MWGblog

I’m off to Duke University this week for Podcast Academy #5. I’m looking forward to catching up with some podcast stars who’ll be there as instructors including Tim Bourquin, Greg Cangialosi, Kris Smith, Noah Bonnett and Steve Fisher.

Oh, and for all those attending, we are going to set you with a GigaVox Audio Lite private alpha account to play with.

I am using this post to test a new blog feature. While we are at it. If you haven’t already, check out this link for information about Podcast Academy #5 at Duke University.

The new feature? Click the image at the top of this blog post to see if it works in your browser. (Site needs to be loaded in your browser for it to work.) Even fancier? Try clicking this link.

Podcast Academy 5 has just been announced and registration is open. It will take place February 14-15, 2007 at the Duke University campus in Durham, NC. This is your chance to attend a Podcast Academy™ on the East Coast. The focus is a good mix of academic and enthusiast topics. Speakers scheduled to present include, Tim Bourquin, Greg Cangialosi, Noah Bonnett, Kris Smith and many others. [Full schedule.]

Find out all the details at Duke’s Podcast Academy page.

I am often asked to recount the story behind the original 50th Anniversary Disneyland Podcast. Those who have heard the story know it sounds like a game of telephone. “A guy (Mike Spataro) called a guy ( Greg Cangialosi) who called a guy (K. Todd Storch) who called a guy (Me).” Here is an interview that my friend Greg Cangialosi (guy #2) conducted with Mike Spataro (guy #1) for his new podcast, ROI Radio. For the record, Mike is the unsung hero of the Disneyland Podcast, he brought the opportunity to us.

BTW, Greg did a great presentation at our most recent Podcast Academy. His presentation, which he mentions in the interview, will be available for free on the Podcast Academy channel in the near future. [Link]

If you are a Disney fan, here are the photos from the May kick off event and the July 50th Anniversary.

At both the Podcast Academy and the Podcast Expo, we have been showing people The Levelator. We promised it would be available by Saturday and I am pleased to report that slightly after midnight it went live. Those of you who have seen it and asked about availability it is here. If you don’t know about what it is, or what it does, follow the link; Doug Kaye has done a good job of explaining why podcasters are so excited about The Levelator. Did I mention it is free? [Link]

As those who are listening to the podcast content we feature on the GIgaVox Media Network know, we have been fortunate to have some great sponsors jump aboard quickly. What is particularly pleasing to me is that both companies that are sponsoring the series on the Podcast Academy channel are companies that I have been doing business with since I started podcasting. My first digital recorder was a Marantz PMD 670 (I now own three Marantz units) and I have bought all my audio processing gear from BSW. It is nice to see that they both recognize the potential in the podcast marketplace.

I updated the Speaking engagements page earlier this week. Late September / early October is going to be busy. Lots of exciting GigaVox stuff happening and, in addition to the Podcast Academy and Portable Media Expo presentations, I have been asked to address the Public Television DTV Symposium in Iowa in early October. (Quite an impressive list of sponsors.)

Craig Syverson from gruntmedia put together a great promo video for our upcoming Podcast Academy. We have worked hard to make this the best Academy yet with instructors including including Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Denise Howell, Craig Syverson and others. There is still some space left if you want to learn all about corporate uses, podcast consulting and video podcasting. See you there. [link]

I posted an interview with Larry Gerbrandt, Senior Vice President of Nielsen Analytics on the Behind The Mic series on the Podcast Academy channel. If you follow podcasting you might find his explanation and analysis of the data they gathered interesting. The study attracted some attention when it was first released regarding the numbers published in the press release.

Podcast Academy 4 has just been announced and registration is open. It will take place in association with the Podcast and Portable Media Expo on Thursday Sept. 28th, 2006. (The day before the start of the Expo.) The line up this time is geared towards podcasting and video for the corporate/commercial user and podcast pros and consultants. Come and learn from the experts who have done podcast projects for companies such as Disney, MTV, Verizon and Pontiac as well as those involved in the exploding video podcast world including MacBreak, PodGrunt, 88SLIDE and French Maid TV.

The current registration is discounted and prior Academies have sold out, so sign up now. Find out all the details at – Podcast Academy #4.

(Paul, we expect you as our first registered attendee.)