Oak Flats High School alumnus Ben Haywood has won a national podcast competition run by ARN Media. Photo: Ben Haywood.
Storytelling from the heart has won Warilla man Ben Haywood the Find and Tell podcast series competition.
Hosted by journalist and author Jamila Rizvi, Find and Tell was a collaboration between ARN Media’s digital networks iHeart and BlakCast.
The competition saw hundreds of entries whittled down to a final four, showcasing diverse and compelling storytelling from Australians of various cultural backgrounds.
Ben was living in the Hunter Valley when the competition started, but something pulled the 29-year-old home to the Illawarra.
“I was born here when Shellharbour Hospital had a maternity ward, I was raised here, Mum and Dad are both from here,” he said.
“I have Aboriginal heritage from Mum’s side, she’s always made us feel proud and been involved in the community.
“When I had the opportunity to apply for a project that showcases diversity, I wanted to stick my hand up and have a go.
“Then halfway through the competition, I found I was really homesick, I had to move back.”
It was lucky he did. Ben’s winning episode focuses on the question of whether Aboriginal languages should be taught in Australian schools.
He spoke with Wiradjuri man Geoff Anderson, of First Languages Australia, and Wollongong elder Uncle Richard Campbell.
“My mind was changed by doing this episode,” Ben said.
“I’m a pretty logical thinker, so I was sitting more on the education side of things, to push to implement it where we can.
“During my conversation with Uncle Richard, he was more focused on the reluctance to hand language over in the hopes it will be looked after the way elders have looked after it, the risks involved if you give that over to someone else.
“I feel like the episode really opened up that dialogue, and that was its purpose.”
The final four contestants, representing Filipino, Iranian, Korean and Indigenous heritage, were flown to ARN’s iHeart studios in Sydney for a storytelling boot camp.
They were provided with professional-grade recording equipment from RØDE and paired with their own iHeart producer to guide them throughout the process.
Another of Ben’s episodes was a deeply personal interview with a childhood friend about an accident that happened at Barrack Point.
“I carried a lot of guilt around that, and I wanted to address things that were important in my life as well as telling stories,” Ben said.
“I feel like the Illawarra has so many stories to tell, there’s so much diversity, and I didn’t realise it was different to anywhere else until I grew up a bit and moved away from home.”
As the winner of the competition, Ben has the resources to tell more of those stories.
He received more than $10,000 in support, including top-tier podcasting gear from RØDE and short courses along with mentoring from the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).
“I’m still pinching myself,” he said.
“I’ve never done anything remotely close to content creation or podcasting, so to make the top four and then to take out the competition was really special.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt that sense of pride for putting myself out there, following through and not giving up.”
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