Mic to Movement: How Podcasts Shape Culture and Drive Action

Podcasting has become one of the most influential storytelling platforms of our time – capable of reshaping public opinion, exposing injustice, and mobilizing communities. This session explores how audio storytelling creates intimacy, builds trust, and drives social impact at scale, with a special focus on the criminal justice system.

Featuring creators whose work has reopened cases, shifted public narratives, and elevated the voices of people directly impacted by incarceration, the panel will examine how investigative reporting, first-person storytelling, and inside-out collaboration are transforming the national conversation on justice and accountability. From viral investigations to narrative series produced behind prison walls, we’ll look at why the microphone has become one of today’s most powerful tools for cultural change and real-world action.

Speakers:

• Rahsaan Thomas, Co-Founder of The San Quentin Film Festival
• Dan Slepian, Senior Investigative Producer at NBC Dateline
• Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Voices From Within
• Thanh Tran, Co-Founder of award-winning podcast Uncuffed, and ForwardThis Productions