Podcast Movement NYC reveals first set of speakers

• Podcast Movement has revealed featured speakers for the event in NYC in September. Among the speakers are Greg Glenday, the CEO of Acast, beehiiv’s Ainsley Rossitto, and our Editor, James Cridland. Sounds Profitable’s Tom Webster will also be unveiling new research. Tickets are available now.

• Alex Cooper’s Unwell network has received a strategic investment from WTSL, an investment firm. The investment figure isn’t known; but according to The Hollywood Reporter, values Unwell at $500mn. (As context, the entirety of iHeartMedia is currently valued at $450mn).

• Another set of podcasts have signed with Disney+ - this time, it’s from the UK, as The Overlap signed a landmark sponsorship and distribution deal with Disney+ for its Stick to Football show, and a new show focusing on Manchester United. The shows will remain available on YouTube, though Disney+ will also get access to additional special episodes of Stick to Football.

• The Sounds Profitable Business Summit unveiled its first set of speakers, including Ira Glass. Representatives from YouTube and Amazon are also to speak. The event is exclusive to Sounds Profitable Partners, and takes place Sept 14-15; Podnews will be reporting from the event.

• A new ad-tech tool called VAUDIO has launched, which promises to make video ads from audio spots. It should unlock $12mn of new revenue for creators, the company suggests.

• What’s a podcast? We have a short definition - “if it works with your eyes closed, it’s a podcast” - but Signal Hill Insights asked more than 4,800 Americans how they’d describe what a podcast is to someone who has never heard of podcasts. (Not sure that “something people waste time watching or listening to” is going to catch on)

• Oxford Road’s Media Roundtable podcast this week reacts to our story last week about Spotify’s new ad-skipping tool. Dan Granger and Giles Martin are joined by Glenn Rubenstein of ADOPTER Media, who suggests that the button is “fundamentally wrong”.

People News

• Congratulations to Audacia Audio’s Kym Treasure, who is the winner of the Entrepreneur Award at Mediaweek Australia’s Next of the Best.

• Also, congratulations to Candace Wilson from Your Podcast Producer, who appeared on a recent episode of BBC Radio 4's Woman’s Hour, giving advice on how to start a podcast.

• And also, to Jon Harvey, podcaster (Trash Talk) and independent space warrior, who, wearing a bin on his head, is standing in a British election today against a toad.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Movement NYC

• As announced today, Steven Goldstein is speaking at Podcast Movement NYC next month. But it won’t be his first time. Here he is, in audio form, from Podcast Movement 2016, from Chicago - asking Did Podcasting Kill the Radio Star?

Podcast News - with Airwave

With Airwave: Your thoughts, relationships, addictions, and self-sabotaging behaviors aren’t random—they’re programmed patterns your brain has been running on autopilot. Decoded helps you unlock the hidden code running your life - and rewrite it for good.

Recorded less than a mile from Stamford Bridge, Out Of The Blue is a new weekly Chelsea FC podcast which kicks off today. It’s produced by Footwork Media, and features a rotating cast of die-hard Blues who will break down the latest match action, tackle the endless noise and off-pitch developments around the club, and look ahead to upcoming fixtures.

From the SURROUND podcast network, Ideas of Order returned for a new season this week. The first guest is Antoni Porowski, Queer Eye star, chef, author, and television personality, who joins host Jeremiah Brent to discuss memory, identity, and the rituals that make a house feel like home. From treasured objects and evolving design obsessions to furnishing a country house, Antoni reflects on the meaning behind the spaces we create.

Literarium is your new favorite story podcast with 'weird mentalvapor vibes’, we’re told. Each week brings you a different story of imagination, adventure and terror accompanied by immersive sound and read to you by Vincent Kocznur, creator of The Lakes of The Moon.