Keynote Speaker

DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, he graduated from Bowdoin College and holds honorary doctorates from The New School and the Maryland Institute College of Art.

DeRay has advocated for issues related to children, youth, and families since he was a teen. As a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter Movement and a co-founder of Campaign Zero, DeRay has worked to connect individuals with knowledge and tools, and provide citizens and policy makers with commonsense policies that ensure equity. He has been praised by President Obama for his work as a community organizer, has advised officials at all levels of government and internationally, and continues to provide capacity to activists, organizers, and influencers to make an impact.

Maria Garcia

Maria Garcia is the Managing Editor at WBUR, where she oversees the Arts and Culture, Investigations, Environmental and Education teams. She moved to Boston from New York City where she earned a Master of Arts in journalism, with a focus on arts and culture reporting from Columbia Journalism School.

Before that, Maria reported on politics and public policy along the U.S. - Mexico border for more than a decade.

For most of 2020, she has stepped away from the daily editorial duties to produce Anything for Selena, a podcast from WBUR and Futuro Studios that examines the legacy of Selena Quintanilla. 

Maria is also a queer, first-generation Mexican-American who listens to Selena when she needs some motivation.

Constructing Anything For Selena - 2pm ET

Chioke I’Anson

Chioke I'Anson is a podcaster, a voice of underwriting for NPR, a professor at VCU, and the director of the VPM + ICA Community Media Center. He's been on several shows including Love + Radio, Everything is Alive, and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

So you want to start a podcast? - 2pm ET

The road from podcast idea to podcast pitch can be long, but it doesn't have to be. Join us for some tips on how to refine your pitch and make your show the best version of itself

Finding your voice - 3:30pm ET

It's easy to imitate. It's much harder to do your own thing. But podcasts are about individual voices, so let's do some things to develop yours.

Ariel Mejia + Mara Lazer

Soundscapes and Podcasting - 10:30am ET

When it comes to sound FX and music in podcasts, where do you start? Ariel Mejia and Mara Lazer share how to build immersive sound environments from scratch.

Ariel Mejia also goes by Ari and is a Chicago-based freelance audio producer and artist. She identifies as a time traveler, and has found audio functions as a multi-tool in her travels. Find her and her work at www.arielmejia.com.

Mara Lazer is a musician, educator and audio producer in New Orleans, LA. They bring their Pisces sensibilities of deep emotional arcs and wild possibilities to every project. If you want to scheme on daydreams say so, www.maralazer.com.