Content distribution, audience retention and podcast revenue models are among the topics of the first edition of the NaPOD festival, which will take place on 25 November 2026 at the Mozaik Event Centre in Zagreb. The announced programme connects editorial and production topics with the business aspects of developing this medium, from launching a podcast to promoting it and collaborating with sponsors.
The professionalisation of the format is the focus of the panel Podcasting as a Profession, featuring Ratko Martinović from Podcast Inkubator, Vinko Mihaljević from LOOD, Dolores Milošev Erdeg from Zdrava priča and Filip Georgiev-Štimec from Mjesto zločina. Alongside moderator Krešimir Macan, the creator of Špica s Macanom, they will discuss attracting sponsors, the criteria that influence such collaborations, and platforms and models that can generate podcast revenue.
The panel We’ve Made a Podcast, Now What? will address how content reaches listeners and what keeps them listening. Benjamin Noah Maričak from Games Croatia, Marin Pavelić from Netokracija and Ivan Minić from Pojačalo.rs will share their experiences, with journalist Sandra Babić from Lider moderating. The discussion will cover channel selection, promotion and audience development methods in the early stages of a podcast.
The business use of the format will also be addressed by Anja Lordanić, the creator of Podcasting for Solopreneurs, in a talk on launching a podcast for solopreneurs. She will discuss preparations before publishing the first episode and aligning content with listeners’ needs and business goals. Using Games Croatia as an example, Maričak will present the development of a podcast into a platform that connects video game industry stakeholders and introduces their work to a wider audience.
The programme in the Creator Hall also includes the panel What Is a Podcast?, where Iva Parađanin from Tampon zona, Anže Vidrih Tomić from Apparatus.si, Ana Pavlović from Rastući s djecom and Elvis Mileta from Explora will discuss the definition and reach of the format. Talks will also cover experience gained from 2,000 produced episodes, the transition from a radio show to a podcast, narrative formats, interviews and the relationship between football podcasts and their audiences.
A practical programme will run in parallel in the Live Hall. Free workshops led by Marko Turkalj and Vladimir Radinović will focus on sound and production equipment, as well as developing an idea and preparing a podcast. The afternoon sessions will feature recordings of episodes of Zdrava priča sa Dolores, about children’s learning, and Rastući s djecom, about parental reactions and parenting challenges.
