MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In a first for Filipino podcasting, PumaPodcast won Anvil Awards for its podcasts “COVID Diaries” and “A Better Normal” at the 56th Anvil Awards. Given by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, the Anvil recognizes excellence in public relations tools and programs, and is the most coveted prize in the industry.
PumaPodcast is an audio production house specializing in podcasts and innovative storytelling.
“COVID Diaries” told first-person stories from Filipinos dealing with the pandemic and amplified their voices to encourage empathy through listening. It featured Filipinos at home and abroad, frontliners, patients, OFWs, and children trying to understand what they were going through.
“A Better Normal” is a collaboration with Asia Society Philippines that innovates on the webinar format. Each set of episodes begin with a podcast episode featuring proposals from leaders in urban development, agriculture, and mobility. This is followed by a Facebook Live webinar where government representatives and viewers engage with the proposal. Finally, key insights from the webinar are distilled into a follow-up podcast episode. “A Better Normal” maximizes the strengths of podcasting to combat webinar fatigue and empower useful ideas.
Another podcast win went to The Philippine Daily Inquirer. They launched their suite of Inquirer Podcasts, powered by PumaPodcast, in 2020. One of their shows, the hit true crime series “Super Evil” won. It is the first serial true crime podcast in the Philippines, and is now on its second season.
“Brands are discovering how podcasts fit in their marketing and communications strategies. We are deeply invested in helping the brands create meaningful engagement with and for their customers,” says PumaPodcast CEO Carl Javier.
This win is a breakthrough for Filipino podcasts, showing the impact that carefully crafted storytelling can have. Javier adds, “We tailor-make podcasts to their communication objectives. This win is for our entire team that spent countless hours on research, sound design and post-production.”
The Anvil Awards are the latest in a string of recognitions earned by PumaPodcast. In 2020, their work became the first podcasts out of Asia to be included in the US Library of Congress, in recognition of their cultural value.
