SMGPM6: The Southgate Media Group Podcast Marathon
The Sixth Annual SMG Podcast Marathon celebrating independent podcasts and the diverse voices that are part of our podcast community.
KICKSTARTING NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 11:30AM CST
SMGPM6 is a free online podcast festival streaming Saturday, Oct 2nd, 2021. The podcasts will be presented as videos and stream primarily on Twitch, as well as, Facebook, and YouTube. Videos of SMGPM6 will be free to view through Sunday, October 10th, 2021.
LIVE PODCAST MARATHON PARTNERED WITH C2E2 LIVE AT BEAT KITCHEN
WOMEN IN PODCASTING FESTIVAL LIVE AT OTHERWORLD THEATRE
SMGPM5 LIVE AT THE BLUE BOX CAFE
How did we get here?
Back in 2015, the first SMG Podcast Marathon was staged in front of a live audience at the Blue Box Café in Elgin, IL.
The event featured 14 hours of live podcasts. In 2016, it was expanded to 16 hours live at the Blue Box Café and added a concurrent live streaming marathon on YouTube featuring an entirely different lineup. Each year since, SMG has experimented with and altered the marathon to keep it fresh and innovative. In 2018, SMG created the Women in Podcasting Festival which was staged live at the Otherworld Theatre in Chicago, followed by live marathons from the convention floor at Indy Pop Con in Indianapolis (2 years in a row), and a 6-hour event with C2E2 at the Beat Kitchen in Chicago. And that brings us to today…
With the global pandemic keeping venues closed to the public, the ability to hold the 6th annual SMG Podcast Marathon, or any of the other events, became impossible (at least in their original forms). An online event was the obvious next evolution, yet this meant fundamental changes in how to pull off such an event.
LIVE SMG PODCAST MARATHON AT INDY POP CON
What make the Southgate Media Group Podcast Marathons unique?
There are a lot of other podcast marathons and festivals out there now, yet only a few are online. Many are more about the business of podcasting or trying to emulate big music festivals, with celebrity acts and few “others” sprinkled in. SMGPM6 is all about it the indie podcast; the outsider that has a fresh take, an interesting perspective, and a great story to tell. Just like its previous incarnations, the sixth annual SMG Podcast Marathons are is a celebration of independent podcasters, creativity, and unique voices.