Silver Shorts

On A People's Climate, Shilpi Chhotray connects the dots between environmental issues, racial justice and corporate power, putting the people fighting for change front and center. The podcast asks what solutions look like and who's already fighting for them. 

On this episode, host Cory Choy, Festival Director of the New York City Podcast Awards, sits down with Shilpi Chhotray, whose A People's Climate podcast won three awards, including Best Society & Culture, at the 2026 New York City Podcast Awards. They talk about:

• How Shilpi’s childhood spent rescuing wildlife – and a trip to India – led her to environmental justice
• Why climate storytelling needs to put people at the center
• How language matters when talking about climate
• How a community can be more powerful than a marketing budget
• How Shilpi and her team prepare for interviews, build trust and get guests to move beyond their talking points
• Why every episode looks for solutions, even when the stories get tough
• How Shilipi’s son sums up her work in a few words 

Listen to “A People’s Climate” 

Submissions for the 2027 New York City Podcast Awards are open until Nov 15. Find out more at podcastawards.nyc.

Craft, Content & Creators is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards. This episode was produced by Vivien Schütz and mixed by Christian Cucinello, with support from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor. Our theme music is by Santiago Aramburu.

What if the United States had grown into a patchwork of states you've never heard of? In this episode of CartoCuriosity, Kevin Brown joins Michael Buehler of Boston Rare Maps to explore Thomas Jefferson's bold plan for ten western states and the political battles that reshaped it. From a nearly bankrupt republic and competing land claims to Indigenous resistance and congressional fears of frontier self-government, they trace the tensions behind the Ordinance of 1784 and its replacement by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. It's the story of a nation deciding how to expand, who would govern, and whether new states would stand as equals, and a reminder that the map we know was never inevitable.

Featuring Kevin Brown and Michael Buehler

Produced by Cory Choy and Christian Cuciniello

Edited by Yoni Cohen

Music by Luke Allen and El Buru

Sound by Silver Sound

James Roy tells us about the importance of live music as his band, The James Rocket, prepares for their upcoming shows.

To buy their music, check out this link: https://thejamesrocket.bandcamp.com

Go see them live! The James Rocket will be playing at:

The Parkside Lounge in NY on October 9th, 2026

• Ticket Link: https://events.humanitix.com/bootleg-dan-presents-the-james-rocket-mad-painter-and-space-machine-at-the-parkside-lounge

The International Pop Overthrow Festival in NY on November 8th, 2026

• Ticket Link: https://events.humanitix.com/the-international-pop-overthrow-festival

Featuring James Roy

Produced by Cory Choy and Christian Cuciniello

Music by The James Rocket

Sound by Silver Sound

Discover William Emerson Baker’s extraordinary Porcineograph, an 1875 pictorial map that transforms the United States into a pig, complete with a Maine snout, an Alaska tail, and Cuba as a sausage. In this episode of CartoCuriosity, Kevin Brown of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps explores how this colorful chromolithograph became a lavish party favor promoting Baker’s sanitary piggery and the Pure Food Movement. Packed with regional pork dishes, Reconstruction-era politics, and hints of territorial expansion, this rare antique map offers a wonderfully eccentric window into American food history, social reform, and the art of "ge'hog'raphy."

On this special season finale of the Sonic Dash Podcast, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy Award-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) sits down with Oliver Morris, who, along with his creative partner Jude Hodgson Hann, took home back-to-back Grand Prizes at the 2025 Sonic Dashes.

Oliver shares the techniques behind their team's unmistakable sound and unique storytelling: rapid-fire creative exercises that helped them develop the skills to quickly get to a first draft, and then refine it through ruthless cutting and rewriting. They also break down their winning pieces, from the goat-sacrifice comedy of "Scapegoat" to the grotesque, tea-fueled horror of "Tea, Am I," exploring the role of sound design, music, voice acting, and creative writing played in their prize-winning submissions.

Listen to 'Kane and Feels: The Horror Noir Podcast' by Skadi's Symphony: https://kaneandfeels.libsyn.com/

Entries to the January 2027 Sonic Dash are now open! Visit http://sonicdash.nyc/ to learn more and register.

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucciniello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look into the standout pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) talks with finalist Colin Colfer about his piece.

A filmmaker and self-described DIY advocate, Colin breaks down how he built a vivid sonic journey through Coney Island, a story that emerged from a technical idea he had for the piece's structure. Colin shares how he raced to build the piece in one day, recording field sounds along the boardwalk and composing and performing the music himself.

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look into the standout pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) talks with finalist Jeff Van Dreason about his submission, "Dishwasher."

Jeff shares how a frustrating encounter with an automated insurance phone line inspired the story of this demonic, capitalist appliance, and breaks down the sound design techniques he used to bring the dishwasher to life. He also talks about learning audio production from scratch while making Greater Boston, the inspiration behind EAR•WAX Magazine, and why he believes there should be more spaces for short, experimental audio fiction.

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

LINKS TO THE MANY CREATIVE PROJECTS MENTIONED:

Check out EAR•WAX Magazine: https://www.earwaxmag.com/

Listen to Drama Club: https://www.earwaxmag.com/drama-club/

Listen to Greater Boston: https://www.greaterbostonshow.com/?ref=earwaxmag.com

Listen to Perfect Sentence: https://jeffvandreason.bandcamp.com/album/the-perfect-sentence?ref=earwaxmag.com

Listen to Small Victories: https://www.wgcproductions.com/shows/small-victories

Listen to Oliver Morrison's Grand Prize-winning Dash piece, Tea, Am I: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/summer-2025-sonic-dash-grand-prize-winner/id1754639596?i=1000714675686

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look into the standout pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) sits down with finalists Alex Strong and Arun Chhetri to dissect their piece, "When I Wake Up."

Alex and Arun, two student producers with the Stanford Storytelling Project, share what it was like to take on the Sonic Dash during finals week. They break down how they divided the work according to their strengths and leaned on principles of product design, using rapid prototyping to figure out what was — and wasn't — working. Alex, who led the story development, shares his approach to interviewing and shaping a compelling narrative, while Arun explains how he built the piece's score from his tiny dorm-room studio, using the sounds and instruments he had at hand.

Learn more about the Stanford Storytelling Project: https://storytelling.stanford.edu/

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) sits down with Sonic Dash finalist Lynn Ermann, the reporter and producer behind "There Used to Be a Statue."

Lynn shares how, through assembling the right "ingredients" (a source she was familiar with and an intriguing location), she was able to find a story on-site and lean into spontaneity. She also shares how movement influences her creative process, along with the editing challenges she faced while shaping the story.

One note: Lynn wanted to offer a correction to a detail in her Dash piece. The statue was stolen, not relocated.

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

Take a listen as Jen Ng describes her nostalgia for the '90s, and how it shapes her relationship with the internet and her multidisciplinary storytelling.

LOGGED IN SINCE THE '90S:

• Jen's desktop (& website) - https://jenng.com/

MORE ABOUT MONTH OFFLINE:

• Month Offline (sponsored by Dumb.Co) - https://offline.community/
• Start your own Month Offline cohort! - https://offline.community/diy/

SMARTPHONE ALTERNATIVES:

• Dumb.Co - https://dumb.co/
• Light Phone - https://www.thelightphone.com/

EVENT RSVP:

• Month Offline Exhibition (August 10, 2026 in NYC) - https://partiful.com/e/CgBFCrADsqrWfyx1foBZ?c=C59qWuJh

Featuring Jen Ng

Produced by Cory Choy, Christian Cuciniello, Lauren Molina, and Ivan Bronson

Music by by Ivan Bronson and Lauren Molina

Sound by Silver Sound

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