Pod-Alization: NatGeo & The Soul Of Music: Freakonomics Now On YouTube

 Nat Geo Launches THE SOUL OF MUSIC Podcast Series

National Geographic will commemorate Black History Month with its flagship podcast, Overheard, through a month-long, four-part series of episodes focused on music and exploration featuring influential Black musicians and accomplished National Geographic Explorers. The weekly series, THE SOUL OF MUSIC, premiered on February 7 and drops every Tuesday through February 28. It comes as National Geographic rings in its 135th anniversary with an emphasis on celebrating its creative and explorer community.

Hosted by Overheard producer Khari Douglas and edited by Carla Wills, manager of audio, these four episodes will feature world-famous musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Sampa the Great, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) and Meklit Hadero in conversation with Nat Geo Explorers Alyea Pierce, Danielle Lee, Justin Dunnavant, and Jahawi Bertolli. The Explorers and artists will discuss how nature, history and culture influence their work, what music inspires their adventures, and how they address some of the world’s most pressing and complicated issues through art and exploration.

“As global storytellers, we all have a responsibility to engage in cultural archeology to explore our past and to understand our shared history. Music is the perfect medium to inspire exploration and create bridges to the past. ‘The Soul of Music’ series on ‘Overheard’ does just that. It inspires us to embrace our shared humanity and the desire to be understood,” said executive producer Davar Ardalan.

The four-episode lineup includes the following:

Feb. 7 – Musician Rhiannon Giddens and Explorer Alyea Pierce: Nat Geo Explorer and poet Alyea Pierce talks with GRAMMYⓇ-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens about the origins of the banjo, her new opera “Omar,” and how she finds inspiration through history.

Feb. 14 – Musician Sampa the Great and Explorer Danielle Lee: Nat Geo Explorer and wildlife biologist Danielle Lee meets rapper Sampa the Great to discuss learning through stories, being a foreigner in a new country, and mental health therapy through nature.

Feb. 21 – Musician Chief Xian and Explorer Justin Dunnavant: Nat Geo Explorer and archaeologist Justin Dunnavant sits down with GRAMMY-nominated trumpeter Chief Xian to discuss ancestral memory, creating new instruments, and stretch music — an expansion of jazz.


Feb. 28 – Musician and Explorer Meklit Hadero with Explorer Jahawi Bertolli: Nat Geo Explorer and musician Meklit Hadero discusses her transmedia storytelling project, which tells the stories of immigrant, migrant and refugee musicians, with Nat Geo Explorer and marine and wildlife cinematographer Jahawi Bertolli.

 THE SOUL OF MUSIC podcast series will be available on Apple Podcasts,  and you can access more of National Geographic’s Black History Month content, by visit natgeo.com/race.

 

Freakonomics launches its shows on YouTube

 The Freakonomics Radio Network, home to the podcasts Freakonomics Radio, No Stupid Questions, People I (Mostly) Admire, and Freakonomics, M.D., is teaming up
with YouTube to bring its network of shows to the platform. 

“YouTube is the biggest and best audience in the world for user-generated media,” said Stephen Dubner, host
of Freakonomics Radio and founder of the Freakonomics Radio Network. “I can’t wait to show them what we’ve been making.”
 

The Freakonomics Radio Network YouTube channel now includes all new podcast episodes each week, as well as hundreds of episodes from the network’s archives. The network also plans to experiment with short-form video, animation, and long-form video on the channel.
 

"YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for podcasts," said Stephanie Chan, Strategic Partner Manager at YouTube. "With over 2 billion monthly logged-in users, YouTube can provide access to a vast global audience. We are very excited to partner
with the Freakonomics team to expand the reach of their storytelling and look forward to deepening our relationship in the future."
 

“One of the challenges for podcasting has been discoverability, and Google and YouTube have been leaders in search for years now,” said Neal Carruth, Executive Vice President and General Manager for the network. “We can’t wait to see this strength in search help get our shows in front of new audiences.”
 

You can subscribe to the channel, which is updated multiple times a week, at youtube.com/@freakonomics.



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