The Ambies Awards ceremony in Brooklyn recently honored excellence in audio content, with the innovative true-crime podcast “Wisecrack” taking home the top prize of Podcast of the Year. Hosted by comedian Edd Hedges, the iHeartPodcasts series delves into the chilling true crime tale that unfolds after Hedges returns to his hometown for a charity event. What starts as a heartwarming homecoming quickly spirals into a town shaken by murder.
Jodi Tovay, an experienced documentary and true crime journalist, guides listeners through the bizarre events surrounding Hedges in “Wisecrack.” The podcast also received accolades for nonfiction screenwriting, society and culture, as well as production and sound design.
Another standout at the awards ceremony was ESPN veteran Pablo Torre, who was named Podcaster of the Year for Meadowlark Media’s “Pablo Torre Finds Out.” Hosted by comedian Wyatt Cenac, the ceremony took place at the Arlo Williamsburg venue as part of the On the Air festival celebrating audio storytelling.
Here is a full list of winners from this year’s Ambies Awards:
– Vanguard Podcaster of the Year: Pablo Torre
– Podcast of The Year: Wisecrack (Tenderfoot TV, iHeartPodcasts)
– Best Ad Read: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (SiriusXM)
– Best Branded Podcast: Sesame Street: Cookie Monster Mysteries (Audible Studios, Sesame Workshop)
– Best Business Podcast: The Indicator from Planet Money (NPR)
– Best Comedy Podcast: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (SiriusXM, Team Coco)
– Best DIY Podcast: Redacted History (Dr. Andre White, Airwave)
– Best Documentary Podcast: The Con: Kaitlyn’s Baby (CBC, BBC World Service)
– Best Emerging Podcast: How Is This Better? (COURIER Newsroom)
– Best Entertainment Podcast: Twenty Thousand Hertz (Defacto Sound)
– Best Fiction Podcast: Red for Revolution (Meta Mana Media)
– Best History Podcast: Our Ancestors Were Messy (Coco Hill Productions)
– Best Indie Podcast: Our Ancestors Were Messy (Coco Hill Productions)
– Best Indie Podcast Host or Hosts: Jamie Feldman and Rachel Webster, Debt Heads (Captain and the Fox)
– Best Interview Podcast: Death, Sex & Money (Slate)
– Best Knowledge, Science or Tech Podcast: Radiolab (New York Public Radio)
– Best News & Politics: Reveal (Reveal and PRX)
– Best Original Score and Music Supervision: Marcus Bagala and Sam Ewing, DC High Volume: Batman (DC Comics, Realm)
– Best Performance in Audio Fiction: Maulik Pancholy, Murray Bartlett, Poorna Jagannathan, Karan Soni, Anna Camp, Adam Pally, Margo Martindale, Richard Kind, Conrad Ricamora, Iqbal Theba, Julian Shapiro-Barnum, Padma Lakshmi, et al., Murder at the Patel Motel (Broadway Video, Audible)
– Best Personal Growth / Spirituality Podcast: Wild Card with Rachel Martin (NPR)
– Best Podcast for Kids: Terrestrials (WNYC Studios)
– Best Podcast Host or Hosts: Rachel Martin, Wild Card with Rachel Martin (NPR)
– Best Production and Sound Design: Alex Vespestad, Steven Perez, and Cooper Skinner, Wisecrack (Tenderfoot TV, iHeartPodcasts)
– Best Reporting: Robyn Semien, Question Everything (Placement Theory)
– Best Scriptwriting, Fiction: Jana Naomi Smith, Red for Revolution (Meta Mana Media)
– Best Scriptwriting, Non-Fiction: Charles Forbes and Edd Hedges, Wisecrack (Tenderfoot TV, iHeartPodcasts)
– Best Society and Culture Podcast: Wisecrack (Tenderfoot TV, iHeartPodcasts)
– Best Spanish Language Narrative Podcast – Fiction or Nonfiction: No Me Provoquen (Sonoro)
– Best Sports Podcast: Pablo Torre Finds Out (Meadowlark Media)
– Best True Crime Podcast: Sea of Lies (Produced by What’s the Story Sounds for CBC)
– Best Use of Video in a Podcast: Tales Unrolled (Sonoro)
– Best Wellness or Relationships Podcast: Embodied (WUNC)
– Podcast Advertiser Innovator Award: Charlie’s Place (Atlas Obscura, Rococo Punch, Visit Myrtle Beach, Pushkin)
The Ambies Awards showcased the best in podcasting, recognizing the talent and creativity behind some of the most engaging audio content available today. Congratulations to all the winners for their outstanding contributions to the world of podcasting.
