After another fun weekend of podcasting activities and networking, the third annual RESONATE Podcast Festival has come to a close and the RESONATE Pitch Party winner has been declared!
This year’s festival sold out in record time. It was held from Oct. 25-26 at the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU with a full schedule of workshops from skilled producers, a special live podcast performance and the opportunity to get private pitch feedback from industry veterans.
The festival culminated on Saturday, Oct. 26 with the RESONATE Pitch Party sponsored by VPM. Helena De Groot was named the winner and will receive $10,000 from VPM to create a pilot episode of her podcast, “Creation Myth.”
De Groot was one of three finalists who presented live pitches of their respective podcast ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience following a national call for submissions. The pitch party, sponsored by VPM, brought together established and aspiring podcasters to pitch their best idea for a chance to receive funding to produce a pilot episode of their show.
"Creation Myth" is a story about De Groot’s decision not to have children, despite intense pressure from her husband, friends and even strangers. Listen to the full trailer here.
The two other finalists at this year’s pitch party were “Beyond the Radio” from Anna Rubanova and Adam Bozarth, and “The Haunting of Nokomis” from Julie Censullo.
VPM has been a sponsor of RESONATE and the pitch party since its inception in 2021. At the heart of the partnership is VPM’s belief in the power of community storytelling and the ability to provide access to resources to help tell those stories. This was also reflected when the VPM + ICA Community Media Center opened its doors for the first time in 2021. The media center, a production studio and workspace that offers media education to the public for free, was created to address issues of access and the barriers diverse voices often face as they try to tell and promote their stories.
