Boston — September 23, 2021 — Hub & Spoke, the nonprofit collective of audio makers dedicated to excellence in independent podcasting, announced today that it has secured its first major donation, a $100,000 gift from the Rasmussen Family Fund. The collective also announced that it is seeking to hire a development and communications manager to help build out its operations.
“Hub & Spoke started out in 2017 as an informal collection of podcasters—based mostly in our ‘hub’ city of Boston but with ‘spoke’ shows in other cities—who all thought it would be fun and cool to promote one another via our shows,” says Wade Roush, president of the collective and host and producer of the tech-and-culture podcast Soonish. “Over the years, we kept adding great new shows to the collective, but we also saw how little support there is for indie producers in today’s podcasting economy. We realized there was a deeper need. In addition to expanding their audiences, we want to provide our smart, talented, diverse producers with concrete assistance, so that they can keep telling the kinds of stories they want to tell, outside the confines of the big studios, the streaming services, or the public media system.”
“So we decided to go big,” Roush continues. “We incorporated, built a board, found a fiscal sponsor, and sought out initial donors. And now we’re starting to build a staff, all toward the goal of supporting members directly through producer stipends and continuing to grow the collective. We’re thrilled and grateful that the Rasmussen Family Fund has stepped up to provide the seed funding that will allow us to hire a professional development manager and expand our base of support.”
“‘Free speech’–not to be confused with ‘profitable speech’–is the true beauty and saving grace of podcasting. From the start! And I was there,” says Christopher Lydon, host of the Hub & Spoke member show Open Source. “It’s a sort of miracle: a free platform for millions of unedited voices, addressing the world and finding one another, each on their own terms. The critical connection among our Hub & Spoke shows is that they’re fully artist-owned and editorially independent. And they will stay that way. A certain scrappy individuality is something listeners ‘get’ right off the bat. It can be charming, but really it’s the whole point of the podcasting project: to talk as we walk, on our own two feet. It’s why I joined Dave Winer in the first podcast in June, 2003–when the media consensus was cheering on the war in Iraq. It’s why Open Source joined with kindred spirits in Hub & Spoke in 2019. And it’s why we rejoice in the news of independent, uncompromising fundraising help from great listeners at the Rasmussen Family Fund. Hosannah! And thanks all round.”
“I’ve known Wade for a long time and have been a Patreon supporter of Soonish since the beginning,” says Kent Rasmussen, a Napa, CA-based winemaker and co-creator, with his wife Celia Ramsay, of the Rasmussen Family Fund. “We even advertised our wines on the show. Right now the media world is in tumult, and we’re glad to be able to support the larger effort at Hub & Spoke as they work to ensure the supply of independent, informative, high-quality audio.”
Hub & Spoke will put the Rasmussen donation to work immediately by hiring an experienced Development and Communications Manager who can help the collective find additional sources of support. In this remote, flexible-time, contract position, the development and communications manager will work with the board to develop a fundraising plan, develop and track relationships with major donors, and engage in communications campaigns to raise awareness about Hub & Spoke and its mission. Interested applicants should review the job description here and send a resume and cover letter to jobs@hubspokeaudio.org.
Hub & Spoke podcasts are available free on all major podcast platforms. The collective is currently comprised of nine nonfiction shows that examine the human condition, including:
The Briny - How we’re changing the sea, and how the sea changes us, from host Matt Frassica.
The Constant - A history of getting things wrong, from host Mark Chrisler.
Iconography - What our culture’s iconic places and things say about culture itself, from host Charles Gustine.
The Lonely Palette - Returning art history to the masses, one painting at a time, from host Tamar Avishai; winner of gold in podcasting at the 2021 American Alliance of Museums Muse awards.
Ministry of Ideas - Investigating and illuminating the ideas that shape our society, with host Zachary Davis.
Open Source - Arts, ideas, and politics: an American conversation with global attitude, with host Christopher Lydon; the world’s first and oldest podcast.
Rumble Strip - Vivid stories of the everyday, from criminals to taxidermists, from host Erica Heilman; named by The Atlantic as the top podcast of 2020.
Soonish - A show about the future and how we shape it, from host Wade Roush.
Subtitle - A show about languages and the people who speak them, from hosts Patrick Cox and Kavita Pillay, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Linguistic Society of America.
A tenth show from the original collective, Culture Hustlers, announced that it will be leaving the collective this fall as its creator and host, Lucas Spivey, pivots to a new business focus.
“Hub & Spoke has been the perfect home for a podcast like Ministry of Ideas because it shares our deep commitment to intelligent, engaging, highly produced independent audio,” says Zachary Davis, host of Ministry of Ideas. “The growth of the organization will help us reach new audiences and continue to fulfill our mission as a show.”
“It’s so thrilling to take Hub & Spoke into this next chapter,” says Tamar Avishai, founder and host of The Lonely Palette. “What began as a supportive local community of indie shows has morphed into a true professional network. We still value our independence, and we also inspire one another to produce increasingly high-quality work. I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
Hub & Spoke’s central goal is to change the podcasting landscape by creating a lasting, non-profit model for independent producers everywhere; it does that by supporting its member shows through community, mutual cross-promotion, and direct stipends to offset production expenses. Over the coming year, the collective plans to add several new shows to its roster. (Podcasters interested in membership should write to info@hubspokeaudio.org.) It will also do more to publicize the work of the collective and form direct relationships with listeners.
About Hub & Spoke
Hub & Spoke (hubspokeaudio.org) is a nonprofit collective of independent audio producers collaborating to build a more informed public. Through production, promotion, skill-building, community-building, and fundraising, we help independent podcast producers improve their craft, reach larger audiences, and create greater impact. Founded in 2017 in Boston (our “hub”), the collective now counts member shows from across the United States (our “spokes”).
Hub & Spoke is a fiscally-sponsored project of Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt organization. The views expressed in our podcasts are those of Hub & Spoke’s member producers and do not reflect the views of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Inc. Contributions in support of Hub & Spoke are greatly appreciated and may be made to Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, Inc., earmarked for “Hub & Spoke” (donate online here). All contributions are fully deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Contact:
Wade Roush, co-founder and president