#Newsmaker: Rutendo Nyamuda launches 'The Podcast Sessions'

The digital podcast magazine is produced by Tinzwe Media and was created to provide a platform for African podcasters to share insights on the podcast industry as well as their respective journeys, says Nyamuda. “The publication seeks to inspire Africans to tell their own stories through audio, contribute to the publication and also profile the faces behind the podcasts, which further provides an opportunity for showcasing the talent on the continent and within the diaspora.

“The articles in the magazine are written by contributors and cover a variety of topics, including; the business of podcasting and how to make money, equipment and technology as well as advice. We also have a section called ‘What we're listening to’, which points listeners towards both African and international podcasts that readers can lend an ear to - literally.”

Rutendo Nyamuda.

Nyamuda tells us why she decided to launch the podcast/magazine and how it’s evolved since, just in the space of a few months…

Congrats on your new appointment as editor of The Podcast Sessions! How do you feel about it?

It’s actually an interesting story. I came up with the concept of the digital podcast magazine which is linked to “The Podcast Sessions” podcast. The aim was to create content that would educate, entertain and assist people in their personal podcast journeys. By virtue of me building the publication from scratch, I naturally took the reigns as editor – it was pretty much a self-appointment.

However, in the future, I would love to find someone to take over the position. It’s important for me that what I create also provides opportunities for other people who have incredible abilities but just need a platform.

How and when did this come about/take effect? When did the magazine launch?

The magazine actually never started off as an official magazine. At the start of the lockdown, I was receiving a number of queries about podcasting so I decided to launch “The Podcast Sessions” podcast which featured interviews with podcast hosts, producers and leaders in the industry. The idea was to launch the podcast with an amazing added-value element and so I decided that having a podcast guide of sorts would be a great lead magnet.

After launching the podcast in May - together with the titled “5 Things to Consider before you Start a Podcast” - I realised that there was an abundance of content and personal podcast stories that needed to be told.

The digital magazine allows us to share free knowledge on one platform and also give people the opportunity to learn from each other and, most importantly, write their own stories. Yes, there is so much we can learn from podcast industries overseas but we’ve got a wealth of talent on this continent so why not learn from each other first?

Since May, we’ve released two other issues the July/August issue and the recent September/October issue, which featured our first original cover. All issues are free to download on our website, www.thepodsessions.com.

Tell us a bit about your experience.

The magazine has been a combination of all my career experiences as well as personal passions. My background is in publishing. I started off as an intern, working for the likes of Seventeen and Elle. My first full-time job was writing for Forbes Africa. Because of these experiences I had a good understanding of storytelling and magazines as a whole.

Following that the lessons from working in TV, PR and now podcasting have all contributed to the overall production of the publication.

In my personal capacity, I have a great passion for design. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I miss the mark but I believe if you don’t try, you’ll never learn or grow.

Tell us more about your responsibilities as editor and how you’re juggling this with your other roles, i.e. business owner, public speaker, podcast producer, VO artist.

To be honest, there are days where I feel like I’m on top of everything. But most of the time I feel like I’m juggling balls that keep falling. I don’t get to everything all the time, but I also have to acknowledge that I am also just one person. As Tinzwe Media, the production company behind the magazine, has grown, it has allowed me to add people to the team who have certainly made a massive difference it taking off the workload.

What excites you most about it, as a first of its kind on the African continent?

The potential of where the publication can grow excites me the most as well as being able to connect with podcasters and writers from across the continent.

What do you love most about your career and the media/communications industry and podcasting in particular?

I love that there are no borders when it comes to this industry. Being able to connect with people across the continent and abroad is amazing.

Comment on the current state of podcasting in SA and globally.

The podcast industry is growing at an incredible rate. At the start of the year, it was estimated that the South African podcast industry listenership would grow by 10% but since the lockdown, I believe it’s increased further.

I’m also seeing more and more collaborations across the world. It feels like the world is collectively building the industry by learning from what people are doing in other countries and being inspired by their content.

Any career highlights to date, besides this?

This year, it would definitely be being featured on the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans list and speaking at the international Podfest Global Summit.

I’m also super excited as we prepare to launch our fourth podcast “Inside Wants Out” - a mother tongue poetry through podcasting project. We’re currently running an open call for Season One, which focuses on “African Poetry in the Time of a Global Pandemic”. More information can be found here: https://www.tinzwemedia.com/insidewantsout.

 

 

 

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+POETRY PODCAST OPEN CALL* Inside Wants Out - African Poetry in the Time of a Global Pandemic Inside Wants Out is a mother tongue poetry podcast that incorporates written poetry and audio. Tinzwe Media invites poetry submissions expressing experiences relating to the global pandemic by African poets. African writers from around the continent are invited to submit original poems in their indigenous African language expressing the African experiences and emotions related to living through the COVID-19 global pandemic. Only 12 poems will be published online and will also form part of season one of the poetry podcast series. (1) Craft a single original poem in your indigenous mother tongue of 400 words or less (only one poem permitted per poet). (2) Send three voice clips - #1: The writer records themselves reading the entire poem in their mother-tongue. #2: The writer records an English translation of the poem. #3 The writer describes who they are and the inspiration behind the poem. Submissions close on 1 November 2020. No late submissions will be accepted. Please read full submission guidelines at www.tinzwemedia.com/insidewantsout before submitting. . . . #writers #writersofinstagram #poetry #writing #writer #quotes #poems #poem #poet #words #poets #writerslife #wordporn #instagram #author #art #books #life #discoverunder5k #podcastersofinstagram #podlist #podcastinglife #dopeblackpods #podsincolor #podcastingwhileblack #blackpodcasters

A post shared by Rutendo Nyamuda (@roo10dough) on Oct 15, 2020 at 11:22am PDT

Have coffee, read my emails and attend to the deadlines for the day.

What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?

• I recently started re-reading The Leadership Pipeline by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, James Noel.
• I’m obsessively watching Greenleaf on Netflix.
• And I’m listening to Hans Zimmer’s Live Concerts Ultimate.

Tell us something about yourself not generally known?

I am obsessed with film scores, modern-classical music and instrumental versions of contemporary music. When you see me with my headphones on this is usually what I’ll be listening to.

 

 

 

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✨ Some days are heavy days; other days are light days. But I’m starting to realise that the dance of life consists of: - Push & Pull. - Success & Failure. - Fight & Surrender. - Laughter & Tears. - Learning & Unlearning. - Deep Breaths & Release. - Endings & Starting Again. . �� From the lens of @esteexshoots. . . . #fun #work #friday #podcast #african #womeninbusiness #media #love #life #sound #audio #life #thoughts #writer #podcaster

A post shared by Rutendo Nyamuda (@roo10dough) on Oct 9, 2020 at 9:52am PDT