweden, the U.K., Germany, Brazil, and Argentina—and has offered participants educational resources, technical support, and opportunities to build relationships with fellow podcasters. 

Along the way, Sound Up alumni have gone on to create award-winning shows while Dope Labs, FOGO, Search Engine Sex, and You Heard Me Write have all ranked on Spotify’s podcast charts. 

For its latest iteration, Sound Up will be working with 10 up-and-coming podcasters in the U.S. who create high-quality content geared toward kids, families, and co-listening experiences. With the U.S. population growing ever more diverse, family content from underrepresented creators is needed now more than ever. Sound Up is on a mission to discover and elevate those voices.

So what can you expect from Sound Up Us: Kids & Family 2022 edition? Check out these four fast facts:  

1. Up to 10 underrepresented creators will be part of the program for five months

Those selected for the program will go through a three-phase immersive experience where they will hone their storytelling, get more experience in audio production, and workshop their ideas around creating high-quality content for families. Along the way, they’ll receive support and guidance through in-person training and virtual workshops while also having access to all of the technology and tools needed to succeed. 

2. This is the first family-focused iteration of Sound Up

After launching a sports-focused program in the U.K. earlier this year, Sound Up is now turning its attention to families. Why? Simply put, co-listening is an increasingly great way for kids and their families to spend quality time together while enjoying content that is educational and entertaining. Sound Up wants to continue to support this trend by allowing underrepresented creators with fresh perspectives to deliver more content to listeners in this space.

“We are so excited to launch our very first genre-specific programs this year. We are always adapting the program to reflect the changes in the medium and with our focus internally on Kids & Family it just made sense to expand our curriculum,” said Natalie Tulloch, Global Lead of Sound Up at Spotify.

3. Creators will work with top professionals

Sound Up’s longtime partner and collaborator Rekha Murthy, an independent podcast strategist, along with Dawn J. Fraser, a professional storyteller and communications coach, will be facilitating this program, giving participants the chance to collaborate closely with some of the best in the industry. 

“Our hope is that we will be able to bring experts from the field of childhood development in conjunction with our amazing facilitators and podcast experts into the classroom to help participants tell stories that connect with their audience,” Natalie explained.  

4. Participants will create their own pilot episodes 

In order for participants to put what they’ve learned about the art and strategy of podcast creation and development to the test, they will create their own fiction or nonfiction pilot episode that accounts for kids’ intellectual and emotional well-being, and allows families to listen together.

Sound Up is accepting applications for this program now through April 8. On March 24 at 3 p.m. EST, Dawn, along with Spotify Head of Kids Audio Content Verdell Walker, will host a Q&A session on Spotify Greenroom to answer any questions applicants may have. For more on application requirements, be sure to click here.

For more information on Sound Up, and to check out the incredible podcasts that Sound Up alumni have created so far, check out the official Sound Up website.

Head of Kids Audio Content Verdell Walker Explains Spotify’s Partnership With CoComelon—and Introduces Four Exciting New Shows for Families

January 18, 2022

Image credit: Moonbug Entertainment

You’ve definitely heard of CoComelon if you have a toddler. (It’s the number one kids channel on YouTube, for those without kiddos.) CoComelon videos are filled with catchy songs and energetic, colorful stories featuring a kid named J.J. and his friends on various adventures—from show-and-tell to bedtime and beyond. Now, the brand is venturing into the audio medium as CoComelon comes together with Spotify in an exclusive multiyear agreement. 

Spotify will partner with CoComelon producer Moonbug Entertainment for a new podcast, CoComelon Story Time, as well as a mix of other original and exclusive “homegrown” shows. Bringing Moonbug Entertainment’s shows to Spotify provides an unparalleled opportunity for families to experience their favorite characters in a brand-new way. 

Image credit: Moonbug Entertainment

Since the launch of our stand-alone Spotify Kids app, Spotify has offered compelling and age-appropriate audio content for parents and their children. Through this new partnership, we’re releasing unique podcast content specifically created for families to enjoy together. An array of exciting stories will debut to parents within the Family and Kids Hub on the main Spotify app, as well as on the Spotify Kids app, exclusive to Spotify Premium Family subscribers.

As Head of Kids Audio Content at Spotify, Verdell Walker is responsible for establishing and managing the audio content that serves families. “We have a mission of being the number one audio platform in the world, and a big part of that is making sure that we have something for everyone,” she explained to For the Record. “No matter how old or young you are.”

Read on for more from our conversation.

Why is it so important for Spotify to create content that appeals to families?

There’s so much empty space in the world of spoken word audio for families. There’s a lot of kids music, yes, and audiobook versions of kids books, but there’s a dearth of high-quality audio content out there for parents to enjoy with their children. 

With homegrown shows for families, we have an opportunity to create a gold standard for audio that parents will turn to when it comes to playing podcasts with their children. We know that parents are often looking for ways to reduce screen time, so we want to elevate audio to a place where parents will think of it as an option alongside other forms of entertaining and educational media. 

There is so much flexibility in this audio experience in terms of stories, characters, formats, narrative structures—and we can really push the envelope when it comes to what spoken word audio can mean. It’s a happy medium between entertainment and education, and it’s a way to engage together.

How will working with CoComelon and Moonbug Entertainment help Spotify grow these content offerings? 

CoComelon is one of the most recognizable IPs on earth. This partnership with Moonbug allows us to leverage really beloved stories that delight families, and it also signals to the broader world, to parents, to creators, that we are serious in this space. We are working with recognizable brands and making a splash with names that parents recognize and trust. This partnership and these stories are a new way for new and existing CoComelon fans to interact with this brand in a creative way. 

Tell us a bit about the upcoming homegrown shows.

CoComelon Story Time, which is launching on January 24, includes 42 beloved storybook classics with a CoComelon twist. The stories teach positive life lessons and provide families with playful and educational content that they can enjoy together. It’s going to be available in four languages, including U.S. and U.K. English, Spanish, German, and Brazilian Portuguese.   

Gardenkeeper Gus, probably my favorite show in the slate, is launching on January 31. It’s designed for families with younger children, and it’s a quiet and contemplative preschool podcast that follows six-year-old Gus and his squirrel best friend, Rel, as they explore and understand the endless and larger-than-life garden behind his family home. 

100 Cinderellas, launching on February 14 and designed for families with younger children, is an anthology series of Cinderella stories from around the world and is suitable for bedtime. If you have children or know someone who has children, you know bedtime is a particular source of pain and frustration! We’re releasing this story in two different formats—one that is 30-minutes all the way through, and the other is in shorter parts so you can listen to it over a number of nights and choose which is best for your bedtime.  

Deep Blue Sea, launching on February 28, is a fun underwater adventure with two characters named Marina and Reef. Listeners will visit an underwater, oceanic laboratory, Sea Lab Alpha, with an impeccable view of sea life and get to learn about sharks, whales, and more. I’m excited for listeners to learn how to protect the ocean and be good stewards of the ocean.

What are some of your favorite stories from when you were a child? 

I loved the Redwall series. Catherine, Called Birdy. I was also into Masters of the Universe, particularly She-Ra. When I was a kid, I would run around the house with a toy sword announcing, “I have the power of the universe; I am She-Ra!” It was so empowering to me. I have watched every episode of the revival and it is incredible. When I got older I loved Totally Spies, Kim Possible . . . you can sense a trend—I love stories with powerful women. 

Can’t wait for new CoComelon spoken word audio content to come to Spotify? Catch the trailer below.

And in the meantime, get your fill with CoComelon songs, all in one place.