AFTRS’ third Digital Futures Summit, Audio: Community, Connectivity and Audience ,will be online Thursday 15 September, 1.30 pm – 6.00 pm.
As podcasts and audio storytelling continue their phenomenal rise in popularity this summit focuses on the intersection of sound, radio, and podcasting and examines the shared and individual challenges and possibilities facing these sectors in the age of digital disruption.
This Digital Futures Summit series brings together visionaries and leaders from industry, education, and government sectors to discuss big questions facing Australia’s screen and broadcast industries in a global context.
Following an introduction by AFTRS Council Chair Russel Howcroft, Lillian ‘Flex Mami’ Ahenkan will offer her insights into creating content and how she engages, connects with, and grows her audience in a session with AFTRS Radio and Podcasting Program Convenor, Natalie Pozdeev.
Lillian is a social commentator, media influencer, brand consultant, TV presenter, podcaster, model, speaker, DJ, author, founder and CEO.
In the second keynote, AFTRS Head of Sound, Stephen Murphy, will be In Conversation with Nicky Birch, Editor, New Formats and Innovation at BBC Sounds, in session about the intersection of technology and creativity for audience engagement.
Whether through personalised media or creating aural diversity, Nicky will discuss how technology plays a key role in delivering audio that connects with audiences.
In the session, Hyperlocal: Go Big or Grow Small speakers Naomi Moran (General Manager, Koori Mail), Travis De Vries (Producer/ Director at Awesome Black Media), Andrew Davies (Digital and Engagement Editor for ABC Audio Studios/Radio National) and Andrea Ho (Director of Education at Judith Neilson Insititute ) will discuss the growing movement in radio and podcasting to ‘grow small’, providing local content driven by demand from community audiences, rather than the decades-long trend for centralisation of commercial radio and other media throughout the 21st century.
Breaking Sonic Barriers: The Future of Immersive Audio, with speakers Liam Egan (leading Australian Sound Designer), Jeff Van Dyck (Composer/Sounds Designer/Audio Director at Jeff van Dyck Music), Freya Berkhout (Composer, Writer, Creative Technologist) and MC Claire Evans (Director at Junior Major), will explore how what is often thought of as visual storytelling involves more than just that one mode of perception – with sound an essential part of an engaging narrative.
This panel will discuss the future of immersive audio and the opportunities created for audiences in both physical and virtual spaces.
