For Producers
So you want to produce content for Distillations?
About Us:
Distillations is an award-winning 10-15 minute bi-monthly podcast produced in the public radio style by the Chemical Heritage Foundation. With each show, we explore themes related to the past, present, and future of chemistry and the molecular sciences in a creative, sound-rich, and informative way. Host Meir Rinde introduces each show and narrates introductions to 2-3 segments for each episode. Shows generally consist of one or two 2-minute written segments (reviews, commentaries, historical portraits, etc.) followed by a 3-7 minute interview or feature story.
How to Get Involved:
If you would like to be included on the Distillations producers' email list, please send an email to Senior Producer Mia Lobel. Please include a brief explanation of your production experience, what kind of equipment you use, where you are based, how best to contact you, and any relevant links to your previous work.
To PITCH a story, first be sure to listen to some of our past shows to get a sense of our style. We always welcome new ideas, but stories must have a clear connection to chemistry. Keep in mind that chemistry is everywhere! If you have a great idea that you think might fit with our show, but you aren't sure about the chemistry connection, drop us a line and we can help you figure it out.
Also note that the best features try to answer some question and have some amount of tension or conflict to keep the listener interested. We also love our features to have an historical angle. Sometimes this can be achieved with whatever written segment accompanies your piece, but if you can include that in your feature, all the better. And of course, the more sound you can incorporate, the happier we'll be!
Send your pitches to Senior Producer Mia Lobel. Pitches must include the following:
–A short paragraph explaining your idea including why we should care about this issue. Why is this story interesting/important? Where is the tension/conflict?
–2-3 sources you will tap for information and/or sound-rich interviews
–2-3 potential scenes/sound-design elements that will make your feature come to life.
Please note that we do not accept phone tape. We can occasionally pay for a stringer/tape sync to record a source in a remote location, but we prefer you pitch us something close to where you live. You'll get better sound this way and develop a better relationship with your sources. We will reimburse for mileage at the standard IRS rate if necessary (within reason). All tape sync and mileage expenses must be approved in advance by Executive Producer Jennifer Dionisio.
At this point we accept content in the following forms:
Feature stories: 3-5 minutes on a topic related to chemistry. ($500)
Investigative features: 5-7 minutes on a complex topic related to chemistry. These are generally part of occasional special series we put together. We do not typically take cold pitches for these. ($750)
Raw interviews: You gather the tape, we edit it. Please make sure to mic your questions. Interviews should last no longer than 30 minutes as they will be edited down to 5-6 minutes. ($200)
Written segments/commentaries: Segments are generally 2 minutes read aloud, or 300-400 words depending how fast you speak. ($200)
Photos: Original photographs to use on our website—max of one photo/story, though we'd love to have a choice of image if available. ($50)
Please feel free to contact us with any questions, and we look forward to hearing your ideas!
-The Distillations Team