Art
BY ANGELA MATUA
AMATUA@QNS.COM
Podcasting has exploded in popular-ity
in recent years with the introduction
of popular programs such as “Serial,”
which unpacks a new crime story every
season. Now, one Astoria performance
space is providing aspiring podcasters
with a space and equipment to work on
their own podcasts.
Q.E.D., located at 27-16 23rd Ave.,
recently opened Q.E.D Studios for those
interested in recording a podcast or
voiceover work. The studio offers four
microphones, audio equipment and the
ability to use Pro Tools. The studio also
provides a technician to record and mix
episodes for those who are not familiar
with the technology.
Chris Gersbeck, the public relations and
marketing manager for Q.E.D., said the
event space wanted to provide its commu-nity
with a more affordable option to record
podcasts and also encourage people who
were interested in the medium but didn’t
know how to get started with an outlet.
“We have a lot of different types of
programming,” Gersbeck said. “A lot of it
is comedy related and a lot of comedians
right now have podcasts. We had this
space in the basement so it just seemed
like a good time to kind of provide an
affordable space for the community.”
Gersbeck helped build the studio,
which took a few months and officially
opened in July. Though other venues
like The Creek and the Cave in Long
Island City and Comedy Cellar in Man-hattan
have podcast studios, their mostly
36 AUGUST 2017 I LIC COURIER I www.qns.com
used to create content for the clubs
themselves.
Q.E.D. Studios is affordable for up-and-
coming comedians and is also used
by filmmakers to record narration or
voice over work.
“The response has been great,” Gers-beck
said. “We’ve gotten a lot of people
who don’t have a podcast yet and have
been waiting for something like this to
happen and people who want to start a
podcast and they don’t quite know how.
That’s been kind of exciting.”
He also added that its one of the only
studios in the city with podcasting in mind.
The interface allows people to adjust the
audio levels of each microphone in post-production,
which makes for a better sound.
Q.E.D. is offering classes for those inter-ested
in learning about the medium. On Aug.
19 at noon, “Intro to Podcasting” will cover the
basics like coming up with the idea for your
show, equipment, recording tips and more.
On Aug. 26, the “Podcast Promotion”
class will teach beginners how to find
an audience and promote your podcast.
Gersbeck will teach the classes along
with Colin Fitzgerald. The duo has their own
pop culture podcast, “Overkill (with Chris
and Colin),” where they ask people to share
what tv show, movie, album or other aspect
of pop-culture they are obsessed with.
Though the studio its in its early stag-es,
Gersbeck said Q.E.D. hopes “to be a
space where comedians want to come
and hang out and record their episodes.”
The base rate is $30 per hour and
people can also purchase session pack-ages.
A dedicated technician costs an
additional $20 per session.
Q.E.D.
Studios
Photo courtesy of Flickr/Q.E.D.
