Sound Design Workshop/Talk with Jeffrey Nils Gardner
At the end of last year we surveyed our membership to get a sense of what folks are looking for. The most requested item by a wide margin was training opportunities. For the last few months we've been hard at work organizing our first training sessions with the wonderfully talented Jeffrey Gardner of Audacious Machine Creative!
On July 12 we’re offering both a 3 hour hands on workshop, and a 1.5 hr interactive talk. Spots are on sale now!
Plus: make sure to read to the bottom of this message for new job postings, and reminders for two other events coming up!
Sound Design: Hands on Workshop
During this 3 hr workshop, audio fiction sound designer Jeffrey Nils Gardner will walk you through their process for building immersive, engaging audio worlds.
You'll then have the chance to try your hand at design with provided audio elements. This workshop will focus on skills applicable across fiction and nonfiction podcast work, and is appropriate for anyone with a basic understanding of audio editing in a DAW (if you can cut tape and are comfortable moving clips on a timeline, you should be fine).
Participants will need to bring their own laptops, headphones, and DAW (Reaper, Pro Tools, Audition, Logic or any other non-destructive DAW is good).
Sound Design: Interactive Talk
Audio fiction sound designer Jeffrey Nils Gardner will walk you through their process for building immersive, engaging audio worlds, with looks into their DAW sessions and lots of listening to new and old audio fiction.
This talk will have something for fiction designers, nonfiction producers, voice over directors, and anyone in-between.
No prior experience with sound design or fiction podcasting is required. Just bring your curiosity.
Who is Jeffrey?
Jeffrey Nils Gardner (they/them) is a director, audio artist, and sound designer.
Through their studio Audacious Machine Creative, they've made fiction podcasts includingThe Harbingers (a 2025 Tribeca Festival selection) and Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery (winner of the 2021 BBC Best Audio drama award), and have worked on shows for Audible, Atypical Artists, Vox, Gideon Media, Rusty Quill Ltd, and more.
They’re also a team leader for the Illinois Choice Action Team (ICAT), a direct action group defending abortion access at independent clinics in Illinois, and play fiddle and mandolin in the Queer Country band Olivia & The Lovers.
If you have any questions about these sessions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to info@chiaudiocollective.com
And Don't Forget!
We've got two other events coming up later this month and next!
5/28 - Exhibitionism V1 at Gerber/Hart Library and Archives
In partnership with Chicago Audiomakers Collective and alterotics
- Date: Thursday May 28, 6-8PM
- Address: 6500 N Clark St 2nd Fl, Chicago
- RSVP: Eventbrite
Starting late 2024, the artist, Clover, began offering a tape recorder to participants at queer sex parties and public cruising events. The recorder was left for attendees to engage with as they saw fit, and they were given the prompt “talk about your debauchery.”
This installation is a result of those recordings. It explores intimacy, sex, and identity, in the vein of Mermaid Palace’s The Heart, LOVE+RADIO’s The Secrets Hotline, and audio erotica like Dipsea.
In alignment with the theme of exhibitionism, those entering the listening booths will be recorded on video as they listen to the installation.
6/12 - Podcast Salon - June Edition
Hosted by Anna DeShawn with special guest Jana Naomi Smith. In partnership with Chicago Audiomakers Collective and Sisters in Cinema
- Date: Friday June 12th, 6:30 PM
- Address: Sisters in Cinema | 2310 E. 75th St.
- Tickets: Buy Here
Welcome to The Podcast Salon - an immersive, curated listening experience where podcast discovery meets the culture.
Whether you are a podcast super listener, a creator looking to network, or just someone ready to find out what the podcast hype is all about—pull up!
In this edition, we are honored to feature Jana Naomi Smith, creator/writer/director of the two-time Ambie award-winning podcast Red for Revolution. Jana will sit down with Chicago’s own award-winning host and producer, Anna DeShawn. Red for Revolution is a six-part Black lesbian coming of age story exploring love and liberation.
The Experience
Silence the noise from the outside, grab a pair of our silent headphones, and step into a unique podcast listening experience. We play short and impactful audio clips, whether they are hilarious or really emotional, we listen and talk about it together.
Tickets are limited to keep the vibe intimate. Grab yours today!
Chicago Audio Jobs
This is a non-exhaustive list of audio related job postings in the Chicago area. If you've got a job to share, shoot me an email at ian@chiaudiocollective.com
- NEW: WBBM News Radio Full-Time News Anchor/Reporter at WBBM-Audacy (link)
- NEW: On Air Personality at WBBM-Audacy (link)
- Lead Producer (Pioneers of AI) at WaitWhat (link)
- Part-Time News Anchor/Reporter at WBBM-Audacy (link)
- Part-Time News Writer/Editor at WBBM-Audacy (link)
- Managing Editor, News at Chicago Public Media (link)
- Assistant News Editor at Chicago Public Media (link)
- Manager, Digital Media Strategy & Planning at iHeart Media (link)
Stay tuned for more!