MILWAUKEE — Local podcast production agency Podcamp Media is being honored among some of the biggest brands in the creative world, with the nomination this week of its flagship podcast Lead Balloon for Best Creativity & Marketing Podcast in the 26th Annual Webby Awards. 

“We have two fulltime employees at Podcamp Media — Larry and me,” said Podcamp President Dusty Weis, a 2003 Monroe High School graduate. “The next smallest nominee in our category has 2,400 employees. In this contest, it’s our little Midwestern podcast shop versus Vice Media, Nissan, Hubspot, Wix and Grey Worldwide.”

“These companies have hundreds of millions — or even billions — in revenue. It’s a huge honor to be mentioned as their creative peer. But we sure as heck don’t fit in, so we might as well win this thing,” Weis said. 

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet. Judges considered entrants from 50 states and 70 countries worldwide before selecting this year’s nominees. 

“Nominees like Podcamp Media are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Claire Graves, President of The Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 13,500 entries we received this year.”

In addition to competing for the judge’s prize, Podcamp Media is also eligible to win a Webby People’s Voice Award, which is voted online by fans across the globe. From now until April 21, Lead Balloon supporters can cast their votes by clicking the “VOTE” link at podcampmedia.com/leadballoon. 

“As the only Midwest-based operation in our category, I’d love to show the world that the East Coast and the West Coast don’t have a monopoly on creativity,” Weis said. “But I need Milwaukeeans and Wisconsinites to support us with their vote.” 

On Lead Balloon, experienced PR and marketing professionals share tales of the do-or-die situations that defined their creative careers — what went wrong, how they overcame unexpected obstacles, and what they learned in the process. As host, Weis helps narrate these epic PR disasters, professional crises, and half-baked-campaigns-gone-awry with immersive storytelling and wry humor. Larry Kilgore III, Podcamp’s production services manager, serves as editor and producer for the show.

Webby Awards winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 26, and honored in a star-studded show at Cipriani Wall Street. Winners will have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards’ famous 5-Word Speeches. Past 5-Word Speeches include: Steve 3Wilhite’s “It’s Pronounced “Jif” not ‘Gif’; NASA’s “Houston We Have A Webby”; and Solange’s “I Got Five On It.”

Lead Balloon was previously recognized by industry-leading publication Adweek as its “2020 Marketing Podcast of the Year,” and was profiled last spring in a column for Forbes.

Launched in the summer of 2019, Podcamp Media is a media production agency specializing in branded podcasts for businesses. From its podcast studio in downtown Milwaukee, Podcamp helps companies and associations engage their customers and members through targeted storytelling. 

Podcamp Media’s flagship clients include globally-recognized brands like Nutrien Ag Solutions, SurePayroll, the National Corn Growers Association and the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. 

IADAS, which nominates and selects The Webby Award Winners, is comprised of Internet industry experts including Kerstin Emhoff, Co-Founder & CEO — PRETTYBIRD; Colleen DeCourcy, President, Wieden+Kennedy; Arlan Hamilton, Founder & Managing Partner — Backstage Capital; John Hanke, Founder & CEO — Niantic; Nikole Hannah-Jones, Creator — 1619, The New York Times; Renita Jablonski, Director of Audio — The Washington Post; Mikael Jørgensen, Founder & CEO — &Co; Monica Lewinsky, Activist, Fashion Designer & Producer; Swizz Beatz & Timbaland, Music Producers & Co-Founders  — Verzuz; Vanessa Pappas, COO — TikTok; Daniel Reynolds, Vice President, Digital Media — Disney; Dara Treseder, SVP,  Head of Global Marketing & Communications — Peloton; and Maya Watson, Head of Global Marketing — Clubhouse.

Listen and subscribe to Lead Balloon at podcampmedia.com/leadballoon, or on other podcast apps. Follow @PodcampMedia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.