Great radio production and the people who make it. Earshot features some of radio's most gifted practitioners in promotions and marketing who talk about and play the work they've created. Email the host Steve Martin steve@earshotcreative.com if you'd like to get involved.

Earshot podcast

Adam Burgess and Tom Cross are two thirds of the production house Contraband Media.

Together with Music Director Small Paul, Adam and Tom have built Contraband into one of the UK's leading independent radio imaging companies with market-leading clients here and in the US, New Zealand and Australia.

This year they were nominated in the 2017 Audible Audio Production Awards. Business advice for you if you fancy leaving your salaried job and setting-up your own production company or entering the freelance world.

How they made the transition from Tech Ops on Southern England's Power FM to Imaging Producers and then directors of their own business.

Production secrets of their branded song intros from BBC Radio 1, the Nick Grimshaw Breakfast Show openers and their Imaging Blueprint CHR imaging service.

Their work for Radio 1 is puzzle of micro-editing, pitch-shifting, tuned voices, soft synths and the cheekiest individual syllables smuggled from song lyrics.

We also enjoy an award winning radio ad for one of the most famous FMCG brands in Britain.

Tom Cross and Adam Burgess

Explore new creative opportunities in programmatic advertising and dynamic audio in the company of two highly knowledgeable and likeable pioneers in this emerging field. Steve Dunlop and Sam Crowther run A Million Ads, the London-based agency that leads the world in dynamic, personalised audio advertising.

With patience and clarity in this Earshot podcast, Steve and Sam take Steve Martin through this emerging growth area and how it works. They also demonstrate some new creative routes to more effective communication through personalisation with real-life campaign audio from their early clients. What's more, they do all this in a pub.

If you listen to online radio or streaming music services that carry advertising you may have already heard dynamically assembled ad spots that take account of the data advertisers know about you.

A short route to increased effectiveness or a little bit spooky? Download this edition of the Earshot podcast and hear for yourself.

Full details at http://earshotcreative.com/2018/01/earshot-podcast-a-million-ads/

A Million Ads - personalised and programmatic audio

Gordon Lundy, Matt Shields and Gavin Pearson share examples of their imaging work and explain how they make it. Recorded before a live audience at Scotland's Creative Media Network student festival

Gordon Lundy, Matt Shields and Gavin Pearson live in Glasgow

From the Cash Call to the Bong Game® to the Real Radio Renegade, Jonathan Lumley from East Coast Radio and Jacaranda FM in South Africa and international radio consultant John Simons from the UK reveal their favourite competition ideas, both as set-piece promotional moments and everyday benchmarks.

In conversation with Earshot's Steve Martin, they explain how their favourite competition mechanics work, the critical dos and don'ts for any promotion and how data from engaged listeners can help you demonstrate to advertisers the quality of audience you attract.

You'll also discover the 1% rule and why John's cousin hasn't been for dinner recently.

The world's best radio contests and competitions

Radio Advertising - Some secrets of great radio advertising with Clare Bowen, head of creative development at the UK Radio Advertising Bureau and Lenja Papp, European radio writer and consultant.

Discover why Lenja wants to seduce - not shout in any language, how the comedy of Ricky Gervais, Karl Pilkinton and Stephen Merchant can address serious medical matters and how the RAB is working to improve the creative quality and effectiveness of radio advertising in Britain.

Hobsons Voicesearch - Meet Jumoke, Sefa, Mark and Scott: the shortlisted candidates in our competition to find and reward new, unsigned UK voice talent and hear them face a real-life studio challenge at the BBC with producer James Stodd.

Earshot Creative Review, September 2012

Michaela Hallam, Debbie Dillon and Kate Dinsdale demonstrate how the BBC’s in-house creative agency approaches radio.

They play trails that promote Audio Description for viewers with restricted sight, their Wimbledon 2018 campaign that was much-loved by Chris Evans and the launch of the corporation’s ambitious project to aggregate music, podcasts and radio together in one place, BBC Sounds.

Kate, Debbie and Michaela describe how they achieve consistency of message while creating bespoke executions to fit the sound of each BBC radio service to maximise the effectiveness of their work.

You’ll also hear how BBC Creative works with independent production houses like Mcasso Music and Audio Always, and the team share tips for you if you want to be part of a future production with the agency.

Inside BBC Creative

International ambassador of radio Steve Martin created Earshot to promote great ideas and technique in creative radio.  Promos, ads, S&P and imaging: we love it all and we share the best of it through the Earshot website and podcast. http://earshotcreative.com