The Winner of 2023’s Women Podcasters Contest: A Touch of Hysteria by Ann Kane
Can you believe it’s been a year since we launched the JAR Audio Pilot Competition for Emerging Women Podcasters? Neither can we! A lot’s happened in a year – and we can’t wait to share it with you.
A Touch of Hysteria
Last year, competition winner, Ann Kane, came to us with a pitch for a podcast that highlights gender bias in the medical system, called A Touch of Hysteria.
This topic is critical!
Women have to advocate harder for themselves in the medical system, and the data shows that they are often taken much less seriously when talking about pain or other symptoms. Even — as the debut episode of A Touch of Hysteria highlights — symptoms as serious as those of a heart attack.
Teaser Clip
Full Episode
Ann worked closely with JAR’s team to shape the episode, and come up with a strategy for moving it forward. Her hope is that her podcast pilot episode will help ignite the conversation and empower women to seek the care they deserve.
We sat down with Ann to ask her about A Touch of Hysteria:
JAR: How does it feel to be launching the pilot into the world?
Ann: I’m actually a little nervous for A Touch of Hysteria to be out in the world. It’s been a work in progress for so long and an idea in my head for even longer so it feels strange to finally have it out there. But I am also excited. I think it is an important topic that deserves attention and I hope we were able to do the topic justice.
JAR: What kinds of conversations do you hope this project will start?
Ann: I hope this will spark more conversation around what bias in healthcare actually means for women and how it affects our day-to-day lives. The more we can talk with each other about these topics the better we can advocate for ourselves and our loved ones.
At JAR, our hope is that a visionary corporate sponsor in the medical, wellness, or women’s clothing or products space will hear Ann’s gem of a pilot episode – and want help to keep the stories coming!
If you are that potential sponsor, reach out to us at hello@jaraudio.com.
Our team at JAR has really enjoyed working with Ann’s passionate team of women creatives who are breaking into the world of podcasting. We love supporting emerging talent – and we can’t wait to do it again!
Creative Director Jen Moss says “I’m so happy to have played a part in the development of Ann’s vision, and I think her pilot really demonstrates her strength as a storyteller. This is a great concept for a show – and it delivers an important message about women, systemic gender bias, and access to medical care.”
The pilot episode of A Touch of Hysteria is now available on Apple, Spotify and Google.
We enjoyed the 2023 competition so much…. (drumroll, please!)
JAR Pilot Competition for Women in Podcasting 2024
We’re doing it again!
We still think the podcasting space needs more female pilots!
As we reported last year, women and podcasts are a listening love story on the rise—and we want more female-focused shows! Together, let’s make that happen.
Our Pilot Competition gives one winning submission the chance to bring your podcast vision to life. You’ll work closely with the JAR team, learning from our exceptional producers, audience growth specialists, and sound engineers to transform your pitch into a pilot. You retain full ownership of your idea. This is an opportunity to bring your idea to life in sound, with the chance to learn professional production processes and audience development strategies along the way.
We’ll be looking for:
- Complete, well-thought-out podcast pilot episode pitches of any genre
- A unique voice, angle or topic
- A passionate producer who is willing to work hard to make their project come to life
JAR’s team of expert audio storytellers will review the ideas and select a winning pitch.
JAR will commit to making a pilot episode based on this pitch, working in collaboration with the creator.
The creator retains full ownership of the IP and can use the pilot episode as a “calling card” to encourage sponsorship, audience buy-in, or advertising interest, enabling them to make the rest of the series.
JAR’s in-kind donations will include:
- 1 creative strategy/mentorship session
- 1 marketing strategy/mentorship session
- Script vetting
- Recording services
- Editing services
- Mixing services
- Publishing of initial episode via podcast platforms
So, get that notebook of ideas ready and start crafting that perfect pitch–we can’t wait to see your ideas and work closely with you to bring a new pilot into the world!
How to craft a compelling pitch:
Aim for a concise, 1-page description of your idea for a pilot episode of an audio podcast. How will you use the power of sound in your storytelling? Is there a central question, story, or issue you will be exploring? Give us a sense of your preferred genre. (Fiction, non fiction, interview, narrative, etc.) Pilot episodes should be between 10-30 mins. Tell us who the voices are – what scenes or key components you imagine – what kind of tone you are trying to strike. Most importantly – tell us who you are, and why you want to make this particular podcast. What’s your connection to the topic? Also tell us a bit about some of the other creative work you’ve done – in any medium. Above all, we’re looking for ideas that are fresh, and creative people who are passionate. Submissions are due May 1, 2024
Submit your idea now (this contest is now closed):
hbspt.forms.create({
region: “na1”,
portalId: “5753226”,
formId: “03c62f20-64e7-47ce-a605-c1a64bee85c8”
});
NOTE: JAR recognizes an inclusive definition of womanhood.
Jen Moss is the Co-Founder and and Chief Creative Officer of JAR Audio. As JAR’s podcast “doula”, collaborating with enterprise brands to bring great podcasts into the world. With a background spanning CBC Radio, Canada’s National Film Board Digital Studio, Vancouver’s Roundhouse Radio and the University of British Columbia, she guides the creation of captivating podcasts at JAR.
