Los Angeles Podcast Festival 2014: Third Annual "LA Podfest" Welcomes In ‘Never Not Funny,’ ‘WTF with Marc Maron,’ ‘Girl On Guy with Aisha Tyler,’ 'Comedy Film Nerds,' And More

If there's any proof that podcasting is no longer just "a thing" it's the immense presence the Los Angeles Podcast Festival – often known as the LA Podfest – has built up over the past few years. This coming Friday, Sept. 26, marks the third year of the weekend-long event, one that has succeeded wholeheartedly in "legitimizing" the podcasting industry and helping it form into something that not only fans are taking more and more seriously, but the industry as well.

Initiated by Comedy Film Nerds hosts/comedians Chris Mancini and Graham Elwood and producers Dave Anthony, co-host of Walking the Room, and Andy Wood (co-founder of Portland's Bridgetown Comedy Festival), the LA Podfest has been ever-growing in popularity each year, housing some of the most popular podcasts around as part of their diverse, and entertaining, lineup.

This year's event will welcome in the likes of Never Not Funny, WTF with Marc Maron, Who Charted?, Girl on Guy with Aisha Tyler, The Dana Gould Hour, The Todd Glass Show, Comedy Film Nerds, and more! Check out the full schedule here.

MStarsNews recently spoke with one of the festival's creators, Chris Mancini, who admitted that back when the idea was merely a thought, he was hesitant to pursue it. When comedian Dave Anthony came to he and Elwood with the idea of launching a festival for podcasts, the duo responded, "No way!"

"We said 'That sounds like way too much work,'" Mancini tells us. "Forget it!'"

Yet, as the thought continued to percolate, the "need" for a festival such as this began to make sense to them all. "To prove to ourselves that there was a need we decided to use Kickstarter the first year. That way, we would see if people would be interested. Thankfully, it was successful very quickly. We also got our sponsors very quickly, which helped us know we were on the right track."

And while some might have found themselves smirking at the very thought of a podcast festival – seeing as "80% of the people around still don't know what a podcast is," Mancini says – the comic explains that the overall podcasting community is "very supportive."

"You're not really competing," he states. "Podcasting is still such a new medium." That fact allowed for an all-out acceptance of the idea once word got out. And once it did, it spread fast.

Matt Belknap, co-host of Never Not Funny alongside comedian Jimmy Pardo (CONAN), tells us, "It really is like all of us are in it together. It's a very supportive bunch."

NNF was arguably one of the first podcasts around, having kicked off back in 2006, and has been a part of every LA Podfest since it's creation. With that, Belknap has been able to see the industry grow into what it is today. "It's a very intimate platform," the host says, "even after all these years. I'm thrilled people have latched onto it. It's a really, really fun medium. And you almost get to make it whatever you want it to be."

Of course, the ability for fans to see and interact with a number of their favorite podcasters – many of whom are comedians, but the festival does not limit itself to comedy podcasts – all in one place sits as one of the many perks, but Belknap tells us there's also there's much that the podcasters themselves can gain from the event. "Part of the fun of it, for me," he notes, "is meeting the fans. Some of them, I remember their name from an email they sent me, or a tweet they posted. I just love the closeness of it."

Calling the podcast festival a "rare animal," Mancini explains that word spread so quickly because of very specific reasons. "With a podcast festival," he says, "you have 30 to 40 shows all talking about it beforehand, and you realize that the reach of a podcast is so different than any other medium." While film festivals reach only a certain number of people, the podcast audience proves to be much more vast and widespread, hypothetically hitting millions of people.

And with the LA Podfest's Live Stream, and the option to buy the entire weekend's worth of shows for just $25 following the event, it's no wonder the audience has the potential to be incredibly vast.

"That is what is making us very appealing –– to both fans and advertisers," Mancini jokes.

With the festival providing perks for both podcasters and the fans alike, it leads to the question of who is it for? The organizer says that it was a question that floated in the creators' minds for quite some time. "We asked ourselves, 'Do we make the podcast festival for podcasters or do we make it for fans?' And the answer we came up with was, 'Yes.' We want it to be for everyone. If you're just a fan, you can go. If you're a podcaster, you can go and meet the fans. It's for everyone."

Added to the live-show-element of the LA Podfest are various panel discussions and workshops that help hopeful-podcasters learn more about the industry and about podcasting. "People can come down and actually learn a lot about podcasting from experts in the field," Mancini explains. "It's becoming a very valuable thing to many people."

One of many highlights of the event is the Squarespace Podcasting Lab. As one of the event's sponsors, Squarespace is offering a room that enables newbie-podcasters a chance to host an episode of their very own show (should they already have a podcast) for an allotted amount of time with some of the event's guests –– including the featured podcasters themselves.

This year's Los Angeles Podcast Festival will be held at the Sofitel LA at Beverly Hills, Sept. 26 - 28.

For more information and tickets, visit the LA Podfest: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter

Outside of the festival, Mancini and his Comedy Film Nerds co-host Graham Elwood are shooting Ear Buds, a documentary about podcasting, which takes the duo all over the world, interviewing podcasters and podcast listeners about how the medium has touched their lives. Check out the Kickstarter video below and visit their Facebook page for more information.