Cast Camp 2021: Join Vietcetera To Find The Next Podcasters In Vietnam!
Photo: Maika Elan for Vietcetera. | Design: Ha Tram
Having had the opportunity to talk to many local and international podcasters, Vietcetera realized that podcasts have become a new content platform attracting people’s attention and having the potential to become a popular playground for creatives in Vietnam.
No need for a large team, you can start podcasting with just a microphone, as podcaster Chàng Ngốc Già (Dr. Vo Dinh Tri) once shared. Because not only he but also many other podcasters in the world, started the audio creation journey simply just like that.
Yet, encapsulated in these podcasts, listeners are being financially “enlightened,” having the chance to travel around the world, or discovering every aspect of scientific topics. Vietcetera as well, through our podcasts, is also discussing various topics from economics, news, creativity, to even sexual activities, with the intention of understanding, exploring, and constantly learning.
In short, podcasts are taking us very far, through diverse content made by anyone willing to share. No need to be an expert, anyone can make podcasts!
And this is the reason why Cast Camp 2021 was born, to be the first playground for podcast creators in Vietnam. Not only bringing challenges, but Cast Camp also hopes to become a bridge that connects participants, mentors and judges who can inspire each other and together draw experience in this new field of content creation.
Joining Cast Camp to compete in podcasting
A compound word of ‘Podcast’ and ‘Bootcamp’, Cast Camp is a podcasting “competition camp” organized by Vietcetera, with the desire to contribute to the development of the local podcasting and listener community.
With this spirit, Cast Camp 2021 welcomes all Vietnamese “campers” living and working in Vietnam or abroad, 18 years old and above, who are passionate about this form of audio content creation.
How to participate?
Cast Camp 2021 officially opened the campers registration from August 6 to August 29, 2021. Over 600 submissions were received, and just last week, 21 teams were selected to continue and participate in the Bootcamp 1 round.
Campers can sign up for Cast Camp individually or as a team, with a maximum of three members per team. They have to make sure that with all members of the team, they can complete all the stages in producing a complete podcast.
Participants will choose one of the following four topics for their podcasts during the competition:
Finance - Economics
Quality of Life
Creative/Art
Technology
In the Casting round, submission from each team should consist of:
A three-minute podcast related to one of the above topics
A behind-the-scenes video (no time limit, no post-production required) of the production of their submitted podcast.
How do the competition rounds take place?
After the Casting round to select the Top 5 teams for each topic, i.e. Top 20 teams officially participating in the competition, Cast Camp 2021 will be broken down in three rounds. Instead of just 20, there were 21 teams selected after two teams in the Technology category tied in their final score.
In each round, the teams will have the opportunity to participate in training sessions with the judges and mentors to be able to prepare well for their podcast production.
Bootcamp 1: Timing Challenge
Within 24 hours, with basic recording equipment provided by Vietcetera, each team of the Top 20 will make a new podcast episode on the selected topic.
The judges will choose 16 teams to continue to the second round.
Bootcamp 2: Content Challenge
Within 24 hours, each team of the Top 16 will make a new podcast episode in continuation to the previous one, with higher difficulty.
The judges will choose 12 teams to participate in the final round.
Final Round: Series Creating Challenge
Using skills learned from previous rounds, each team of the Top 12 will create a podcast series based on the chosen topic.
To find out the winner of each topic (i.e. four winners of Cast Camp 2021), Top 12 teams in this final round will be voted by Vietcetera listeners.
Below is the detailed schedule of the competition:
What are the criteria for the submissions?
As podcasters, Vietcetera understands that podcasts do not simply revolve around talking and listening, but also an investment of brainpower from writing the script, recording, to content creation and editing. Therefore, at Cast Camp, each submission will be judged based on these important criteria:
Script content
Storytelling
Audio quality & Post-production
Creative format and perspective
Voice talent
Time management
Cast Camp 2021 judges and mentors
Based on the six criteria, the submissions from “campers” will be evaluated by leading experts in the field of Communication and Creative both in Vietnam and internationally, with experiences in areas such as content, production, sound, and voice.
In addition, for each topic (Finance - Economy; Quality of Life; Creative; Technology), the teams will be supported by two expert advisors who have in-depth perspectives on each field.
In addition to that, Cast Camp 2021 has partnered with prominent Vietnamese podcasters from channels such as Unlock FM, The Blue Expat, On Mic, Chàng Ngốc Già, The Finding Audio, and Meomeotalks. With their podcasting experience, they will be the “insiders” providing the teams with the most practical advice on podcasting.
What are the prizes for the winning teams?
The four winning teams will have the opportunity to make their own podcast series with media and distribution sponsorship from Vietcetera for 12 months of broadcasting, and prizes worth up to 240 million VND from our sponsors.
Adapted by Thao Van