House of Pod’s Guardians of the River Accepted In Class of First Podcasts to Premiere at 2021 Tribeca Festival

House of Pod has been invited to the 2021 Tribeca Festival as they welcome podcasts for the first time in the Festival’s history. House of Pod will premiere Guardians of the River—a series about whether it’s possible to protect some of the most remote and wild places on the planet, starting with the Okavango Delta river system. This podcast follows what happens when worlds connect, and at times collide, with the common goal of protecting a place. The House of Pod team developed this podcast in partnership with the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, and the Wild Bird Trust. This podcast will premiere at the 20th Tribeca anniversary celebration which will take place June 9-20, 2021 in New York.

This Tribeca Podcasts program lineup features world premieres of fiction and nonfiction stories from emerging audio creators, including House of Pod — a Denver based podcast incubation space that trains hundreds of producers on how to launch, grow, and produce great audio stories. This lineup was curated by Leah Sarbib, along with the counsel of an advisory board who include Serial’s Sarah Koenig, RadioLab’s Jad Abumrad, 1619 Project’s Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Gimlet Media’s Alex Blumberg, and many prominent audio leaders.

House of Pod founder, Cat Jaffee, recorded and wrote the show after earning a National Geographic Storytelling Grant to join the Okavango Wilderness Project for four months in Angola, Namibia, and Botswana to produce a podcast in 2019.

“At the time, we weren’t really sure what would be the center of the story,” Cat discloses. She continues, “But then it became clear that there were many players in the Okavango River Basin who want something from that place — tourism, animals, conservation, natural resources — and they all have different and, at times, competing ideas about how to protect it. The conflict was clear and it is an important tale for our times. We are delighted and honored that we will have the chance to share it.”

The official 2021 Tribeca podcast lineup and programming was announced on Tuesday, May 4. Guardians of the River will premiere at the 20th anniversary of the Tribeca Festival on June 10, 2021, but listeners can subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever they listen to podcasts.

About House of Pod

Since 2017, House of Pod has operated in Five Points, CO training hundreds of producers how to launch, grow, and produce great audio stories. Cat Jaffee has produced, supervised, and contributed to over 20 shows out of House of Pod for partners like the National Geographic Wilderness Project, PRX, Gimlet, PBS, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and History Colorado. Cat is a Fulbright Scholar, a National Geographic Explorer, and an advocate of storytelling that positions historically underrepresented voices at the heart of directing and producing media. She is on the board of Amped, and a driving force behind Colorado’s annual From the Margins to the Center podcast incubator for producers of color. For more information, visit https://www.houseofpod.org/

About Tribeca

The Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices; discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators; curates innovative experiences; and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances. The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Tribeca will celebrate its 20th year June 9 – 20, 2021: www.tribecafilm.com/festival