The Association of Independents in Radio has awarded adjunct professor Brandon Gates a spot in its New Voices Fellowship for 2024, lasting from August to December. The fellowship aims to help underrepresented audio makers engage in critical dialogue about their creative journeys and support them as they chart their own paths.
Professor Gates was selected through a process that sought to find bold new voices in audio media. Open to people with prior experience or strong promise to be an audio creator, aspiring fellows had to answer a series of essay questions or attach past work. Professor Gates provided his clips from projects at National Public Radio. A committee selected 16 individuals from across the country to participate in the fellowship.
The fellowship allocates each participant a mentor. There are also guest speakers at weekly meetings, industry professionals with whom the fellows are encouraged to interact. At the meetings, which are on Zoom, fellows also have a space to share their projects and make connections throughout the audio industry. It’s worth noting that the fellowship does not restrict itself to journalism, offering support for those seeking projects in podcasting and other forms of audio storytelling.
Professor Gates aims to use the fellowship to expand his connections in the audio industry. Having experience freelancing for National Public Radio, he hopes the experiences of people in other industries will help him develop his skills. He especially likes a competition called “audio flux,” for which he submitted a story about the first bike he got as an adult. The focus is on rediscovering New York during the pandemic and having his bike stolen, processing those emotions, and eventually taking it back. He says his co-fellows are excited to hear the story and he’s equally excited to share it.
In addition to the projects he’s already done, Professor Gates hopes to collaborate with other fellows and potentially create something with them, whether a podcast, a limited series, or another audio project. He says it’s a nice shift from a career in hard news, allowing him to explore stories and have some fun along the way. The opportunity to expand his network through the fellowship is one of the main reasons he applied for it, he says, and he hopes to end it having acquired the tools he needs to take his career to the next level.