Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship returns to support Australia’s most exciting storytellers

Supporting creative talent and amplifying underrepresented voices in the local audio community, the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship is back for its third year running.

The fellowship is designed to support a mid-career Australian storyteller looking to innovate and push audio storytelling.

Offering $15,000 to the winning applicant, the fellow will undertake a year-long program of targeted professional development. They will also be supported with mentorships, professional introductions, networking opportunities and in-kind support relevant to their practice.

Teaming up again with podcast studio Audiocraft, the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship is an exciting opportunity for storytellers of any discipline to connect with the Australian audio making community and hone their audio aspirations.

An award-winning radio producer with a passion for storytelling, Jesse Cox (pictured) developed innovative programming for Sydney’s FBi Radio, ABC RN and Audible, where he shone a light on uniquely Australian stories, changing the sound of Australian radio and expectations of local audio storytelling, before his passing in 2017.

The fellowship continues Jesse’s determination to strengthen and build the Australian audio community.

2021 Fellow Jay Ooi’s podcast Shoes Off showcases stories about Asian Australian culture, and won Smartest Podcast at the 2021 Australian Podcast Awards. Jay is currently working on the fourth season of the podcast, exploring topics such as yellow fever, the emasculation of Asian men and why Asians don’t hug their parents.

The fellowship has also supported inaugural fellow Patrick Abboud in creating queer true crime podcast The Greatest Menace, an 8-part investigative series commissioned by Audible and supported by The Walkley Foundation, due for release February 15, 2022.

                                  Jay Ooi

Jay Ooi, says “Being the 2021 JCAF Fellow has given me the resources and the push to pursue bigger and more ambitious stories for my podcast Shoes Off and beyond. I would not have attempted to pursue such a big story without the support of fellowship. The JCAF team has been beyond supportive with suggestions, connections and care, and I would encourage anyone with ambitions for audio storytelling, especially for the types of stories we don’t get to hear, to apply for the 2022 fellowship.”

Fellowship founding member, Que Minh Luu, says “It’s been incredibly rewarding to have been a part of and witness to the creative and professional growth of our incredible fellows Pat and Jay so far. As we kick off our third year of the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship, we’re so excited to unearth our next fellow and support their development and craft. So if you’re a storyteller inspired to work with audio – please apply!”

This year’s applications will be reviewed and shortlisted by Australian audio professionals including Jessica Bineth (Audiocraft), Que Minh Luu (Netflix ANZ) and Sophie Townsend (ABC).

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by Jessica Bineth (Audiocraft), Monique Keller (Fremantle Australia) and Jay Ooi (2021 Jesse Cox Audio Fellow, Shoes Off podcast).