Narratives Beyond Borders

Narratives Beyond Borders

Celebrating the intersection of independent filmmaking and podcasting. Claire chats with Phoebe Cawley from the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, which for the second year includes The Podcasting Lounge, a showcase for independent audio productions. The Festival Phoebe explains how a 20-year-old arts magazine evolved into a world-class film festival in York that now celebrates all forms of independent media. Submit your podcast if it displays originality and strong perspectives across fiction, documentary, investigative, or experimental genres. Selected podcasters get access to the festival, networking opportunities, and masterclasses from industry giants. Deadline: https://www.asff.co.uk/podcasts/ The festival runs from November 4th–8th TrueFans Platform: Awards and Playlists Award-winning and shortlisted podcasts (including https://truefans.fm/awards/aesthetica-film-festival 2025) have a dedicated space to be discovered on TrueFans. Winners are also highlighted with a trophy icon on their cover art, and users can listen to a curated playlist of all winning podcasts. Securing the Future: Premium RSS Sam introduces Premium RSS (formerly Secure RSS), a solution to the security flaws found in traditional private feeds like those on Patreon or Substack, which are easily shared, allowing non-paying listeners to access premium content. TrueFans is beta testing a standard that verifies user credentials upon login, ensuring only paying fans can access the feed. Independent Podcasters Day We touch on Liam Heffernan’s campaign to establish July 4th as https://www.independentpodcastersday.com/ (or 'Independents Day') to celebrate the unique voices in the industry. Follow @TrueFans.fm on https://www.instagram.com/truefans.fm/ and/or https://www.threads.com/@truefans.fm. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. Listen to https://truefans.fm/from-my-yard-to-your-yard Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or https://truefans.fm/ Music: How It Is from https://ketsa.uk/shop/ Feedback: https://truefans.fm/feedback Read: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=blog Recommendations: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=recommendations

Authors, Art and Analytics

Originally conceived as an accountability tool to force them to write, The Failing Writers Podcast has evolved into a unique creative outlet where hosts Tom and Jon 'scratch a creative itch' through sketches, songs, and 'weird stuff', alongside interviews with successful authors. In this episode the duo discuss the independent creator's journey, from the difficulty of marketing a multi-genre show to the paradox of a podcast that both inspires their writing while simultaneously eating up the very time they meant to spend writing. The episode also delves into the technical evolution of video podcasting, the impact of Apple's proprietary APIs, and how TrueFans helps creators manage hosting costs and filter bot data for accurate human analytics. Plus, we ask you: Should the home screen feature show art, episode art, or allow the listener to choose their preference? Leave a comment to have your say. Follow @TrueFans.fm on https://www.instagram.com/truefans.fm/ and/or https://www.threads.com/@truefans.fm. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. Listen to https://truefans.fm/the-failing-writers-podcast Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or https://truefans.fm/ Music: How It Is from https://ketsa.uk/shop/ Feedback: https://truefans.fm/feedback Read: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=blog Recommendations: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=recommendations

Breaking the Silo

Community, feedback, grants and support for indie podcasters. Remi Roy, creator of The Driven Introvert Podcast and founder of PodGround, shares her journey from a self-taught podcaster recording in a library to building a supportive community for independent creators. The discussion explores the common 'shouting into the void' feeling and how PodGround’s micro-grants and structured resources aim to lower the dropout rate for new shows. Plus, Sam explains how the new TrueFans co-listen and chat feature helps break the isolation of the 'independent silo'. Follow @TrueFans.fm on https://www.instagram.com/truefans.fm/ and/or https://www.threads.com/@truefans.fm. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. More about https://podground.io/ More about the https://podground.io/grant Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or https://truefans.fm/ Music: How It Is from https://ketsa.uk/shop/ Feedback: https://truefans.fm/feedback Read: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=blog Recommendations: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=recommendations

Deep Connections and Meaningful Metrics

Claire chats with Shá Sparks, host of The Shá Sparks Show, to discuss building a community, exploring trauma and resilience, and navigating the podcasting landscape. Shá discusses her transition from hairstylist to podcaster and 'connector' for military and business leaders, exploring how their past struggles – the 'muck and yuck' – become their greatest strengths. The conversation highlights the concept of a 'respect economy' versus traditional entertainment models, and how indie creators build deeper connections with their listeners. Sam explores how TrueFans provides superior metrics like listen time and consumption data, moving beyond the "auto-download" era to show real listener engagement, and we look at how creators will soon be able to use TrueFans to offer exclusive bonus content without forcing fans to use external platforms like Patreon. Claire is officially announced as the Head of Community at TrueFans and entries are open for the Independent Podcast Awards 2026. You can support the show by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen. Leave a super comment via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app. Learn more about TrueFans features by listening to our sister show, Fanzone. https://truefans.fm/the-sha-sparks-show https://independentpodcastawards.com/IPA26/en/page/awards-homepage Find https://truefans.fm/ Music: How It Is from https://ketsa.uk/shop/ Feedback: https://truefans.fm/feedback Read: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=blog Recommendations: https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=recommendations

What do independent podcasters hope for in 2026?

In this new-year mixtape episode, guests that have featured on Creators from TrueFans in 2025 share their personal hopes for their indie podcasts and for the independent podcasting landscape as a whole. Aspirations range from continued growth and increased listener engagement to securing sponsorships and expanding into new formats, including in-person series. A recurring theme is the desire for better support and recognition for independent podcasters, and many express a wish for clearer categories, more meaningful listener statistics beyond just downloads, and a shift away from the dominance of celebrity or AI-generated content towards valuing authentic, human-made stories. The episode underscores the vital role of independent creators as the ‘lifeline of the podcast industry’, advocating for an environment where depth, honesty, creativity, and the impact of storytelling are valued above mere numbers.  Listeners are invited to join the conversation and share their own aspirations for independent podcasting in 2026 directly on the TrueFans app, reinforcing our show's commitment to community and interaction. Sam Sethi and Claire Waite Brown started Creators from TrueFans in early summer 2025 with the aim of amplifying the creative endeavours of independent podcasters and highlight how TrueFans supports discovery, interactivity, and monetization for indie voices. See below for links to the podcasts featured, which will also be linked to in the chapters! What are indie creators hoping for: The Year of the Indie Voice There’s a strong collective hope for 2026 to be the year where independent podcasts gain greater recognition and are valued for their depth, creativity, and authentic storytelling, rather than just download numbers or celebrity status. Beyond Downloads  Creators are yearning for improved analytics, specifically asking for metrics like listener retention, actual listening time, and engagement data, to better understand their audience and the impact of their content. Sustainable Growth and Monetization Many indie podcasters hope to find more sustainable ways to fund their passion projects, seeking sponsorships that align with their show’s values and clearer pathways to remuneration, moving beyond a "labor of love" into financially viable endeavours. Enhanced Listener Engagement A strong desire exists among creators for more direct feedback and interaction with their audience, emphasizing the need for accessible platforms and features that facilitate two-way conversations, like those offered by TrueFans. Rethinking Podcast Categorization Calls for better, more descriptive podcast categories and formats are made, arguing against, for example, broad ‘arts and entertainment’ tags that lump diverse indie shows with celebrity content, hindering discoverability for unique or niche productions. Listen to the podcasts featured in this episode by clicking on their links: https://truefans.fm/the-failing-writers-podcast https://truefans.fm/the-story-of-woman https://truefans.fm/indie-business-club-with-barfield-and-mckinney https://truefans.fm/the-late-bloomer-actor https://truefans.fm/multispective https://truefans.fm/in-ten-years-time https://truefans.fm/watts-on-your-screen https://truefans.fm/exhibitionistas-conversations-about-contemporary-art-exhibitions-artists-and-theory-for-everyone https://truefans.fm/the-adult-ballet-studio https://truefans.fm/the-cashflow-show https://truefans.fm/book-imprint https://truefans.fm/the-friendship-file And, recommended by https://podalization.substack.com/: https://truefans.fm/better-call-daddy, https://truefans.fm/the-wine-pair-podcast, https://truefans.fm/5-random-questions, https://truefans.fm/the-road-to-rediscovery-a-motivational-journey-of-life-lessons-and-personal-growth