LaunchPod Winners Announced
‘On Things We Left Behind’ wins the UK’s first podcast talent competition
London, UK 19th September 2019 — Acast, the world’s leading podcast company, and award-winning production company Wisebuddah can finally reveal that hosts of ‘On Things We Left Behind’, Surer and Saredo Mohamed, are the winners of LaunchPod: the UK’s first ever podcast talent competition. The podcast will now have an entire series professionally produced, launched and marketed with Wisebuddah and Acast; giving them their chance to become UK’s next leading podcaster.
LaunchPod was established to discover talented creators and bring fresh podcast ideas to life. ‘On Things We Left Behind’ shines a spotlight on stories that explore the hidden afterlife of war and confronts the realities of exile from a first-person perspective. Surer and Saredo Mohamed, daughters of Somali refugees themselves, take a personal and in-depth look into the lives of those who were made to start all over, and meditate on the things that are left behind in war’s wake.
Surer Mohamed, co-host of ‘On Things We Left Behind’ said “Saredo and I are over the moon to be announced the winners of LaunchPod, we really can’t believe it. All of the pilots in the final were amazing, and we loved every part of the competition. With so many ideas for the different directions we can take the podcast, we can’t wait to work with Acast and Wisebuddah to bring the whole series together.”
The winner was selected from three finalist pilots that were made available to the public and voted on by listeners. These results were taken into consideration by the judges — experts in the world of podcasting — when making their final decision. The judges included: Jamie Morton, My Dad Wrote a Porno; Imriel Morgan, ShoutOut Network; Caroline Crampton, writer of podcast newsletter Hot Pod; Adam Uytman, Head of Content, Wisebuddah; and Susie Warhurst, Global Head of Content, Acast.
Jamie Morton of My Dad Wrote a Porno and Head Judge says: “On Things We Left Behind is a beautifully produced show that proved real potential in exploring stories that aren’t being told anywhere else. Hearing unheard stories is exactly the reason why LaunchPod was created, and this podcast does this perfectly. It feels like a vital piece of audio that shines a light on a really important subject matter, that’s done in a tasteful and character-driven way. A well-deserved congratulations have to go to Surer and Saredo the winners.”
“Throughout the LaunchPod competition, we’ve been astonished by the amount of untapped creative podcasting talent that the UK has. We had a very difficult job on our hands judging the worthy winner, but we are totally confident that the future of podcasting is bright. With Acast and Wisebuddah providing support for ‘On Things We Left Behind’, we can’t wait to see the public’s reaction” said Susie Warhurst, Acast’s Global Head of Content
Adam Uytman, Wisebuddah’s Head of Content, added: “The quality of the finalists was exceptional, but ‘On Things We Left Behind’ really stood out. It is powerful, insightful and compelling. Bringing the best stories alive is what we do, so we cannot wait to work with Surer and Saredo on the production of what promises to be an outstanding series.”
You can listen to the pilot of ‘On Things We Left Behind’ here.
