Veronica Milsom’s Zero Waste Baby Zoe
The former triple j presenter Veronica Milsom has set herself a significant challenge for her first podcast series – Zero Waste Baby. She wants to bring up her second child Zoe to have as small an impact as possible on the environment.
“I have finished the series which covers the first three months of Zoe’s life,” Milsom told Mediaweek. “PodcastOne releasing two episodes on September 30 and then one every week from then on.”
Milsom said she expects some of the content to be controversial and surprise some on the “zero waste” community. “It will also give people a window into my world. There is no privacy for me. I even took a microphone into the birth suite and recorded the labour which is on the podcast. Some might find it confronting.”
Going zero waste for bringing up babies is difficult. “Nappies are especially problematic. Craig Reucassel is one of my guests and he doesn’t think disposable nappies or reusable nappies are very good. They both have their issues. The carbon footprint involved in reusables is massive.”
Milsom has long wanted to be a podcaster and her deal with PodcastOne has started her off. “This series is like a comedy documentary and the storytelling involved has been really fun.”
Milsom only finished at triple j in March this year, just three weeks before the birth of Zoe. Returning to radio at some stage is still a goal at some point. “I am not sure what sort of a station I would try to get involved with.” Prior to triple j, Milson worked with both Nova and smoothfm.
Her arrival at PodcastOne adds to former triple j colleagues who have series with the podcaster including The Breifing’s Tom Tilley and former breakfast hosts Matt and Alex. “PodcastOne has been great holding my hand as I learn podcasting,” said Milsom.
Listen to Zero Waste Baby trailer here.
Michelle Stephenson catches her spy
Nova Entertainment’s national newsroom manager Michelle Stephenson has been a podcast fan for some time. She previously hosted a series called Who Doesn’t Love Politics for Nova two years ago. Now she is back with an intriguing adventure called I Spied on the Diamantina podcast network. Diamantina is also the home of The Betoota Advocate and Chat 10 Looks 3 with Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb.
It was during Who Doesn’t Love Politics that Stephenson originally crossed paths with David Callan. The talented allrounder ticks a number of boxes – former ASIO agent, comedian and actor. Callan was living in Canberra looking for a job that gave him flexibility to work in the theatre – hence the gig with ASIO.
“His stories were so great and we got along really well,” Stephenson told Mediaweek. “This year he reached out telling me he was planning a podcast about his time in ASIO and asked if I would be interested in hosting. We did a demo and it worked well so we are deep into recording the first season.”
While I Spied is co-hosted by Callan aka “Agent Frosty”, Stephenson revealed that he doesn’t like the moniker, “because in ASIO there are no agents. His nickname in the organisation was Frosty and we do cover that in one of the episodes.”
Callan/Frosty was an intelligence officer in ASIO for seven years. “In episode one we talk about why and how he started with ASIO.”
It’s perhaps surprising that a former spy is allowed to talk about his time with the company, but that’s what I Spied offers. There’s talk about working with Russian operatives and there is mention of China too. The discussions will appeal to many including international affairs nerds. “My undergraduate degree was in politics and international relations and it’s been great to use everything I learned in the podcasts. David is well versed in history and politics. There’s are fair bit of humour too!”
Stephenson listens to lots of news podcasts including the daily ABC broadcast of AM, Podsave America (a no-bullshit conversation about US politics), The Party Room (with Fran Kelly and Patricia Karvelas), The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Daily (The New York Times).
Nothing but the truth with Grant and Chezzi
Grant Denyer and his producer/presenter wife Chezzi Denyer this month launched their unfiltered tell-all podcast It’s All True?
The couple offer listeners an insight to what happens behind closed doors with tales that didn’t make the gossip magazines. The TV super couple open the book on their drama-filled 10-year marriage, with a funny and honest joust about the good, bad and ugly of life. Much of their relationship has been invented by the tabloids, so this time they’re telling their own stories no matter how god-awful, embarrassing or hilarious. It’s a straight-from-the-horse’s-mouth account of life with the Denyers. It ain’t always pretty, but it’s been one hell of an entertaining ride!
In the first episode listeners heard how the Denyers went from working together and not liking each other, to becoming a secret couple; how Grant broke his back and Chezzi nursed him back to health whilst struggling to get him off the pain meds and ultimately re-gaining her identity.
In the second episode, the Denyers discover why their eldest daughter, Sailor, struggled with home-schooling and was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD, Chezzi’s near death experiences and Grant’s unresolved psychological trauma from his reporting days on Sunrise.
Here comes the judge(s)
The Australian Podcast Awards (APAs) has announced its 2020 judging panel who will together determine the best Australian podcasts of 2020.
Media personalities and podcast creators Osher Günsberg and Georgia Love join this year’s judging panel, along with News Corp’s national entertainment editor, Jonathon Moran, The Project’s (Network 10) planning producer, Sean Marsicovetere, and The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age technology and podcast reporter, Peter Wells. Space limitations prevent Mediaweek from detailing the complete list of 50 (!) judges this year.
Acast launches Meta, a podcast about podcasts
In addition to judging the APAs this year (see above item), Nine Publishing journalist Peter Wells has partnered with Acast to launch a new podcast series…about podcasts.
Called Meta, it is promising to introduce podcast industry heavyweights and detail how Australia has become a podcast world leader.
Series one of Meta includes discussions with the voices behind some of Australia’s most iconic podcasts, including former Prime Minister Julia Gillard (A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard) and the ABC’s Dr Norman Swan (Coronacast) as well as journalists Ruby Jones (7am) and Rachael Brown (Trace, the Walkley Award-winning investigative series).
Trace: The Informer final reveals Lawyer X’s secret journey home
The ABC’s Trace podcast has revealed that underworld informer Nicola Gobbo left her overseas hiding spot in an audacious bid to return to her home country, leading to a tense standoff with police.
The defence barrister known as Lawyer X told Trace that soon after her return to Australia in December, Victoria Police issued her with an ultimatum: go back into hiding, or risk not living with your children.
Gobbo has disappeared again, into what she has called a ‘black hole’, and the ABC doesn’t know her whereabouts.
The remarkable story of Nicola Gobbo’s return to Australia is told in the final episode of Trace: The Informer, including details of a bizarre chain of police escorts that transported the family across three states.
The new revelations cap off an eight-part podcast series covering Nicola Gobbo’s life story and the reasons behind her decision to turn police informer.
A new behind-the-scenes documentary The Making of Trace: The Informer will also premiere on ABC iview next week, detailing the inside story of how journalists Rachael Brown and Josie Taylor tracked down Nicola Gobbo in hiding overseas, while delving into the complex and dangerous world of gangland criminals, police, and lawyers to tell the story of Lawyer X.
