Black Pod Class

Join the class discussion with this week’s episode of the Black Podclass with Candace Boyd Simmons of the “Black Girls Eating” podcast and Odochi Ibe and Maurice Licorish of “Black & Snerdy” podcast! Candace Boyd Simmons is a journalist, editor, host, digital consultant and co-host of the Black Girls Eating podcast. The podcast’s focus is to talk, educate, and advocate for justice, Black Girl Magic, and well-seasoned food. Odochi Ibe is a writer and expert in social justice, health and wellness, and documenting the human experience. Maurice Licorish is a stand up comic and writer. The two co-host the Black & Snerdy podcast where they discuss pop culture, nerdy and political topics.

This episode discussed the benefits of owning a Patreon as a podcast host, defining what is a “Blerd” (Black nerd), and turning your “nerdy” topics and obsessions into your podcast. You can find these creators at: @blackgirlseating @tanorriastable @foodlovetog on Instagram and X. Additionally, @thatsod.e @licorishislegit on Instagram and X.

This episode is produced by Joulisa Francis.

Tune in to this week’s episode of the Black Podclass with our featured guests: Malliron Hodge Host of Baddies with Business podcast and Krystal Hill, an audio producer and editor. Hodge is an entrepreneur and liberatory design thinking coach. She has a passion for collaborating and supporting Black women and listening to their stories. Hill advocates for helping historically underrepresented communities tell their stories. She is currently the Director of Business Development of EditAudio, a full service podcast production company that is on a mission to make the audio industry more representative of what the world actually looks like.

Our guests gave more insight on what is considered a “Black Podcast,” what it is like creating their own podcast business, the importance of showcasing Black voices and much more! Our guests can be found at @krystalsplaysradio on Instagram and @Baddieswithbusiness on Instagram and Facebook.

Produced by: Joulisa Francis

In this episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Deena McKay, founder and host of the Black Tech Unplugged podcast. This podcast highlights Black individuals who innovate and work in the tech industry. Deena started the podcast to provide representation for Black people in the tech industry, as well as to share tips and advice for those who are interested in getting into the industry. During our conversation with Deena, we delved deeper into her experience with podcasting, including her production process and the topics she covers on her show.

To find out more about Deena and her work, you can follow her on Twitter at @BlkTechUnplged and on Instagram at @blacktechunplugged.

This episode was produced by Madeline Seck. 

Show notes:

Our first guest is Bethany Hawkins. CEO & Founder of "Crackers In Soup, LLC" Bethany Hawkins (she/her), a seasoned professional with over 18 years of corporate experience, serves as the CEO and Founder of Crackers In Soup, LLC. As a Black woman who understands the challenges of not being heard, Bethany's mission is to amplify historically underrepresented voices through podcasting. Under her leadership, Crackers In Soup has produced an extensive portfolio of podcast episodes, including the award-winning "Chatting Over Chowder" and "Sis, Please." Crackers In Soup has recently won the "Big Budget Sound Award" from Sonic Bloom presented by Libsyn at ShePodcast. Instagram @bcrackersinsoup

Our Next guest is Alexandra Rago. She is the CEO of "Ambitious Minds Inc." Alexandra began her career working in Urban Marketing and radio promotions for major labels like G-unit, Koch Records, and Columbia Records/Sony Music. She has worked with artists like 50 Cent, | Cole, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Brandy, Ray I, Maxwell, and Jim Jones. Since founding Ambitious Minds in 2011, the agency has developed from being solely a talent management organization to producing podcasts, events, content, e-commerce brand development shipping, and fulfillment. The company now mainly focuses on managing and producing podcasts such as Kid Fury & Crissle of The Read, Whoreible Decisions, and Sistas Who Kill. You can find her on Instagram @ambminds

In this episode, we had a lovely chat with Bethany and Alex. We discussed topics such as the assumptions and stereotypes of creating podcasts, how they each got started in the podcast industry, how it feels to be a part of a new industry, and how to find your niche. 

This episode was produced by Madeline Seck.

The Black Podcast is joined by Kelechi Okafor, Sequoia Holmes, and Dr. Rianna Walcott. In this episode, The Black Podcast discussed Black language. We played a word association game to compare Black British vs. African American slang particularly used in California, the DMV, and Baltimore. We looked at similarities and contrasted different ways we use slang in different regions. Then we talk about how each of them got into podcasting as a way to break barriers to Black conversation. 

Kelechi Okafor is from Britain, has Nigerian heritage, actress, director, astrology lover, and The creator of the “Say Your Mind” podcast that ended on January 29, 2024. This podcast looked at current affairs and popular culture through a Black British lens. Now she is the host of the new podcast “Meet Me at The Alter” published in March of this year. You can find her Instagram, @kelechnekoff. 

Sequoia Holmes is from California, loves astrology, and has been podcasting since 2016. She is currently on her 4th podcast. She is the host of the podcast “Black People Love Paramore.” Funny enough, *not* a Paramore podcast. This podcast explores the common & uncommon interests of Black people. You can find her on Instagram: @bplppod

Dr. Rianna Walcott is from the UK and is a communication professor at the University of Maryland. She Works in the Black Communication and Technology at the Communications department. 

Her PhD research focuses on Black British identity presentation in social media spaces. By taking a mixed-methods approach to investigating Black British social media usage. You can connect with her on LinkedIn: Rianna Walcott  

This episode was produced by Madeline Seck.

Tune in to this Black Podclass episode with Scarlet Estelle! Scarlet Estelle Hernandez is a

passionate Fall Out Boy enthusiast and respected figure in the music industry. With extensive

experience working with global production companies, Scarlet brings a wealth of knowledge and

a deep understanding of the industry to her role as host of "Sugar We're Going In." The podcast

explores the evolution of Scarlet’s favorite band: Fall Out Boy. Each episode weaves together

the genres of pop-punk and hip-hop as she discusses the dynamics between these themes

within Fall Out Boy’s musical history.

Our guest stated her podcast was "a love letter to the black community." She discussed how

she was able to turn her love and obsession for Fall Out Boy into a podcast and gave the

students tips on how to promote your podcast, gaining attention through social media, creating

unique episodes, and much more. She can be found at @scarletestelle and @sugarweregoinin

on X and Instagram.

Produced by: Joulisa Francis

The Black Podclass is joined by the influential hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden! The two host the remarkable NPR podcast, “Louder Than A Riot,” which discusses Black culture through the lenses of the hip hop genre. Louder Than A Riot has made important strives for the podcast industry by being NPR's first narrative podcast series. Carmichael is a music journalist who currently covers hip-hop from a national perspective at NPR. His stories involve reporting and criticism to focus on black cultural production and all its sociopolitical implications. Sidney Madden is a reporter for NPR Music. Since 2020, she has served as co-host and co-creator of Louder Than A Riot, along with guest hosting All Songs Considered and producing Tiny Desk Concerts.

The two hosts discussed the evolution of their podcast, the current state of the shifting podcasting industry, and working as Black reporters in the journalism industry, despite the obstacles they face. Students also got the chance to ask the two hosts about the production of their podcast episodes. Be sure to tune into their second season that particularly examines who hip-hop

marginalizes, and issues of misogynoir within Black culture. Also, check out their Twitter and Instagram accounts: @sid_madden and @rodneyology.

This episode was produced by Joulisa Francis.

Join the Black PodClass as we explore Anuli Akanegbu’s BLK IRL Podcast! The BLK IRL podcast is an audio docuseries that explores the complexities of Black creative work and Black contemporary life through research and conversational interviews with Black artists, content creators, scholars, entrepreneurs, activists, marketing experts, and cultural critics. Anuli is a qualitative researcher, independent podcast producer and marketing consultant that focuses on the Black contemporary life and complexities of Black creative work.

Throughout the episode, this episode explores how Anuli started her podcast after being an avid podcaster listener since 2008. She expresses how determines her stories by if the context can be understood by multiple generations through her usage of explementary commas. Also, the process of utilizing different editing features, such as music during the episodes, and importance of reference lists. To hear more about Anuli's work, she can be found at @blkirl on Instagram and Twitter.

This episode was produced by Joulisa Francis

In this Episode on The Black Podclass we had guest speaker, Arionne Nettles. She is a lecturer and director of audio journalism programming at Northwestern University's Medill School. She is a culture reporter who has contributed to outlets such as the New York Times Opinion, Chicago PBS station WTTW, and NPR affiliate WBEZ. She is also the host of the HBCU history podcast Bragging Rights and Is That True? A Kids Podcast About Facts. She is a Ph.D. student at DePaul University, studying educational leadership in higher education, and her book, We Are the Culture: Black Chicago’s Influence on Everything, will be published with Chicago Review Press in 2024.

This episode was produced by Madeline Seck.

Welcome back to season 2 of the Black PodClass! Our first guest speakers include: Dr. Monica Cox (host of “Stop Playing Diversity” podcast), Dr. Monica Wisdom (host of “Black Women

Amplified” podcast) and L’Oreal Thompson Payton (host of “LT in the City” podcast). These wonderful women spoke about their experiences navigating the world of podcasting as Black women and the importance of Black culture with our society. Students engaged with our guests by asking questions about how their podcasts have affected their personal lives and how to appropriately interview guests.

The podcasters wrapped up this episode by the guests giving our students advice about starting their journey into the podcasting field. Stay tuned for Dr. Cox’s book “Stop Playing Diversity: Nine Unexpected Lessons from the Workplace Frontlines,” set to release on March 23rd and Mrs. Payton’s book, “Stop Waiting for Perfect,” out now! Additionally, you can find these guests at @Blackwomenamplified @ltinthecity and @drmonicacox on Instagram.

This episode was produced by Joulisa Francis.