Unlocked Launches Year-Long Programme, ‘The Amplify Accelerator’ For Podcasters

The Partnership Group’s new production company, Unlocked announced its year-long programme The Amplify Accelerator to support independent podcasters with essential tools and resources to thrive within the industry. Despite the rise in podcasts as seen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and more digital services, it’s proven difficult to stand out amongst the crowd due to resource limitations - a restriction recognised by The Partnership Group and Unlocked’s Head Of Podcasts, Leanne Alie.

Leanne Alie has committed her career to championing underrepresented voices and shaping the landscape of the audio industry. Bringing her passion and experience to the programme enabled her continuously develop productions for BBC Sounds, training programmes to support generations of audio enthusiasts and producers. This professionals accolades are essential for our communities.

Leanne Alie, photographed by Jade Keisha Gordon

Commenting on the podcast industry, Leanne states: “As amazing as it is to see the podcast industry grow exponentially over the last few years, it has been harder and harder for smaller independent shows to break through - as an industry we need to give more opportunities to home grown podcasters to help them grow and develop as this is what is so great about our industry, podcasts are powerful; anyone can publish a show, anyone can share their diversity of thought and the more diverse stories that are out there, the more we can build empathy and understanding within our society. I speak to this as having experience as an independent podcaster myself and I'm very excited to be able to give back to the podcasting community and help try and make the industry more equitable for those of us that start from scratch - after all, it is bedroom podcasters that really built and grew this industry."

Now, The Amplify Accelerator will offer four independent podcasters the tools needed to increase their listenership and revenue.  Selected participants will become part of the Unlocked family, gaining access to a wide range of benefits, including:

• Access to free central London studio space

• Access to a podcast editor

• Access to editorial support from Head of Podcasts at Unlocked, Leanne Alie

• Active marketing and press support for their podcast

• Cross-promotion across Unlocked's slate of original podcasts

• Access to TPG's roster of talent as potential podcast guests

• Access to the rest of TPG's business such as the literary department, live events team and publishing

• A more desirable ad revenue rate

• Creator retains the IP and rights to their podcast 

Entry requirements for podcasters applying for The Amplify Accelerator include:

• Your podcast is achieving a minimum of 2000 - 5000+ listens per episode, per week

• Your podcast is weekly (but can be seasonal)

• Your podcast is independent - you own the IP and rights and there are no other partners involved (this excludes monetization platforms)

• The host and podcast have an online social presence

• You have published a minimum of 20 episodes

• You do not have to be London-based, but the studio they are offering access to is based in central London

For more information on The Amplify Accelerator including criteria and how to apply, please visit: unlockedpodcasts.com

You will need to submit a 10-minute highlights reel of your podcast, links to your socials and listener data. The deadline to apply is Monday 7th October 2024, shortlisted candidates will then be invited to an interview with up to four podcasters selected for the inaugural round of the program.