⚔️Arthurian post-apocalypse 🩷 on Wednesdays we do media crit 🥤the Stanley cup girlies

🍭 👂 TRUST US! 🌈 🤸‍♀️

Hi hello!

Wil Williams here, taking over PTN for Lauren these next two weeks while she is on a much-deserved break! The Tink team will be rotating for each edition until Lauren is back in the office. We’ll keep you posted, of course, but until then, this is the perfect opportunity for a 💥SNEAK ATTACK: WE LOVE LAUREN STYLE💥‼️

But first, quickly: Arthurian legend goes post-apocalyptic here, weird feelings about the Mean Girls musical here, and Stanley cup girlies here.

xoxo ww

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💖✨LAUREN LOVE✨💖

We here at team Tink wanted to take this moment to surprise our amazing leader with little notes on how she inspires us. Reader, I am sure you are inspired by her too. We’d love to see your comments about what Lauren and her work mean to you!

From Anne:

"Lauren's ability to stay positive and supportive of everyone she encounters is beyond inspiring. Every part of Lauren's presence just exudes joy and hope and ✨ magic✨. Lauren and I are always joking about how she falls in love with people immediately (which is true!), but I don't think she realizes that we love her just as much in return! Tink wouldn't be as successful as it is today without her endless kindness bringing us all together to help bring her dream to life."

From Arielle:

“Lauren inspires me to listen to new podcasts every day. It's easy to get stuck in your routine and to go back to favorites. But Lauren texts me at ungodly hours with links to new shows she's loving and then...I love them!”

From Ilana:

“Lauren has inspired me in how she engages with podcasts she loves - she'll call in, submit a story, respond to their requests. It's inspired me to not only be a passive listener, but a much more active one. It's such a simple but powerful way to show some of your favorite podcasts some love.”

From Andreea:

“Lauren teaches me something new every day! She is always looking to connect with new podcast friends, keeps an open mind to new marketing ideas, and encourages us to be creative. The opportunity to work with and learn from her is a blessing. She is a leader in podcast marketing not only because of these qualities but also because of her big heart. And the fact that she's able to find and appreciate new shows every week is plain impressive!”

From Aakshi:

“Lauren has inspired me to be unafraid and put glitter on it. That sounds funny, but sometimes I am unsure and afraid to express myself. Lauren inspires me to have more fun, feel all the feelings, and put glitter on it, literally and metaphorically. Be it in what I am wearing, how I am talking, or what I am doing, I can choose to have fun with it. Honestly, I have ALWAYS loved glitter but felt scared to enjoy it. Unlearning that every day in Lauren's company :)”

From Shreya:

“Lauren inspires me every day to be a little bit madder, a lot less sadder, and way more insane than I'd allow myself to be. Every message, every podcast suggestion, every meeting with her is magic. Thank you for spreading pixie dust everywhere you go!”

From Devin:

“Lauren has shown me what it means to bring genuine and unwavering enthusiasm to a medium and community that she truly believes in. It’s in the way she talks about podcasts, in the way she interacts with everyone in the community and always wants to help any way she can, and it’s in the way she always inspires others to check out something new or support their longtime favourites. I’m saying all of this as it relates to podcasts, but it truly extends beyond that in how supportive and welcoming she is to everyone she meets. She’s brave, playful, and full of curiosity and I want to be like Lauren when I grow up.”

From Holly:

“Lauren has taught me the power of authenticity at work and in your industry. As women, we’re often conditioned to over-analyze and second-guess ourselves, worried about being too this or too that. Lauren inspires me every day that being your truest self, complete with unabashed excitement, so much passion, and kindness, and being an expert in your field are the true keys to success.”

And from me!: Lauren has always cultivated amazing teams and communities in the podcast space, and now, working at Tink, I have an even better understanding of how and why. Lauren’s curiosity, voracity, and unflinching humility makes for spaces where everyone is excited to learn from each other. It’s so beautiful, and it keeps me inspired every day.

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👋q & a & q & a & q & a👋

Rory Uphold

Rory Uphold is the host of Crimes of the Heart: A Love and Dating Podcast.

Describe the show in ten words or less.
RU: Outlandish dating stories mixed with expert advice.

Who is it for?
RU: People who feel alone on their romantic journey and/or people who just like listening to the wild stories of others… I interview porn stars, virgins and everyone in between.

Which episode to start with?
RU: With the holidays approaching [as of doing this interview] I’d say episode one. My guest talks about how she has to think about Christmas in order to give a BJ…

Favorite listener interaction?
RU: I’ve had a lot. There was a girl who reached out because she has herpes and had never heard anyone talk about in a way that wasn’t shrouded in shame. That meant a lot. And there was a guy named Hale, who shared his erectile dysfunction story — Anytime people want to share their stories I feel honored, but especially when they are taboo.

Dream guest?
RU: Julia Fox.

Dream partnership?
RU: Planned Parenthood.

If I could force one person in the world to listen to my podcast it'd be…
RU: A couple of my ex’s… cause why not.

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🚨If u only have time for 1 thing🚨

This segment comes to you from the lovely Lauren herself!:

“Jess Shane is an artist, documentarian, and  storyteller who, on her podcast (on Radiotopia Presents) Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative, is telling other people’s stories while at the same time asking really probing questions about the art of storytelling. She went to Craigslist to find people who felt they had a story that needed to be told. But instead of just telling the stories, she’s examining what it really means to do it, asking…what does it mean to tell somebody’s story? What does it mean to have your story turned into content for someone else? Who has the power when you’re telling someone’s story? What are the ethics? And so much more. This is a provocative idea, an experiment (she’s paying the people who spend time with her to share their stories) but also just so beautifully done. Jess plays with audio in a way that will surprise and delight your brain. There are some great people on this project…I heard Mitra Kaboli's name in the credits, and the audio feels like it has The Heart's fingerprints all over it, if that gives you any indication of how good it is. Podcasts are often about telling other people’s stories. This one is going one step further to find out what that actually means, and what, as listeners, our relationships with these stories are.”

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hell yeah

🎙️Our first Podcast Group Therapy was held on Friday, with SOLD OUT ATTENDANCE for our very first event! I hosted with Arielle Nissenblatt, and it was such a good time. Our next session is going to be on launching a podcast — and it should have some great advice even for folks who have launched shows before! Don’t sleep on getting a ticket. We think this one’s gonna sell out pretty quickly too.

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💎BTW💎

🎙️Camlann is a new fiction podcast by two of the most trustworthy names in audio fiction: Ella Watts and Tin Can Audio. This Arthurian take on a post-apocalyptic story is sure to have some fascinating twists and turns — and their Tumblr has some great extras, like character playlists and behind-the-scenes (anyone else too scared to ever abbreviate this to BTS anymore?) videos.

🎙️We are huge Commotion fans here at Tink, and I can’t stop thinking about their recent episode on the Mean Girls movie musical. This episode has a super insightful look at the movie from different perspectives that were left a little in the dust by the release, and hearing from panelists Sarah-Tai Black, Niko Stratis, and Cassie Cao brought it all together for me.

🎙️It Could Happen Here goes into the weird history of the Daily Wire in a two-parter from last week. As always, the grim — and often just really, deeply embarrassing — history is balanced with a big dose of laughs and goofballery.

🎙️ICYMI never misses, and their recent mailbag episode on Stanley cups, Josh wines, and the Tunnel Girl is such a good time. You know about tunnel girl, right? The girl building tunnels under her home with zero permits and zero experience and zero education on how to build a tunnel? You will after this episode.

🎙️I love you!

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📦 From the Archives 📦

I recently introduced my partner to Wolf 359 for the first time and y’all, it really does stand up. It really is that good. This space opera is a fiction podcast cornerstone, and it’s no mystery why: the characters are unique and memorable, the plot ramps up in the most terrifying and thrilling way, and the writing is literally all killer no filler. Top that all off with unforgettable performances from the entire cast and a minimalist but incredibly effective score, and you’ve got maybe the fiction podcast to get people into fiction podcasts.