COVID-19: Updates from Our Team
Posted September 26, 2022
Dear Podcast Garage Community,
After two long years, we are excited to share that we are finally open to the public. Due to capacity, we will be open only on Wednesday’s from 9:30-4:30–and we can’t wait to see you there! We are aware that this does not mean COVID is gone–and so we’ll be taking safety measures to ensure people’s comfortability.
For every event, masks will be required unless eating or drinking and vaccination cards will be checked upon arrival. All recording slots will include buffer time for us to wipe down and sanitize all surfaces.
Thank you in advance for your understanding, we look forward to interacting with you soon!
Kindly,
Magdiela,
Community Manager Boston Podcast Garage
Posted May 12, 2022:
Dear Podcast Garage community,
We want to update you on the status of the Podcast Garages’ operations and response to Covid-19. As we navigate the ongoing pandemic, we are excited to start reactivating our space with programming to bring folks back into the Garage in Boston. Since the fall of 2021, we’ve also been organizing events at our new Podcast Garage based out of KQED’s redesigned headquarters in San Francisco. In both locations, we will adapt and refine our operations around studio use and public events based on the capacity of the respective venues, the needs of our community members, and the ever-changing public health considerations during this time.
We want to ensure all community members feel safe in our spaces. For our Covid-19 safety policy, we will continue to require proof of vaccination upon entry to our Podcast Garage locations in Boston and San Francisco. For masks, we currently ask that you wear N95, KN95, or surgical masks instead of cloth masks at events. Event speakers and performers — all fully vaccinated — may be unmasked only when onstage and at least six feet away from others.
Please check podcastgarage.org for the latest updates on our programming and operations.
Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation. We are looking forward to welcoming you all into our spaces again!
Warmly,
Magdiela and Eric
Community Managers, PRX Podcast Garage
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Posted October 22, 2020:
Dear Podcast Garage community,
We hope you and your loved ones are feeling healthy and hopeful in the final months of 2020. It’s been a challenging year and yet we are grateful to all of you who have shown up, spoken up, and supported each other since March.
In late August, we sent a newsletter sharing that we’d be “taking a brief hiatus to form a strategy for future virtual programming.” At that time, we also said that “we do not currently have a timeline to reopen our physical location because of safety concerns.” Unfortunately, due to the nature of the pandemic and practical considerations with our spaces, we still do not have a timeline to reopen in Boston. We expect it will open in 2021; however, we are leaving the dates flexible for now. Our top priority is to protect the health of you and our staff.
Until then, our team will continue to host and share some virtual programming for you to explore, such as monthly Podcast Wine Downs, free podcasting webinars, and more (see below!). However, we are not planning to continue the weekly schedule of virtual workshops and events we’ve offered in the past. We hope to continue sharing opportunities with you on a monthly basis through this newsletter — and if you’re looking for support on starting a podcast, please visit our Getting Started page for great resources.
There's still a lot of work ahead, so please stay in touch and we’ll continue to send out new information as we can. We hope to see you soon.
Take care,
Alex, Kevin, and Se’era
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Posted July 1, 2020:
Dear Podcast Garage community,
It’s been almost four months since we closed the Podcast Garages in Boston and D.C. Since then, our team has been working hard to offer you amazing experiences online. Since Mid-March, we’ve hosted over 30 virtual programs with 1,300+ people from all over the country and the world — plus launched PRX Sound School and Shop Talks! Thank you for showing up to support us and each other in this challenging time.
However, all this virtual activity is no substitute for being together in person. Today, we want to share an update on the future of our spaces in Boston and D.C. and our approach to reopening in each city.
In Boston, we’re paying close attention to Reopening Massachusetts guidance and developing our own plan for how to safely operate the event space, classroom, and recording studio. When the time comes to reopen, we’ll need to scale up slowly with new policies in place to allow for social distancing and sanitization. So far, we’ve decided to extend our online programming through the summer and reassess in the fall. This means we’ll celebrate our space’s fourth birthday with you on Zoom in August!
In D.C., due to the impacts of COVID-19, we have decided not to reopen our interim location on 8th St. and we now anticipate opening our permanent Podcast Garage D.C. space in 2021. We are very committed to D.C. and the amazing creators who call it home. We are excited for the day we can welcome you into Podcast Garage D.C. to record, learn, and build community! Until then, we plan to continue offering virtual programs and collaborating with partners in D.C. and beyond.
We believe deeply in the power of audio, storytelling, and community, now more than ever. Even while our physical spaces are closed, we’re here to listen or answer your questions. Don’t hesitate to reach out at info@podcastgarage.org anytime.
Take care,
Team Podcast Garage
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Posted April 16, 2020:
Dear Garage community,
It’s hard to believe that it’s been over one month since we closed our doors. While we miss being with you in person, it’s amazing to see so many of you online at our virtual workshops and events. We’re also meeting people from across the United States and around the world, including Africa, Europe, Australia. So if you’re new here, welcome!
For now, Podcast Garage Boston and Podcast Garage D.C. will stay closed until further notice. As soon as it is safe to reopen, we will share our plans with you. In the meantime, we are posting new virtual offerings every week, open to everyone, and developing exciting projects that will bring production support, training, and community to even more producers (more soon!). We’re also continuing to update our Podcaster Toolbox with resources for podcasters working from home — almost 1,000 people have checked it out so far and we hope you will too.
Drop us a note at info@podcastgarage.org or DM us on Instagram @prxpodcastgarage and tell us how you’re doing! What has this month been like for you? Are you feeling creatively fulfilled or drained? Where are you finding inspiration? We’d love to hear from you.
Take care and stay safe,
Team Podcast Garage
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Posted March 27, 2020:
Hello all,
It’s been a busy week at the Podcast Garage! Thanks to the 75 of you who joined us virtually for classes, gatherings, and office hours — and the 500+ of you who checked out the Podcaster Toolbox, a guide for podcasters working from home.
We’ve decided to continue to keep our physical spaces closed for now. Podcast Garage Boston and Podcast Garage D.C. will be closed through Sunday, April 19 — once again, we plan to reassess at that time and reopen if it is safe to do so.
A reminder of what this means:
All studio sessions are cancelled. We will email all customers to notify you about this change. Because this is such a dynamic situation, we are also not accepting any new studio bookings at this time.
Workshops and gatherings will continue virtually. Keep an eye on our joint calendar and sign up for our newsletter to learn more.
Our team will continue to work remotely. We are still available to respond to your emails and phone calls — so reach out anytime! We are here to listen at info@podcastgarage.org.
Our hearts go out to anyone struggling at this time — we’re sending virtual hugs and high fives until we meet again!
Team Podcast Garage
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Posted March 20, 2020:
Hello all,
We hope that each of you and your loved ones are well during this time.
As the situation changes everyday, our team is doing our best to listen and adapt. As a reminder, both Podcast Garage Boston and Podcast Garage D.C. are currently closed through the end of March — we plan to reassess next week and only reopen once it is safe to do so.
We know many of you are already recording at home or wondering how to start a podcast/keep a podcast going! To help, we've created the Podcaster Toolbox — a crowd-sourced guide for independent, DIY, and early-stage podcasters working from home — as well as a week of virtual gatherings, including some new and familiar programs. For the time being, we can bring our community together as one and we're excited to see folks from Boston and D.C. together online this week.
We are also asking you to fill out a quick survey to better understand your needs and wants during this time when many of you are working from home. The survey closes on Friday, March 27.
As always, we are here to listen at info@podcastgarage.org.
Take care,
Team Podcast Garage
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Posted March 13, 2020:
Dear Garage community,
We have an important update to share with all of you. While we hoped yesterday to keep our spaces open in some capacity, we now feel it’s time to take more action to keep our community safe.
Starting tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, we are closing our PRX Podcast Garage locations in Boston and Washington D.C. and, as soon as possible, transitioning to online workshops and gatherings. Our spaces will be closed through the end of March, with a plan to reassess at that time and reopen once it is safe to do so.
Because this is such a dynamic situation, we are not accepting any new studio bookings at this time. We appreciate that our recording studio is an important resource for many of you, supporting your livelihoods and passion projects. We will consider how to safely reopen our studio as early as possible, even if the broader space remains closed.
Here is what this means for all of you, starting tomorrow through the end of March:
All studio sessions and field kit rentals are cancelled. We will email all customers to notify you about this change.
Most workshops will continue virtually. We will reach out to instructors of current and future workshops to plan for this transition. After that, we will update our website calendar, send emails to workshop participants with information on how to attend, and provide refunds as needed.
All events and gatherings will be postponed or continue virtually. We will reach out to our partners and event organizers to evaluate our options on a case-by-case basis. After that, we will update our website calendar, send emails to attendees, and provide refunds as needed.
Our team will continue to work remotely. We are still available to respond to your emails and phone calls. Please keep in mind that we are a small team and will do our best to respond as quickly as we can.
We believe deeply in the power of audio, storytelling, and community, now more than ever. We plan to use this time to expand our opportunities online, share and create meaningful resources, and dream up new possibilities for our spaces in Boston and D.C. Our first project is creating a resource guide for podcasting from home — from recording to reaching new audiences. Keep an eye on our website and your inbox to learn more!
As always, we are here to listen at info@podcastgarage.org.
Take care,
Team Podcast Garage
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Posted March 11, 2020:
Dear Garage community,
Our team at PRX is closely monitoring COVID-19 in Boston and D.C. As public spaces, we take our role in supporting community health seriously. We are sure you have questions about how this might impact your ability to record, learn, and gather with us. So, we want to share what we are currently doing to ensure you have a positive, safe experience with us:
General:
We are encouraging hygienic practices like hand-washing through signage and access to alcohol-based hand sanitizer throughout the space.
We are disinfecting surfaces, supplies, and equipment regularly — including door handles, headphones, and field kits.
Events + Workshops:
We are working with instructors and event organizers to consider alternatives, such as limiting attendance, offering a virtual option, and/or postponing them to a future date. We will contact all attendees in advance and update our event and workshop pages as these options develop.
We are waiving our 24-hour cancellation fee for anyone who feels sick or concerned about attending. Please email us at info@podcastgarage.org to cancel your ticket and we will refund you in full.
Recording (Boston-only):
All studio recording sessions and field kit rentals will continue as scheduled for now. We know the studio is an important resource for our community that impacts people’s ability to do their jobs and projects.
We are waiving our 24-hour cancellation fee for anyone who feels sick or concerned about recording in our studio. Please email us at info@podcastgarage.org to cancel your session without incurring a charge.
We are creating a list of resources for anyone interested in recording in the comfort of their own home! Stay tuned.
We will provide updates via email, our website, and social media if our plans change. If at any time you have any questions or concerns (or need a podcast recommendation!), please send us a note at info@podcastgarage.org.
Take care,
Team Podcast Garage