Meet Zoe Jeyes, Founder And Producer Of The London Podcast Festival
Mar 30th
International Women’s Day first occurred over a century ago. The first-ever gathering in 1911 was supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EmbraceEquity, something we live and breathe at Content is Queen.
To mark IWD 2023 we’re spotlighting the women in the podcasting space who inspire us and celebrating the work they do to make the industry more inclusive. From exploring what equity means to them to a day in their life, this series will allow you to get to know our muses a little better. For the fourth and final instalment of our series, we caught up with Zoe Jeyes.
Meet Zoe
Zoe Jeyes is the Deputy Director of Kings Place, a music, spoken word, comedy and podcast venue in Kings Cross. Zoe programmes comedy and podcasts and is the Founder and Producer of the London Podcast Festival. Since 2016 London Podcast Festival has welcomed 50,000 visitors to hundreds of live shows, high-quality, affordable workshops and classes, meet and greets, panels and more.
Q. The theme for IWD 2023 is equity. What does equity mean to you?
A. Fairness is incredibly important to me, and that’s how I define equity. Working in the arts, specifically in venues, for over 20 years, I’ve tried to champion fairness in all areas of the organisations I’ve been a part of. I aim to give people the support they need to succeed and excel, whatever that support is.
Q. More specifically, what does equity in podcasting look like?
A. The business of podcasting means that power and money are unevenly distributed. Equity in podcasting would mean that the people whose voices should be heard and whose stories should be told have the opportunities, support, power, and money they need to do so.
Specifically for the London Podcast Festival, that means giving a wide range of podcasters and curators a live platform, supporting them through all aspects of venue production, marketing, ticketing and anything else they need, and making deals with everyone on the same terms.
Q. What does a typical day look like for you? Are there any rituals or routines you do every day?
A. Working in the arts, no two days are the same! We have events every day, often several on the same day and the operational buzz never stops. On top of that, there are a lot of projects, planning, collaboration with colleagues and partners, and emails, lots and lots of emails… Do you ever feel that 90% of modern work life is sending and replying to emails? Thankfully I also get to watch lots of brilliant shows at my venue. Enjoying the fruits of the whole team’s labour live and close-up is magic.
Q. Do you have a hack or favourite tool creators should know?
A. Sadly, I’m not a creative nor the most tech-savvy person in the world. However, I make many great connections for the festival via social media. I’ve been discovering new content via TikTok recently, which is exciting and makes me feel very old.
Q. Finally, do you have any golden advice for audio creators?
A. Have you thought about doing a live show? It’s a fantastic way to connect with your audience in a new way. We’d love to hear from you if you’re inspired to create something for the London Podcast Festival.
Whether you want to plan a live show, master TikTok or stay up to date with podcasting events, the Content is Queen community awaits. Explore our membership options here.