London, UK, Tuesday 22nd August – UK production company Broccoli today announces the launch of the BUILD Grant, an incubation programme which will provide a grant of £1,000 GBP each to five selected applicants looking to grow their podcasting careers. Applications can be submitted at www.broccoli.productions/build from 10am (BST) on 22nd August 2023 until 23.59 (BST) on 21st September 2023. The BUILD Grant is open to UK and international applicants.
The Grant celebrates Broccoli’s e-learning subscription platform, BUILD, available on Patreon, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. BUILD is an expansive programme of over 40 podcast masterclasses delivered by experts in their field.
BUILD offers five channels of lessons to subscribers across Marketing, Business, Personal Development, Storytelling and Production. Its experts range from VOX and Today Explained’s Sound Engineers and Financial Times’ audio critic to the business coaches of top podcast hosts and a lawyer who specialises in protecting IP.
With a focus on hands-off creative development, the BUILD Grant will offer individuals the opportunity to expand their skills or attempt projects that would otherwise be unfeasible. Grant categories are paired to the five BUILD pillars: Marketing, Business, Personal Development, Storytelling and Production.
Applicants can submit their proposals by detailing the project they would create with the assistance of the BUILD Grant and how they would allocate the BUILD Grant funds. Grant applications will be shortlisted after a first-round review by Broccoli. The shortlisted applications will then be evaluated by the following expert representing each category: Arielle Nissenblatt (Marketing), Megan Tan (Production), Danielle Desir Corbett (Personal Development), Twila Dang (Business) and Eleanor McDowall (Storytelling).
Successful applicants will be notified in January 2024. In addition to the £1,000 GBP BUILD Grant which must be used for their proposed project, they will receive a 12-month subscription to the BUILD e-learning subscription platform and an hour session with a guest expert to offer guidance.
As the barrier to entry and gatekeeping of information continues to grow in the audio industry, Broccoli has created BUILD and the BUILD Grant to help the next generation of podcasters.
Renay Richardson, Founder and CEO of Broccoli Productions, says: “We are excited to launch the BUILD Grant to underscore the value we put on education and building up nascent talent within our industry. That’s why BUILD was developed in the first place – to create an accessible and affordable platform of masterclasses by established experts working within the creative industries to develop aspiring professionals skillsets.”
Visit www.broccoli.productions/build to find out more about the BUILD Grant
About Broccoli Productions
Committed to expanding accessibility across the podcast industry, Broccoli Productions was founded in 2018. Headquartered in London, England, it was found in direct response to the lack of opportunities for minority talent within the podcast industry. Broccoli launched an industry-renowned Audio Equality Pact which challenged the industry to address social issues that feed into BP’s strategic overview which was signed by over 300 major players BBC and commercial.
About Renay Richardson, Founder and CEO of Broccoli Productions
Renay Richardson is CEO of Broccoli Productions. Richardson founded Broccoli in 2018 in response to the lack of opportunities for minority talent both in front and behind the mic. A year later the Company formed a joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment focused on the development and distribution of original programming. Under her leadership, Broccoli has produced a slate of bold, creative and inclusive shows, including several acclaimed series like Anthems and Human Resources. Richardson is also the creator of the Equality in Audio Pact, an initiative that has had more than 400 companies commit to fostering a more equitable audio industry.
Talia Augustidis, BUILD grant spokesperson and Broccoli Producer
Talia Augustidis is a multi-award-winning audio producer and community organiser. She is the producer on Broccoli’s Anthems and BUILD podcast. Her work has featured as part of festivals from Florence to Reykjavik to New York. Talia also runs popular monthly audio events in London with In The Dark. Last year she built an extensive audio industry resource list and she currently writes a monthly newsletter, All Hear, in collaboration with Transom.
Bea Duncan, BUILD grant spokesperson and Broccoli Sr. Producer
Bea is an award-winning producer and sound designer. She is the Senior Producer at Broccoli and was involved the inception of their BUILD e-learning subscription. Bea is the lead producer on podcasts such as Anthems, In Touch and Zombiemum, as well as the host of Money 101. She has been named one of the “most innovative and exciting podcast industry professionals” by PodPod. She is also the founder of The Entry Level Audio Network, a community founded to provide support, resources and advice for new producers entering the audio industry.
