Undiscovered - Satanic Panic 2.0

Much like any other belief set, acts of both unspeakable evil and charitable good have been performed under the banner of Satanism.

In today’s episode of Undiscovered, we explore both sides of this story.

We’ll look more closely at two vastly different world-views: the perspective of those who have suffered abuse at the hands of Satanists and those who believe the rituals and iconography of Satanism can be re-appropriated to build a positive and welcoming community.

In the UK, there is currently no explicit law against Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA). Victims of SRA and their allies, like Vicky Ash and Wilfred Wong, who we spoke to in this week’s episode, are campaigning to change this. They argue there should be a specific focus on the satanic dimension of the abuse, and punishments that recognise that the name in which these crimes are perpetrated is important as the effects are uniquely traumatising.

There is also a conspiratorial dimension behind their activism. As they fight so hard to have their experiences recognised - our interviewees reported that it feels as if there is a powerful force, a secret group of society's elites, stopping them from getting the justice they deserve.

This idea of secret cabals is in direct contrast to an open, and even performative, brand of Satanists like Zeke Apollyon - High Cardinal of the recently rebranded Global Order of Satan. In the second half of the show, Zeke lays out their philosophy which challenges many negative associations with the occult - whilst leaning into its visual, verbal and ritual motifs.

Tune in to the episode to find out more about these competing, but by no means mutually exclusive, understandings of Satanism.

Undiscovered - The Lion, The Bear and The War Zone

If you feared for your life, would you stop to consider the lives of animals?

In the chaos and destruction of war, the impact of human conflict on animals is easily overlooked. Fortunately, there are people like Dr Amir Khalil who have made it their lives work to rescue forgotten animals from conflict zones.

This week on Undiscovered, we hear the story of a bear, Lula, and a lion, Simba, who were abandoned in Mosul Zoo during the chaos of Isis occupation and the battle for liberation.

You can listen to the entire story now.

Dr Khalil works for charity the international charity, Four Paws, who fight cruelty to animals worldwide. They have saved animals from war zones all over the world including Bosnia, Egypt, Zimbabwe, India, Gaza and Libya. According to The New Yorker, each mission costs tens of thousands of dollars.

Lula the bear was found in the abandoned Mosul Zoo. Photo by Four Paws.

Simba the lion was found in the abandoned Mosul Zoo. Photo by Four Paws.

Dr Amir Khalil transporting the animals from Iraq. Photo Four Paws.

The animals were transported in difficult circumstances from Iraq to Jordan. Photo by Four Paws.

Lula being released into her new home in Jordan. Photo by Four Paws.

Simba taking tentative steps into her new home in Jordan. Photo by Four Paws.

Dr Amir Khalil has rescued animals all over the world whilst working with charity Four Paws. Photos by Four Paws.

Based on the success of the mission in Mosul, there was a campaign for the charity to come to the aid of a Zoo in Aleppo, which similarly abandoned amid conflict. There they rescued another Lion, Saeed, who is believed to have been born in captivity during the war in Syria. As of February 2018, Simba and Saeed have been moved to their ‘forever home’ in South Africa.

As for Lula, she is still based in the Jordanian wildlife rescue centre “Al Ma'wa for Nature and Wildlife” where her and Simbia were originally evacuated too. She seems to be doing very well.

This is the second episode of our new series Undiscovered - a podcast that cuts through the noise in your newsfeed. 

Listen to the whole episode, subscribe and catch up on episode one here.

The mission to rescue bear Lula and lion Simba from the bombed-out Montazah Al-Morour zoo of Mosul finally came to a happy ending.

Undiscovered - Where is Joseph Kony in 2019?

In 2012, a viral video from an American filmmaker made Joseph Kony a household name.

The campaign, ran by Jason Russell and his charity Invisible Children, had a clear goal: make Kony famous.

In only six days, Kony 2012 had become the most viral video of all time with 100 million views. The once obscure Ugandan warlord was plastered across Facebook and Twitter. The campaign was covered by media outlets far and wide - from CNN to Alex Jones.

Mission accomplished? Perhaps not.

Seven years, and $800 million dollars later, he still hasn’t been caught or held accountable for his crimes.

This week on Undiscovered, we find look beyond Kony 2012 - taking a look at the vast network of people and organisations, including the International Criminal Court and President Obama, that invested in capturing the war lord.

In this episode we speak to filmmaker Jason Russell, explorer Robert Young Pelton, conflict analyst Sasha Lezhnev and National Geographic producer JJ Kelley to find out the full story.

This is the first episode of our new series Undiscovered - a podcast that cuts through the noise in your newsfeed.

Listen to the whole episode and subscribe for more here: http://bit.ly/2HMNJNE

Conflicted: Our First Original Podcast

Last week, we released the first of a six-part audio series, Conflicted.

Message Heard’s first original podcast, Conflicted is a unique offering for UK podcast fans that combines the intimacy of long-form interview with high-level political insight.

Each week, hosts Aimen Dean and Thomas Small take us step by step through the conflicts that have embroiled the Middle East since 9/11 - illuminating the geo-political complexities through the prism of their unique personal experiences as they go. This odd couple , one a former Al Qaeda bomb-maker, the other a ex-Greek Orthodox Monk, find unexpected common ground as they grapple with fundamentalism, terrorism and the global implications of their lived experience.

They even manage to see the funny side of having a fatwha on your head along the way.

It’s been an exciting first week. The show’s been featured on Apple Podcasts – climbing up to number 8 on the news and politics chart, and 31 on the overall shows chart. After months of painstaking production, it’s exciting be seeing people react and engage in real time.

Episode two is out today – with a new episodes being released every Wednesday. Listen where ever you get your podcasts.

Creating a Podcast for I Can Be

How we created a branded podcast for an educational charity

Educational charity I Can Be believe in leading by example. They don’t just tell young girls they can be whatever they want to be – they show them. By taking girls aged 7 to 8 into different workplaces and introducing them to women doing diverse and interesting jobs, they demonstrate first-hand the breadth of work that women can do.

So, when we were joined in our studio by Lamorna Byford, Project Director at I Can Be, and a group of bright Year Three’s from Langford Primary - we didn’t just show them what podcasting was like, we made a podcast with them!

The tables were turned on our company Chair, Louise Beaumont, and resident producer, Sandra Ferrari, with the girls quizzing them them about what podcasts are, how they are made – and how they make money.

What are podcasts, how do we make them – and do they make money? These are some of the (very valid) questions posed to us by the bright girls from Langford Primary who joined us in the studio to create their own podcast. Listen to the Message Heard team get a grilling and learn more about the amazing work that educational charity I Can Be are doing to teach girls they can be whatever they want to be. Find out more at: ‍♀️www.icanbe.org.uk www.message-heard.com

Interview with Message Heard Founder, Jake Warren

Message Heard Founder, Jake Warren, sat down with the good folks at BrightTALK to discuss podcasts! Have a listen to their webinar here. BrightTALK host, Ryan Ross, gets Jake to outline loads of podcast-y things for you, like:

• Why the UK podcasting industry is going from budding to blooming

• How to tell your story through sound and why that can be more compelling than video

• Whether anyone can & should create a podcast (there are a LOT of never-listened-to podcasts out there

• Hot tips on what makes a GREAT podcast- that will get listened to by your target audience

• Why podcasting works for internal communications

• How podcasting can help you OWN the conversation in your industry-moving beyond white papers that no client ever reads

• Tricks of the trade- what podcast producers consider when they help you craft your internal AND external stories

What does good audio quality sound like?

Psst - have you been thinking about using podcasting to enhance your brand, start a conversation in your industry or even just communicate better with your staff?

Have a listen to what we do here at Message Heard Creates. This simple little teaser gives you a back-to-back comparison of what sounds great and what sounds terrible. Can you hear why sound quality is important for engaging your audiences? We can.

Message Heard · What does good sound like?

So, you want to make a podcast?

Message Heard Creates 

Questions to guide you through your podcast build

Do you have podcast game? What’s your strategy?

• Why do you need another communications tool? Are you not reaching a particular audience with your existing tools?

• Does your next tool have to be a podcast? Why?

• What do you want to achieve by having a podcast?

• What are you going to stop doing now that you’re getting into podcasting?  Or are you going to carry on doing everything….?

• Is anyone else in your industry owning the conversation that you’re trying to start through your podcast?

• How can you own the conversation better than everyone else?

• What is your company’s unique point of view?  Is it interesting? 

Pre-production planning - plan, plan, plan for success

• What voices are going to use? Are they great to listen to? (hint hint, it’s not about getting that helpful person in Marketing to interview your management and ‘heads of’….  It’s about showing your convening power in the industry.

• Right. What stories do you want to tell?  What makes these stories truly interesting and engaging for your audience?  Are you developing a thought-through show with a story arc told episodically, or a random set of podcasts with nothing in common because you’ve got people keen to get in front of a mic to keep happy…?

• What format do you want to use to tell them in your podcast? (there are *lots* of options – it doesn’t have to be one talking head interviewing another talking head…)

• Who will write your podcast script? Do you know how to write for a podcast?

Production - capturing magic

• Do you want to be a “bedcaster” recording on a mic you got off Amazon in your company’s echoey old meeting rooms or a professional using equipment which makes everyone sound great?

• How are you going to make sure that you tell your stories well?  Who’s your producer, making sure that there’s not one annoying person taking over the conversation…., and that you have all the content in the can that you need to tell your stories?

Post-production - it’s all in the edit

• Do you have a podcast editor on the team who will tighten up the conversation and make your experts and guests sound good? Or just a chap that cuts audio and makes wedding videos…

• What about your sound?  Do you have everything sorted from the theme jingle to the sound beds to bring your stories to life?  Do your teasers tease or are they tepid?

Wait, wait – who is your audience again?

• Who is your audience?  Are you trying to reach your employees with an engaging upgrade on internal comms?  Or are you seeking to build engagement with your ecosystem - from current to potential clients, through to suppliers and partners, right up to the innovators and disruptors setting the pace? 

• Where do they live on-line?  And how are you going to reach them to let them know about your podcast? How are you going to make the most of your ear-worm audio teasers?

• Where are you going to host your podcast so that your audience can listen easily?

• Are you going to put yourself into their podcast consumption routine with consistent scheduling and release of your podcast?  Or are you going to record and release as and when….?

• What do you want your listener to come away feeling, thinking and doing? What is your call to action and what’s your hook to future episodes (and shows!)?

What next?

We help you get your message heard, and we work with clients from the biggest blue chips to the feistiest start-ups.

Here’s how:

Consultation
Got an idea for a podcast series but need help bringing it to life? Already have a podcast series but not getting any traction? We’re here to help. By understanding both your communication challenges and goals, our team will set you on the right path to getting your message heard. It’s our aim to ensure you own the stories surrounding your industry.

Production
Podcasts solve communication issues for both corporate and brands, but it’s not easy taking an idea to completion.  We work with a global network of experienced producers, journalists, marketeers, influencers and growth hackers to ensure your message is brought to life. From audio to artwork, we’ve got you covered.

Distribution

Message Heard helps you take your content to where your audience lives. We’ll guide you through how to disseminate your story and integrate bespoke analytics to ensure you deliver against business and marketing goals. Through in-depth analysis, we can help your message take on a life of its own.

Do you have more questions?

Send them this way: contact@message-heard.com