Gateshead Council Dives into Podcasting with Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio
We’ve been working with the wonderful Meshi Taka, part of the team from Gateshead Council on Season 2 of their podcast ‘Project Groundwater Northumbria.’
This podcast is funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The ‘Let’s Talk Groundwater Flooding’ is a new national network created by three groundwater flooding projects, funded by DEFRA as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes.
They first flocked to us back in September 2024 to film some videos for Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival after hearing about us from a colleague at a workshop. Inspiration for their podcast sprang from there and that’s when it all took flight!
Meshi Taka and Carl Hodgson on set of The PGN Podcast, recorded at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio
Meet your Podcast Hosts
Gateshead Council have done Season One of Project Groundwater Northumbria, with Carl Hodgson and Meshi Taka as the host. We’ve loved seeing them thrive in their role!
Meshi Taka is the Project Groundwater Lead for Gateshead Council. She is also a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) with 20 years of industry experience in the water, environmental and utilities sector. She is passionate about problem solving and loves a new challenge! Her energy and enthusiasm really shone through as a podcast host!
Carl Hodgson was the Technical Coordinator for Project Groundwater Northumbria. He is Senior Engineer in Newcastle City Council’s Flood Management Team. He is passionate about flood resilience and climate adaptation projects, all of which led him to Project Groundwater Northumbria.
Blackmagic Camera captures The PGN Podcast, with Meshi Taka as host
We Need to Talk about Groundwater
Their aim? Engaging both the public and engineering sector on the impact and science behind groundwater flooding, an issue often overlooked. Currently, there is no reliable warning system in place for this type of flooding.
According to Project Groundwater’s website, ‘over 70% of the region is situated within minewater blocks and remnants of buried infrastructure.’ This led to discoveries on the link between mine workings and groundwater, which create ‘unexpected pathways to the surface.’
Therefore, collaboration within the industry is key to managing the challenges of groundwater flooding. Part of their Five Point Plan is to ‘foster collaboration and learning across various communities’. This has included outreach programmes such as STE( A )M (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) which is how knowledge is built in communities. Transparency in knowledge builds trust within communities, as knowledge is shared.
Experts on Gateshead Council’s podcast have shared their knowledge and insight on groundwater flooding. We’ve loved meeting them all as we’ve learned about the impact of climate change and annual UK flooding.
The importance of talking about this issue is more apparent than ever and what better way to do this than through a podcast, an evergrowing industry. According to Ofcom (2020), just over 20% of adults are listening to podcasts weekly - that’s a whopping 11.7 million people!
Raising Awareness Through Podcasting and an Aardman Animation
Project Groundwater Northumbria have created 40 episodes with us and engaged listeners from across the country on podcast platforms from YouTube to Spotify. On YouTube alone, they got an amazing 3.18k views, and 206 streams on Spotify.
Other ways they have engaged with their audience is through animations, which educate the public on groundwater flooding and other related subjects from natural based solutions to flooding to combined sewer overflow. Darcy’s Tale, an animation by Aardman, is about the impact of groundwater flooding on a mole called Darcy. Creating content through animation is a great way to educate the next generation on this subject.
Upskilling our team to have a solid working knowledge of platforms such as Youtube and Spotify helps ensure our clients get the most out of their podcast. We know how important monitoring analytics is for the success of a client’s podcast and we want their experience to be the best!
Sound and video quality are top priorities at Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio as we know these are vital to an audience in increasing listener engagement and retention. Video podcasts attract wider audiences and place visual storytelling at its heart.
That’s why we record on BlackMagic cameras and Rode mics to give audiences the best visual and audio experience, leaving them wanting more. This is one of the reasons why Gateshead Council chose Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio to help them increase public awareness on the impact of groundwater flooding.
The more the public is aware of these issues, the more we can build community resilience in tough times!
Initial sketch of The Project Groundwater Northumbria set, designed by Ashleigh King, our Creative Director and Founder of Flamingo Heights Podcast Studio
Submerged in Set Design
Project Groundwater needed a set an audience could connect with and brought their ideas to the table. That’s where we also come in!
We worked with them through planning sessions to help bring the set to life. We love collaborating with our clients, ensuring their vision is achieved.
At Flamingo Heights, we know a good set inspires the audience to engage with your story, and Gateshead Council was no different. It’s an excellent way of showing off brand identity through engaging visuals, which in turn increases listener numbers. Visual consistency is key for bringing your audience with you on the journey. Video podcasts are on the rise and we want to make sure no client of ours is left behind!
Mining lamps were featured in the set design, showing one of the links between the industry and groundwater flooding as well as indicating our heritage in the North East. Canny? Wey aye!
Project Groundwater Northumbria guest, Anna Hastings, chatting to host Meshi Taka about the LEGO flood house
Our Cup Overfloweth
We’ve had a great time working with Meshi, Carl and their guests on this important podcast! Groundwater flooding is a hidden problem that Gateshead Council have been able to bring into public focus more than ever.
Meshi and Carl have been fantastic podcast hosts and we’re so proud of what they’ve done so far. We can’t wait to record the next episode! (We’ll stop being gushy, promise).
