On Air Fest Announces Initial 2023 Headliners, Programming & Exclusive Premieres, Featuring On Being with Krista Tippett, People’s Party with Talib Kweli, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, The First-Ever Immersive Podcast Experience, Hot Pod Business Summit & More

‍

The Preeminent Event for Audio Storytelling Returns to Brooklyn’s Wythe Hotel For Its Most Ambitious Year Yet, February 23-25: TICKETS HERE

On Air: The Podcast Experience Includes My Favorite Murder, The Heart, On Being Project & Others, Filling Multiple Rooms With New Possibilities of Sound: LEARN MORE

‍

Today, On Air Fest announces the initial list of headliners, world premieres and live performances for its annual, flagship festival at Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, bringing together the creative vanguard in audio storytelling from February 23-25, 2023. As the preeminent event celebrating the culture and redefining the creative possibilities of sound, On Air Fest is introducing a brand new slate of programming that signals another rapid expansion in breadth and talent. Highlights include an immersive, walk-through podcast experience featuring ephemera from the world of My Favorite Murder and more detailed below, a series of “sonic dinners” pairing audio and culinary arts, and three days of on-stage talks and live tapings from the relaunch of the Peabody Award-winning On Being with Krista Tippett, People’s Party with Talib Kweli, Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso, a brand new mini-series from The Heart, the latest Hot Pod Summit in collaboration with Hot Pod and The Verge, and 100+ trailblazing voices, inspired listeners and exclusive presentations to be revealed soon. Find tickets and additional information at onairfest.com/events/brookyln-2023/home. 

‍

For its biggest and most eclectic lineup to date, On Air Fest and its team of producers at work x work will begin the 2023 edition by debuting an unprecedented new way to connect with podcasts. Titled On Air: The Podcast Experience, multiple rooms at Wythe Hotel will be taken over by a collection of different shows and their creators. Drawing inspiration from open studio tours and immersive theater, each curated space will envelop visitors in the world of a single podcast designed to spark imagination, delight and discovery. With rooms designed by My Favorite Murder and the Exactly Right Network, On Being Project, The Heart and more to be announced in the coming weeks, On Air: The Podcast Experience will launch to On Air Fest ticket holders on February 23, before opening to the public on February 26. Find details at experiencepodcasts.com. 

‍

“Podcasting is a medium that should be unbound. The artists and storytellers defining the space are challenging conventions and reshaping our cultural landscape,” says Creative Director and Founder of the festival, Scott Newman. “Interactive fan experiences have become commonplace in television and art and with On Air: The Podcast Experience we are bringing your favorite podcasts to life in a brand new way.” 

‍

“What makes podcasting as an artform singular is the connection listeners have with the shows and their creators,” says Jemma Rose Brown, Director of Programming. “With On Air: The Podcast Experience we’re channeling that intimacy.” 

‍

Over its past six years and counting, On Air Fest has become the “Coachella of podcast festivals” (Fast Company): the definitive destination for those who make up the collective moment in sound. Podcast powerhouses such as Audible, NPR, SiriusXM, Spotify, The New York Times and more have all convened to launch some of the biggest shows of the spring season, while independent, groundbreaking musicians including Laurie Anderson, Leon Bridges and Talib Kweli have experimented with new modes of performance, and revered leaders like Ira Glass, Jad Abumrad and Terry Gross have sat side-by-side with the next generation of visionary storytellers. 

‍

The announcement of On Air Fest 2023 arrives on the heels of the latest On Air LA Annex, which took place earlier this month and featured appearances from Into It’s Sam Sanders, KCRW’s Anthony Valadez & Novena Carmel, Object of Sound’s Hanif Abdurraqib, Song Exploder’s Hrishikesh Hirway, LA Poet Laureate Lynne Thompson, comedian Lauran Lapkus and loads of other talent, along with world premieres of Pink Card from Shima Oliaee and ESPN's 30 for 30, new Audible Original Unlicensed from the creators of Welcome to Night Vale, and more. Across three days at KCRW HQ, dublab and Dynasty Typewriter, On Air celebrated the storytellers and audio scene of Southern California, before its grand return to Brooklyn. Additional On Air Fest 2023 programming detailed today includes: 

‍

‍

On Air Fest 2023 - Stage Sessions

The highly-anticipated relaunch of On Being with Krista Tippett will take place at On Air Fest. The Peabody award-winning public radio show and podcast will debut its new format live on stage with a special guest. 

A live taping of People’s Party with Talib Kweli from Luminary and UPROXX, featuring co-host Jasmin Leigh and a special guest.

A live taping of the Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso from Pushkin Industries.

Audio artist Kaitlin Prest takes attendees inside her newest series Sisters, a personal documentary about love, power dynamics and all of the invisible things in the air between humans, made in collaboration with her own sister, Natalie Prest. From CBC Podcasts, Mermaid Palace and Radiotopia from PRX, this performance will be presented at On Air Fest. 

On Air Fest day one will be hosted by the dynamic Ronald Young Jr., host of HBO Docs Club and Solvable from Pushkin Industries.

On Air Fest 2023 will kick off Thursday, Feb 23, with the invite-only Hot Pod Summit, exploring the business issues and opportunities in Podcasting, co-presented by The Verge.

‍

‍

On Air: The Podcast Experience 

Visit the “Pod Loft,” a display inspired by the wildly successful true crime comedy podcast My Favorite Murder’s early recording space. Visitors should keep an eye out for classic My Favorite Murder listener art, along with Easter eggs from other Exactly Right programs.

Step inside the world of The Heart, the audio art project about intimacy and humanity from Kaitlin Prest, in collaboration with Mermaid Palace and Radiotopia from PRX.

A room developed by the On Being Project will invite visitors to consider the big questions at the intersection of spiritual inquiry, science, social healing, and the arts. This interactive room will guide visitors into a new relationship with inquiry, and remind us all that questions are tools for living.

‍

‍

About On Air Fest

On Air Fest is advancing the culture of audio. We bring together an expansive range of emerging and established voices to explore the creative possibilities of sound. Created and produced by work x work, On Air Fest has evolved into the premier cultural event for audio storytellers and inspired listeners. Throughout the year, we produce a range of cultural programming, from annex events, to our residency program, creative collaborations to cultural campaigns and podcasts. On Air Fest carves a place for artists and storytellers who are defining this moment in audio.

‍

About work x work

work x work is a full-service creative agency amplifying the world's leading brands through storytelling, design, and experiences. Our innovative work has made us the go-to agency for organizations looking to participate in audio culture. In addition to design, strategy and events, we create multi-channel campaigns, original content and produce podcasting's premier cultural event, On Air Fest.

‍