The Doha Film Institute (DFI) Podcast Lab will be held online from August 29 to September 3.
This 'fascinating programme' will provide participants with knowledge, resources and mentor support for developing their projects both creatively – through story development and sound editing workshops – and strategically, with discussions on industry landscape, pitching, marketing and releasing their projects in today's audio landscape, according to the DFI website.
In this course, participants will learn the basics of audio storytelling and the art of creating and producing distinctive audio podcasts.
They will gain hands-on experience recording and editing with direction from industry experts.
'Participants will leave with an enriched understanding of the global podcasting landscape and its key players,” the website adds.“They will receive invaluable tips on tools, funding models, audience development, distribution, and gain insights on how they will measure their success.'
The workshop is designed for audio storytellers and producers or anyone interested in entering the podcast industry.
Participants must be from Qatar or the Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region.
A total of 6-8 participants will be selected for the workshop.
No previous podcasting or audio editing experience is required, but participants should arrive with strong ideas about the type of podcast they would like to make.
The Lab is open to serialised and story-driven audio projects.
Fiction, non-fiction and hybrid style projects are eligible, and projects can be either short-form or long-form series.
Participants in later stages of development must have a pilot script, show trailer or sample audio, while those in early stages of development should have a comparable proof of concept detailing their ideas.
Participants must have a project presentation with essential information about their intended show, including potential hosts, guests and topics.
Serial narrative projects should detail their full narrative arc and all relevant backstory.
Long-format, short-format, limited series, in fiction and non-fiction are eligible.
Project information should be extensive enough to give reviewers the fullest idea possible of one's audio project.

The project dossier should include:
* A synopsis
* The creator's note detailing the intentions and goals
* The visual concept or pitch deck (if applicable)
* Script and treatment (if applicable)
* Any preliminary topical research and a list of interviews, voice actors or sources one has contacted or might approach to participate
* Biography of the creative team and key crew members
* Production company information
* Supplementary materials as desired (audio trailer, etc)
* A letter outlining one's motivation to participate in the Lab, describing the project's current stage and its needs – and sample questions one would like to discuss in the workshop
* Any link(s) to the producer's previous work
* A copy of the passport or a government-issued ID.

These materials have to be submitted before August 8 in Word or PDF format to [email protected] , including the applicant's full name, project title, email and phone contact in all text documents.
The Lab will be conducted in English, and the fee is QR1,100.
It is applicable from the Beginner to Intermediate levels, and six projects will be selected with a maximum of two attendees per project.

Participants will learn:
* About the main global players in the podcast industry – platforms like Apple, YouTube, Spotify, Google Podcast, etc, their strengths and weaknesses for creators (especially metrics), their significance and role in the industry; international podcast networks like Deezer, Kerning Cultures, Sowt, etc; and all other podcasts.
* To define their audience and podcast with a purpose.
* To write scripts, map narrative arcs and generate immersive stories for audio.
* Planning, team roles and workflow mapping.
* How to choose (and use) the right equipment for their podcast.
* Beginner sound editing.
* To record interviews and edit them – interview prep, how to get great tape in an interview, and the ethics of editing quotes.
* How to brand and market their podcasts.
* Business models.
* Options for distributing their podcast.
* How to pitch their podcast to the industry.

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