Our Story
About the Arkansas Podcast Collaborative.
Arkansas Podcast Collaborative is the first nonprofit organization for podcasters in the United States. We were founded in Spring 2023, after three years of meetups and festivals had built an Arkansas podcasting community that needed an organization behind it.
Our Mission
Help Arkansas podcasters launch, grow, and stay on the air.
Arkansas Podcast Collaborative is a nonprofit built to help Arkansas podcasters finish and grow a show. Founded in 2023, we work with true crime hosts, sports hosts, faith podcasters, comedians, and anyone else recording a show in this state.
Anyone with something to say can record a podcast. The Collab's job is to help the Arkansans who do it publish a show and keep publishing.
Our work is to help (aspiring) podcasters launch their first show, and to give established hosts the room and resources to keep their shows growing.
That work shows up in three places. The first is our programs, classes, mentorship, and long-term support. The second is the Podcaster Meetups in Central and Northwest Arkansas, where hosts compare equipment, share guest contacts, and find out what other shows are working on. The third is ARKAST, the annual Arkansas Podcast Festival, headed into its fifth year in October 2026.
How We Got Here
From a festival to a nonprofit.
ARKAST started in 2022 as a one-day festival for Arkansas podcasters. Attendance was higher than expected, with a line outside before doors opened.
After the first festival, the organizers formed the Arkansas Podcast Collaborative in spring 2023, the first nonprofit organization for podcasters in the United States. The festival is now in its fifth year, and the Collab runs programs, meetups, and member support the rest of the year.
The Collab is growing into other parts of Arkansas and the surrounding states, and it connects podcasters with other creators, with guests, and with listeners.
What We Do
Three areas of work.
The Collab organizes its work into three areas.
Programs
Hands-on classes, one-on-one mentorship, and long-term support for shows past their tenth episode. Each program is set up for a different stage of a show.
Meetups
Monthly Podcaster Meetups in Central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas. Hosts talk through equipment questions, trade guest contacts, and play clips of what they are working on.
ARKAST
The Arkansas Podcast Festival, with dinner and the ARKAST Awards. Year FIVE is Friday, October 16, 2026.
Who Runs It
Founders, staff, and board.
The Collab is run by working Arkansas podcasters and a board of directors drawn from public radio, journalism, education, and audio production.
Our Team
The founders and the staff who handle day-to-day operations, including programs, events, and the festival.
Board of Directors
Nine directors who set the organization’s direction, hold it accountable, and bring years of media experience to its decisions.
Get Involved
Ways to get involved.
You can join as a member, sign up to volunteer, or send us a message with a question.