Recorded Panel: Thursday, September 18 from 2pm - 3:15pm ET 

The Power of Collectives: Exploring the Benefits of Community and Collaboration

Being an independent podcaster can be so lonely. But there are communities that are looking to uplift and support the work of independents - called Collectives. Find out how these collectives got started, who they support, how they’re structured and the type of work they are promoting.


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About this panel

  • Thursday, September 18
  • 11am PT / 2pm ET
  • 75 min
  • Free 
  • This webinar is recorded and made available for free after the event. 
Explore the transformative impact of collectives in the podcasting industry with a panel of trailblazing leaders. From Latinas in Podcasting to Hub and Spoke, Fonographia and the Black Podcasters Association, these visionaries will delve into the importance of community, the benefits of collaboration, and lessons we can learn to strengthen our audio community today. Don’t miss the opportunity to gain valuable insights and inspiration for your own creative journey. 

Key Takeaways

  • What is a collective and how do you start one
  • What benefits might a collective hold for independent creators 
  • What lessons have these collectives learned that can help us strengthen our audio community today 

Who is this panel for? 

  • This panel is for those who are interested in how collectives work, what it takes to get one off the ground, or for anyone interested in joining a community. 
  • This panel is for freelance journalists or producers at any stage (early, mid or professional) who may be looking for a home for their story or community to develop their idea. 
Meet the Moderator

Sheeba Joseph

Sheeba Joseph is an award-winning podcast producer and marketer known for her strategic approach to audience growth and collaboration. Over the past five years, as the Audience Growth Director of Out There, she has increased listenership by 62%, developing partnerships with organizations such as the Sierra Club and joining the Hub & Spoke Collective. She freelances with the podcast marketing agency The Podglomerate, and prior to that, created audio strategies for brands looking to develop podcasts and build audio networks with FRQNCY Media. 

She has produced stories that have been featured on Out There, Following Harriet, Duolingo, and Foreign Policy/Doha Debates. And has worked on several multi-part investigative series with Campside Media’s distribution partners - Sony, Wondery, and TenderfootTV. Including the narrative chart-topping series Devil in the Ditch (Sony) and Suspect Season 2 (Wondery). 

She served as a mentor for AIR's New Voices Amplify! 2024 and 2025 cohorts. And is excited to bring a unique perspective to the panel discussion on the Power of Collectives, focusing on marketing, collaborations, and strategic planning. 
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Meet the PRESENTER

Paulette Erato

Paulette Erato is a dynamic leader dedicated to amplifying Latina voices and empowering women to take charge of their narratives. As the founder of the Latinas in Podcasting, she fosters a platform for education, inspiration, and community.

An award-winning former event planner, Paulette seamlessly blends her expertise in events with her passion for storytelling and produces impactful and inclusive virtual experiences. She also hosts La Vida Más Chévere de Childfree Latinas, a podcast challenging toxic cultural norms and encouraging women to design their best lives.

With a focus on helping new podcasters, Paulette is a mentor, speaker, and advocate for diversity in media, making her a sought-after voice in the podcasting community, particularly among Latina women.
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Meet the PRESENTER

Tamar Avishai

Tamar Avishai is a freelance audio producer, writer, and arts reporter who has been encouraging people to look with their ears since 2014. In 2016, she created an award-winning independent art history podcast, The Lonely Palette, and in 2017, co-founded Hub & Spoke, a collective of fiercely independent, idea-driven, and mind-expanding podcasts.
 
In 2020, Avishai was the podcaster-in-residence at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and produced an award-winning installment of Raw Material for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In 2024, she produced a reported documentary on the National Memorial for Peace and Justice as part of the limited podcast series, Monumental.
 
Avishai has produced podcasts for Harvard Art Museums, SFMOMA, Storm King Art Center, the Addison Gallery of American Art, and others, is currently producing series for the National Gallery in Washington DC (as storyteller-in-residence) and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Avishai has written for various outlets, including The New York Review of Books, and The Lonely Palette has been aired on NPR, the CBC, the ABC, and over various independent airwaves. She is passionate about curious, compassionate storytelling, making the visual aural, and audio independence. She currently lives in Cleveland with her husband and three children.
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Meet the PRESENTER

Ruxandra Guidi

Ruxandra Guidi has been telling stories for more than two decades. Her reporting and writing for public radio, podcasts and magazines has taken her throughout the United States, the Caribbean, South and Central America, and the U.S.-Mexico border region. 

After earning a Master’s degree in journalism from U.C. Berkeley in 2002, she assisted independent producers The Kitchen Sisters with their award-winning series Lost & Found Sound. She went on to work as a reporter, editor, and producer for Latino USA, The World, Fronteras Desk in San Diego-Tijuana, and KPCC Public Radio in Los Angeles. She was a freelance foreign correspondent based in Bolivia (2007-2009) and in Ecuador (2014-2016). Currently, she is an independent editor and contributor to various podcasts and magazines, and finishing her first novel. In 2023, Ruxandra won a Soros Equality Fellowship to produce the anthology podcast Happy Forgetting about racial justice in America.
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Meet the PRESENTER

Corey Gumbs

Corey Gumbs (He/Him) is a leading podcast development strategist and community builder, dedicated to empowering content creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses through audience-driven ecosystems. 

As the Founder of the Black Podcasters Association (BPA), Corey has built a thriving community designed to uplift Black podcast creatives and professionals. The BPA serves as a hub for education, collaboration, and industry advancement, ensuring that Black voices remain at the forefront of the podcasting landscape.

He is also the Founder of BlkPodNews.com, the first podcast industry trade newsletter dedicated to Black podcast creatives and professionals. This platform curates industry insights, trends, and opportunities tailored to the unique needs of Black podcasters.

In addition, Corey also has an extensive background in recording as an independent hip-hop producer, and currently runs Press Record Studios, a full-service podcast production and recording service that offers podcast recording, production, editing in the NYC metropolitan area and beyond. 
Corey's contributions to the industry have earned him a seat on the board of the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR), a global nonprofit supporting independent audio producers.
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