‘On Things We Left Behind’ launches, winner of the UK’s first podcast talent competition

On Things We Left Behind, the winner of Acast and Listen’s first UK podcast talent competition, ‘LaunchPod’, has launched today. The podcast explores the hidden afterlife of war, and confronts the realities of exile from a first-person perspective.

Hosts Surer and Saredo Mohamed, daughters of Somali refugees, journey through personal lived experiences, asking guests “what do we remember and what do we choose to forget?”, “How do we keep in contact with loved ones in times of difficulty?”, and “how do we reconcile the dreams of adolescence with the realities of adulthood?”.

In the compelling first season, the voices of historians, architects, museum creators, and accidental archivists can be heard, alongside acclaimed author Nadifa Mohamed who speaks about finding 30 year-old recordings of family stories and unearthing new connections through the preserved voices, and PhD student Alice Musabende, discusses owning her story and reclaiming agency after surviving genocide.

LaunchPod, the UK’s first podcast talent competition, was created by global podcast hosting company, Acast, and the podcast production studio, Listen, to discover fresh podcast talent and bring to life ideas from unheard voices. Supporting the winning entry with a team of podcast experts, the prize included professional audio production and podcast hosting. Crowned the winning entry by expert judges, including Jamie Morton from My Dad Wrote A Porno, the pilot of On Things We Left Behind was chosen from hundreds of submissions .

Surer Mohamed, co-host of On Things We Left Behind, said: “It’s been an unbelievable experience winning LaunchPod and seeing the idea that Saredo and I came up with in our home now produced into a fully fledged podcast thanks to Listen and Acast. It’s surreal to see the podcast on podcasts apps, so now anybody can listen to the extraordinary stories we’ve shared.”

Sam Shetabi, added: “Our first LaunchPod completely blew us away. We were overwhelmed with the amount of creativity the UK has and the exceptional podcast ideas that were presented. The quality of entries was so high that judging was near impossible, however ‘On Things We Left Behind’ took first place because of its remarkable storytelling, paired with candid and expressive delivery from the hosts. Its potential to seek out unheard stories in episodes to come ensured vital listening for everyone.”

Adam Uytman, Listen’s Director of Content, added: "LaunchPod was all about finding and supporting new podcast creators in the UK and we couldn’t be happier to launch the deserved winning idea, ‘On Things We Left Behind’. Surer and Saredo have been inspiring to work with and we are incredibly proud to have produced this series with them which shines a light on such a difficult but important subject.”

On Things We Left Behind launches on Monday 31st August, with 5 episodes released weekly. Available on the Acast app, Apple Podcasts or any podcast player.

About Listen:

Listen launched in 2019 as a leading producer of world-class content across all audio sectors. Listen’s award-winning team are a key supplier of audio content to brands, agencies, broadcasters and digital platforms.

Their high profile and chart-topping podcasts include ‘The Gemma Collins Podcast’, ‘Frank Warren’s Heavyweight Podcast’, ‘Beyond Reasonable Doubt?’, ‘Couch to 5K’, ‘Little Chapters of Chill’, ‘Business Unusual’, ‘Play Next’, ‘Boot Room To Boardroom’ and the ‘A Grown-Up Guide to…’ series (including Dinosaurs and Oceans).

Listen’s podcast clients include BBC Sounds, Audible, Spotify, MTV, Vodafone, BMW, Churchill, Fiverr, NHS, Starbucks, Stylist Magazine, Harper Collins, Allergan, Science Museum, Wiley Research, Help Musicians UK, Mental Health First Aid England, CIPD, Attitude Magazine and more.

About Acast:

Acast is the world’s biggest podcast company and the engine powering creators, advertisers and listeners everywhere. Its services are the most sophisticated available and are constantly being updated with innovative new tools and functionality.

Acast hosts nearly 10,000 podcasts worldwide and monetises the best shows around, including My Dad Wrote A Porno, Off Menu, Griefcast, and The Adam Buxton Podcast, and those from publishers such as the BBC, The Times, the Guardian, The Economist, VICE and Vogue.

And Acast Open brings simple, smart podcast hosting and monetisation for any show of any size. Its membership tiers — including the free ‘Starter’ package — offer a podcast RSS feed for distribution to every podcast app, plus advanced analytics and customisation.

Co-founded in Sweden in 2014 by Johan Billgren, Acast’s team of more than 200 audio lovers are creating a sustainable and open podcast ecosystem — ensuring the whole industry continues to grow and flourish. The company has sales teams on the ground in 13 markets around the world, including the UK, US, Australia, France and Germany.