<p>Celebrating the intersection of independent filmmaking and podcasting.</p><p>Claire chats with Phoebe Cawley from the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, which for the second year includes The Podcasting Lounge, a showcase for independent audio productions.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>The Festival</strong></p><p>Phoebe explains how a 20-year-old arts magazine evolved into a world-class film festival in York that now celebrates all forms of independent media.</p><p>Submit your podcast if it displays originality and strong perspectives across fiction, documentary, investigative, or experimental genres. Selected podcasters get access to the festival, networking opportunities, and masterclasses from industry giants.</p><p><br></p><p>Deadline: <a href="https://www.asff.co.uk/podcasts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Submissions close on June 30th</a></p><p>The festival runs from November 4th–8th</p><p><br></p><p><strong>TrueFans Platform: Awards and Playlists</strong></p><p>Award-winning and shortlisted podcasts (including <a href="https://truefans.fm/awards/aesthetica-film-festival" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">those from Aesthetica</a> 2025) have a dedicated space to be discovered on TrueFans. Winners are also highlighted with a trophy icon on their cover art, and users can listen to a curated playlist of all winning podcasts.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Securing the Future: Premium RSS</strong></p><p>Sam introduces Premium RSS (formerly Secure RSS), a solution to the security flaws found in traditional private feeds like those on Patreon or Substack, which are easily shared, allowing non-paying listeners to access premium content. TrueFans is beta testing a standard that verifies user credentials upon login, ensuring only paying fans can access the feed.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Independent Podcasters Day</strong></p><p>We touch on Liam Heffernan’s campaign to establish July 4th as <a href="https://www.independentpodcastersday.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Independent Podcasters Day</a> (or 'Independents Day') to celebrate the unique voices in the industry.</p><p><br></p><p>Follow @TrueFans.fm on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/truefans.fm/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and/or <a href="https://www.threads.com/@truefans.fm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Threads</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>You can <strong>support the show</strong> by streaming payments from your TrueFans wallet while you listen.</p><p>Leave a <strong>super comment</strong> via the speech bubble icon in the TrueFans app.</p><p><strong>Learn more about TrueFans</strong> features by listening to our sister show, <em>Fanzone</em>.</p><p><br></p><p>Listen to <a href="https://truefans.fm/from-my-yard-to-your-yard" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">From My Yard to Your Yard</a></p><p><br></p><p>Find TrueFans in the App Store or Play Store, or <a href="https://truefans.fm/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a></p><p>Music: How It Is from <a href="https://ketsa.uk/shop/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ketsa Music</a></p><p>Feedback: <a href="https://truefans.fm/feedback" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TrueFans Support</a></p><p>Read: <a href="https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=blog" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creators Blog</a></p><p>Recommendations: <a href="https://truefans.fm/creators-from-truefans?tab=recommendations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Creators Podroll</a></p><p><br></p>