AFTERNOON SESSIONS 1

1:45pm - 2:30pm: TikTok Made Me Buy It! The Social Media Playbook for 2023
Joint session for Business & Production tracks

The impacts of 2020 aren’t limited to shipping delays and flight cancellations; the way we all interact online has changed immensely in the past three years. How has this affected marketing for the publishing industry? And how can audiobook producers, narrators, and publishers adjust thier marketing to keep up with the latest trends?

Join our panel of social media starlets and online marketing directors where they’ll discuss the formula to making viral video content, overarching perspectives to online tactics and strategies, and provide an overview of the Trends of 2022 and what we can glean from them about how our listeners consume audio content.

The session will be moderated by Victoria Gerken (Publisher - Podium Audio) and speakers will include Ron (Ronnie) Butler (Narrator), Reba Buhr (Narrator), Michael D'Angelo (Marketing Manager - HarperCollins Publishers), Gary Furlong (Voice Actor - Gary Furlong Voiceovers), Stella Hunter (Narrator) and Emily Lyman (CEO - Branch & Bramble)

1:45pm - 2:30pm: The Future of Production: Home Narration and Studio Production
Joint session for Business & Production tracks

15 years ago most narration was recorded in a studio, with a director. The growth of 13-week contracts and online markets like ACX and Findaway ushered in the age of the home studio. The growth of the audiobook market and the COVID epidemic created an explosion of home studios. Many narrators have always worked from home, engineering themselves. 

This session will look at the challenges and opportunities related to this shift, from the perspective of the narrator and the publisher. We will discuss expected technical and editorial standards, quality assurance and project management. These subjects include: self-direction vs. direction-over-internet, defining clear production standards for home studios, audition procedures.

This session will be moderated by Cassandra Medcalf (Narrator/Engineer/Author) and feature Sophie Amoss (Narrator), Chris Mottes (CEO - Hindenburg Systems), Troy Otte (Vice President, Production - Podium Audio) and André Santana (Voice Actor & Audiobook Narrator).

AFTERNOON SESSIONS 2

2:45pm - 3:30pm: Choosing the Right Royalty Share Project — Beginner’s Session
Production track session

When you are first starting out as an audiobook narrator, you might be tempted to take any project that comes your way. But when chosen to narrate a royalty share title, what steps can you take to have the best chance of seeing a return on your investment?

Our panel of seasoned narrators will provide insight on what to look for when partnering with an indie author who wants you to produce their royalty share project. 

• How should their social media profiles look?

• What metrics do you hunt for on their sales pages? 

• And what is their marketing plan?

These tips will help you to enter these contracts with eyes wide open, as well as inform you in making decisions that will help you pursue this career intelligently and sustainably.

This session will be moderated by Krystal Hammond (Narrator) and features James Patrick Cronin (Narrator), Amy Deuchler (Audiobook Narrator), and Meghan Kelly (Narrator).

2:45pm - 3:30pm: The Inside Scoop: Casting Director Perspectives on Casting and Multicast Productions
Production track session

Ever wish you could go behind the scenes and discover how producers make their casting decisions? What goes into producing an audiobook from the client's side? How publishers handle multicast productions? Hear directly from a panel of casting and production professionals on the following topics:

• What producers look for when casting narrators for solo and multicast narration.

• How to forward yourself for consideration in a respectful and productive way. 

• How to make your audition memorable.

Get the scoop on how audiobook production works from the other side of the mic, with traditional and multicast productions.

This session is moderated by Erin Bennett (Narrator) and features Matie Argiropoulos, (Director of PreProduction, Executive Producer - Penguin Random House Audio), Stephanie Cicatiello (Vice President, Casting - Podium Audio), Rinn Kraus (Producer, Spotify) and Brian Ramcharan (Producer, Penguin Random House Audio).

2:45pm - 4:00pm: The Business of Being Creative
Business track session

Standing out in the audio world is becoming more difficult with more content being produced and new publishers racing to market. In this session, you'll learn how others are using innovation to nudge the bar in their favor. From audio originals to Q&As, playlist tie-ins and multi-cast productions, we’ll learn what worked, what flopped, and how you can benefit from others’ trials. Taking a risk is the burden of the creative, but we’ll hopefully help to narrow down the titles one should be creative with: is it the shoo-in bestsellers or the books with more modest expectations that could really use a push? How do you know when an idea should be an Audio original vs. a traditional print path?

This session will be moderated by Danielle D'Orlando (Curator of Audio, Princeton University Press) and features Duane Beeman (Director of Production, Graphic Audio), Carla Herbertson (Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer, Small Wardour), Nicole Morano (Senior Director of Communications - Pushkin Industries) and Dan Zitt (Senior Vice President, Content Production, Penguin Random House).

2:45pm - 4:00pm: Business Meetings
Business track session

APAC is not only about making new connections and learning new things, it’s also about meeting face-to-face with business partners. We have set this time aside for you to do just that!

AFTERNOON SESSIONS 3

4:00pm - 5:15pm: Meet the Press
Business track session

Join this panel session and learn what editors and those who cover audiobooks in the press are looking for and need from publishers to create buzz around releases, casting, and audio extras.

This will be moderated by Laura Gachko (Vice President - Content, RBmedia) and panelists include Tom Beer (Editor-in-Chief, Kirkus Reviews), Emily Cox (Senior Director, Editorial - Audible, Inc.) and Robin Whitten (Editor & Founder, AudioFile Magazine).

4:00pm - 5:15pm: The Professional Ear
Production track session

The traditional Listeners Lounge is now an active learning experience focused on technique, and the elements of great storytelling. Experience live narration from Voice Talent pros with coaching from seasoned directors. Through this process they will explore script interpretation and ways to elevate the text.

This session will be moderated by Matthew Lloyd Davies (Narrator) and features Lisa Cahn (Producer - Hachette Audio), Nick Martorelli (Executive Producer -Penguin Random House Audio) and Soneela Nankani (Narrator).