The award goes to 🏆
Ambie Award winners list & fonts fonts fonts!
Hey Party People,
We have a list this week! Let’s get to it.
Website update!
We’ve started updating some design elements to the website. Starting with consistent fonts/colors, it’s already popping more than our inconsistent use of Times Roman and Arial.
Before:
After:
The 1st Ambie Awards by The Podcast Academy was streamed Sunday. This week’s edition will contain the list of winners and each one has at least one critic review on Great Pods! So check them out, read the reviews, and have a listen. I give my hot take on the Podcast of the Year winner.
P.S. There are more podcast awards and this time from Quill Inc., on June 11th. It looks like it will be announced on the website and not a streaming show. If you are a podcaster on the newsletter list, go ahead and submit your podcast!
On to the list this week…
The Ambie Winners!
Podcast of the Year
Dying For Sex (I’m currently binging)
Publisher: Wondery (Adult)
About: When Molly's diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, she decides to do something bold: she leaves her unhappy marriage and embarks on a series of sexual adventures to help her feel alive. She shares the funniest and most touching details with her closest friend, host Nikki Boyer.
Through the first three episodes, there’s a lot of shocking amusement “oh my gods” from Nikki (host) around what men, Molly, interacts with. I’ve blushed a few times. Listen with your headphones on.
“Where there was once a gap in language, an unwillingness to address what is common, there is conversation, detail, and a lot of laughter.”
Jade Hayden - Her.IE - May 16, 2020
Best Documentary
I’m Not A Monster
Publisher: BBC & PBS
“From its opening episode I’m Not A Monster is compelling and propulsive.”
Jake Greenberg - Podcast Review - Feb 24, 2021
Best Interview
Death, Sex, & Money
Publisher: WNYC
“Anna Sale is the absolute best at exploring difficult, intimate, and harrowing topics…”
Nicholas Quah - Vulture - Dec 11, 2015
Best Comedy
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Publisher: Team Coco & Earwolf
“Conan O’Brien brings his uncanny ability to chit-chat with celebs to the audio space in his podcast…”
Jahla Seppanen - The Manual - Jun 19, 2020
Best News
Today, Explained
Publisher: Vox
“The lack of bias gives the listener the ability to form their own opinions and thoughts around the news stories that we’re consuming.”
Alison Osborne - Quill It - Oct 13, 2021
Best Sports
Whistleblower
Publisher: TenderfootTV
“One of the most amusing touches is the podcast using actor Michael Imperioli from “The Sopranos” to explain some of the nuances of the cheating…”
Rodney Ho - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Sep 2, 2020
Best True Crime
Dr. Death Season 2: Dr. Fata
Publisher: Wondery
“It engages its audience, while also educating them on and awakening them to the need for changes to our health care system…”
Colette Coleman - Forbes - Oct 27, 2020
Best Business
The Heist
Publisher: Center for Public Integrity
“…listen, understand, throw something in frustration, and then have a cup of tea to calm down.”
Miranda Sawyer - The Guardian - Oct 3, 2020
Best Fiction
Blood Ties
Publisher: Wondery
“…the performances are strong and the production nicely understated.”
Fiona Sturges - Financial Times - Jan 11, 2020
Best History
Driving The Green Book
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
“…weaves in uplifting histories of the communities and entrepreneurship that thrived in Black communities…”
Erik Jones - Bello Collective - Dec 2, 2020
Best Knowledge, Science, or Tech
Short Wave
Publisher: NPR
“…manages to dig deep and strikes a smart balance of common sense and geekery.” Fiona Sturges - Financial Times - Nov 2, 2019
Best Society or Culture
Code Switch
Publisher: NPR
“…this insightful podcast invites listeners to educate themselves and join the conversation.”
Lian Brooks - Elle Magazine - Jan 15, 2021
Best Politics
Gaining Ground: The New Georgia
Publisher: Crooked Media
“I found value in having the picture being threaded together…”
Nicholas Quah - Vulture - Jan 6, 2021
Best Entertainment
Even The Rich
Publisher: Wondery
“Siffrinn and Skidmore-Williams have a kind of chumminess that makes listeners miss being in person with their own friends.”
Wendy J. Fox - Podcast Review - Dec 9, 2020
Best Personal Growth/Spirituality
On Being with Krista Tippett
Publisher: On Being Studios
“…makes for contemplative, gentle listening.”
Alice Florence Orr - Podcast Review - Nov 11, 2020
Best Wellness or Therapy
Therapy for Black Girls
Publisher: iHeart & Joy Harden Bradford, Ph.D
“Therapy for Black Girls gets the balance right.”
Alice Florence Orr - Podcast Review - Nov 11, 2020
Best Podcast Host
Best Reporting
Best Scriptwriting, Non-Fiction
Wind of Change
Publisher: Pineapple Street Studio, Crooked Media, Spotify
“The team does a good job at making the story seem plausible, and dresses it up with slick production…”
Kevin Chang Barnum - Podcast Review - Jul 3, 2020
Best Scriptwriting, Fiction
Dirty Diana
Publisher: QCode
“I want to also acknowledge how class Demi Moore is as Diana. Her instantly recognisable husky voice really lends to the spicy theme of this audio drama…”
Kev - Tea In The Sahara - Sep 14, 2020
Best Production and Sound Design
Best Performer in Audio Fiction
The Left Right Game / Tessa Thompson
Publisher: QCode
“The story is a banger that sucks you in with subtle creepy moments that sneak up on you.”
Tracy Palmer - Signal Horizon - Nov 23, 2020
Best Original Score
Jacked: Rise of New Jack Sound
Publisher: Wondery & Universal Music
“…host Taraji P. Henson demonstrates how perfectly suited this type of audio documentary is for direct engagement with pop songs.”
Laura Jane Standley - The Atlantic - Dec 26, 2020
Congrats, you made it this far down the list! Nice work.
Additional industry news: The terrifying Dr. Death Season 1 podcast has been adapted into a limited TV series on Peacock starring Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, and Dawson’s Creek’s Joshua Jackson. Here’s the trailer:
More industry news: The Left Right Game w/ Tessa Thompson is now being adapted for Amazon Studios. Read more here.
Stay safe, get vaccinated (get that second shot!),
XOXO
Captain Ron
About: Great Pods is a podcast discovery and recommendations ecosystem that uses podcast critic’s reviews and ratings to help you find your first or next listen.