Pitch Your Podcast to The Autistic Culture Podcast Network
We are currently accepting pitches for new shows to join the Autistic Culture Podcast Network, and we’d love to hear your ideas!
It’s been a couple of months since we launched the Autistic Culture Podcast Network (ACPN), and we are now opening the doors for you to join us. 🙌🏼🥂🎉🥂🎉🙌🏼
Our network grew out of the idea that Autistic life isn’t just a diagnosis, it’s a culture, a way of thinking, creating, communicating, connecting, and experiencing the world. We are looking for shows that explore everything about the Autistic lived experience.
Whether you already have your own podcast and would like to collaborate on a mini-series with ACPN to help each other grow, or you’ve dreamed of creating your own autism podcast and want to launch it with a boost of traffic from our network, this is your invitation!
We are Looking for New Autistic-Led Shows
We’re building a community of creators who are aligned with Autistic culture, mutual care, and sustainable creativity. Our shows explore everything from special interests and executive functioning to writing, media representation, unmasking, historical Autistic contributions, and the everyday joy of being fully expressed.
We welcome creators with brand-new show ideas aligned with Autistic cultural values to apply to make a pilot mini-series of 4-8 episodes with us. The shows we’re looking for go beyond autism awareness or informational content. We’re especially interested in shows rooted in special interests, lived experience, and the many life stages and situations that shape Autistic lives and culture. If a mini-series is successful, it may be renewed or established as a regular show!
Here are some examples of shows that we would love to see on the network.
Special Interest Shows
Autistic deep dives into fandoms
Sports shows about stats, patterns, and historical games you’ve memorised for no reason other than love.
Music theory, instrumentation, or production for the Autistic brain
Genre deep dives: sci-fi, horror, animation, anime, etc.
Tabletop games - either individual or specific. For instance, it could be a show about D&D or a show about all modern European Strategy games.
A video game review show - even something like a Warhammer show or a Zelda show, which follows a game or character through multiple genres
Niche historical fascinations (railways, typography, folklore, maps, geology, etc.)
Autistic approaches to scientific thinking and pattern recognition - for instance, we would love a science show from someone into climate or weather
Cultural Commentary Shows
Autistic historical figures and overlooked contributions
Media representation through an Autistic lens
Neurodivergent approaches to competition and play
Anthropology of our Autistic ancestors, including stone tool makers
Autistic artists discussing process, sensory elements, and meaning
Creativity, hyperfocus, and flow states
Podcasts that treat sound as sensation, break down albums note by note
Tracing the ethnomusicology of different musical genres from their beginnings to current incarnations
Representation of neurodivergent characters — the good, the bad, the cringe
Activism, advocacy, and grassroots organising
Life Stage Shows
What to Expect when you are pregnant and Autistic
Autistic parents sharing real-life experiences of raising neurodivergent kids
Raising Autistic kids without the shame and fear so often imposed on us.
Growing up Autistic, family dynamics, and intergenerational neurodivergence
Surviving University Life for Autistic Young Adults
Autistic entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creators
Navigating workplaces, accommodations, and burnout
Shows that look at a specific chronic illness that are highly correlated with Autism - for instance, a show about EDS, fibromyalgia, or POTS.
What’s most important in your application is that your voice and vision come through. If someone else could also do your show as you describe it, your show might not be selected. Why THIS show, Why NOW, and Why YOU are the three questions we are considering as producers. As such, each show in the network will be unique. If we have two proposals for a show about better well-being for Autistic people, we will only take one.
What Makes a Creator a Fit for Our Network
We are interested in all types of shows from creators with all levels of experience. Our goal is to create a collaboration built on mutual support and a network of shows people love. In order to do that, there are a few things we are looking for in members of the collective. Here they are:
People who genuinely care about Autistic culture and Autistic-led storytelling: We’re looking for creators who are motivated by curiosity, community, joy, artistic expression, and exploration and not just chasing fame or viral success. (This is most definitely not a get rich or famous quick scheme, it’s about a creative collaboration.)
People who actually listen to podcasts: We believe in the power of audio for a creative and artistic expression and are looking for others who feel the same way. You don’t need to be a passionate podcast superfan like us, but understanding the medium helps you shape your voice, pacing, structure, and style.
People committed to hitting deadlines: If your proposal is accepted, you will have about 2 months to deliver all the completed audio for your mini-series. When you are applying, we ask that you consider your calendar and confirm you will be able to finish within that 2 month window. If a show is not completed, we cannot publish it. We know life can get busy and it can be hard to prioritise things, but to be a part of the network, commitment and follow-through are essential.
People with the basic tools needed to record: At minimum, collective members need a good computer, a reliable internet connection, and the ability to record clean audio. You should be in a position where, if something essential breaks, you’re able to make a small, realistic upgrade or replacement immediately without financial stress.
People who are in the right place to take on a creative project: Podcasting requires time, energy, and follow-through. We want our network members to feel their work is meaningful, not overwhelming or harmful to your well-being. You don’t need to be thriving every moment — many of us aren’t — but we are looking for members of the network to be in a relatively stable place physically and mentally to create.
Pitch Deadline
We’re currently accepting pitches for this round until January 31st of 2026. Shows will be considered on a rolling basis, so there is a slight advantage to getting your pitch in sooner in the application period to give yourself extra production time and to avoid someone else grabbing the slot for an idea you share.
You do NOT need to be a podcast expert, have fancy equipment or a co-host, or know everything about your show already. We care more about your passion, voice, and ideas than your technical skills.
Our production team will share a contract and clear, straightforward tech specs upon acceptance for your review and discussion. You will have at least 2 weeks to decide whether or not to accept our offer should you receive one.
If your pitch is accepted, all episodes in your mini-series will need to be fully produced and delivered by April 14, 2026. Delivering the full series by this date allows us to plan releases, promotions, marketing, and editorial support in a way that works well for everyone involved.
Why Join the ACPN movement?
The Autistic Culture Podcast Network was created by Autistic people who were tired of seeing our stories filtered through non-Autistic perspectives, stripped of nuance, or framed through pathologising narratives. We wanted a space where Autistic culture could exist on its own terms — joyful, complex, creative, intellectual, sensory, embodied, emotionally rich, and rooted in lived experience.
Many of us have experienced considerable hardships, either because we didn’t know we were Autistic, or because it’s not easy to live in the world today with Autistic neurology. The rejection, physical discomfort, and confusion that goes along with being Autistic is hard for people outside of our community to understand. Contributing your time and experience to creating a show for the network, is a way for you to give-back to the community and provide a resource for our people moving forward.
Having a show on the network will also raise your personal profile within the community. The third party credibility of being on ACPN as well as the additional listens your show will get will help more people learn about your other creative or entrepreneurial work and send followers and customers your way.
Whether you are applying to make sure nothing about Autistic people is created without Autistic input, to give back and help others through lessons you have had to learn the hard way, or to grow your profile in the community, being part of ACPN means you will be at the forefront of the first and only home for Autistic-led media.
Ready to Pitch Your Show? Let’s talk!
Whether you have an established show already and want to create something new with us, or you have a new show idea and you would like to produce a short pilot series for our network, we want to hear from you!
Complete this application and we’ll let you know if your show is a fit for ACPN. If we want to take the discussion to the next level, we will provide a contract and other details for you to review, and we will schedule a call to make the final decision together on whether it’s a fit to partner.
If you have questions, want to talk it through, or need clarification, feel free to reach out:
📧 info@autisticculturepodcast.com
Thank you for considering being part of this movement.
Thank you for creating.
Thank you for being here.
We can’t wait to hear what you’re dreaming up!
I absolutely love this initiative! I had emailed a pitch to info@autisticculturepodcast.com in early November. Should I resubmit via this application form or will my prior emailed submission be considered now?