podcamp toronto 2007 – the morning after

podcamp_toronto

What a tremendous experience. Saturday, I participated in Podcamp Toronto 2007. It was arranged by a group of talented podcasting, sales, marketing, advertising, internet (and pros from countless other industries) to share their knowledge of podcasting (and explain what in some cases is a booming commercial industry).

Billed as an “unconference”, I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at Ryerson University in downtown Toronto. The “un” upon reflection having experienced it, means a more relaxed and interactive learning environment; it does not mean that there was any less talent and insight shared, in fact, just the opposite.

I like a lot about Podcamp, but what I think I liked most was coming across presenters and podcasters whom I might not have ever met in any other forum; each offered a thoughtful, smart and unusual perspective on this burgeoning industry. Remember that point in your life where you were in a business and someone said “hey you know this web site thing is interesting, do you think we should get on that internet thingy and get us one?”

Here’s you wake up call….podcasting has greater potential than you can possible imagine. This is the ground floor, get in on it.

Two presenters whose sessions I really enjoyed were Mitch Joel of Twist Image, a marketing agency Montréal whose presentation on “Building Your Personal Brand through Podcasting” was spot on. Great reading on his blog as well. The other presenter who was very impressive was Julien Smith, a Montréal based designer, entrepreneur, student, and podcaster whose presentation Giving Your Podcast A Google Presence was really smart. I’m going to have to get myself up to Montréal…it must be something in the water.

And my special thanks for Leesa Barnes of Podnomics and Caprica Interactive Marketing who was kind enough to include me in this experience. A great friend and a great client, thanks Leesa.

I have a bunch of other stories from Podcamp Toronto 2007 that I’ll save for later, including a visit with voice over talent Elaine Singer, the presentation I made to a packed house (boy was I surprised) and a visit with the owners of Voices.com, Stephanie and David Ciccarelli.

Final note, check out http://podcamp.pbwiki.com/ to find the location of the next Podcamp in your area.

3 Responses to “podcamp toronto 2007 – the morning after”

  1. Hi Peter, It was quite a rush getting to meet you, Elaine and Donna this past weekend as well as Leesa Barnes and Hugh from LibriVox among others. I truly enjoyed your presentation and thought that there was a lot of value in there for people of all production backgrounds and capabilities. Looking forward to the next time we can all get together. Cheers, Stephanie

  2. Peter, I enjoyed your presentation at Podcamp. Thanks for all the information. http://kevinbaggs.com

  3. Kevin and Stephanie:

    Thanks to both of you for stopping back to the blog.

    Kevin, if I can ever be of help to your podcast, give me a call.

    Stephanie- you and David are building up voices.com into a real powerhouse. nice job!