Compiled by Tess Connery and Grace Gollasch
Sean Szeps on World Pride, telling queer stories, and what 2023 holds
As host of LiSTNR’s Come Out Wherever You Are, Sean Szeps is a gay father and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, who is seeking to educate and empower listeners.
Currently between seasons, the podcast took home the award for Australian Podcast of the Year at the Radio Today Podcast Awards in September of last year.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke to Sean Szeps about World Pride, his biggest lessons working on Come Out Wherever You Are, and what 2023 holds.
Sean Szeps
With World Pride just having wrapped up in Sydney, Szeps reflects on it by saying that this has been a year of firsts for him and his family.
“This is probably the first year that my children can fully appreciate the excitement. Taking them to Fair Day for the third year in a row was really exciting – it’s definitely the first year where they’re looking around and they’re going, ‘there are other kids here. there are other families here’. They’ve just learned about the term rainbow family, and they think it’s really special, what kid doesn’t love rainbows, right?
“It’s also the first year that I’ve ever had larger relationships with brands, to be able to get my name and my voice and our story out there in a bigger way. I worked with Oreo for the first time on their Pride Words campaign, they printed Oreos with actual pride words on them – like love and celebrate and acceptance. It really felt like the first year that I got to genuinely be involved in WorldPride in a bigger way, and it’s been wonderful.”
While Szeps’ regular podcast, Come Out Wherever You Are, is between seasons, that hasn’t meant that he’s taken a break from the podcast space. Having recently appeared as a guest on shows such as This Glorious Mess and The Frae. When it comes to being a guest on other people’s podcasts, Szeps says he treats each feature as an opportunity.
“It’s always exciting, getting an opportunity to share my story feels like an opportunity to share our story as a community. There are all these amazing podcasts in Australia that cover a lot of different topics in and around the parenting or queer community space, but then there are other podcasts that don’t have a lot of queer guests.
“There are a lot of people in this country that don’t understand a ton about surrogacy or IVF, they don’t understand maybe how best to support their child if they come out, and there are a lot of parents who would love to have that information. So when other podcasts that don’t always speak to queer people invite me on, I take it incredibly seriously. I feel like that’s advocacy at its finest, an opportunity to change people’s perspectives or to educate people. I want them to walk away feeling like they understand me and our community a little bit more.”
Over the course of almost 50 interviews done for Come Out Wherever You Are, Szeps says that the biggest thing he’s learned is that “queer people have a lot to say and they’re not often being asked.”
“It really blew my mind how many of the guests had not revisited these moments and had not been asked about these moments. We’d finished the interview, wrap it up and they’d say ‘that’s the first time anyone’s ever asked me about my coming out story’ or ‘I’ve never gotten so in depth about my personal life before’.
“To think that this fundamental part of their experience on Earth – in many ways, a traumatic, life-altering moment that shaped them and their relationships – happened and then the closet door remain closed and they never were asked to go back and talk about it, that felt like a really big issue or moment for me. We need to ask more questions, we’re never going to educate or make the world a better place if people aren’t unpicking the challenges of their life out loud for people to hear.”
When asked why it was that he thought these conversations hadn’t been had already, Szeps points to the fact that it’s an issue with no one stand out answer.
“It’s so multi layered. The reality is, we’re in a wonderful place as a society – Australia has gone leaps and bounds in the last five years with the marriage equality vote. But the reality is, we still really live in a heteronormative society – movies, television, radio, the songs we hear are almost always exclusively written for and performed and sung by straight people about that lived experience. Anytime you have a disrupter, and not like something that sits outside of, quote, ‘the norm’, that’s uncomfortable for some people.
“It’s not a topic we’re always comfortable talking about, and there are a lot of people who we would want to talk to, who have a lot of internalised homophobia. They’re nervous to talk about it, they’re uncomfortable, they don’t want to deal with the trolling, they don’t want to deal with people being mean to them. I totally understand that, it’s complicated.”
Looking ahead for the rest of 2023, Szeps’ biggest podcasting goal is to continue bringing the stories of queer people to light.
“In season four of Come Out Wherever You Are, we evolved the show. It was no longer just one on one conversations, we evolved that to include a second episode, and that episode introduced news, queer questions being answered, and issues that mattered most to queer people and allies alike.
“So before it was just sit down, talk to someone, how’s your coming out story? Well, now we can go into politics, now we can go into history, now we can go into science, we can look at news reports that are coming out in real time, we can transport ourselves to another country and do a deep dive into an issue that’s happening in the States or in Lebanon. As I look into the future, I hope that we can do so much more of that, so that other people outside of this queer community feel that it’s a podcast that’s going to help them learn more about the lived experiences of queer people.”
[Listen to Come Out Wherever You Are here]
Australia’s leading female voices at SCA share their thoughts on International Women’s Day on special LiSTNR podcast
This year for International Women’s Day, the talent and smarts of the women (and some men) across the Hit Network, the Triple M Network and LiSTNR have lent their voices to a bespoke podcast, International Women’s Day 2023: #EmbraceEquity, to share their stories and experiences of what the day means to them.
The podcast features Carrie Bickmore, Jess Rowe, Fifi Box, Turia Pitt, Erin Molan, Natarsha Belling, Loren Barry, Jamila Rizvi, Steph Claire Smith & Laura Henshaw, Sarah Maree Cameron, Lama Zakharia, and Kymba Cahill along with Tommy Little, Brendan Fevola and Nick Cody. These voices, which are behind some of Australia’s favourite radio shows and podcasts, discuss a time that they have embraced equality; when it worked, when it didn’t, and what they learned from the experience.
Fifi Box, The Fox Melbourne said: “There was a time, sort of in my thirties where I went, oh, I’m obviously reaching a juncture here, where if I don’t have children soon, I’m not having children. And that is just a reality that most women face, it’s a biological clock. And I think what I’m so grateful for that. I certainly know my grandmothers wouldn’t have been able to go down the path I’ve gone down. That women can actually take control of their fate and their destiny.”
[Listen to International Women’s Day 2023: #EmbraceEquity here]
iHeart celebrates women in music and audio in International Women’s Day takeover
Yesterday, listeners were able to tune into iHeartAustralia from 9am to 6pm to listen to an all female lineup of artists. Artists included Amy Shark, The Veronicas, Thelma Plum, Jessica Mauboy, and Missy Higgins. Additionally, iHeart has shared a lineup of female-led podcasts to celebrate women on International Women’s Day.
The podcast lineup includes, Life Uncut with Britt & Laura, Rise and Conquer, She’s on the Money and Crime Junkie
Yumi Stynes hosts new SBS podcast on diversity in media
Eleven high-profile Aussies tell-all to host Yumi Stynes on how they forged a career in the spotlight despite facing racial prejudice, discrimination and a lack of visible role models in SBS’s new podcast, Seen.
This interview series talks to trailblazers in media, arts and culture, science, sport and beyond about the importance of being seen.
Hosted by writer, TV presenter and podcaster, Yumi Stynes, Seen offers storytelling and personal experiences that help listeners understand the importance of diversity in media.
The series chronicles experiences of how it feels to be the first – the first person of your colour, faith, sexual orientation or ability to succeed in your chosen field – and how the world reacts to that success.
The stories are told by a stellar line-up of guests including disability activist and writer Hannah Diviney; NITV and Channel 10 star newsreader, Whadjuk Noongar woman Narelda Jacobs; and retired Australian rugby sevens Olympian and trans man Ellia Green.
Audible shares International Women’s Day Collection to celebrate women
Audible has released an International Women’s Day Collection, which features a series of bestselling audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals that showcase women and their stories from across the world.
From inspirational memoirs to thought-provoking female-led fiction, the collection covers a range of opinions and experiences that encourage an insightful view into the lives of women.
Titles include the award-winning Girl, Women Other, by Bernardine Evaristo, Flex Mami’s The Success Experiment, as well as Grace Tame’s long-awaited memoir, The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner.
Other titles that made the collection, include Power by Kemi Nekvapil, which details a five-step process to guide other women to build their power and transform their lives through the principles of Presence, Ownership, Wisdom, Equality and Responsibility. I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy details McCurdy’s journey to becoming a child star under the guidance of an abusive mother/
[Listen to Audible’s International Women’s Day Collection here]
The Growth D_Stillery Vodcast: The power of wellness and community
Last month, News Corp Australia announced the launch of The Growth D_Stillery, a dedicated research and intelligence service offering consumer insights to help marketers navigate brand challenges, anticipate consumer trends and understand where best to invest.
The Growth D_Stillery amplifies key research insights on trade marketing platforms, and on News Corp Australia channels. As a part of its release into market, the platform has launched a series of vodcasts hosted by News Corp Australia’s director, Growth Intelligence Centre Dan Krigstein, with guests from all corners of the marketing world.
Released fortnightly, the vodcasts aim “to really humanise these insights,” according to Krigstein, and tackle a new marketing challenge every episode.
This week, Mediaweek spoke to Nick Ingate, founder of Sabbatical Travel and former partner at the brand consultancy group The Projects.
When asked why he said yes to appearing on The Growth D_Stillery vodacst, Ingate points to the fact that he’s known Krigstein since “way back in California when he was at Fox, and Paramount prior to that.”
[Listen to Growth D_Stillery here]
LiSTNR and Broadsheet Media create Melbourne and Sydney podcast guides
LiSTNR and Broadsheet Media have teamed up to create two new podcasts, Broadsheet Melbourne Around Town and Broadsheet Sydney Around Town.
The podcasts will be published three times a week in an exclusive co-creation deal announced today.
The podcasts will draw on Broadsheet’s unrivalled knowledge of the food, drink and culture scenes of Sydney and Melbourne and their surrounding suburbs. Each episode will deliver Sydneysiders and Melburnians a snappy, ten-minute audio wrap-up of the hottest new venues in town.
Hosted by Broadsheet’s editorial director Katya Wachtel for the Melbourne edition and national assistant editor Emma Joyce for the Sydney version, the podcasts will feature a rotating cast of Broadsheet editors to provide their finger-on-the-pulse expertise and reveal to listeners the real secrets of their city.
[Listen to Broadsheet Melbourne Around Town and Broadsheet Sydney Around Town]
Former PM Malcolm Turnbull joins LiSTNR with Defending Democracy podcast
LiSTNR has welcomed former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his podcast Defending Democracy with Malcolm Turnbull; a new six-part series that examines the threat of democracy around the world.
Each episode delivers conversations with key global and local political figures and commentators including former British Prime Minister Theresa May, former US Republican Party Congressman Adam Kinzinger, veteran Homeland Security official John Cohen, Australian Members of Parliament Allegra Spender MP and Zali Steggall MP, journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa, and American author and expert on Russian disinformation Nina Jankowicz.
Together they question if liberal democracies can prevail against populist authoritarians? Can we stop the madness of the ‘angertainment’ industry without stifling free speech? What lessons can Americans learn from Australian democracy and what warnings can Australians take from America, from Europe and closer to home here in Asia?
[Listen to Defending Democracy with Malcolm Turnbull here]
LiSTNR announces its exclusive original investigative podcast series with Richard Baker
LiSTNR has announced its exclusive partnership with award-winning journalist Richard Baker for a series of original investigative podcasts.
Baker will partner with the podcast platform’s in-house podcast team for an initial two new audio documentary series, continuing his reputation for compelling, narrative content.
A long-time journalist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Baker has become increasingly renowned in recent years for his critically acclaimed podcast series, including Phoebe’s Fall, Wrong Skin, The Last Voyage of the Pong Su and The Confession, which sat at number one on the Australian and NZ podcast charts for several weeks in late 2022.
Richard Baker
Baker said of the partnership with the podcast platform: “I’m thrilled to be teaming up with LiSTNR to deliver what I hope will be two unique and must-listen podcasts in 2023. It’s great to be working with a company and a bunch of talented people who really believe in the power of audio storytelling.”
Back behind the mic: Hamish and Andy release their first podcast for 2023
Hamish Blake and Andy Lee are set for another jampacked year, delivering plenty of laughs in the Hamish & Andy podcast, produced by LiSTNR. The pair have published their first podcast episode for the year, with their return coming as their ‘Government Mandate Break’ finally lifts.
The podcast claimed the number one spot on the Triton Podcast Ranker for the majority of 2022, and saw more than 26 million downloads over the last 12 months.
The first episode covers pressing topics such as artificial intelligence, pancakes, a fish-based special skill, Bunnings’ sausage sizzles, as well as putting a company’s brand loyalty to the test.
Hamish and Andy’s podcast return comes as the pair recently signed an early, multi-year extension with SCA to remain with LiSTNR.
[Listen to Hamish & Andy here]
