All Ears: Celebrating and Elevating the Audio Medium

For podcasters, aspiring podcasters, and podcast lovers.

All Ears is the first podcast festival of its kind in Nepal, curated to celebrate all things audio.

The festival brings together a host of international and Nepali podcasters who have used the audio medium to carve space for often-overlooked stories, experiences and perspectives, all the while creating an intimate relationship with their listeners through their voice and their innovative storytelling.

The festival will also offer podcasters expert advice and tools to build communities and ecosystems necessary to creating podcasts that are informative, innovative, listener-focused, and consistent.

Check out our fantastic sessions  and don’t forget to sign up for updates ! 

All sessions are free to attend.

If you are a company/institution/organization interested in collaboration or partnerships opportunity, write to us at info@bojubajai.org.

19:00 - 20:00: Molly Webster from Radiolab in conversation with Boju Bajai

Time: 19:00 – 20:00 (NPT)   Virtual Event

Can you be a fan of podcasts and not love Radiolab?

Calling all podcasters and podcast lovers to join us as we kickoff the festival with Molly Webster from Radiolab.

Molly Webster, senior correspondent at Radiolab, an award-winning podcast and radio show in the US, is joining Boju Bajai to talk about her career as a journalist working for the audio medium. Molly Webster has investigated everything from international surrogacy to metamorphosis.

Register for this special event.

Molly Webster

10:00 – 10:45: Pushing for Space with Nandar, a feminist podcaster and activist

Time: 10:00 – 10:45 (NPT)   Virtual Event

Nandar is a feminist activist  from Myanmar and is of Nepali ethnicity. Nandar uses her podcast, Feminist Talks, to challenge harmful social norms and to initiate conversations around social justice and women’s rights. But, how difficult is it to push for space and create space for conversations that are either ignored or dismissed in the public sphere? We talk to Nandar about her podcast, her feminism, and her activism. 

In this session, you will learn how to –

  • Use podcast as a medium for activism
  • Use the medium to push for space and create visibility
  • Create communities online around feminist concerns

 

About the Speaker:

Nandar:
Nandar is the host of Feminist Talks podcast. Nandar has also translated Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s works, We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele into Burmese. In 2020, she was featured in the BBC 100 Women list.

12:00 - 13:15: How to build a business around podcasts and meaningful audience engagement with Carl Javier, CEO of PumaPodcast

Time: 12:00 – 13:15 (NPT)   Virtual Event

The success of PumaPodcast, an award-winning podcasting and non-music audio production team in the Philippines, is based on putting the audience and audio first. The CEO of PumaPodcast, Carl Javier, will share how they have been able to create and sustain a business that values and prioritises meaningful audience engagement.

In this session, you will learn how to –

  • Deepen audience engagement
  • Deliver audience-centred content
  • Build a business around audio

 

About the Speaker:

Carl Javier :
Carl is the CEO of PumaPodcast, an award-winning podcasting and non-music audio production team in the Philippines. Over a two decade career, he has written or contributed work in broadsheets, magazines, online publications, TV,  film, comics, and as of the last couple of years, podcasts. Some of Carl’s professional personas from the past include: Creative Director for a social enterprise, Deputy Director for Marketing for a University Press, Creative Writing professor, co-founder of an independent publishing house, co-owner of a book store dedicated to Filipino literature and arts, Managing Editor of an award-winning comic book imprint, and bartender.

13:30 - 14:30: How to connect with the Nepali Diaspora with Sangkalpa Gurung from Hamro Yatra

Time: 13:30 – 14:30 (NPT)  Virtual Event

Sangkalpa Gurung, the host of the beloved podcast Hamro Yatra, shares her insights on  connecting and engaging with the Nepali diaspora through the audio medium.

In this session, you will learn how to –

  • Create meaningful engagement with the diaspora
  • Facilitate connectivity along the lines of identity 
  • Build a community of listeners who share similar ambitions and challenges

 

About the Speaker:

Sangkalpa Gurung :
Sangkalpa Gurung was born in Brunei and grew up in Kathmandu. She is the creator and host of Hamro Yatra – a podcast that connects with the Nepali diaspora. Having lived in many countries herself over the years, Sangkalpa uses her experience to engage with her guests and uses the platform to elevate Nepali stories and experiences.

15:30 - 16:45: Networking Session with podcasters: How to build communities online?

Time: 15:30 – 16:45 (NPT)  Virtual Event

Meet fellow Nepali podcasters, and learn how they’ve been building communities through their podcasts. This session will also be an opportunity for podcasters and aspiring podcasters to connect with each other.

17:15 - 18:15: How to build a social enterprise through podcasting with Lorina Sthapit from Aji’s Podcast

Time: Time: 17:15 – 18:15 (NPT)  Virtual Event

 

Aji’s Podcast documents the inspiring and extraordinary stories and legacy of our elders. Each episode features an elder’s extraordinary life story and personal journey that can inspire the younger generation. Podcasts are recorded in Nepali, Nepal Bhasa, and English languages. Aji’s Podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, TuneIn, and Stitcher.

In this session, learn how to – 

  • Build a brand around audio
  • Create connections and communities around the podcast
  • Build a social enterprise that shares the values of your podcast

 

About the Speaker:

Lorina Sthapit:

Lorina is the cofounder of Aji’s, a social enterprise that empowers the elders to live healthy and happy lives and the host of Aji’s Podcast that documents the extraordinary and inspiring stories of our elders. Lorina is also a yoga teacher and a Kathak dancer.

10:00 - 11:30: How to start your own podcast and keep it going with Boju Bajai

Time: 10:00 – 11:30 (NPT)   Virtual Event

Have you been thinking about starting your own podcast, but haven’t got around to it yet? Do you have a brilliant idea, but don’t know what to do with it? Have you done a couple of episodes, but need that extra push to keep on producing? 

Come join Boju Bajai for a session created for aspiring podcasters and podcasters who are at the beginning of their podcasting journey. In this session you will get insights on:

  • How to turn an idea into a podcast?
  • How to write for the ear?
  • How to include multiple ways of seeing and multiple voices into your podcast?
  • How to communicate effectively through the audio medium?
  • How to create your community of listeners?

 

About the Speaker:

We are the self-proclaimed OG grannies of Nepal’s podcasting scene. So you don’t want to miss out on this session.

11:45 - 12:45: How to use sound to elevate your content with Rajan Shrestha

Time: Time: 11:45 – 12:45 (NPT)   Virtual Event

An hour long session for podcasters on using sound design to elevate your podcast. The workshop will be facilitated by Rajan Shrestha. 

  • How to make sound and music an integral part of your podcast?
  • How to propel your storytelling through sound design?
  • How to create an evocative listening experience?

 

About the Speaker:

Rajan Shrestha

Rajan Shrestha is a Kathmandu based inter-disciplinary artist working primarily with music. Bassist/co-producer for a Kathmandu based post-rock outfit, Jindabaad, Shrestha is an Ethnomusicology graduate from Kathmandu University’s Department of Music and produces music under the moniker of ‘phatcowlee’. One of the founding members of Fuzzscape, a platform for cultural documentation with primary focus on music and storytelling through audio-visual medium, Shrestha currently leads a group of young archivists at Nepal Music Archive.

13:00 - 14:00: How to listen to your listeners? A conversation with Sabeena Karki (Sabscast)

Time: 13:00 – 14:00 (NPT)   Virtual Event

Sabeena Karki’s podcast, Sabscast, is one of the most popular Nepali podcasts. Over her media career that exceeds two decades, she has built a personal brand and a large fanbase.  To her listeners, she is an empathetic ear, an intimate companion, and a source of hope and affirmation. But how does she do it?

In this session you will get insights on: 

  • How can we listen better to our listeners?
  • How can podcasting be used for building intimate relationships?
  • How do you build a personal brand through the audio medium?

Tune in to learn from the best.

 

About the Speaker:

Sabeena Karki :Sabeena Karki is an independent broadcaster and producer with experience exceeding two decades. Her art of radio presentation has set a local trend and is appreciated by a wide range of audiences. She started as a radio jockey and quickly became one of the most popular figures in Nepali media landscape. She later transitioned into new media through her podcast, popularly known as Sabscast. She advocates for digital media for self-expression, and also teaches mass communication and public relations.

14:15 - 15:15: Podcasting for Change | Time: A conversation with Period Kaa Kura and Gulabi Sambaad

Time: 14:15 – 15:15 (NPT)  Virtual Event

Podcasting allows for meaningful engagement around meaningful issues and concerns. Period Kaa Kura and Gulabi Sambad are two podcasts that deliver content that are community-focused and cater to specific themes and concerns, with the intention to raise awareness and create change. What are the joys and challenges of engaging with specific themes and communicating with a niche audience? In a conversation with Boju Bajai, the hosts of Period Kaa Kura and Gulabi Sambaad will share their journeys and their insights on:

 

  • How  to identify the right content, the right voice, and the right target audience for our podcasts?
  • How to create content that meets the goals and objectives of the podcast?
  • How to appeal to niche audiences?
  • How to identify topics that are varied and how to ensure consistency?

 

About the Speaker:

Karuna Devkota :Karuna Devkota is a co-founder and content creator at Gulabi Sambad. Gulabi Sambad is an open digital platform that aims to address the need for meaningful discussion about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues among students, teachers and parents. Gulabi Sambad podcasts are published every week, accompanied by blogs twice a month.

 

Shristi Kafle : Shristi Kafle is a journalist and has been working in international media for the last few years. She writes on wide-ranging issues, from politics, environment to social issues. She is interested in bringing out human interest stories from across the country. In 2020, she started the podcast Period Kaa Kura with Priyanka Budhathoki in an effort to end period stigma and taboos in Nepal and raise awareness for dignified menstruation. Through the podcast, she is on a journey of normalising menstruation.
Priyanka Budhathoki :Priyanka is the co-founder of the Nepali Podcast Period Kaa Kura. Priyanka Budhathoki is a development communication professional, with over ten years of experience.

15:30 - 16:30: What does the future hold? | A conversation with Madhu Acharya, the CEO of Sharecast

Time: 15:30 – 16:30 (NPT)  Virtual Event

As we see the appetite for podcasts growing in Nepal with an increasing number of podcast producers and increasing number of listeners, organisations like Sharecast have been working towards the growth of the medium by investing in the production pipelines, and hosting platforms. So what does the future hold for podcasting in Nepal? 

In this session you will get insights on:

  • How mature is the podcasting medium? What can the podcasting community do to elevate the medium?
  • How can we engage better with our audience?
  • How can we make the medium sustainable?

 

About the Speaker:

Madhu Acharya :Madhu Acharya is the co-founder, President and CEO of Sharecast Initiative Nepal, a not for profit distributing company that focuses on audience data and digital media platforms. He has over two decades of experience in audio-visual production, training and media management. Sharecast runs a Nepali podcasting application, Nepalpodcasts and supports podcasters in the production and distribution of the shows. 

Madhu has worked for Internews (Nepal Country Manager, 2011-2015), Antenna Foundation Nepal (Co-founder, 2002, Executive Director 2006-2010)  and the BBC World Service Trust (Trachoma Project, Deputy Country Rep 2001-2003). He started his radio career at Radio Sagarmatha as a producer in 1996. Madhu is a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University (2010-11).

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