CYLS 198: Africa X Podcasting - The Opportunity Continent with Kevin Y. Brown

Create Your Life Series

Episode Summary

In this week’s live show, Kevin Y. Brown gives a presentation on The Opportunity within the African podcast industry, using his experience on the business, talent, and technical side of podcasting to analyze some of the statistics and trends that have been found in African markets. He talks about the rise of vernacular podcasts on the Continent, the value in authenticity and developing strong relationships, and how to be successful in the African market, especially when you’re coming in as a newcomer. Kevin answers questions on the size of the African market and how podcasting can become a sustainable business, along with how we can support Afripods from across the Diaspora and collaborate with other creators to strengthen the industry as a whole. Get a deeper look into Kevin’s podcast beginnings, the launch of his production company Podcast Laundry and the Create Your Life Series, and hear the story of how his trip to Africa gave him the spark to move to Nairobi and become a part of the emerging African podcast ecosystem.

Kevin Y. Brown

Kevin is a seasoned multi-media executive who is passionate about Africa’s digital future. As an award winning entrepreneur, podcast producer (over 1,000 episodes across different genres with over 30 million downloads across clients) and tech veteran, Kevin is the Chief Content officer and Head of Strategy at Afripods leading their multi-country strategy and product vision.

Kevin is the host of the Create Your Life Series podcast and has been featured or spoken in Forbes, Black Enterprise, Essence, Podcast Movement, Podcast Sessions, Ted X, Sirius XM, Inc. magazine and many more…

Insights From the Episode

• How an African American came to be working on the ground in the podcasting industry in Africa
• Insights into the trends and behaviors of the emerging African market
• How to work to be a part of the community and respect those that have existed in the space before you
• The importance of authenticity, relationships, and coming into a new market with a student mindset
• Differences between podcasting in Africa vs. in the West
• Tips for finding success in different African markets
• Insights into how podcasters are working to create a sustainable industry and where we can grow
• Technical insights on advertising, release schedules, recording lengths, genres, and podcast apps

Quotes from the Show

• “At Afripods, we’re really encouraging creators to do content in their vernacular because as the world becomes more westernized, it’s really important for people–especially in Africa–to preserve their history, culture, traditions, and also language so that future generations can also have an authentic African experience. I think that podcasting is a low-cost way for us to achieve this goal. That’s something that I’m really passionate about when it comes to podcasting and the industry in Africa.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• “In the different countries people have different behaviors because all of these countries have different things going on. What I think is important is you have to really go in and respect the way that people do things and really learn. We can’t go in with a colonial mindset of this is how things should be done, this is how we should view them, etc. We have to literally be students of how things operate and ask a lot of questions in order to understand the behaviors.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• “In order for podcasting to grow as an industry overall, we’re going to need help from the Diaspora and there’s going to need to be a collaborative effort. No industry is an island.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• On moving into the African market as an outsider and collaborating with partners: “As knowledgeable as you may be or you may feel, you still need to bring somebody who is from home into the mix and have them having the conversations and being a part as a student. A lot of the time it’s you getting out of the spotlight and supporting your team members in order for the greater good of the industry.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• Particularly in the African market: “Essential for success is relationships. Money is great, but people have to like you and need to know you, and that might require a couple of warm intros for you to get the conversation and really move things. I cannot stress the value of relationships enough. Everything will depend upon a relationship and you really have to do a good job in guarding it, nurturing it, and making sure that you’re watering it, because you won’t be able to move forward if you don’t have the relationships.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• “You need to be able to adapt, you need to ask a lot of questions, and you need to understand–I can’t stress that enough. You have to understand and you have to be curious about how to continue to improve. It’s like being a student everyday.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• “You want to exercise patience. While your time might be valuable to you, it might not be a priority to someone else, so you need to exercise patience and persistence.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• “Understand the benefits of your client. From city to city, from country to country, those benefits may look differently so it’s going to require some additional research and conversations with people on the ground who are working in the industry and understand what it is that is driving this particular media house, this particular set of creators, this particular set of creators who are part of this particular collective.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198
• “I think it’s important that whatever you’re asking for, however you want to contribute, that it’s mutually beneficial. A lot of times people’s ask can be one-sided, so I think it’s really important to make sure that your value is mutually beneficial.” - Kevin Y. Brown, Create Your Life Series, #198

Resources Mentioned

• Africa Podfest, who has compiled the statistics on behavior
• The Gold Coast Report
• Mosaic Conference (hosted by The Gold Coast Report)

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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry (www.podcastlaundry.com)