CAMERON ESPOSITO TO HOST THE PODCAST ACADEMY’S FIRST ANNUAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN AUDIO ON MAY 16 | “TEENAGER THERAPY” TO RECEIVE AUDIO IMPACT AWARD

LOS ANGELES, CA
MAY 7, 2021

HANK AZARIA, ASANTE BLACKK, DARREN CRISS, CHRIS COLBERT, WHITNEY CUMMINGS, ASHLEY FLOWERS, ESTE HAIM, DERAY MCKESSON, JACQUIS NEAL, MERK NGUYEN, MATT SCHRADER, NEIL STRAUSS, KENAN THOMPSON, RAINN WILSON TO TAKE PART AT THE AMBIES®

The Ambies® is Sponsored by Amazon Music as well as PRX, Tenderfoot TV and Wondery; Pre-Show Sponsored by Adobe

The Podcast Academy, the preeminent professional podcast organization, announced today that standup comic, actor and writer Cameron Esposito will host its inaugural Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies®) on May 16.

Hank Azaria, Darren Criss, Whitney Cummings, Ashley Flowers, Este Haim, DeRay Mckesson, Jacquis Neal, Matt Schrader, Neil Strauss, Kenan Thompson, and Rainn Wilson to present; Chris Colbert and Merk Nguyen to serve as the voices of The Ambies. The ceremony will be streamed LIVE on YouTube and Twitch from Los Angeles, CA at 5PM PT/8PM ET, with a pre-show co-hosted by iHeartRadio hosts Miles Gray and Jack O’Brien starting at 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET. 

In addition to the slate of talent partaking at The Ambies, The Podcast Academy also announced that Teenager Therapy will receive the Audio Impact Award, which recognizes an individual or podcast that has made a significant, positive impact on its listeners. Emmy nominated actor Asante Blackk will highlight the recipients with a special interview during the show. Teenager Therapy is a coming-of-age podcast hosted by five teens -- Gael, Isaac, Kayla, Mark, and Thomas -- sharing their stories and experiences in real time. It’s a culmination of mistakes and growth and a reminder that no one is alone. They cover a wide range of topics from mental health, to sexuality, and other subject matters that every teen can relate to, as well as invite special guests like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for teen-provoking interviews. Teenager Therapy joins previously announced Governors Award recipient, WTF with Marc Maron, with one of the night’s top honors.

“We are excited to have Cameron host our first-ever Awards for Excellence in Audio ceremony. Her energy, stage presence, and wit will surely make for a memorable evening,” said Chairman of The Podcast Academy, Donald Albright. “To add, the Governors are pleased to honor ‘Teenager Therapy’ with the Audio Impact Award for their work in the medium. We are thoroughly impressed by this group of independent young podcasters that have taken to the airwaves to share their personal stories and create an inclusive environment for their listeners.”

The Ambies® celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression.

This year, the ceremony will highlight 164 nominees across 23 categories and is sponsored by Amazon Music with additional support from IMDb (Gold sponsor), PRX (Silver sponsor), Tenderfoot TV (Silver sponsor) and Wondery (Silver sponsor). The official pre-show is sponsored by Adobe. The full list of 2021 nominees may be found here. 

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Cameron Esposito is a Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor, writer, and host. In addition to her work as a nationally touring headliner, Cameron has appeared on NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, TBS, IFC, E!, Cartoon Network and HBO Canada. In March 2020, Cameron released her first-ever book, “Save Yourself,” a memoir that tackles sexuality, gender and equality – and how her Catholic upbringing prepared her for a career as an outspoken lesbian comedian in ways the Pope never could have imagined. The book, published by Grand Central Publishing, became an instant best seller. Most recently, Cameron performed stand up for HBO’s Human By Orientation Pride 2020 Celebration, starred in TBS’s Tournament of Laughs comedy competition show, and is currently in development with Sundance TV for an original true crime docuseries. She also hosts her own podcast QUEERY – an hour long conversations with some of the brightest luminaries in the LGBTQ+ family. QUEERY explores individual stories of identity, personality and the shifting cultural matrix around gender, sexuality and civil rights. 

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Teenager Therapy is a podcast focusing on the everyday issues teenagers go through, the feelings everyone has but not everyone wants to talk about. From mental health, to sexuality, to our favorite TV shows, we talk about a variety of subjects that every teen can relate to. There are episodes where we offer genuine advice, there are episodes where we simply talk about our experiences, and there are episodes where we just talk about anything in order to keep our audience company. We want our listeners to feel like they are part of our friend group.

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Press Contact:

The Samonte Group
Michael@SamonteGroup.com 

Press Assets:

Cameron Esposito press photo; Courtesy: Robyn Von Swank 

Teenager Therapy press photo; Courtesy: Teenager Therapy

WTF with Marc Maron press photo; Courtesy: WTF with Marc Maron

The Ambies logo; Courtesy: The Podcast Academy 

THE PODCAST ACADEMY TO HONOR “WTF WITH MARC MARON” WITH INAUGURAL GOVERNORS AWARD

LOS ANGELES, CA
APRIL 12, 2021

Marc Maron and Brendan McDonald to Accept Top Accolade at First Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio at May 16 Ceremony 

The Ambies® is Sponsored by Amazon Music as well as PRX, Tenderfoot TV and Wondery; Pre-Show Sponsored by Adobe

The Podcast Academy, the preeminent professional podcast organization, announced today that its Board of Governors will bestow WTF with Marc Maron with the Governors Award which recognizes a podcast or individual for the compelling impact they’ve had on the industry. WTF’s Marc Maron and Brendan McDonald will accept the top accolade at inaugural Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies®) on May 16. The ceremony will be streamed LIVE on YouTube, Twitch and other platforms from Los Angeles, CA at 5PM PT/8PM ET, with a pre-show starting at 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET. 

“‘WTF with Marc Maron’ has been a trailblazer for the medium since its inception and represents what’s unique about the industry,” said Chairman of the Podcast Academy, Donald Albright. “As co-creators, producers and owners of WTF, Marc and Brendan have served as global pioneers for podcasters big and small, both in front of and behind the mic. The Podcast Academy is humbled to honor WTF with the first-ever Governors Award.” 

Maron and McDonald added: “It’s a genuine honor to be recognized by our peers as a major influence on the podcast medium. The show has evolved into what it is now through our persistence, creativity, discipline and curiosity. We're grateful for this recognition and the freedom that podcasting affords us.” 

WTF with Marc Maron, which is an independently-produced podcast, changed the landscape when it premiered in September 2009. With more than 600 million downloads since then, the podcast helped define the medium and continues to reach millions of listeners twice-a-week. The show's landmark episode with President Barack Obama broke podcast records and garnered worldwide acclaim when it was released in 2015. 

 Marc has welcomed comedians, actors, directors, writers, authors, musicians and folks from all walks of life to WTF. His probing, comprehensive interview style allows guests to express themselves in ways listeners have never heard. WTF has featured amazingly revealing interviews with some of the world’s biggest personalities including Stacey Abrams, Mel Brooks, Anna Kendrick, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, John Legend, David Letterman, Sir Paul McCartney, Eddie Murphy, Amy Poehler, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Bruce Springsteen, Dick Van Dyke and Kate Winslet to name just a few of the more than 1,200 guests who have appeared on the show.

The Ambies® celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression. This year, the ceremony will highlight 164 nominees across 23 categories and is sponsored by Amazon Music (Gold sponsor), PRX (Silver sponsor), Tenderfoot TV (Silver sponsor) and Wondery (Silver sponsor). The official pre-show is sponsored by Adobe. The full list of 2021 nominees may be found here.

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For over thirty years, Marc Maron has been writing and performing comedy for print, stage, radio, online and television. With his landmark podcast WTF with Marc Maron, he’s interviewed icons such as Robin Williams, Keith Richards and former US president Barack Obama. Maron starred in the Netflix series Glow and his scripted series, Maron, aired for four seasons on IFC. He’s had recent roles in Joker, Spencer Confidential, Sword of Trust and Stardust, and stars in the forthcoming Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect, alongside Jennifer Hudson. He also recently wrapped filming on the feature To Leslie, starring Andrea Riseborough and Allison Janney. Maron’s stand-up special More Later (2015) aired on Epix and his specials Thinky Pain (2013), Marc Maron: Too Real (2017) and 2020’s End Times Fun, which was nominated for a 2021 Critics’ Choice Award, are currently streaming on Netflix.

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Brendan McDonald is the co-creator and executive producer of WTF with Marc Maron. He is an Emmy Award-winning producer with extensive credits in television, radio and digital media. McDonald began working with comedian Marc Maron in 2004, a partnership that included two radio shows and a daily streaming video broadcast. In 2009, they created the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, which quickly became one of the most downloaded podcasts in the world. McDonald manages all business aspects of the podcast and serves as the show’s sole producer and editor. He also produces podcasts for MSNBC. He previously served as a Senior Producer for the network. Other production experience includes roles at Sirius XM, WNYC Radio, and WFUV-FM, where he got his start in broadcasting as an undergraduate at Fordham University.

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Press Contact:

The Samonte Group
Michael@SamonteGroup.com 

Press Assets:

WTF with Marc Maron press photo; Courtesy: WTF with Marc Maron