Podcast: The Stockholmer
Stockholm is a hub for innovation and creativity and in the newly launched The Stockholmer podcast, journalist Maddy Savage introduces us to people who are bringing a buzz to the city, troubleshooting its challenges and shaping its future.
A BBC reporter and radio presenter for a decade, Maddy fell in love with Sweden on her first foreign assignment to Gothenburg back in 2006. Over the next few years she kept pitching more and more trips to the Nordics. Then in 2014, she spotted a job as Editor of Sweden’s English-language newspaper The Local and decided to move to Stockholm after being offered the post.
“It was a fantastic challenge running a daily news site and managing a range of social media,” shares Maddy. “However after two years I chose to go freelance to pursue more multimedia and in-depth projects, including The Stockholmer.”
So we caught up with Maddy to learn more about the project.
STS: What inspired you to launch The Stockholmer?
I came up with the idea after meeting so many fascinating people through my journalism work and networking in the city’s international community. I was also reading about so many interesting projects in the Swedish press and wanted to share these stories with a wider audience in English. Meanwhile as a former BBC broadcaster I love working with audio and a podcast felt like the natural medium for distributing my interviews and conversations.
What niche do you think the The Stockholmer will fill in terms of providing listeners a different view of Stockholm?
The podcast focuses on areas of innovation that are already gaining a lot of international interest: Stockholm’s startup, design, food, culture and wellness scenes. However the format is designed to reflect the way we consume and share media in 2016.
Every episode is just 10 minutes long — so you can listen on your way to work or while you’re taking a coffee break and share your favourite interviews with friends in an instant.
My podcasts are recorded in the kitchens, homes, studios or favourite places of my interviewees, so they’re also designed to give listeners a more intimate glimpse into the lives of inspiring Stockholmers than you might get from a short article or TV news report.
What are some insightful nuggets of information about Stockholm you’ve learned while producing the podcast?
Swedes are known for being humble and I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many bright Stockholmers who remain modest about their achievements. In fact, several of my interviewees have commented that one of the reasons Sweden is a world leader in innovation is because Swedes don’t stop to stand still and brag about their projects, they’re always looking for new ways to make things even better.
However the podcast also touches on on some of the challenges Stockholm is facing as it seeks to grow and develop as an innovation hub, from grappling with a housing crisis to integrating record numbers of foreigners, ranging from global tech talent to refugees.
What’s next for The Stockholmer and any future projects in the works?
After launching on May 24th, the podcast will run twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for eight weeks over the summer. I’ve secured sponsorship from Qapital and Mynewsdesk to help fund the series.
As well as working on The Stockholmer I am also freelancing for the BBC as well as other international media including Monocle 24 radio and NPR, so I have got a very busy few months ahead but I am really excited about it!
Follow The Stockholmer – | Podcast | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |- and listen to the podcast with Slow Travel Stockholm founder and National Geographic Creative photogragher, Lola Akinmade Åkerström below.
