On Air Fest—the Coachella of podcast festivals (or maybe the Form Arcosanti of podcast festivals?)—just announced its 2019 lineup, and it’s bigger and better than ever. Headliners include U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith; Still Processing‘s Jenna Wortham; infamous editor Tina Brown; and Dan Taberski, the man behind the Missing Richard Simmons and Surviving Y2K podcasts.
But there’s a lot more happening over the course of the four-day festival. From February 28 to March 3, 2019, On Air Fest will send podcast fans, creators, and industry leaders running all over Brooklyn’s Wythe Hotel for performances, conversations, listening parties, art installations, live podcasts, and more.
The festival kicks off an invite-only podcast industry business summit cohosted by Hot Pod editor Nick Quah and the creative studio Work x Work, and then opens to the general public for three days of events with favorite podcast creators, including Design Matters host Debbie Millman, The Antlers’ Peter Silberman, Crimetown creator Zac Stuart-Pontier, and Love + Radio’s Nick van der Kolk.
Highlights include:
- A listening party and meet-and-mingle with hosts and producers from Radiotopia, including a special feature presentation by the legendary Kitchen Sisters.
- Radiolab sound designer (and Marcy Playground bass player) Dylan Keefe shares his secrets for creating rich and layered stories through sound.
- A conversation with filmmaker and podcaster Zac Stuart-Pontier about the creation of his series Crimetown from Gimlet and Crimetown Presents with Cadence13.
- ESPN’s excellent 30 for 30 podcasts will talk about how they merge video and audio storytelling in their documentary work.
- Artforum editor-in-chief David Velasco will share his thoughts on the art form.
- The Heart‘s Kaitlin Prest takes you into the world of her new podcast, The Shadows, where she pushes the boundaries of audio fiction.
- Complex and Vice will present their new podcasts.
- The On Air Fest 2019 Residency Program participants will unveil their work.
- Live performance by musician-storyteller duo James & Jerome.
- A rare stage performance from Science Friday’s Undiscovered, blending audio and projections to tell the overlooked history of the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.
If you think you’re interested, but want to know for sure, here’s a video of everything you missed in 2018:
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
