JUNE ROUND UP 🥳🎊
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Hello, Audio Creatives,
As we wrap up June, we're excited to bring you a roundup of all the fantastic happenings in June.
This month was another exciting one. If you're like us and sometimes lose track of time, don't worry—we've got your back. Our June roundup is here to catch you up on all the amazing things that have happened this month. So, let's dive in!😉
Stay Up-to-Date with APVA's Annual Calendar!
We're excited to announce that our annual calendar is now available! This calendar will inform you about our upcoming events, workshops, courses, and conferences. Stay connected and never miss an update!
Submit Your Events At APVA Calendar
Great news for our partners and members: You can add your events to our calendar for free! This is a fantastic way to boost your event’s visibility and reach a wider audience.
If you’re one of our partners or members, click the link below to submit your event for review and approval.
Not a partner or member yet? No problem! You can still get your event featured on our channels and tap into our network. Just ask us for a rate guide to get started.
Industry Updates
RESPOND with Bonny Kibuuka; The Ugandan Boy
Our cover for this edition is called The Ugandan Boy.
For six years, Bonny Kibuuka has been doing two things at once: fixing aircraft for a living and recording the stories of an entire region for free.
As an Aircraft Maintenance Technician, podcast host, husband, and father, he built The Ugandan Boy Talk Show into one of East Africa’s most consistent platforms, 270 episodes deep and counting.
In this edition of RESPOND, Bonny shares hard-earned lessons on consistency, identity, faith, and what it actually takes to keep showing up.
Download this edition and hear the Ugandan boy tell it in his own words.
AVSR: Where African Stories Find Their Voice
At APVA, we’ve built a growing library of scripts for voice artists and audio creatives across Africa.
This isn’t just a script collection; it’s a space to practise, improve, and connect. Whether you’re a voice artist looking for new material or a writer wanting to share African stories, the AVSR is for you.
Here’s how you can use it:
- Find scripts to grow your skills
- Share your own scripts with the community
- Connect and collaborate with other creatives
Be part of it today! Explore the repository or donate a script and help us amplify African voices.
Check it out below!
Shorts by APVA
Get the latest updates about the sector in our weekly news bulletin podcast.
Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and find out about upcoming conferences, workshops, webinars, and masterclasses to enhance your skills and network. Click here to listen to the latest episode.
Don’t Just Host Us: Why Spotify Owes Nigerian Creators Monetisation
In this article, Tony Doe examines the growing disconnect between Spotify’s investment in Nigerian audiences and the limited revenue opportunities available to the podcasters, musicians, and independent creators helping to fuel that growth.
This piece points out what a more equitable relationship between Spotify and Nigerian creators could look like.
Read the full article to find out more.
Sector Updates/Insights
Milestone Moment: Why Am I Still Single? Hits 1,000 Downloads in One Day
The Why Am I Still Single? podcast has reached a new milestone, recording 1,000 downloads in a single day for the first time. Sharing the achievement, the show’s founder described it as a significant moment in the podcast’s growth and audience journey.
The milestone reflects the growing reach of the podcast and the strong connection it has built with listeners. As more African creators continue to build engaged communities around their content, achievements like this highlight the increasing impact of podcasting across the continent.
Congratulations, Edgar! Listen to the podcast at the link below.
Femi Bakes Joins Max Breakfast on Max 102.3FM Lagos
Max 102.3FM welcomes Femi Bakes to the Max Breakfast team, joining Honey Ojukwu for a new era of energetic morning conversations and entertainment.
The weekday breakfast show promises engaging discussions, fresh vibes, and lively content for listeners across Lagos. Tune in every Monday–Friday, 5:00 AM – 10:00 AM.
Click on the link below for more details.
SpotsNow Launches AI Operating System for Podcast Advertising
On 1 June 2026, SpotsNow (founded by Cam Pritchard, ex-Thumbtack) launched its AI operating system for podcast advertising, billed as the first platform to operate both sides of a podcast ad deal on one intelligence layer.
The launch covers custom AI agents trained on individual network workflows that take on the repetitive planning, vetting, RFP-response, and outbound work that has historically capped network sales teams. SpotsNow claims a revenue unlock of up to 30% for adopting networks. The underlying dataset spans more than 69,000 shows with verified ad history and billions in tracked ad spend.
Visit the link below to read more.
Opportunities Station
ZODML Poetry Prize 2026 Call for Submissions
The ZODML Poetry Prize 2026 is now open to public university students in Nigeria, inviting emerging poets to submit original work under the theme “Stories We Carry.”
Participants stand a chance to win over ₦1,000,000 in cash prizes, publication in the ZODML anthology, an all-expenses-paid trip to Lagos, 3 days’ accommodation for the award ceremony, sightseeing experiences, and a one-year paid internship with ZODML.
Submissions Deadline: 15 August 2026
Visit the link below for more details.
Poetry Africa Slam Jam Competition 2026
Poetry Africa Festival is inviting South African poets to enter the 30th Poetry Africa Slam Jam Competition under the theme “Every Word a Street, Every Voice a City.”
The competition is open to poets aged 18–35 currently residing in South Africa and offers a platform to showcase original work on one of Africa’s leading poetry stages. The winning poet will receive a R20,000 cash prize, along with the opportunity to represent both Poetry Africa and South Africa at the Continental Slam Poetry Competition, with a pathway to the World Slam Poetry Competition.
Deadline: 13 July 2026
Visit the link below for more details.
Broadcast Media Pro Course Applications Open
City Media Academy is offering a 5-week intensive Broadcast Media Pro Course combining training and internship experience.
The programme covers radio presentation, content creation, voiceover mastery, show preparation and interviews, diction and public speaking, event hosting, and news reporting.
Participants will undergo 2 weeks of expert-led training, followed by a 3-week internship at City 105.1 FM, gaining hands-on industry experience.
Classes begin: July 6th, 2026
Venue: Lagos, Nigeria
Fee: N150,000 Naira
Visit the link below for more information.
Upcoming Events
One Voice Conference USA 2026
Join the One Voice Conference USA, a celebration of voiceover talent and creativity.
This dynamic event brings together industry leaders, voice actors, and creatives for insightful talks, workshops, and networking opportunities.
Date: 20th - 23rd August 2026
Venue: Hyatt Regency DFW, Dallas
Don’t miss out on the excitement. Visit the link below to get your ticket now!
The Voice and Artistry Showcase (TVAAS) 2.0 is back with ‘Sound Tapestry’
The Voice and Artistry Showcase (TVAAS) 2.0 is back with ‘Sound Tapestry’, an immersive event celebrating voice, sound, and creativity.
The event will be hosted by Vinney Oxygen, featuring voiceover performances, live podcast sessions, spoken word, music, comedy, and other creative expressions, bringing together audio creators and lovers of storytelling.
Date: 11 September 2026
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Venue: Transform Studio, Festac, Lagos
Visit the link below for more information.
Broadcasters Convention 2026 – West Africa
The International Broadcasting and Digital Media Convention is in West Africa!
The two-day convention will bring together senior broadcast executives, media owners, regulators, content creators, technology innovators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders from across West Africa to examine the evolving future of broadcasting and media.
Theme: Reimaging Next: AI, Cloud, and the Future of Broadcast Media in Africa
Date: 22 – 23 September 2026
Location: Accra, Ghana
Visit the link below to register now!
Media
Storytellers Avenue July Edition
Under the theme “Opportunities in the Shrinking Newsroom”, the session will explore the future of journalism, including niche storytelling, alternative revenue models, fact-checking, data journalism, and investigative reporting.
The event is for students, early-career journalists, media professionals, managers, and digital creators looking to gain practical insights and connect with others in the industry.
Date: 3 July 2026
Location: Baraza Media Lab, Kisumu
Free Entry: Registration Required
Click on the link below to register.
Choreo Cinema World Returns for Second Edition
Choreo Cinema World presents the second edition of Movement as Image / Movement as Language, a curated screening programme exploring dance films and embodied storytelling.
The event explores how movement can become a form of image, language, and memory and a tool for imagining new ways of seeing the world. The evening will feature dance films, conversations, and artistic encounters celebrating the connection between movement and visual storytelling.
Date: 25 July 2026
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
Entry: Free
Visit the link below for more information.
Future of African Music, Culture and Creative Ownership
A recent article on Africa Rising 2026 highlights a growing shift within Africa’s creative industries, where the focus is moving beyond global recognition to questions of ownership, sustainability, and economic participation.
As African music, storytelling, and cultural exports continue to gain international influence, creators are increasingly seeking greater control over their intellectual property, royalties, and long-term careers.
The piece also points to the growing importance of partnerships, industry education, and support structures that can help creatives build lasting businesses around their work.
For more information, read the full article at the link below.
Creative Showcase
Why Am I Still Single?
Episode: A Letter to My Future Partner
On this episode of Why Am I Still Single?, Edgar’s neighbour just got proposed to with a live band, a car, and a diamond ring. But the thing that saved everything? A letter her boyfriend wrote two years ago.
Edgar also does something! He writes a letter to a woman he has never met, live, right in this episode. Her letter is ready. She just hasn’t shown up yet.
This is an interesting episode. Visit the link below to listen.
Resources Station
[Opportunity]: Absolute Media is Hiring! | Job | Click here
[Opportunity]: Poetry Africa Chalkboard Slammers Competition | Competition | Deadline: July 31st, 2026. Click here
[Opportunity]: Monday Design Co is Hiring! | Job | Click here
[Opportunity]: 92 Degrees Studios is Hiring! | Job | Click here
[Event]: Things Fall Apart Festival 2026. Date: 18–24 October 2026. Click here
[Event]: Creative Industries Business Summit 2026. Date: 29 June - 2 July 2026. Click here
[Event]: Africa Borderless Creative Economy Summit. Date: 22–23 September 2026. Click here
[Event]: World Poetry Slam Championship Comes to Durban. Date: 5–10 October 2026. Click here
[Event]: Lagos International Theatre Festival Returns in 2026. Date: 14–15 November 2026. Click here
[Insight]: Why Nigeria’s Business and Tech Podcasts Are Building The Country’s Knowledge Economy. Click here
[Insight]: Afripods Rolls Out Five-Country Community Meet-Up Series Across Africa. Click here
[Insight]: The Secrets of Preventing Mouth Clicks in Voiceover Recordings. Click here
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APVA Editor.