Podikins podcasts are mostly for kids.
In the ever-expanding podcast universe there is something for everyone. Everyone but children, say James Nicholson and Andrew Whitfield, co-creators of Podikins Creative Audio.
The enterprise has started a series of podcasts called Podikins Presents – podcasts with subject matter, voices, special effects and humour geared to the young and their families.
The partners recently launched the first in the series of podcasts online. You’ll meet a character named Podi, who is the inspiration behind it.
Nicholson, 33, is a doctoral candidate in English literature at York University, while Whitfield, also 33, is a local librarian.
But when they’re not engaged in their more serious work, they are having loads of fun with podcasting – piecing together voice tracks, soundtracks, and effects to make for an engaging listening experience.
They are looking for contributions from kids and families, and hope to created a bustling podcast channel as the idea evolves.
“We’re really just getting this going,” Nicholson said. “We’re passionate about podcasting, sound and storytelling, and education. So, we’re starting Podikins because we noticed there aren’t many kids’ podcasts. There are podcasts for everything else.”
Those who search for podcasts for young listeners may be disappointed, Nicholson indicated. The ones that are available aren’t terribly exciting, he said.
“We just didn’t hear the kind of exciting, interactive, and sound-rich programming I expected I’d find in the kids podcast section,” he said. “So, we’re filling a niche. I think that designing sound for kids has so much potential for experimenting and creating sound-rich atmospheres.”
As a librarian, Whitfield is into the storytelling and educational side of podcasting. The partners are starting small, but plan to grow their product.
They want to have a new podcast ready every Saturday. This week, they’re working on one called Story Chef — taking ingredients from listeners and creating a story from it.
“We’d love to be more like a channel and drop in other contributions, have guests, and create a variety of programming,” Nicholson said. “We designed it to have room to grow.”
