Connect with us

Technology

The Podcast Academy Announces Nominees for Fifth Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio

Published

on

GRAMMY Nominated Comedian and Podcaster Tig Notaro to Host The Ambies on March 31 in Chicago

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Podcast Academy (TPA), the preeminent professional podcast organization, has announced the nominees for its fifth annual Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies). Hosted by multi-hyphenate comedian Tig Notaro, the Ambies will take place on Monday, March 31 at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago. The ceremony will be LIVE streamed by Twitch from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CST.

Christy Mirabal, chairperson of The Podcast Academy stated: “This milestone year for the Podcast Academy is a reflection of the incredible growth and creativity within the podcasting community.”

The Ambies celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression. The ceremony will highlight 199 nominees across 28 categories with winners to be selected by every voting member of The Podcast Academy (TPA) — in addition to a Governors Award. Community Building Sponsor Wondery will highlight TPA’s Mentorship Program at the Ceremony. Eligible new members will be able to vote to determine this year’s winners if applications are submitted by February 20. More information may be found at http://www.thepodcastacademy.com/join-the-community.

“As we celebrate the 5th Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio, we are excited to announce this year’s nominees, whose work continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and innovation in the audio space,” said Christy Mirabal, chairperson of The Podcast Academy. “This milestone year for the Podcast Academy is a reflection of the incredible growth and creativity within the podcasting community. Additionally, we are beyond thrilled to have Tig Notaro as our host of The Ambies—her wit, charm, and comedic brilliance will bring a fresh energy to this special night. Together, we honor the diverse voices that make audio such a powerful medium and look forward to an inspiring night of celebration!”

“I’m so excited to host The Podcast Academy’s 5th Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio,” exclaimed Notaro. “It’s like being at the Oscars, only it’s celebrating those of us who are good at talking into a microphone while wearing sweatpants in our closets with pillows on our windows. Take that Meryl. And Meryl, while I have your attention, would you be a guest on my podcast?”

THE AMBIES 2025 FULL LIST OF NOMINEES:

Podcast of The Year (Sponsored by Outfront Media):

●    99% Invisible: Not Built For This
●    Beyond All Repair
●    Cement City
●    Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance
●    Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
●    Faraway
●    Fire Escape
●    Hot White Heist 2
●    Hysterical
●    Throughline

Best Business Podcast:

●    Good Bad Billionaire
●    How I Built This Podcast with Guy Raz
●    Lever Time with David Sirota
●    Money Stuff
●    NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast
●    Rapid Response
●    The Best Idea Yet

Best Comedy Podcast:

●    Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
●    Hot White Heist 2
●    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
●    Scam Goddess
●    SmartLess
●    We’re Here to Help
●    Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates

Best DIY Podcast:

●    abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast
●    Black Is America
●    Books & Boba
●    Everyday Trans Activism
●    Mind the Force
●    The B* Word
●    The Integrated Schools Podcast

Best Documentary Podcast:

●    Extrasensory
●    Lost Patients
●    Silence in Sikeston
●    Snap Judgment
●    Tested
●    The Final War
●    Uganda’s Hidden Rainbow

Best Entertainment Podcast (Sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter):

●    Infamous
●    Lemme Say This
●    Rattled & Shook
●    Scamfluencers
●    Split Screen: Kid Nation
●    The Road to Joni
●    The Wonder of Stevie

Best Fiction Podcast

●    Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance
●    Tales of Fists & Fireballs
●    The Coldest Case The Past Has a Long Memory
●    The Justice
●    The Last City
●    The Seneschal: A Rebel Moon Story
●    Tom Slick: Mystery Hunter

Best History Podcast:

●    American Experience Presents: Joseph McCarthy
●    Don’t Drink the Milk – The Curious History of Things
●    Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
●    Hollywood Exiles
●    Into America: Uncounted Millions
●    Tested
●    Throughline

Best Indie Podcast:

●    Sightings
●    The Insurgence: Sheriffs
●    The Man Who Calculated Death
●    The Nightingale of Iran
●    The People’s Recorder
●    The TMI Project Story Hour
●    What Happened in Skinner

Best Indie Podcast Host or Hosts:

●    Dallas Taylor – Twenty Thousand Hertz
●    Deja Perkins and Purbita Saha – Bring Birds Back
●    Jill Jonassen – The Cost of Extremism
●    Kate McCoy and Kevin Corbett – Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown
●    Lisa Phillips – From Now On    
●    Lisa Woolfork – STITCH PLEASE
●    Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson – 80s TV Ladies

Best Interview Podcast:

●    American Masters: Creative Spark
●    Apple News In Conversation
●    Overlooked: Women’s Health Can’t Wait
●    Thanks Dad with Ego Nwodim
●    The Assignment with Audie Cornish
●    The Integrated Schools Podcast
●    Tomorrow’s Cure

Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast:

●    99% Invisible
●    Click Here
●    Climate Rising
●    Merging Into Life
●    Short Wave
●    The Wild with Chris Morgan
●    Unexplainable

Best News Podcast:

●    The Journal
●    The Take
●    The Ten News
●    Today, Explained
●    Trump’s Trials
●    What Next
●    World Report

Best Original Score and Music Supervision:

●    Dan Leone – Ripple
●    Daniel Lloyd-Evans, Louis Nanke-Mannell and Toby Matimong – Extrasensory    
●    Deron Johnson – Dungeon Masters    
●    Jonathan Pfarr, Carson Graham and Bobby Mota – Celebrity Pets
●    Peter Nashel, Ross Hopman, Gio Lobato, Dana Hom, Brad Fischer, Jordan Lieb, Lucas Villemur and Lindsay Dievert – Hammerless: A True Crime Podcast in a Fantasy World
●    Skyler Gerdeman, Martin Lynabel, Nicholas Alexander, Max O’Brien and Caroline Thornham – Kill List    
●    Stro Elliot and Eric Gersen – Historical Records

Best Performance in Audio Fiction (Sponsored by Audible):

●    Bowen Yang, Cynthia Nixon, Shannon Woodward, Jane Lynch, Jesse James Keitel, Sarah Steele, Ian McKellen, Raul Esparza, Sara Ramírez, Joel Kim Booster, Bianca Del Rio, Cheyenne Jackson, Abbi Jacobson, Stephanie Beatriz, Katya Zamolodchikova, Trixie Mattel, Yvie Oddly, Jane Krakowski, Sandra Oh, and Tony Kushner – Hot White Heist 2
●    Caitlin Stasey, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, David Yow, Caroline Morahan, Guinevere Turner, Elizabeth Halpern, Travis Harmon, Brad Griffith, James Bacon, Jameson Cush, Jonathan Shockley and Ayla Glass – The Skies Are Watching
●    Fredi Bernstein, Cody Wilkins and Dana Domenick – The Box
●    Mikki Hernandez, Toby Meuli, Geri-Nikol Love, Rachel Kylian – Ominous Thrill    
●    Ruth Righi – Winnie Taylor’s 4th & Inches
●    Sanaa Lathan – The Justice
●    Tisha Campbell – Snoriezzz        

Best Personal Growth / Spirituality Podcast:

●    10% Happier with Dan Harris
●    A Fine Mess
●    A Quiet Life in 7 Steps
●    A Slight Change of Plans
●    Anomalie
●    How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
●    The TMI Project Story Hour

Best Podcast for Kids:

●    Culture Kids
●    Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest
●    Historical Records
●    Mysteries About True Histories
●    PJ Library Presents: Beyond the Bookcase
●    Skylar & Bones – Funny Stories For Kids!
●    Wow in the World

Best Podcast Host or Hosts:

●    Diallo Riddle and Blake ‘LUXXURY’ Robin – One Song    
●    Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle – We Can Do Hard Things
●    Jon Stewart – The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart    
●    Rainn Wilson – Radio Rental
●    Ronald Young Jr. – Weight For It
●    Sam Sanders – The Sam Sanders Show    
●    Wesley Morris – The Wonder of Stevie

Best Politics or Opinion Podcast:

●    Autocracy in America
●    Citizen Elon (by the Elon, Inc podcast)
●    Master Plan
●    The NPR Politics Podcast
●    Vibe Check
●    Vibes Only
●    What Could Go Right?

Best Production and Sound Design (Sponsored by Dolby):

●    Casandra Tinajero and Andrés Bahena – Nocturno: Tales From The Shadows
●    Jeremy S. Bloom – Hot White Heist 2
●    Kenny Kusiak and George Drabing Hicks – The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi
●    Michelle Macklem – Girl v. Horse
●    Realm – Narcosis
●    Sagafilm and Skybound Entertainment – Impact Winter Season 3
●    Ted Bonnitt – Hindsight: The Day Before

Best Reporting:

●    Chenjerai Kumanyika – Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
●    Dan Taberski – Hysterical
●    Ken Bensinger and Jessica Garrison – Chameleon: The Michigan Plot
●    Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes – Backfired: Attention Deficit
●    Madeleine Baran, Samara Freemark, Parker Yesko, Natalie Jablonski, Rehman Tungekar, and Namak Khoshnaw – In the Dark Season 3: The Killings in Haditha
●    Nicky Woolf – Fur & Loathing
●    Sarah Holder, Caleb Melby and Polly Mosendz – Big Take

Best Scriptwriting, Fiction:

●    Anderson Cook and Sydney Butler – Academy
●    Anthony Del Col – Don’t Listen To This
●    Matthew Castellanos and Brett Melnick – Faraway
●    Mac Rogers – Give Me Away
●    David Singer and CK Pahlow – Incoming
●    Ed Sellek – Money Gone
●    Matthew Starr – The Best Man’s Ghostwriter

Best Scriptwriting, Nonfiction:

●    Erin Anderson, Jeanne Marie Laskas, and Michael Benoist – Cement City
●    Anna Sussman – Fire Escape
●    Mary Celenza, Jayda Williams, Julie Berke, Ann Lew, Lisa Ammerman and Candice DeLong – Killer Psyche
●    Johnny Kaufman and Shaun Raviv – Noble
●    Ethan Brooks – Radio Atlantic: Scripts
●    Ashley Cleek and Al Letson – Reveal    
●    Liz Mak and James Boo – Track Change

Best Society and Culture Podcast:

●    Hysterical
●    In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett
●    Inheriting
●    Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong‘o
●    My Divo
●    Sixteenth Minute (of Fame)
●    Weight For It

Best Spanish Language Narrative Podcast:

●    ¡No Vengan!
●    Greal: El Secreto de las Ocho Llaves
●    Hechos Reales
●    HUMO: Murder and Silence in El Salvador
●    No quieren que sepas
●    Pantallas & Mentiras [Screens & Lies]
●    Pétrea

Best Sports Podcast:

●    30 for 30 Podcasts
●    Broomgate
●    Good Game with Sarah Spain
●    Pablo Torre Finds Out
●    Shadowball: The Rise of the Black Athlete
●    The Raven
●    The Rich Eisen Show

Best True Crime Podcast:

●    Beyond All Repair
●    Fire Escape
●    Lords of Death
●    The Burden
●    The Official Jinx Podcast
●    Who Killed Jennifer Judd?
●    Wrongful Conviction

Best Wellness or Relationships Podcast:

●    An Arm and a Leg
●    Overlooked: Women’s Health Can’t Wait
●    Silence in Sikeston
●    The Midlife Truth Project
●    Therapy for Black Girls
●    Untold: The Retreat
●    Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer

NOMINATIONS BREAKDOWN BY PODCAST

●    ¡No Vengan! – 1
●    10% Happier with Dan Harris – 1
●    30 for 30 Podcasts – 1
●    80s TV Ladies – 1
●    99% Invisible – 1
●    99% Invisible: Not Built For This – 1
●    A Fine Mess – 1
●    A Quiet Life in 7 Steps – 1
●    A Slight Change of Plans – 1
●    abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast – 1
●    Academy – 1
●    American Experience Presents: Joseph McCarthy – 1
●    American Masters: Creative Spark – 1
●    An Arm and a Leg – 1
●    Anomalie – 1
●    Apple News In Conversation – 1
●    Autocracy in America – 1
●    Backfired: Attention Deficit – 1
●    Beyond All Repair – 2
●    Big Take – 1
●    Black Is America – 1
●    Books & Boba – 1
●    Bring Birds Back – 1
●    Broomgate – 1
●    Celebrity Pets – 1
●    Cement City – 2
●    Chameleon: The Michigan Plot – 1
●    Citizen Elon (by the Elon, Inc podcast) – 1
●    Click Here – 1
●    Climate Rising – 1
●    Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – 1
●    Culture Kids – 1
●    Don’t Drink the Milk – The curious history of things – 1
●    Don’t Listen To This – 1
●    Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance – 2
●    Dungeon Masters – 1
●    Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD – 3
●    Everyday Trans Activism – 1
●    Extrasensory – 2
●    Faraway – 2
●    Fire Escape – 3
●    From Now On – 1
●    Fur & Loathing – 1
●    Girl v. Horse – 1
●    Give Me Away – 1
●    Good Bad Billionaire – 1
●    Good Game with Sarah Spain – 1
●    Greal: El Secreto de las Ocho Llaves – 1
●    Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest – 1
●    Hammerless: A True Crime Podcast in a Fantasy World – 1
●    Hechos Reales – 1
●    Hindsight: The Day Before – 1
●    Historical Records – 2
●    Hollywood Exiles – 1
●    Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown – 1
●    Hot White Heist 2 – 4
●    How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality – 1
●    How I Built This Podcast with Guy Raz – 1
●    HUMO: Murder and Silence in El Salvador – 1
●    Hysterical – 3
●    Impact Winter Season 3 – 1
●    In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett – 1
●    In the Dark Season 3: The Killings in Haditha – 1
●    Incoming – 1
●    Infamous – 1
●    Inheriting – 1
●    Into America: Uncounted Millions – 1
●    Kill List – 1
●    Killer Psyche – 1
●    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang – 1
●    Lemme Say This – 1
●    Lever Time with David Sirota – 1
●    Lords of Death – 1
●    Lost Patients – 1
●    Master Plan – 1
●    Merging Into Life – 1
●    Mind the Force – 1
●    Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong‘o – 1
●    Money Gone – 1
●    Money Stuff – 1
●    My Divo – 1
●    Mysteries About True Histories – 1
●    Narcosis – 1
●    NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast – 1
●    No quieren que sepas – 1
●    Noble – 1
●    Nocturno: Tales From The Shadows – 1
●    Ominous Thrill – 1
●    One Song – 1
●    Overlooked: Women’s Health Can’t Wait – 2
●    Pablo Torre Finds Out – 1
●    Pantallas & Mentiras [Screens & Lies] – 1
●    Pétrea – 1
●    PJ Library Presents: Beyond the Bookcase – 1
●    Radio Atlantic: Scripts – 1
●    Radio Rental – 1
●    Rapid Response – 1
●    Rattled & Shook – 1
●    Reveal – 1
●    Ripple – 1
●    Scam Goddess – 1
●    Scamfluencers – 1
●    Shadowball: The Rise of the Black Athlete – 1
●    Short Wave – 1
●    Sightings – 1
●    Silence in Sikeston – 2
●    Sixteenth Minute (of Fame) – 1
●    Skylar & Bones – Funny Stories For Kids! – 1
●    SmartLess – 1
●    Snap Judgment – 1
●    Snoriezzz – 1
●    Split Screen: Kid Nation – 1
●    STITCH PLEASE – 1
●    Tales of Fists & Fireballs – 1
●    Tested – 2
●    Thanks Dad with Ego Nwodim – 1
●    The Assignment with Audie Cornish – 1
●    The B* Word – 1
●    The Best Idea Yet – 1
●    The Best Man’s Ghostwriter – 1
●    The Box – 1
●    The Burden – 1
●    The Coldest Case The Past Has a Long Memory – 1
●    The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi – 1
●    The Cost of Extremism – 1
●    The Final War – 1
●    The Insurgence: Sheriffs – 1
●    The Integrated Schools Podcast – 2
●    The Journal – 1
●    The Justice – 2
●    The Last City – 1
●    The Man Who Calculated Death – 1
●    The Midlife Truth Project – 1
●    The Nightingale of Iran – 1
●    The NPR Politics Podcast – 1
●    The Official Jinx Podcast – 1
●    The People’s Recorder – 1
●    The Raven – 1
●    The Rich Eisen Show – 1
●    The Road to Joni – 1
●    The Sam Sanders Show – 1
●    The Seneschal: A Rebel Moon Story – 1
●    The Skies Are Watching – 1
●    The Take – 1
●    The Ten News – 1
●    The TMI Project Story Hour – 2
●    The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart – 1
●    The Wild with Chris Morgan – 1
●    The Wonder of Stevie – 2
●    Therapy for Black Girls – 1
●    Throughline – 2
●    Today, Explained – 1
●    Tom Slick: Mystery Hunter – 1
●    Tomorrow’s Cure – 1
●    Track Change – 1
●    Trump’s Trials – 1
●    Twenty Thousand Hertz – 1
●    Uganda’s Hidden Rainbow – 1
●    Unexplainable – 1
●    Untold: The Retreat – 1
●    Vibe Check – 1
●    Vibes Only – 1
●    We Can Do Hard Things – 1
●    Weight For It – 2
●    We’re Here to Help – 1
●    What Could Go Right? – 1
●    What Happened in Skinner – 1
●    What Next – 1
●    Who Killed Jennifer Judd? – 1
●    Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally Investigates – 1
●    Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer – 1
●    Winnie Taylor’s 4th & Inches – 1
●    World Report – 1
●    Wow in the World – 1
●    Wrongful Conviction – 1

NOMINATIONS BREAKDOWN BY PRODUCTION/CO-PRODUCTION/STUDIO/NETWORK

●    134 West – 1
●    AAA Northeast – 1
●    ADHx2 – 1
●    Agencia Catalan de Turismo / Normmal / Smart Locuciones / Yes We Cast – 1
●    Al Jazeera Digital – 1
●    All-American Ruins – 1
●    Apple News – 1
●    Apple, Futuro Studios – 1
●    AT WILL MEDIA – 1
●    Atomic Entertainment & Starglow Media – 1
●    Audacy Podcasts – 2
●    Audible and At Will Media – 1
●    Audible and Broadway Video – 1
●    Audible and Fabula Contenidos MX – 1
●    Audible and Joy Road Productions – 1
●    Audible and Prologue Partners – 1
●    Audible, Higher Ground and Pineapple Street Studios – 2
●    Audible, James Patterson Entertainment, and Broadway Video – 3
●    Audible, Skybound Entertainment, and Anonymous Content – 1
●    BBC Studios – 2
●    BirdNote – 1
●    Blanchard House & Apple – 2
●    Bloomberg Podcasts – 3
●    Boom and Rádio Novelo – 1
●    Broadway Video – 4
●    Bucket of Eels – 1
●    Bucket of Eels, CBC Podcasts, NPR’s Embedded – 1
●    Busboy Productions – 1
●    Campside Media and Sony Entertainment – 2
●    Campside Media and WAVLAND – 1
●    Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – 1
●    CBC Podcasts – 1
●    CBC Podcasts, BBC World Service, BBC Audio Wales – 1
●    Cement City Productions / Audacy Originals – 1
●    CNN Audio – 1
●    COURIER – 1
●    Culture Kids Media and Airwave – 1
●    Cumulus Podcast Network – 1
●    Danielle Dardashti & Galeet Dardashti – 1
●    DAVID The Agency – 1
●    Defacto Sound – 1
●    Deutsche Welle (DW) – 1
●    Discount Sushi – 1
●    Earwolf, Team Coco, SiriusXM – 1
●    Electronic Arts | Pod People – 2
●    ESPN Podcasts, 30 for 30 Podcasts – 2
●    Evergreen Creative – 1
●    Evoke Media and The Podglomerate – 1
●    Fermata Audio – 1
●    Financial Times – 1
●    GBH – 1
●    Gideon Media – 1
●    Goldhawk Productions – 1
●    GZM Shows – 1
●    HappyEcstatic Media – 1
●    Hartbeat – 1
●    Harvard Business School – 1
●    Hatch – 1
●    Headgum – 3
●    Horrorwood: True Crime in Tinseltown – 1
●    ID and Ark Media – 1
●    iHeart & The Meteor – 1
●    iHeartPodcasts – 2
●    iHeartPodcasts, Big Money Players – 1
●    iHeartPodcasts, Cool Zone Media – 1
●    Integrated Schools – 2
●    James Patterson Entertainment / Friendly Heights / Origin Story Entertainment – 1
●    Jeff Schmidt Productions, LLC – 1
●    KCRW & Sam Sanders Producers – 1
●    Kelly&Kelly, CBC Podcasts, USG Audio, Pacific Electric – 1
●    KFF Health News and WORLD – 2
●    KUOW Public Radio and The Seattle Times – 2
●    LA PHILLIPS MEDIA – 1
●    LAist Studios – 1
●    Lava for Good – 1
●    Mazama Entertainment – 1
●    Meadowlark Media – 1
●    Mind the Force LLC – 1
●    MSNBC – 1
●    Naked Productions Ltd – 1
●    Narratively & VPM – 1
●    NerdWallet and Airwave – 1
●    NPR – 5
●    ohitsBigRon studios LLC – 2
●    Orbit Media – 1
●    Owls Education Company – 2
●    Parents of Trans Youth – 1
●    Past Tense Future Perfect/Next Missiun – 1
●    Pinna – 1
●    PJ Library – 1
●    Political Research Associates & Cuentero Productions – 1
●    Posta & Amnistía Internacional – 1
●    Posta & SKY Airline – 1
●    Project Brazen – 1
●    PRX – 2
●    Public Road Productions, KFF Health News, Scripps News, and the Baltimore Banner – 1
●    Pushkin Industries – 1
●    QCODE – 1
●    Radio Pictures and MHP – 1
●    Radio Workshop – 1
●    RadioGold Productions – 2
●    Rainbow Creative – 1
●    Realm – 1
●    Recorded Future News – 1
●    Red Wine & Blue Studios – 1
●    Reveal, PRX – 1
●    Reverb – 1
●    School of Humans and iHeartPodcasts – 1
●    SiriusXM – 2
●    Slate – 1
●    Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts – 1
●    SmartLess Media / SiriusXM – 1
●    Snap Studios – 1
●    Snap Studios, Wondery – 3
●    Sonoro – 3
●    Sonoro, iHeart Media / My Cultura Network – 1
●    Spark Media – 1
●    Spotify and the Wall Street Journal – 1
●    Stitcher Studios, SiriusXM – 1
●    Story Mill Media – 1
●    Story Pirates/Two One Five Entertainment/Jon Glickman/iHeart Podcasts – 1
●    Talkhouse / SHEROES – 1
●    Team Coco, SiriusXM – 1
●    Tenderfoot TV – 4
●    Tetra Stories – 1
●    The Atlantic – 2
●    The Kids Podcast Channel – 1
●    The Lever – 2
●    The New Yorker and Condé Nast Audio – 1
●    The Progress Network and The Podglomerate – 1
●    The WNET Group – 1
●    TMI Project – 2
●    Treefort Media, Wondery – 1
●    TrueStory – 1
●    truth.media – 1
●    Vox & Vox Media – 2
●    WaitWhat – 1
●    Warner Bros. Discovery – 1
●    WBUR & ZSP Media – 2
●    Western Sound & APM Studios – 1
●    What’s The Story Sounds – for BBC Sounds and CBC – 1
●    Wolf At The Door Studios – 1
●    Wondery – 4
●    Wondery & Crooked Media – 3
●    Wondery & Novel – 1
●    Wondery & Pineapple Street Studios – 3
●    Wondery, Built It Productions, NPR – 1
●    Wondery, Nick & Jack Studios – 1
●    Wondery, Tinkercast – 1
●    Working Women Productions – 1

ABOUT TIG NOTARO
Tig Notaro is an Emmy, Grammy, WGA and SAG Award-nominated comedian, actor, writer, director, producer and podcast host originally from Mississippi, and named by Rolling Stone one of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time. She appears in Season 3 of THE MORNING SHOW on Apple TV+ alongside Jennifer Aniston and Jon Hamm, and STAR TREK: DISCOVERY on Paramount Plus with Michelle Yeoh. Tig recently starred in the Netflix films YOUR PLACE OR MINE with Reese Witherspoon, WE HAVE A GHOST with Anthony Mackie, as well as Zack Snyder’s ARMY OF THE DEAD. Prior to that, she starred in the heartwarming Paramount film INSTANT FAMILY alongside Mark Wahlberg and Octavia Spencer. Tig wrote, produced and starred in the semi-autobiographical Amazon Prime Video series ONE MISSISSIPPI, also directing the premiere episode of Season 2. The show yielded critical acclaim and several award nominations, including WGA, GLAAD and The Critics’ Choice Awards. Tig hosts HANDSOME, a critically acclaimed comedy podcast, alongside fellow comedians and co-hosts Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin.

ABOUT THE PODCAST ACADEMY
Founded in February 2020, The Podcast Academy is a not-for-profit professional membership organization that celebrates excellence in podcasting and elevates awareness of podcasts as an indispensable medium for entertainment, information, and creative expression. It values individual and organizational creators alike, of all backgrounds and means, and defines achievement through the values of quality, creativity, innovation, inclusion, and impact. The Podcast Academy provides community, professional development, and industry connections through inclusive, dynamic programming. For more information about The Podcast Academy, please visit http://www.thepodcastacademy.com and follow/like/subscribe on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Linkedin. Visit our donation page to support our mission.

Sponsor support for The Podcast Academy includes Wondery, The Hollywood Reporter, Audible, Dolby, Airwave, The Podcast Show, Castbox, Outfront Media, Twitch, and IMDb.

Press Assets:
The Ambies logo: here; photo credit: The Podcast Academy
Tig Notaro headshot: here; courtesy of Tig Notaro

Media Contact

Michele Cobb, The Podcast Academy, 4013549100, michele@thepodcastacademy.com, https://www.thepodcastacademy.com/ 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/the-podcast-academy-announces-nominees-for-fifth-annual-awards-for-excellence-in-audio-302376845.html

SOURCE The Podcast Academy

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Care Career Announces Acquisition of MAS Medical Staffing, Completing Its First Acquisition Phase and Expanding Annual Revenue Beyond $150 Million, with a Path to Exceed a Quarter Billion by the End of 2026 Through Additional Acquisitions and Organic Growth

Published

on

By

WOODBRIDGE, N.J., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Care Career, a rapidly growing healthcare workforce technology organization, today announced the acquisition of MAS Medical Staffing, one of the Northeast’s leading healthcare workforce organizations. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition represents Care Career’s seventh strategic acquisition in the past 24 months, further strengthening the company’s position as one of the largest healthcare workforce organizations in the United States while accelerating its strategy to redefine the future of healthcare workforce management through artificial intelligence, enterprise technology, and workforce innovation.

MAS Medical Staffing has built an outstanding reputation for delivering high-quality workforce solutions through strong client relationships, exceptional clinician engagement, and deep regional expertise throughout the Northeastern United States. The acquisition significantly expands Care Career’s geographic footprint while broadening its access to healthcare professionals, client relationships, workforce data, and regional market intelligence.

Care Career is building a technology-enabled workforce ecosystem powered by its AI-powered workforce platform, where every acquisition contributes not only additional market presence, but also expanded data, enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities, digital innovation, and operational scale that continuously improve the experience for clients and clinicians alike. As the platform grows, every clinician engagement, client interaction, credential, placement, and workforce trend strengthens the intelligence of Career’s technology, creating a continuously improving ecosystem designed to deliver faster, smarter, and more effective workforce solutions.

The acquisition also brings MAS Medical Staffing’s MAESTRA® engagement technology, along with its client relationships and clinician network, directly onto Career’s AI-powered workforce platform. MAESTRA’s scheduling, credentialing, and communication capabilities will be integrated into Care Career’s existing technology stack, further enhancing clinician engagement across onboarding, scheduling, and career management while providing healthcare organizations with greater workforce visibility and operational efficiency.

“Our vision is to build the AI-powered infrastructure that modernizes healthcare workforce management,” said Siva Konatham, Group President and Chief Executive Officer of Care Career. “Under my leadership, Care Career is focused on transforming a fragmented, labor-intensive industry into a data-driven, technology-enabled ecosystem that improves speed, efficiency, and workforce visibility for healthcare providers. Each acquisition strengthens our platform intelligence, expands our scale, and enhances our margin potential. By integrating advanced analytics, AI automation, and digital engagement tools, we are not just growing revenue—we are building a smarter, more scalable model positioned to lead the next era of healthcare workforce solutions.”

The combined organization will leverage expanded recruiting resources, centralized credentialing, advanced workforce analytics, AI-enabled automation, and digital engagement technologies—all powered by Care Career’s AI-powered workforce platform—to deliver broader recruiting capabilities, faster response times, enhanced workforce insights, and expanded national coverage. Clinicians will benefit from a seamless digital experience that simplifies every stage of their careers—from job discovery and credentialing to onboarding, scheduling, communication, and long-term career development.

With seven strategic acquisitions completed in less than two years, representing the first round of acquisitions now totaling more than $150 million in annual revenue, Care Career has rapidly expanded its national presence while executing a disciplined growth strategy focused on technology integration, operational excellence, and workforce innovation. The company has also signed additional Letters of Intent with other entities with expected close dates in the third quarter of 2026. Upon completion of these transactions, coupled with organic growth, Care Career expects consolidated annual revenue to exceed a quarter of a billion dollars by the end of 2026.

The addition of MAS Medical Staffing further strengthens the organization’s ability to serve healthcare systems, hospitals, long-term care providers, outpatient facilities, and other healthcare organizations across an increasingly diverse geographic footprint.

“The healthcare workforce industry is entering a new era where technology, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making will define the market leaders,” Konatham added. “Every acquisition we complete expands the intelligence of our AI-powered workforce platform, enhances the value we deliver to our clients, and creates more opportunities for clinicians. We believe the combination of exceptional people, innovative technology, and strategic scale positions Care Career to lead the next generation of healthcare workforce solutions.”

About Care Career

Care Career is a technology-enabled healthcare workforce solutions company dedicated to transforming how healthcare organizations recruit, engage, credential, deploy, and retain clinical talent. Powered by its proprietary AI-powered workforce platform and supported by advanced artificial intelligence, enterprise technology, and workforce analytics, Care Career is building an intelligent healthcare workforce ecosystem that connects providers and clinicians more efficiently while improving workforce performance, operational effectiveness, and patient care. Following seven strategic acquisitions over the past 24 months the first round of acquisitions totaling more than $150 million in annual revenue and with additional signed LOIs under contract expected to complete shortly, positioning the company to surpass a quarter of a billion dollars in consolidated annual revenue by the end of 2026, Care Career has become one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing healthcare workforce organizations, serving healthcare providers and clinicians across the United States.

About MAS Medical Staffing

MAS Medical Staffing is a premier healthcare workforce organization recognized for exceptional service, strong client partnerships, and a commitment to connecting healthcare professionals with rewarding career opportunities. With an established presence throughout the Northeastern United States, MAS Medical Staffing has earned a reputation for quality, responsiveness, and delivering workforce solutions that help healthcare providers meet their evolving workforce needs while supporting clinicians throughout every stage of their careers.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/care-career-announces-acquisition-of-mas-medical-staffing-completing-its-first-acquisition-phase-and-expanding-annual-revenue-beyond-150-million-with-a-path-to-exceed-a-quarter-billion-by-the-end-of-2026-through-additional-acqu-302834472.html

SOURCE Care Career

Continue Reading

Technology

PointsKash Demonstrates How Businesses Can Build on Bitcoin Without Burdening the Blockchain

Published

on

By

As industry debate surrounding Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP-110) intensifies, PointsKash unveils an architecture designed to work regardless of the proposal’s outcome.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the global Bitcoin community debates Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 (BIP-110) and the future of data stored on the Bitcoin blockchain, PointsKash, Inc. today announced that its next-generation kiosk infrastructure was intentionally designed to operate efficiently under any outcome of the proposal.

Rather than storing operational data directly on the Bitcoin blockchain, PointsKash utilizes a layered architecture that combines Bitcoin‘s unmatched security with modern decentralized communications technology. Every transaction, machine event, system update, and operational record generated across the PointsKash network is cryptographically verified, securely maintained off-chain, and anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain through a single immutable cryptographic proof.

This approach allows thousands of operational events to be permanently verified while utilizing only a minimal amount of blockchain data.

As discussion surrounding BIP-110 has intensified across the digital asset industry, PointsKash believes the debate does not require choosing between innovation and responsible blockchain stewardship.

“The industry has been debating whether businesses can build meaningful applications on Bitcoin without unnecessarily consuming blockchain space,” said Michael Herron, Chief Executive Officer of PointsKash. “We believe we’ve demonstrated that the answer is yes. Bitcoin provides the world’s most trusted immutable timestamp and security layer, while higher-volume operational data belongs on technologies specifically designed to manage it. By combining both, we’ve built an architecture that is scalable, transparent, and future-ready regardless of how the BIP-110 discussion ultimately evolves.”

The company’s infrastructure assigns every kiosk its own unique cryptographic identity, allowing each machine to securely authenticate every transaction and operational event. Those records are then independently verifiable through cryptographic proofs while remaining resistant to alteration or manipulation—even by PointsKash itself.

According to the company, this architecture delivers several significant advantages:

Mathematically verifiable transaction records for regulators, banking partners, auditors, and enterprise customers.Improved network reliability, allowing kiosks to continue operating during temporary connectivity interruptions without losing transaction history.Enhanced cybersecurity, with every machine maintaining its own authenticated identity and secure communications.A scalable blockchain architecture that minimizes on-chain data while preserving complete auditability.

Bitcoin was created to provide trust, security, and permanence—not to become a storage system for every piece of application data,” Herron added. “Our philosophy has always been simple: use Bitcoin for what it does better than anyone else—creating immutable proof that records have never been altered—and leverage modern decentralized technologies for everything else. We believe that’s the future of enterprise blockchain infrastructure.”

PointsKash believes this architecture positions the company among a new generation of fintech innovators utilizing Bitcoin as a secure trust layer while developing scalable financial applications for enterprise deployment.

The technology also establishes the foundation for future blockchain-based financial products currently under development, including enhanced digital audit capabilities, verifiable financial records, enterprise licensing opportunities, and next-generation digital asset infrastructure.

As the Bitcoin ecosystem continues to mature, PointsKash believes its technology demonstrates that responsible innovation and blockchain scalability can successfully coexist—providing enterprise organizations with the confidence to build on Bitcoin without contributing unnecessary data to the network.

About PointsKash, Inc.

PointsKash, Inc. is a financial technology company developing an integrated ecosystem of AI-enabled self-service financial centers, digital banking, digital payment solutions, cryptocurrency services, loyalty rewards, enterprise merchant technologies, and mobile financial applications. Through proprietary software, Artificial Intelligence, and strategic partnerships, PointsKash is building innovative financial solutions designed to empower consumers, merchants, and enterprise organizations throughout North America.

For more information, visit www.pointskash.com.

Media Contact

PointsKash, Inc.
Investor Relations
info@pointskash.com
www.pointskash.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding anticipated technology integrations, Artificial Intelligence initiatives, product development, future commercialization plans, expected operational efficiencies, business strategy, and future growth. These statements are based on current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, technology development timelines, integration efforts, financing, regulatory developments, market conditions, and other risks facing the Company. PointsKash undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pointskash-demonstrates-how-businesses-can-build-on-bitcoin-without-burdening-the-blockchain-302834473.html

SOURCE PointsKash Inc.

Continue Reading

Technology

As ADA Anniversary Approaches, University of Phoenix Survey Highlights AI’s Potential to Advance Accessibility in Work and Learning

Published

on

By

Survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix finds among those already using AI in the workplace, 60% say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines.

PHOENIX, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As artificial intelligence becomes part of how people work, learn and solve problems, a new University of Phoenix survey conducted by The Harris Poll finds that recent working learners see meaningful opportunities for AI to support accessibility. The survey was designed to understand the impact of AI in the workplace and learning environments on accessibility, defined as ensuring digital content, tools and resources, including AI tools and output, are usable by people with different abilities through inclusive design, use of assistive technology or conformance with accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The findings are being released ahead of the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26.

The survey, conducted among 1,019 U.S. employed adults who completed a professionally presented training or school course in the past 12 months (“recent working learners”), found that, among workers already using AI in the workplace, 3 in 5 (60%) say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines, including nearly 1 in 5 (19%) who report significant improvement. 

While the findings point to optimism about AI’s accessibility potential, they also reveal an opportunity for clearer organizational guidance: 45% of respondents say accessibility is absent from, unclear in, or they are uncertain whether it is covered by their workplace AI policies.

“The reality is that accessibility benefits everyone,” shares Kelly Hermann, Vice President of Accessibility and Student Affairs at University of Phoenix. “If accessibility is built in from the beginning, organizations are more likely to create AI-enabled environments that are universally usable. Clearer content, better summaries, accurate captions, and multiple formats can help workers and learners with disabilities, but they also help busy adults, multilingual learners, mobile users, and anyone trying to absorb information quickly.”

Key findings from the survey include:

Workers see AI’s accessibility potential: 89% of recent working learners identify workflows that could benefit from AI and accessibility tools, especially creating accessible documents, presentations, websites or learning materials (38%), presenting information in different formats such as plain language, audio, summaries or translations (33%), and training employees or learners on accessibility practices (30%).AI may help build accessibility awareness: Among those already using AI in the workplace, 60% say AI has improved their knowledge of and ability to use accessibility standards and guidelines.Accessibility is not always clear in workplace AI policies: 45% of recent working learners say accessibility is absent from, unclear in, or they are uncertain whether it is covered by their workplace AI policies.AI tools may not yet fully support different access needs: Among those who use workplace AI tools, only about a quarter of survey respondents (27%) say AI tools available through their workplace or professional learning environment support people with disabilities very well.Human oversight remains important: 36% of recent working learners say human review for important decisions or high-impact work should be part of responsible AI use at work or school.Workers also recognize how AI and accessibility can have an impact on their own career journey: 90% of recent working learners identify AI and accessibility skills that would be valuable in their current or desired career field, including 45% who see value in understanding when AI-generated content needs human review.

Why accessibility is essential to responsible AI adoption

As AI tools are used to draft documents, summarize information, generate captions and transcripts, create image descriptions, support learning and assist with workplace tasks, accessibility becomes central to responsible use. Poorly implemented AI can also create or amplify barriers, including inaccessible content, inaccurate summaries, biased outputs and tools that do not work effectively with assistive technologies.

“Responsible AI is not only about productivity,” Hermann said. “It is about whether the technology works for the people who need to use it. AI can help create more accessible materials and more flexible ways to engage with information, but it still requires clear policies, practical training and human judgment to make sure the outputs are accurate, applicable and usable.”

What the findings mean for employers and educators

The survey suggests that organizations have an opportunity to align AI adoption with supportive design, accessibility practices and workforce training. Employers and educators can take immediate steps by:

Naming accessibility directly in AI policies and guidance.Choosing AI tools with accessibility and assistive technology compatibility in mind.Training workers and learners to create, check and improve accessible AI-generated content.Making support pathways clear for people who experience barriers using AI tools.Keeping human review in place for important decisions, high-impact work and accessibility-sensitive outputs.

The survey also found workers want practical AI training. The most helpful resources identified by recent working learners include real-world examples from their field or industry (36%), hands-on practice using realistic workplace scenarios (34%) and step-by-step demonstrations of common tasks (33%).

Accessibility insights from University of Phoenix

Hermann shared the survey findings ahead of the ADA anniversary in recent media interviews. Hermann oversees the University’s accessibility initiative, including evaluation and remediation of curricular resources, the Center for Access, Resources, Engagement and Support Services (CARES), and the Office of Collaborative Learning and Educational Engagement. Her work focuses on fostering accessible and welcoming educational environments for students, faculty and staff.

Hermann’s office at University of Phoenix also convenes accessibility conversations through initiatives such as Access Amplified™, a free, annual virtual event focused on advancing digital accessibility in web development. The event brings together engineers, developers, designers, content authors and digital strategists for practical strategies and human-centered conversations that address the gap between coding practices and how users with assistive technology experience the web.

About the survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix from June 22–29, 2026, among 1,019 employed adults ages 18 and older who have taken a professionally presented training or a school course in the past 12 months, referred to as “recent working learners.” Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, employment, marital status, household size, household income and smoking status to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

Review the complete survey at phoenix.edu/aiaccessibility.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is Built for Real Life. 50 Years Strong. The University innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world through flexible online learning, relevant courses, academic AI pillars, and skills-mapped curriculum for associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Active students and alumni have access to Career Services for Life® resources including career guidance and tools. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/as-ada-anniversary-approaches-university-of-phoenix-survey-highlights-ais-potential-to-advance-accessibility-in-work-and-learning-302834448.html

SOURCE University of Phoenix

Continue Reading

Trending