APAP Podcast Story Submissions

INTRODUCTION

Arts workers are essential, and now more than ever, it's important that the world understands our unique plights and perspectives and that we better understand ourselves.

Framed by the pandemic, the racial reckoning and the great resignation, we want to illuminate the depths of what it is to be an arts worker and amplify YOUR untold stories.

APAP launched our new podcast ARTS. WORK. LIFE. in June 2022. And we're coming back in 2023!

ARTS. WORK. LIFE. is a podcast about what it's like to work in the performing arts, featuring stories from artists and arts workers like YOU, behind-the-scenes and up close. Produced by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals with the support of the Wallace Foundation.

The podcast is comprised of first-person narratives told about a personal experience related to life as an arts worker. It's the "bold, untold stories" of the performing arts.

Do you have a story to tell? We want to hear it! Our stories matter.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST!

You can subscribe to the podcast by searching "ARTS. WORK. LIFE." on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Deezer, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcast app!

Season 1 is out and episodes are available to listen to forever!

Season 2 is coming in 2023!

HOW TO SUBMIT:

We're looking for story ideas that:

Are personal and center your experience.
Reflect an aspect of working in the performing arts.
Preferably, have taken place in the past 3 years (However, the main part of your story can evoke/reference earlier experiences).
Cover work-related topics in a performing arts context. For instance, your story may address, but is NOT limited to:
- Balance, mental health and self-care
- REDI (racial equity, diversity, and inclusion)
- Compensation
- Hiring and retention
- Working in a post-pandemic world
- Life on the road (or not on the road)
- Gig work
- Being a [fill in the blank] in the arts workplace.
- The untold stories of working in the arts!

Need more ideas? The best stories are about a specific experience you had that shifted your perspective. For example, you can share a story about...

How managing illness as a performing artist made you face the existential reality of practicing a physical art.
How working nights as part of a crew for most of your career has shaped your experience of the world.
How representing other people means that you put yourself last and how one particular encounter made you shift your perspective.
How joining a performing arts organization as "the first [fill in the blank]" impacted your experience.
How launching a career in the performing arts industry was different than you expected.

We are not interested in stories that:

Lack a personal story or don't connect to the work of the performing arts.
Are overly self-promotional.
Use language that can be interpreted as false or defamatory, profane or indecent, sacrilegious, a form of hate speech, directed at an individual or a group, or otherwise scandal provoking.

If your story is selected:

A professional storyteller will interview you and help you find the best way to tell your story.
A professional podcaster will help you record your story. (No audio equipment or audio experience necessary!)
For your recorded and aired story, you will receive an honorarium of $200.

VERY IMPORTANT: Story ideas do NOT need to be fully-written pieces. We are looking for the seed of the story. Please help us understand your story and what might be compelling for listeners to hear by answering the questions below.

ALSO: Please send this form to other performing arts workers in your network! This is a great opportunity for colleagues to share stories of their unique, lived experiences about working in the arts.

We are currently accepting submissions for Season 2.

Have questions? Contact us at podcast@apap365.org.

SUBMIT YOUR STORY IDEA BELOW

Please complete the following form to make your submission.

* indicates a required field

Name*

First Name Last Name

Location*

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

City State / Province/Country (if not U.S. or Canada)

Email*

example@example.com

Phone Number*

Please enter a valid phone number.

How would you describe your work or what you do in the performing arts?*

You can put a title here or briefly describe what you do.

Do you work for an organization? Do you work for yourself? Or something else?*

If you work for an organization, put their name here.

Tell us a brief version of your story. (150-500 words. Bullet points are ok!)*

What happened? Was there a conflict? Was there a turning point? Was there a resolution? How did the events make you feel at that moment? How do you feel now?

When and where did this story take place?*

Give us a sense of the environment/scene where the main events and realizations took place.

What makes this story compelling?*

Tell us what you think is important for listeners to hear.

In a few words, what kind of workforce, workplace, work culture or other worker-related issue does this story involve?

Anything else you want to share?

Are you a member of APAP?*

Yes No Not sure

Have you subscribed to "Arts. Work. Life." on your favorite podcast app?*

Yes No Not sure

How did you year about Arts. Work. Life.?

APAP email A friend or colleague Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Other

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Please provide the optional demographic information and submit your form below.

What best describes your current work status?

Full-time employed Part-time employed Gig worker Self-employed or business owner Unemployed Prefer not to answer.

What is your age?

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Prefer not to answer.

What is your gender identity?

Agender/non-binary Cis-gender female Cis-gender male Gender variant/non-conforming Transgender female Transgender male Prefer not to answer.

What is your racial/ethnic identity? (Select all that apply.)

Asian Black LatinX Native/Indigenous Pacific Islander White Prefer not to answer.

Do you have any of the following disabilities? (Select all that apply.)

I am deaf or have difficulty hearing. I am blind or have serious difficulty seeing, even with corrective lenses. I use a wheelchair. I have another physical disability that limits my movement. I have a mental disability. I have none of the disabilities listed. Prefer not to answer.

APAP Podcast Story Submission Form