Ice Cream On A Park Bench with Jemma Rose Brown
One week left to apply to The Signal Awards - June 27 is the Final Deadline
A couple of weeks ago, Jemma Rose Brown, the General Manager of The Signal Awards came to my hometown and, together with CBC, convened a bunch of podcast folks for a happy hour gathering. As always, it was great to see my neighbours here, rather than see them when I travel elsewhere.
The next day, Brown and I met at Bang Bang! to grab an ice cream and wander over to the park to sit and chat quietly together amid the trees and dogs and pigeons.
As we walked over towards the trees, I asked what brought her to Toronto, on a random day in May, not associated with any major industry event. There were a few reasons, she explained, but one was that she followed the data. Her analytics showed that outside of the US, the two cities that appear most on her analytics dashboard are: Toronto and London, UK.
We sat down to talk in more detail about how the judging works with these awards, how they are different from other awards (which was instructive as I’m pleased to say that I will join the Signal Awards Judging Academy this year). And then we shared some joy (and a bit of sorrow) together as we reflected on this industry, past and future.
With large scale awards on the mind, I asked her to reflect on the newest entrant in the category: The Golden Globes plan to recognize podcast excellence for the first time at their 2026 awards. How will they determine greatness? Hard to say. Who will actually vote on this matter? There are a reported 300 entertainment journalists from around the world who will vote under what is described as a strict code of conduct. The Comprehensive eligibility criteria has yet to be announced.
So how does she feel about this new award? “Any greater institutional accreditation is a net positive, Brown said. “The mystery box is how they will define greatness. Regardless, any sort of mainstream adoption of podcasting as an artform, or a medium of merit on the level of film, television and literature is a positive thing for the industry.”
The following is highlights from our conversation. It has been lightly-edited for clarity.
[Samantha Hodder]: Bingeworthy focuses quite narrowly on the narrative podcasts; tell me where The Signal Awards connect to that aspect of the industry.
[Jemma Rose Brown]: Well The Signal Awards cover the full spectrum of the podcast industry. It's one of the points of difference of Signal, when you compare it side by side against other awards. We have categories that cover everything from chat, to investigative series, to narrative.
If you look at the amount of projects that are being made today, there aren't ten really great shows….there are dozens, hundreds, if not thousands, that are excellent.
So the award that we've built is designed to hold space for and recognize all work that’s great.
[SH]: You’ve worked in many ways in the podcast industry, but what's something you learned about the podcast industry…the people or the community, that you learned, after you got to the Signal.
[JRB]: I listen way more than I ever have in any other job, which is kind of embarrassing. Being in this line of work has turned me on to so many more shows and also international creatives as well, because at OnAir Fest we were much more focused on domestic.
In a day-to-day sense, my job is to speak to networks and individuals who make shows and understand what they're working on and what's coming down the pipeline. And then think about like if that could be an interesting entrant into the award.
And so by virtue of that, I have these conversations day in and day out; oftentimes they get emotional. I hear about people's existential threats, what keeps them up at night, or what they're really, really excited about.
And so I feel like I have this very comprehensive kind of pulse check on the industry in a way that I never have before. I can see kind of the insecurities and the content themes and the kinds of clients people are getting, from a 10,000-foot view way.
[SH]: Next year, when we're sitting on this bench in a beautiful park again, having an ice cream, how do you think you’ll describe your past year? But maybe start by talking about your first year in your role as GM at The Signal Awards.
[JRB]: When I first started the job, the first few months, I spent those first few months talking to a lot of people—those I loosely consider my brain trust from across the industry. I spoke with network leads, content developers, but also people on the business side and Indy creators. I was asking basic questions: what kind of recognition do you need for your work to be able to keep going? What motivates people to enter awards? And, when have [an award], when [and how] has it benefited you?
I really wanted to think about this—to grow the visibility and legitimacy and purpose of Signal—and see it through the lens of how we [can] make this award meaningful for the community that it serves. And so I did a kind of reverse-engineer process of that by speaking to a lot of different folks and asking them questions like: How do you qualify or think about “best?” Or: Why is winning something meaningful?
And so I’ve arrived at like a few different takeaways that I think are actually really important and interesting: That people really need recognition and it's not an ego play, it's motivation, it's willingness to keep going. It's also the capacity to think about the future.
There is such a short afterlife of pride upon completion in a large part because as a creative person, you're so much more interested in and invested in the making of, and when you finish something, the bottom drops out…
[SH]: And the exhaustion kicks in…
[JRB]: Yes, the exhaustion…. and yet we have to finish things and then make the next one. And so sometimes I see my work, and the work of Signal, as like being that acknowledgement or that closure; it's that moment of recognition for the work itself.
Especially in an industry that is so fragmented, so decentralized, so siloed. And people feel really alone oftentimes in what they're doing. And so I think that kind of external validation is so important to like. And I think too for the creative process, because there's always those questions of…for why? For Why am I doing this?
[SH]: And subjecting myself to torments of creative work… and doing it on evenings and weekends, or waking up at 5:00 am work…those questions? Yeah.
[JRB]: To your question was, you know, what have I done?
The first few months, I was like thinking through: What is the purpose of this thing? Then, the end of 2024, I was doing a bunch of pretty deep like research, and strategy work around what's happening in the industry. I read every trend, report…I wrote a report Enter The Engagement Era (free download).
I was looking at consumption patterns, listening data, charts, and also doing qualitative research to think about what is coming into vogue, slash, what's gonna be important in 2025? Can I do a little crystal balling here to adjust Signal to match what I see happening in the industry?
Because part of what I want it to be as an award that is responsive to the times and changes with this industry and doesn't just remain stagnant with the same categories and the same definitions year over year, especially in a really quickly changing medium like this one.
So I graveyarded a bunch of categories, and started some fresh ones that I'm proud of this year. Specifically, we now have a Voice Acting Category, to recognize the work that goes into voice and delivery, which is sometimes overlooked, especially in the production of fiction podcasts.
We also have a new Local News Category, because that’s an antidote to the loss of many of our local news outlets. We’ve also added a Thought Leadership category, because that's such a profound portion of the market. And then I added a number of video podcast categories, both because that is what is happening, in the most clear sense of the phrase. and also to have a distinguished between audio-first and video-first.
[SH]: Aha,so some people might say you adding [video podcast categories] water it down…but you’re saying it’s rather to distinguish it?
[JRB]: Yeah, yeah. And allow that work to be honoured on its own.
In synopsis, this year was a lot of taking stock, seeing where Signal fits into the landscape, making a number of changes to the existing infrastructure…and then where I've been putting a ton of energy is having many one-on-one conversations, going to a lot of different podcast hubs to meet with people--effectively a road show-- to understand what their localized concerns and excitements are. And then participating more in the dialogue through things like the Trend Report.
It’s been busy!
[SH]: There are many categories…tell me more about how they work?
[JRB]: We have what we call “Media Types.” You can enter at the different levels: Episode; Show; Series. And then beneath those media types, there's Genre and Craft.
So Genre category would be: Best Kids Podcast, Best History, Podcast, Best Wellness, etc…And then Craft is everything from sound design to edit, to host chemistry on mic.
[SH]: So how many words are handed out each year?
[JRB]: Our scoring system is based on the like point structure. Each entry is judged on a scale of one to 10, and those scores are added cumulatively; there's a threshold, numeric threshold cutoff for gold, silver, bronze.
[SH]: So you can have a category and not have enough people meet the threshold?
[JRB]: Correct. Or have two people meet the threshold, which is why there is, you know, sometimes a category where there's one gold, two silver, two bronze…
[SH]: So it's not just a default for first, second, third places?
[JRB]: Yes.
[SH]: That's an interesting approach. It's like it's judged against itself more than anything. Not against everyone else…. could you have five golds and two bronzes?
[JRB]: It would have to be a big category for something like that to happen…. We can have a tie, that’s happened.
[SH]: What's the best piece of advice you've received about how to judge and listen to other people's work that you have shared with your judges?
[JRB]: I think what is a unique proposition of judging is that you are listening to things that are being chosen for you, right? It's not your hits on your Spotify. And so you have to listen in such a way where you are asking the question: Is this show doing its intention in the best way possible.
Like…we're sitting in a park…it's a podcast about trees. You're not a tree guy, but is this show doing tree guy exceptionally well?
So you have to do a little manual override on the podcast that you might self-elect for, and think through the lens of: Is this being made in the best way possible for its intention?
A nd then we have judging criteria that are there on the backend, when you're in the judging portal. You're listening for quality of craft (which is qualified), and you're listening for the impact of the show, and that's also qualified.
[SH]: I like to think about this in this way: did the promise of the premise deliver? Like, did you deliver on the promise of the show, what it said it would do?
[JRB]: It is very hard to see your own work, in much the same way that it's hard to see oneself. But rather to tap intimately into why the fuck you're making it, and get to the real emotional core of that, almost as if you were going to sit at a bar, three beers in and be like, this is why you have to listen to... it to frame something well.
It has to come from that kernel of like personal truth, because I do think the universal is found in a specific, rather than trying to write some sort of like, everyone would love this because everyone understands what it's like to be two people sitting on a park bench. Like you just have lost me in that…
[SH]: Your vision is vast, but if you could narrow down and point to two or three way points that you're charging towards in the future, what would they might be?
[JRB]: All of these efforts that I'm talking about kind of funnel into this one idea of creating a real meaningful award of record. I think that being able to say: I won a Signal Award, as we talked about, is important for the individual…
But I want that sentence to be able to transcend the industry, enough that people can leverage it in the other parts of their business, in their career, in their creative practice. And so it all levels up to that.
Signal Award Details
DEADLINE June 27, 2025
Entry is tiered: indie vs funded work
There’s also a package deal for multiple entries
Four broad categories for Entry:
Shows
Limited Series & Specials
Individual Episodes
Branded Storytelling
And then within each category, there are multiple different awards to apply for that fall into either Genre (eg, Activism, Public Service & Social Impact, Companion Podcast, Comedy….) or Craft (Best Host, Best Experimental Podcast, etc).
Need help to cover the cost this entry? Do you identify as BIPOC, Queer or Trans? APPLY FOR Podcasting, Seriously to cover costs
Additionally, Signal says the following:
# To diversify the entries received and celebrate our love of listening, we support a suite of discounted categories that focus on those idiosyncratic things that make us love podcasts. All Love of Listening categories, denoted by # can be entered at a reduced fee before our Final Entry Deadline
WAIT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
AIR Media’s New Voices Public Radio application just opened this year. It’s an eight week course for mid-career audio makers.
Successful applicants receive:
Mentorship (paired with someone for the year)
Professional development support
Structured networking sessions with leaders in the industry
A $1,000 stipend.
Supportive cohort of peers
AIR Media support and community
NPR has resumed their INTERNSHIPS once again - find out more HERE
Do you have a project that’s ready to pitch?
Why not get it ready for PITCH PARTY at Resonate….a lovely festival in Richmond, VA, in early November. Window for applications is: August 15-August 31, 2025.