Episode 1 - Sound Salad Begins

​Episode 1 - Sound Salad Begins with guest CEO Audiobooks NZ Theo Gibson
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Welcome to Sound Salad, the interview podcast for all things spoken and all things heard. I’m Romy, nice to have you with us. Sound Salad is the brain-child of Theo Gibson, (founder and creator of Audiobooks NZ) and myself, Romy Hooper (actor, audiobook narrator, writer, fellow bibliophile) essentially because we thought it was about time that there was a decent, local podcast about audiobooks. One that didn’t centre around reviews, or that were simply audiobooks released in podcast format. 

While we may cover some of that stuff, we’re keener to be a bit niche and chat with those who work in the creation of audiobooks. The voices, the authors, the publishers, the engineers, the editors, readers and appreciators of the spoken word who all have the same thing in common - they’re lovers of aural storytelling.

For our first episode, I take Theo on a little stroll down memory lane as we cover the history of recorded sound, the inventors and organisations that decided this was such a vital tool for technological progress, as well as accessibility. I’ve dug up some of the first ever audiobook recordings, the theatre companies who thrust their actors in front of a microphone before a camera was the preferred option, the engineers who took us from cylinders and gramophones to CD’s and apps. When the Blind and Low Vision, Dyslexic and Returned Services communities who needed a cinematic lifeline to fully savour the enjoyment of a book were finally catered for, the popularity of hearing stories grew. They have continued to do so exponentially  since the radio drama days, now with multi-cast narrations of our most classic literary editions available at the flick of a thumb on a screen.

Where to from here? We’ll keep tracking to find out, and toss it all up with you as often as we can.
​Happy hearing!

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