iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, and Seneca Women, a global women’s leadership platform, today announced the first-ever Seneca Women Podcast Academy, a program designed to help amplify the voices of women in podcasting. The inaugural class will consist of 10 winners from iHeartMedia’s nationwide initiative, “Seneca Women to Hear: The Search For the Next Great Female Podcasters,” which set out to find the next breakout female podcast stars. The Seneca Women Podcast Academy will help these winners develop and launch their own shows on the Seneca Women Podcast Network, distributed by iHeartMedia.

The six-week intensive program will kick off in May and will include one lecture per week with direct access to industry-leading mentors, all women who are at the top of their respective fields in podcasting. These workshops will be led by established podcast hosts, producers and executives, allowing the winners to gain valuable information about all aspects of the podcast business including development, sound engineering, distribution, marketing, sales and overall operations. Creators will also receive a stipend and top-of-the-line audio equipment to produce episodes of their shows, which will all become part of the Seneca Women Podcast Network.

Seneca Women Podcast Academy mentors will include Jo Piazza, award-winning journalist and host of shows like “Under the Influence” and “Committed”; Bridget Todd, activist, podcast host of “There Are No Girls On The Internet” and CEO of Unbossed Creative, a mission-driven creative studio that makes podcasts and other digital content to push the needle on social change and public good; and Dana Schwartz, a writer, author and journalist who hosts the popular podcast “Noble Blood,” among others.

“iHeartMedia is proud to say that 50 percent of our new shows over the past 12 months are hosted by women. We want to continue that growth and we believe starting the Seneca Women Podcast Academy is an exciting next step toward changing the makeup of podcasting,” says Will Pearson, Chief Operating Officer of the iHeartPodcast Network. “These ten shows will only bolster our platform and we’re thrilled to offer these creators the space and support to become the next generation of influential podcasters.”

The eclectic mix of winning show ideas range from comedic and personal to topical and informative on subjects like health, finance and social justice issues. The winners and shows include: “The Oh My God Particle Show!” hosted by Dahlia Wilde; “Making Our Trillions,” hosted by Yvonne So; “Memory Whisperer,” hosted by Dana Territo; “My Vagina Said What?” hosted by Kris McDaniel and Andi Gordon; “Your Financial Maven,” hosted by Samantha Mittman Besnoff; “Latinas Take the Lead,” hosted by Naibe Reynoso; “Uppity Knitter,” hosted by Siedah Garrett; “Hallmark Junkies,” hosted by Jennifer Mitchell and Kerri Carpenter; “FIN: Females In Podcast,” hosted by Lola Omolola; and “Aces Are Wild,” hosted by Maddy Goshorn.

“If we want women to part of designing our future, women’s voices need to be heard and women creators need to be supported,” says Kim Azzarelli, co-founder of Seneca Women, “which is why we are thrilled to announce the 10 winners of Seneca Women to Hear and to be partnering with iHeartMedia to make sure their voices get heard.”

The Seneca Women Podcast Network, distributed by iHeartMedia, builds on Seneca Women’s thought leadership and its founders’ decades of experience in advancing women around the globe. It focuses on a diverse range of topics that showcase positive role models, practical insights and shared learnings, while providing a platform for the voices of established and emerging women leaders as well as organizations making a difference for women and girls.

P&G and The Card by Seneca Women, powered by Deserve and Mastercard, are proud sponsors of the Seneca Women Podcast Academy and the “Seneca Women to Hear: The Search For the Next Great Female Podcasters” initiative.

About iHeartMedia

iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 90% of Americans every month. iHeart’s broadcast radio assets alone have more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet; twice the reach of the next largest broadcast radio company; and over four times the ad-enabled reach of the largest digital only audio service. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next four podcast publishers combined, and has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

About Seneca Women

Seneca Women is a global leadership and media platform that works to advance women in the economy and around the world by amplifying the voices of women and supporting women creators. Seneca Women has sought to accelerate women’s progress through signature events at Davos, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Stock Exchange as well as through partnerships with organizations including Apple, Bank of America, Bloomberg, The Coca-Cola Company, Mastercard, and P&G, among others. The Seneca Women Podcast Network on iHeartMedia, launched with founding partner P&G, builds on the success of this work. Seneca Women has also recently launched The Card by Seneca Women, powered by Deserve and Mastercard, issued by Celtic Bank, a Utah-Chartered Industrial Bank, Member FDIC. It’s the first card that rewards you when you shop from women-owned businesses in The Marketplace by Seneca Women. Seneca Women has also partnered with Gemini-owned Nifty Gateway to launch a special collection of NFTs titled The Seneca Women Equality Collection, celebrating women artists and their vision of equality.

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