Sold-out podcast festival brings top creators, buzz to Richmond

For the third year, Richmond will be home to the Resonate Podcast Festival, a now-international gathering of producers and audio gurus at VCU's Institute for Contemporary Art.

“Richmond is so awesome that it kind of catches people by surprise,” said Chioke I’Anson, Community Media Director at the ICA and the mind behind Resonate.

There will be two days of workshops, networking, and events centered around audio and podcasting this Friday and Saturday, with a half-day conference on Thursday called Student Podcast Day focusing on education and connection for students who want to move into audio storytelling.

Richmond isn't traditionally associated with podcasting, but is slowly gaining buzz through the event.

I’Anson said that they measure the growth of the festival in the speed with which tickets sell out; the first year, tickets were available until day of, last year, they sold out in three months, and this year, it took only six hours.

“That's a massive, kind of unheard of jump in popularity, and we're also hearing from every corner of the podcast industry about how special an event it is – it's been quite amazing to have worked on developing something that's been so well received,” said I’Anson.

I’Anson said that when picking presenters, he “does like his colleagues at the ICA” and works to curate a lineup of workshops, presenters, and experiences that further the goals of educating journalists and producers on how to build a compelling story and have it heard.

“It’s about telling a story that can help us experience empathy for other people, and that's the kind of radio and podcasting that I fell in love with," I'Anson said. "The skills of storytelling of that kind are the skills I think that journalists need."

Each year, one consistent face at Resonate has been the Association of Independents in Radio, AIR Media, a community of audio independents that has been closely involved with the festival since the beginning. Many of the presenters are AIR members, including Chioke. 

“Storytelling is very crucial, and audio is a great form of that," said Lynn Casper, Membership and Programs Director at AIR. "What better way to listen to a story, someone's personal story, than through a podcast or an audiobook, where it sounds like they're just telling that story right to you, right into your ear."

Casper also spoke to the benefits of Richmond as a destination location for the conference, rather than taking place in New York City or other known major hubs. People come from all around to Resonate, giving the festival a special buzz, while the smaller venue at the ICA brings an intimate feel.

“The fact that it is a smaller festival really makes it just more community based, and I think it's just nice to have that feeling like you're all in this together – you're all there to support each other,” said Casper.

Storytellers at Resonate will also see a live performance by Dennis Funk of Written in Air, network at the ICA Cafe and food trucks, and get screen printed merch from Studio Two Three as they take in the conference and the city.

“It's such a great opportunity because it's really the chance to just like – oh, you want that kind of job? There's someone who has that job, go talk to that person and see how they did it," Casper said. "And I think it's just a really great opportunity to network and just connect and form those connections with people."