10 homegrown podcasts to check out at next month’s Philly Pod Fest

The Philadelphia Podcast Festival returns next month for its seventh year, and the 2019 crowd can expect a whole slew of homegrown Philly podcasts doing live shows throughout the city.

Organizers say this year is the biggest yet with 60 podcasts participating between July 17-29 that will highlight the incredible life experiences that come out of living in Philadelphia.

Folks will be able to catch shows over the two weeks at World Cafe Live, Tattooed Mom, Indy Hall, The National Liberty Museum and Victoria Freehouse. Many of the shows are free or pay-what-you-wish admission.

“What I love the most about it is that it’s really open to anybody that wants to participate and anyone who wants to see shows,” festival co-founder Teagan Kuruna told Technical.ly Philly. 

Kuruna said although podcasting has gotten more popular over the years, this past year has seen an explosion of listeners and new shows.

She sees two major styles of shows coming to the forefront.

“You have your polished, NPR-style shows and you have some that are more causal conversation, a bit more DIY,” she said. “Thats what we’re seeing a lot of coming out of Philly. That grittiness. That ‘I’m going to figure out how to make a podcast with the budget that I have and the resources I have.”

Kuruna and her husband started the festival in 2013 with a roundup of 12 shows. This year, they’re anticipating about 1,500 attendees across the two weekends.

Here’s a look at some of the Philly-based podcasts you can catch next month, with info provided by the festival organizers:

• Alt-Black: Three Philly comics talk about race, pop culture, and their experiences as an alternative black person. (Sunday, July 21 at noon at the National History Museum. (Admission is pay-as-you-wish)
• Entangled Podcast: This podcast “shows the duality of Black people everywhere” by promoting self care and mental health within black communities. Most topics surround love, lust, dating and communication. (Sunday, July 28, 3:30 p.m. at Tattooed Mom. Admission is free.)
• Everything is Awesome: A long-form interview and conversational show. Each week, hosts speak with a guest about whatever it is they do — podcast, make films, do comedy, write, etc. (Saturday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Tattooed Mom. Admission is free.)
• First Reaction/Fan Reaction: Two friends sit down and watch a TV show, one a fan and the other never having seen it before. Then hosts review each episode from two different perspectives (Saturday, July 27 at 4:30 p.m. at Tattooed Mom. Admission is free.)
• My Gay Agenda: a bi-weekly podcast where the hosts interview members of the LGBTQIA community and plan their “world domination.” (Sunday, July 21, at 3 p.m. at the National History Museum. Admission is pay-as-you-wish).
• Party of One: An actual play podcast focused on two-player roleplaying experiences. (Saturday, July 20, at 5:30 p.m. at Tattooed Mom. Admission is free.)
• Strong Feelings: Best friends and business partners let it all out in a weekly show about work, friendship, and feminism. (Saturday, July 20, at 2 p.m. at Indy Hall. Admission is free.) 
• The Philly Soccer Show: Hosts cover the Philadelphia Union, Bethlehem Steel, the U.S. Men’s and Women’s national teams and beyond, with game recaps, analysis and interviews with coaches, players, and beat writers. (Saturday, July 20 at 1:30 p.m. at Tattooed Mom. Admission is free.)
• Streets Dept. Podcast: The interview podcast features one-on-one conversations with street artists, small business owners, activists and other creative minds. (Saturday, July 20, 6 p.m. at Indy Hall. Admission is free)
• MISSION Story Slam: Storytellers from nonprofits and sustainable businesses share the stories of their mission for cash prizes. (Saturday, July 20 at noon at Tattooed Mom. Admission is free.)