EVENT: Official Evolutions Kickoff Party, presented by Acast 

• Date and time: Wednesday, March 23 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm
• Location: Tom’s Watch Bar in DTLA (1011 S Figueroa St b101, Los Angeles, CA 90015)

SESSION: “We're Getting Out The Vote”: How to use podcasts to amplify big cultural moments

• Date and time: Thursday, March 24 from 12:30 - 1:00 pm
• Location: Creator Stage 2 - Platinum A
• Session track: Creator Track
• Acast staff speaking: Trace Gaynor (Associate Content Partnerships Manager)
• Acast creators speaking: Cenk Uygur (TYT Founder and CEO), Judith Benezra (TYT Head of Programming), Dr Rashad Richey (TYT Host) and John Iadarola (TYT Host) 
• Description: TYT will break down upcoming content leading into the 2022 midterm elections. TYT and the Acast team will share best practices with the audience on how to plan programming for a tentpole event and how to keep the audience engaged to take positive action.

SESSION: Betting on Black Joy

• Date and time: Thursday, March 24 at from 4:00 - 4:30 pm
• Location: Industry Stage - Platinum F
• Session track: Industry Professional Track
• Acast staff speaking: Shantae Howell (Creative Director, Americas) and Tiffany Ashitey (Director, US Creator Network)
• Acast creators speaking: Guys Next Door hosts Mack Wilds, Mouse Jones, and FlyRy
• Acast ad partners speaking: Daniel Belair of Martell Blue Swift
• Description: In a market that often values scale above all else, creators of color with small-to-medium (though still sizable) and mighty audiences often struggle to monetize the quality content that their loyal listeners depend on for community, information and education. Meanwhile, branded content provides brands with a powerful way to not only push their brand messaging but integrate into the fabric of their target audiences’ favorite shows in feed and beyond. Audiences will walk away with a deeper understanding of the value and perspective hosts bring beyond the show description, pairing the right brand with the right show, how serialized brand integrations makes a bigger impact, regardless of audience size, and much more. Plus: Acast and Martell Blue Swift will also be making an exciting announcement during this session.

SESSION: Growing as an Indie: Lessons on IP and building a podcast business with Sex With Emily

• Date and time: Friday, March 25 from 2:00 - 2:30 pm
• Location: Pro Podcaster Stage - Platinum E
• Session track: Professional Podcaster Track
• Acast staff speaking: Nicole Ngo (Content Development & Acquisition Manager)
• Acast creators speaking: Sex With Emily host Dr Emily Morse 
• Description: In 2005, Emily Morse was sitting in her living room in San Francisco when she clicked publish on Sex With Emily, an experimental new venture where she wanted to chat with people about sexual health and wellness, and take the fear out of a stigmatized topic. At the time, podcasts — especially ones about sex — were few and far between. Fast forward 17 years, and Sex With Emily is a booming business and one of the original giants in the world of podcasts. To-date, Emily has retained full ownership of her intellectual property and developed her show into the number one Sexuality podcast on Apple Podcasts, using it as a springboard in becoming a best-selling author, acclaimed MasterClass instructor, and sought-after expert and Doctor of Human Sexuality. Join Emily and Acast’s Nicole Ngo for a fireside chat about how to grow an independent podcast from scratch, how to monetize content in a field and subject matter that some brands shy away from, and how creators can maintain ownership of their work.

EVENT: Podcast Hall of Fame Ceremony

• Date and time: Friday, March 25 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm
• Location: Creator Stage 1 - Platinum D
• Acast creators honored: Sex With Emily host Dr Emily Morse