About Brooklyn Free Speech Radio

I don’t like when people look at me suspiciously. A husband’s skeptical gaze was the situation I found myself in a few years ago while setting up to film a mini-doc about an older, married couple. The husband wasn’t thrilled with me being there. Besides his wariness about my presence, I found myself without a crew and in the midst of setting up all the camera gear, I made a last minute decision to only record an interview with my brand new Zoom recorder.

I had been consuming more radio and podcast content in the years leading up to this production day, but hadn’t pursued audio-making as an alternative to film/television. Within minutes, this skeptical husband opened up about his thoughts on marriage and eased into a natural conversational tone. I’d like to think it was my winning charm that brought him over but I think it the combination of simple media making tools (audio recorder and microphone) and eye contact that earned his trust. An audio producer was born.    

Yet, I’ve seen (and experienced) the frustrations that often impede independent producers aiming to tell a story with a limited budget and/or limited production personnel.

Here at Brooklyn Free Speech Radio, we want to foster the same creative awakening for burgeoning podcast producers. As a cinefile and visual media-maker, I have eternal love for content made with a range of photographic and lighting tools. Yet, I’ve seen (and experienced) the frustrations that often impede independent producers aiming to tell a story with a limited budget and/or limited production personnel.  With our classes, particularly the BRIC Podcast Intensive, we offer training, guidance, and equipment access that will move producers into more experienced roles as media-makers and audio storytellers.

During the Intensive, producers will work alongside eight students to produce a podcast pilot of their choice. These producers will work with a lead instructor and guest speakers over the course of three months honing their ears and eyes in field recording, interview skills, storytelling techniques, studio production, and we’ll throw the kitchen sink analogy in there as well. It’ll be an incredible summer of media-making for this new podcast co-hort.

With our classes, particularly the BRIC Podcast Intensive, we offer training, guidance, and equipment access that will move producers into more experienced roles as media-makers and audio storytellers.

Currently, Brooklyn Free Speech Radio celebrates and distributes the content of a number of producers who are creating compelling podcasts (many of whom are producing for the first time!) including Mamzelle Adolphine, Ed Easton Jr., Angela Yvonne, Isabella Gutierrez, and Jonathan Gibbs amongst many. We’re just getting started with our range of producers and content and are unbelievably excited to see what our newest roster of podcast producers have in store.

Excited and want to have free access to podcast kits and have your own show on Brooklyn Free Speech Radio? Get started by attending an upcoming orientation.