The Verge is pleased to announce that Hot Pod Summit — our invite-only event for creators and leaders in the audio industry — is returning on November 3rd, 2022, at KCRW in Los Angeles. The day-long event will be hosted by Hot Pod lead writer Ariel Shapiro and will feature a rich lineup of programming on the most essential topics of the day in audio, including the booming relationship between podcasts and Hollywood.

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We’re proud to partner once again with the amazing team at work x work to produce the event. Hot Pod Summit is part of work x work’s On Air LA Annex 2022, a three-day event celebrating Los Angeles’ storytelling scene, co-presented by KCRW, Audible, and Patreon. This year’s On Air LA Annex will feature performances, live tapings, and conversations from artists and storytellers. You can get tickets to the event and learn more at onairfest.com.

Hot Pod Summit programming

Podcasts are the new late night

As TV streamers have tried (and failed) to launch new late-night comedy, podcasting has become the unlikely haven for talk shows in the digital era. How has podcasting allowed hosts to innovate on the format and transformed the comedy landscape? Hot Pod sits down with leaders and personalities from Team Coco to discuss how Conan O’Brien and other comics are making the jump.

Hollywood looks for the next big hit

Narrative podcasting is home to some of today’s best stories — and Hollywood has taken notice. As studios search for their big hit, more eyes are turning to podcasting, where rich and immersive stories can be told for a fraction of what it would cost to put them on screen. Spotify’s Julie McNamara and Pushkin’s Meghna Rao join us to discuss how stories travel from small audio teams to big-screen productions.

And more to come!