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NUS business student who self-produced horror podcast series crowned winner of Mediacorp’s first podcast talent hunt

SINGAPORE — 21-year-old NUS Business School student Genesis Lim emerged as the champion of Mediacorp’s first-ever Be a Podcastar talent hunt, beating nine other finalists over three rounds of competition, said Mediacorp in a press release on Thursday (Jan 25).

(From left to right) Mediacorp Yes 933 DJ Hazelle Teo; Mediacorp Ria 897 DJ Azura Goh; Be A Podcastar winner Genesis Lim; Mediacorp Love 972 DJ Dennis Chew and Mediacorp 987 DJ Maya Nicole Davidov.

(From left to right) Mediacorp Yes 933 DJ Hazelle Teo; Mediacorp Ria 897 DJ Azura Goh; Be A Podcastar winner Genesis Lim; Mediacorp Love 972 DJ Dennis Chew and Mediacorp 987 DJ Maya Nicole Davidov.

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  • Ms Genesis Lim beat nine other finalists to be the first-ever champion of Mediacorp’s Be a Podcaster competition
  • Her supernatural-themed content and strong production capabilities wowed judges and listeners
  • Ms Lim walked away with S$5,000 cash, podcasting equipment, an Osim gaming chair and an exclusive podcast partnership with Mediacorp

SINGAPORE — Thrilling audiences with her "spinetingling" podcast that she produced by herself, a 21-year-old student from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School emerged champion of Mediacorp’s inaugural Be a Podcastar talent hunt, beating nine other finalists over three rounds of competition.

Media organisation Mediacorp said on Thursday (Jan 25) that Ms Genesis Lim impressed judges and listeners with her supernatural-themed content and strong production capabilities.

In particular, she earned the top prize for her podcast titled The Price for Eternal Beauty, A Spirit’s Final Request and More, which was part of her self-produced Hell’s Incroyables horror series.

Mediacorp said in a statement: “On the whole, the panel of judges lauded Lim for her consistent improvements shown during each stage of the competition, in terms of both production and presentation qualities, as well as her outstanding ability to captivate and engage her listeners through her ghost stories.”

For her feats, she won the grand prize that includes S$5,000 cash and an exclusive podcast partnership with Mediacorp.

Ms Lim, who also won podcasting equipment and an Osim gaming chair, edged out two other final-round competitors. The runners-up each take home S$200 in cash, as well as podcasting equipment and an Osim gaming chair.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Launched in June last year, the competition aimed to unearth promising podcasters among young people aged 15 to 25.

The original submission period was initially set on Aug 31 last year, but Mediacorp later announced on Aug 8 that it was extending the submission deadline to Sept 30 due to "healthy interest from participants".

The company also organised a free two-day boot camp in June at the Scape mall along Orchard Road to help interested parties prepare for the competition. It featured guest speakers such as Mediacorp 987 DJ Sonia Chew as well as Mr Haresh Tilani, host of the podcast series Yah Lah But. 

From the initial pool of submissions, 10 entries were shortlisted in the first round, during which contestants had to produce one new podcast to be uploaded on audio streaming service Spotify and Mediacorp’s digital audio platform Melisten.

Mediacorp added: “The five contestants whose podcasts accumulated the highest volume of listens progressed to the second round and produced another new podcast.

“Likewise, the three podcasters who garnered the most listens at round two moved on to the third and last round, where they had to produce one final podcast that would decide the ultimate winner.”

To select the final winner, a panel of judges then evaluated the top three finalists and scored them, with additional points given for the number of listens garnered on Melisten and Spotify. The panel comprised of:

  • Mr Danny Koordi, podcast content strategist in Mediacorp’s growth & audio team
  • Ms Chen Ning, Yes 933 DJ and award-winning podcaster
  • Ms Nazurah Razali, co-founder and creative strategist for popular podcast itsclarity.co
  • Mr Norman Chella, co-founder of Malaysia’s premier podcast network Renegade Radio
  • Ms Raven Lim, co-founder of the Tomboy Tirade podcast series and founder of podcast company MeaVox Live

The national media network said that over the course of the competition, contestants received S$200 in cash at each round to support them with their production costs.

Contestants also benefitted from dedicated guidance from the judges, who also doubled up as mentors to the participants.

“They were also able to acquire practical skills and knowledge required to create compelling podcasts at a free two-day boot camp conducted by industry professionals before the commencement of the competition last year,” Mediacorp said.

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Mediacorp podcast talent

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