The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look into the standout pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) talks with finalist Colin Colfer about his piece.

A filmmaker and self-described DIY advocate, Colin breaks down how he built a vivid sonic journey through Coney Island, a story that emerged from a technical idea he had for the piece's structure. Colin shares how he raced to build the piece in one day, recording field sounds along the boardwalk and composing and performing the music himself.

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look into the standout pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) talks with finalist Jeff Van Dreason about his submission, "Dishwasher."

Jeff shares how a frustrating encounter with an automated insurance phone line inspired the story of this demonic, capitalist appliance, and breaks down the sound design techniques he used to bring the dishwasher to life. He also talks about learning audio production from scratch while making Greater Boston, the inspiration behind EAR•WAX Magazine, and why he believes there should be more spaces for short, experimental audio fiction.

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

LINKS TO THE MANY CREATIVE PROJECTS MENTIONED:

Check out EAR•WAX Magazine: https://www.earwaxmag.com/

Listen to Drama Club: https://www.earwaxmag.com/drama-club/

Listen to Greater Boston: https://www.greaterbostonshow.com/?ref=earwaxmag.com

Listen to Perfect Sentence: https://jeffvandreason.bandcamp.com/album/the-perfect-sentence?ref=earwaxmag.com

Listen to Small Victories: https://www.wgcproductions.com/shows/small-victories

Listen to Oliver Morrison's Grand Prize-winning Dash piece, Tea, Am I: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/summer-2025-sonic-dash-grand-prize-winner/id1754639596?i=1000714675686

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look into the standout pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) sits down with finalists Alex Strong and Arun Chhetri to dissect their piece, "When I Wake Up."

Alex and Arun, two student producers with the Stanford Storytelling Project, share what it was like to take on the Sonic Dash during finals week. They break down how they divided the work according to their strengths and leaned on principles of product design, using rapid prototyping to figure out what was — and wasn't — working. Alex, who led the story development, shares his approach to interviewing and shaping a compelling narrative, while Arun explains how he built the piece's score from his tiny dorm-room studio, using the sounds and instruments he had at hand.

Learn more about the Stanford Storytelling Project: https://storytelling.stanford.edu/

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) sits down with Sonic Dash finalist Lynn Ermann, the reporter and producer behind "There Used to Be a Statue."

Lynn shares how, through assembling the right "ingredients" (a source she was familiar with and an intriguing location), she was able to find a story on-site and lean into spontaneity. She also shares how movement influences her creative process, along with the editing challenges she faced while shaping the story.

One note: Lynn wanted to offer a correction to a detail in her Dash piece. The statue was stolen, not relocated.

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

Take a listen as Jen Ng describes her nostalgia for the '90s, and how it shapes her relationship with the internet and her multidisciplinary storytelling.

LOGGED IN SINCE THE '90S:

• Jen's desktop (& website) - https://jenng.com/

MORE ABOUT MONTH OFFLINE:

• Month Offline (sponsored by Dumb.Co) - https://offline.community/
• Start your own Month Offline cohort! - https://offline.community/diy/

SMARTPHONE ALTERNATIVES:

• Dumb.Co - https://dumb.co/
• Light Phone - https://www.thelightphone.com/

EVENT RSVP:

• Month Offline Exhibition (August 10, 2026 in NYC) - https://partiful.com/e/CgBFCrADsqrWfyx1foBZ?c=C59qWuJh

Featuring Jen Ng

Produced by Cory Choy, Christian Cuciniello, Lauren Molina, and Ivan Bronson

Music by by Ivan Bronson and Lauren Molina

Sound by Silver Sound

AOL®, AIM®, the Running Man logo, and related graphics are trademarks or copyrighted works of their respective owners. They are used here solely to document and recreate the online experience of the late 1990s. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by AOL.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look into the standout pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) sits down with finalists Nathan Burke and Audrey Hill, two freelance journalists who brought their reporting instincts to the Dash for the first time.

Nathan and Audrey break down how an hour of Googling in the park led them from the phrase "Go For Broke" to the story of Japanese American soldiers during World War II, and to the diary of Stanley Hayami, the real-life hero of their piece.

Learn more about Project Khthon: https://www.projectkhthon.com/

Listen to Advocating for Justice: https://wbai.org/program.php?program=267

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

Entries to the New York City Podcast Awards are now open! Check out all the categories and affordable entry fees at www.podcastawards.nyc

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello, with assistance from Ivan Bronson, Lauren Molina, and Zach Treanor.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look at the winning pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer, and owner of Silver Sound Studios) sits down with Glasgow-based audio creator Bronwen Livingstone, who took home third place with her piece "Shooting My Shot."

Bronwen walks through how she distilled a deeply personal and vulnerable story into just two minutes of audio. She discusses her scripting method, including a handwritten "paper sound edit" where she marked emotional cues and sound effects before ever opening a DAW. Plus, she shares more about her journey as a para athlete and how the discipline she's gained from sports shows up in her creative approach.

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

The Sonic Dash Podcast continues its behind-the-scenes look at the winning pieces from the latest Sonic Dash, themed "Go For Broke." In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash, Emmy-winning sound mixer and owner at Silver Sound Studios) sits down with actor and director Michael Satow to discuss his piece "Free Piano," which took home the second-place prize at this summer's Dash.

Michael, the co-creator of the true-crime parody podcast The Murderer Killings, walks us through how he built "Free Piano" almost entirely from real life. Rather than planning in advance, he let his daily schedule shape the piece's structure. Listen to hear how Michael uses his acting and directing skills to capture spontaneity through tape gathering, voice-over, and more.

Listen to The Murderer Killings here: themurdererkillings.com

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

Twice a year, contestants from around the world compete in the Biannual Sonic Dash, where they have only 48-hours to build a two-minute piece completely from scratch: meaning no pre-existing music, no archival audio, and no generative AI is allowed.

So how do they do it? This season on the Sonic Dash Podcast, we're taking you behind the scenes of our finalists' processes. You'll hear the genius audio tricks and creative solutions our finalists used to create audio magic.

In this episode, host Cory Choy (founder of the Dash and Emmy Award-winning sound mixer) sits down with the members of Tales From the Cloud Sea, the Grand Prize winners of the latest Dash. Their winning piece, "Go For Broke, or Gopher Broke?" took home the $1,000 cash prize and a haul of industry gear.

Tune in to hear how they created a winning piece without a script, how they used creative constraints to their advantage, and more.

Check out the full interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-tales-from-the-cloud-sea-improvised-their-way-to/id1754639596?i=1000776228717

Listen to more from Tales From the Cloud Sea here: https://www.talesfromthecloudsea.com/

Learn more about the Sonic Dash here: http://sonicdash.nyc/

The Sonic Dash Podcast is a production of the New York City Podcast Awards, produced by Emily Reeves and Christian Cucinello.

Thank you to our sponsors: Focusrite, Dell, Acon Digital, iZotope, Sweet Spot, Bravo Studios, Cockos, and Earthworks Audio.

Welcome to the Biannual Sonic Dash Podcast presented by the New York City Podcast Awards.

The Sonic Dash is a 48-hour storytelling competition and we receive submissions from all over the world. The surprise prompt for this 2026 Summer Dash was “Go For Broke.” 

This episode, we’ll be listening to our third-place winning piece “Shooting My Shot” by Bronwen Livingstone, from Scotland.

Produced by Cory Choy, Emily Reeves, and Christian Cuciniello

Edited by Zach Treanor

Sound by Silver Sound

Welcome to the Biannual Sonic Dash Podcast presented by the New York City Podcast Awards.

The Sonic Dash is a 48-hour storytelling competition and we receive submissions from all over the world. The surprise prompt for this 2026 Summer Dash was “Go For Broke.” 

This episode, we’ll be listening to our second-place winning piece “Free Piano” by Michael Satow, out of NYC.

Produced by Cory Choy, Emily Reeves, and Christian Cuciniello

Edited by Zach Treanor

Sound by Silver Sound

Welcome to the Biannual Sonic Dash Podcast presented by the New York City Podcast Awards.

The Sonic Dash is a 48-hour storytelling competition and we receive submissions from all over the world. The surprise prompt for this 2026 Summer Dash was “Go For Broke.” 

This episode, we’ll be listening to our Grand Prize Winning piece "Go For Broke or Gopher Broke?" created by Long Island-based crack improv and podcast team, “Tales From the Cloud Sea” (Matt Silverman, Megan Leahy, Karen Cassady, Travis Sharp, Amanda Lee Williams, and Eve Krueger).

Produced by Cory Choy, Emily Reeves, and Christian Cuciniello

Edited by Zach Treanor

Sound by Silver Sound

Listen as Kevin Brown of Geographicus Rare Antique Map takes a look at a remarkable con perpetrated by the Japanese against the Chinese to seize control of Taiwan.

Check out the Geographicus website here: geographicus.com

Featuring Kevin J. Brown from Geographicus Rare Antique Maps

Produced by Cory Choy and Christian Cuciniello

Edited by Zach Treanor

Music by Luke Allen and El Buru

Sound by Silver Sound

Today we wanted to feature an awesome original score that Luke Allen composed to update one of our previously published episodes. Stay tuned for more musical updates to the CartoCuriosity series, but for now, Take a listen as Kevin J. Brown from Geographicus Rare Antique Maps describes a very uniquely shaped map created for travelers of the Ancient Roman world.

Check out the Geographicus website here: geographicus.com

Featuring Kevin J. Brown from Geographicus Rare Antique Maps

Produced by Cory Choy, Tom Fama, and Christian Cuciniello

Music by Luke Allen and El Buru

Sound by Silver Sound

How many hours of interviews does it take to create a compelling podcast story? How do producers shape raw conversations into emotional, immersive storytelling experiences? On this episode of Secrets of the Stage with Quinn Lemley, producer and director Mark Blumberg talks about his creative process behind the acclaimed podcast production of My Phantom Memory, a documentary-style portrait exploring the life of swing actor Greg Mills in Broadway’s  longest-running show, Phantom of the Opera. Blumberg shares how sonic layering, editing choices, and authentic human connection can transform raw interviews into cinematic audio experience with documentary storytelling.

Be sure to check out the full episode here:

The Secret Behind Phantom with Mark Blumberg and Quinn Lemley

Also, check out Mark Blumberg's "My Phantom Memory" series here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-phantom-memory/id1881677402

Created and Hosted by Quinn Lemley

Featuring Mark Blumberg

Edited by Lauren Molina

At Silver Sound, we encourage everyone to pull out their microphones and make something new! Every winter and summer, we host a 48-hour audio storytelling competition, shower the top three winners with money and fabulous prizes, and showcase the top 10 finalists both live at a celebration event in NYC and online via our Silver Podcast Network. We call this the Biannual Sonic Dash.

Registration for our Summer 2026 Sonic Dash, which will take place from June 5th to the 7th, is now open so check out the link below to learn more about the contest and the insane prizes you can win!

https://www.silver-nyc.com/sonicdash

Featuring Cory Choy

Produced by Cory Choy and Christian Cuciniello

Music by Ivan Bronson

Sound by Silver Sound

Today we wanted to feature an awesome original score that Luke Allen composed to update one of our previously published episodes. Stay tuned for more musical updates to the CartoCuriosity series, but for now, take a listen as Kevin J. Brown from Geographicus Rare Antique Maps offers a glimpse into the imagined geographies of the New World, blending fact, myth, and political ambition.

Check out the Geographicus website here: geographicus.com

Featuring Kevin J. Brown from Geographicus Rare Antique Maps

Produced by Cory Choy, Tom Fama, and Christian Cuciniello

Music by Luke Allen and El Buru

Sound by Silver Sound

Take a listen as Chris Platt talks about war, leadership, and the disconnect between decision-makers and the people affected by their choices.

Written by and Featuring Chris Platt

Produced by Cory Choy and Christian Cuciniello

Sound by Silver Sound

Take a listen as filmmaker Colin Colfer tells us about his animation process, the challenges of the craft, and what he’s working on now in the world of stop motion.

Featuring Colin Colfer

Produced by Cory Choy, Christian Cuciniello, and Ivan Bronson

Music by Ivan Bronson

Sound by Silver Sound

Take a listen as Saul Austerlitz tells us about the origin of the Brooklyn Resisters, the important work that they do, and his book entitled "How to Assemble an Activist"

Featuring Saul Austerlitz and Cory Choy

Produced by Cory Choy, Christian Cuciniello, and Ivan Bronson

Sound by Silver Sound