Program overview and key figures
The On Deck Podcaster fellowship (ODP) is where top talent goes to start or grow their podcast in 8 weeks, surrounded by an incredible community.
- Who: The fellowship is a community of some of the most talented and giving people from all parts of the podcasting space coming together to meet, learn from, and work alongside each other.
- Avid podcast listeners who already have or want to start shows
- Seasoned podcasters who want to take things to the next level
- Those who want to build a personal brand
- Community builders + super connectors
- Entrepreneurs and Founders
- VCs or Angels wanting to generate deal flow and gain an audience
- Newsletter writers or other creators exploring new channels
Possible archetypes include:
We want and will proactively build this community to be diverse across race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, national origin, professional background, age, viewpoint, subject matter expertise, and more.
- What: The On Deck Podcaster Fellowship is an eight-week remote program for ~100 podcasters who want to grow their audience and build lasting relationships. We combine a world-class curriculum and an incredible community to help you find traction online. The program includes fireside chats, tactical deep dives, growth workshops, peer-to-peer support, social events, and much more.
- When: The first cohort kicks off on February 6th. The power of this program is its community, and like any community, you get back what you put in. There is no minimum time commitment, but we recommend devoting at least 5-8 hours a week to fully leverage the program. Most sessions are recorded so you can watch at your leisure if you can't attend live.
- Why: ODP is the perfect place to start or grow your podcast. We offer our fellows opportunities to get better at podcasting via intimate workshops and peer-to-peer support, grow their audience via tactical sessions and proven frameworks, and monetize their work without feeling like a sell-out. Through ODF, On Deck has already launched 200+ companies that have raised $250+ million. Building on that. we are focusing on podcasting to help train the next generation of podcasting talent through our curriculum, expert content and community.
- Cost: The program fee is $1990 (approx. €1690). Monthly payment plans are available for all & limited scholarships are available for each cohort.
Why Podcasting and why you should start a podcast
ODP is our second On Deck fellowship focused on creators and media. One of the most frequent questions we get is — why start a podcast? You should start a podcast if:
- you want to build a strong network and/or showcase your strong network
- you want to build expertise and/or showcase your expertise
- you want to promote a specific topic or way of thinking
- you’re insatiably curious and love asking Qs
Starting a podcast is one of the best ways to build relationships and learn about a topic that you're curious about.
Who is a fit for ODP?
During our selection process, we look for three things:
- Expertise & Experience
- Regardless of industry or specialty, we look for candidates with world-class experience and deep domain knowledge. You may be a VC, a newsletter writer, or someone incredibly well-versed and passionate about a specific topic like medicine or the creator economy. We're looking for a background that clearly demonstrates curiosity around any specific topic.
- You are probably an insatiably curious explorer who loves asking questions that take you down fascinating rabbit holes. Maybe that means you are an avid podcast listener, but you should be at least a little bit entrepreneurial, with an independent spirit.
2. Timing
- We prioritize people with a bias for action. This means we look for those working on a podcast already or those who are on the verge of starting one within the next few months. Those fellows tend to gain the most value from our programs.
3. Spirit of Service
- We look for individuals who show a "spirit of service". Community is the core value of ODP — we look for individuals who care about contributing to this community, helping others grow and learn, and creating positive-sum value.
What happens during the eight weeks?
The fellowship offers an engaged community and peer learning environment of world-class podcasters. Ultimately, the fellowship's goal is to accelerate the speed at which curious and passionate creators can start and grow their podcast.
To do this, we will help fellows meet their goals of practicing and getting better at podcasting, learning from fantastic people in the tech and podcast space, and gaining access to interviewees. Along the way, fellows will learn how to grow and potentially monetize their podcasts.
The On Deck Podcaster Fellowship is composed of a mix of event formats and tools so that fellows can meet and engage with each other. In addition, we host events with top leaders in the podcast and tech ecosystem.
There will also be ongoing Slack conversations, and access to our On Deck directory. In fact, many Fellows tell us that the most valuable part of the fellowship is exploring the directory/Slack, and reaching out to other Fellows to set up 1:1 conversations.
To help you navigate it all, the ODP team will support fellows in leveraging the On Deck Slack and Directory for efficiency in use, developing relationships, and navigating resources.
We will have many different options for fellows to engage with, and we do not expect that anyone participates in everything.
More ODP programming details:
💫 Official Programming
We host sessions in a wide variety of formats:
- Fireside Chats: Our highly curated series featuring top leaders in the podcasting space who share their personal journey with fellows off-the-record
- Group & Individual Office Hours: Dedicated time and mentoring from the ODP team (Sachit Gupta + Marshall Kosloff) as well as ODP partners
- Workshops: Hands-on, interactive sessions where fellows can learn something tactical to implement like a tool or a framework and participate in small-group discussions. Topics include: Booking 101, The Art of the Interview, and Podcast Distribution
- Practice sessions: Peer editing and feedback sessions that generate serendipity and support for our fellows, moderated by the ODP team.
- Requests for booking: We'll have opportunities curated intros/requests for guest booking with other fellows in various On Deck programs.
🗓 Community Calendar
Every member of ODP, fellow (or future alumni), can host a session. As a community member, you can host anything you want at any time — workshops, roundtable discussions, happy hours, etc.
🧠 Accountability Groups
These are small, 8-person groups curated by stage, show genre, and location across the globe. Groups get trained on how to lead a productive “Mastermind”, or peer mentorship session, and then moderate their own in-depth sessions every 2 weeks during the program.
💡 Radio Races
Every month, we'll hosting a 24-hour radio race. This concept is similar to our flagship Build Weekend (hackathon-esque event), but created specifically for podcasters. You'll be grouped in a small team and tasked to create a podcast episode from scratch within 24 hours. We'll end the event with a listening part/festival.
💰Monetization Support with Supercast
Our partner, Supercast, will host dedicated group & individual office hours to help you monetize your podcast effectively.
🛠 Tools to find and engage with others
We have a world-class product team that is building tools for our community. One of them is our directory: A tool where you can
- Browse Fellows
- Watch recorded sessions
- Find Partner Perks
- Discover and share your projects and Ideas
- Schedule 1:1s
- Search members by keyword
📕 Curated Library
You will have access to a curated library of tutorials, talks, and books, organized by subject, to help you start and grow your podcast
📽️ Exclusive Access
You will have access to On Deck partner perks and major partners like Supercast. You'll also have access to the larger On Deck community for curated guest booking.
What happens after the 8 weeks?
After the program, you'll have access to the alumni community for life through the slack channel and directory. In some ways, your cohort resembles a eight-week onboarding to the long-term community.
You'll also have access to certain events and the community calendar, where you'll be able to attend and organize your own community events for all ODP fellows, current and alumni.
Participating in ODP internationally (EMEA & APAC)
We accept fellows from around the world. Given the global nature of community, managing many events across multiple time zones can be tricky. For the first cohort, the majority of sessions will be in the PST time zone, but recordings will be available to fellows at any time. Fellows from Asia are encouraged to apply, but we expect to have fewer sessions in Asian-friendly time zones this first time around.
Practical information
Joining the ODP community costs $1,990 (approx. €1690) if paid upfront, or $500 (approx. €410) per month over 4 months.
On Deck takes no equity, so you keep full ownership of your podcast, if relevant.
We have a needs-blind application process. For those who are accepted and have financial need at the moment, we can offer a limited number of scholarships for each cohort.
The fee covers:
- 8-week program (see What happens during the 8 weeks above)
- Access to the online community and access to the On Deck Directory
- Access to the content library and archive
- Thousands of dollars in software and services perks
For more information and alumni testimonials, watch our Q&A session.
Have any questions? Feel free to reach out to ODP@beondeck.com