Will Sabrina Furminger’s Cringe be #TheNextGreatPodcast?

Below, YVR Screen Scene Podcast host Sabrina Furminger provides an update on Cringe, her podcast currently in the running for iHeartRadio and Tongal’s #TheNextGreatPodcast competition. Audience voting is on now.

I can’t believe this day has finally come. Today, I get to share the pilot episode of Cringe with you – and YOU get to play a part in deciding what happens next.

I’m one of 11 semi-finalists in iHeartRadio and Tongal’s #TheNextGreatPodcast competition. I was the only Canadian selected from thousands of people all over the world to record a pilot episode of my podcast concept, Cringe – and this is the part of the competition where we get to share our work, and where audience voting determines its future. 

Cringe is a podcast about the most embarrassing experiences of our lives, and because I didn’t truly know what it was to cringe until I stepped foot in school, I opted to make school the theme of the pilot episode. As the sole Canadian, I decided to invite some of our national treasures to share their school-related stories with the world: Brent Butt; Vancouver’s own David Lewis; and Stacie Mistysyn, who played Caitlin Ryan in the original Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High.

I also share a few stories of my own, including one that I consider the most embarrassing moment from my teen years; my cheeks still flush when I think about it. My nine-year-old daughter Mari (who you’ll hear introducing each guest) shares a story, too. The pilot features beautiful music by Red Heartbreaker and stellar editing by Simon Furminger.

Cringe is about healing. There is power in sharing our cringe stories with others. You can hold your head a little higher. You can lessen your emotional load. You can help others feel less alone – and bonus if you can make ’em laugh a little, too (and there is a lot of humour in this first episode).

Whether or not Cringe is picked up by iHeartRadio, it’s happening. If it doesn’t win the contest, the rights revert back to me, and I’ll release it as part of the YVR Screen Scene Network.

But if it does win the contest, I have the opportunity to reach iHeartRadio’s audiences of millions – which means that *we* have the opportunity to reach iHeartRadio’s audience of millions… because, given the chance, I’ll be inviting you to share your stories, too.

I would love nothing more than to be able to inject a little bit of cringe-tastic joy into millions of lives.

Please listen here or here – and if you listen and you want more cringe, please vote.