How much time per week will the course take?

Between the personal growth exercises, technical skill practice, and idea and scriptwriting work, you will probably want to plan on 2-5 hours per week if you really want to see meaningful progress. If you’ve heard the saying “You get out of it what you put into it,” well this is kind of the same thing.

How did you develop the curriculum?

The sixteen lessons in the Labs Weekender curriculum originated from three main sources: first, making 200 scripted episodes (in two years!) of our award-winning podcast, Shelter in Place. Second, running our Social Impact Award-winning intensive program, Kasama Collective. And third, reflecting on key career and life lessons we’ve learned over the past 20 years that we wish we’d known when we were starting out.

Is there homework?

In addition to audio tutorials and reflections, exercises, podcast planning tips, and assigned episodes, we provide further growth recommendations to enable students who have more time to maximize their learning. Like a lot of things in life, you'll get out of this what you put into it!

If you do complete all the elements of each lesson, you'll emerge with both a completed pilot episode, and clarified vocational and life direction.

Is this a good class if I’m just casually interested in podcasting?

No. While Labs is an online program and much of the work happens independently, we are seeking dedicated students who have a serious commitment to advancing their audio storytelling skills.

If you’re just mildly curious about podcasting, we suggest checking out one of the cheap, low-commitment options on Udemy.

Which audio editor (DAW) should I use?

This depends on your budget and how committed you are. Pro Tools is the leader and gets mentioned the most in audio editor job postings, but is also the most complex and expensive. Laura used Logic Pro X for a while, but switched to Hindenburg in the spring of 2022.

What if I’m just interested in audio editing?

Then other courses will be a better fit. Our course is designed for people who want a complete toolkit for narrative podcasting — including audio editing, but also with a serious work on writing, vocational direction, self-awareness, and personal growth. There are a number of other online courses where you can just focus on audio editing, like this. 

I’m female/non-binary and I’d like to meet some people and learn.

We’d love to see you over at a Skylark Collective event!

Where can I find some great podcasts to listen to?

Lauren Passell writes one of the best newsletters out there, bringing joy and heart and sparkle to pithy reviews of the staggering amount of shows she listens to every week, plus interviews with people in the business.

Where can I connect with other audio creators for networking / jobs?

Pod People is an audio staffing agency and offers a network of support and resources for a community of 2,000+ audio people. Plus, being a member is free and non-exclusive!

Is this more like a survey course or an upper-level class? (Beginning or advanced?)

Both. We wanted Labs to be like a survey or beginning class in that there are no prerequisites and Labs is open to anyone who is committed to learning, growing, and contributing to others’ learning and growth as well. Labs is also like a survey in that we have tried to cover all the major areas in sixteen weeks, or about one semester’s worth of lessons. If you do all the work in this program, you’ll be ready to produce your own narrative podcast, or apply for jobs in podcasting.

Labs is more like an upper-level or advanced class in that if you already have audio or writing experience, it will be easier. It’s also like an advanced class in that we are seriously committed, and expect a serious commitment and contribution from each student as well.

Can I take more than a week for a lesson?

Yes, the intent is that it works for your schedule. Many of the topics will benefit from multiple efforts or more mulling over. We chose a weekly cadence for the lessons to roughly align with a semester, and to encourage accountability.

What if I don’t have any writing or audio experience?

No problem! The course is accessible for all types of learners, but students with writing or audio experience will have an easier learning curve. (Like training for a marathon is easier if you already have experience running.)

What will I get out of this?

On a technical level, you’ll get audio editing, interviewing, scriptwriting, voiceover, and other skills — the toolkit you’ll need to produce a narrative podcast start to finish. But on a vocational level, you’ll gain a better understanding of your priorities, needs, and goals.

What if I already have a podcast idea, but need help launching it?

Great! — the wonderful team over at Podcast Allies can help you with that (and they also have a training course!).

What if I can’t afford this?

Gotcha. Amanda McLoughlin has a $35 podcast starter kit that is a good way to get started.

What if I actually want to write a novel?

Our award-winning friend Nina has a self-paced online course, The Slow Novel Lab, that is perfect for that. Laura has done it herself!

What if I want to take a course from an accredited university?

No problem; the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism has a course for $840 that covers more than half of the material we do.

Maybe I just want to start with tutoring on a single topic…

That’s fine — Karen Given works with students on writing, voiceover, and more on an individual consultation basis.

What if I actually want to try podcast management?

Sure – Lauren Wrighton has a whole course about that.