Casa Cultura Launches Podcast Studio to Strengthen Civic and Cultural Voice

Trenton, NJ — Casa Cultura proudly announces the launch of the Casa Cultura Podcast Studio, a new community media initiative designed to expand access to storytelling tools, amplify underrepresented voices, and preserve the cultural narratives of Trenton, Mercer County and New Jersey’s Latino community.

Miguel Bacho talks to a guest during his first episode of "Mirar de Cerca".

The podcast studio provides residents, artists, organizers, students, and local organizations with access to professional audio and video podcast production resources within a culturally grounded community space. The initiative positions Casa Cultura as a growing platform for community storytelling, media literacy, and cultural documentation.

The Casa Cultura Podcast Studio was made possible through support from the I AM Trenton Community Foundation Grant, an independent community foundation dedicated to strengthening Trenton through community engagement, civic pride, and community-focused giving.

The Casa Cultura Podcast Studio will support the creation of original content including oral histories, artist interviews, community conversations, youth-led media projects, civic education programming, and cultural storytelling series. 

“At Casa Cultura, we believe storytelling is power,” said Sam Kanig, Founder of Casa Cultura. “This studio creates infrastructure for our community to document its history in real time, strengthen civic voice, and ensure our stories are told by the people who live them.”

Kanig added, “We are deeply grateful for the trust the I AM Trenton Board members have placed in Casa Cultura and in our passion for community and storytelling. Their support makes it possible for voices across our city to be heard, documented, and preserved.”

Krystal De Leon and Evee Kanig brainstorming themes for an upcoming podcast on mental health.

The program advances three core priorities: narrative equity, cultural preservation, and community voice. By providing access to equipment, training, and distribution support, Casa Cultura enables participants to move from being subjects of stories to becoming storytellers and producers.

The launch of the studio will feature the debut of "Mirar de Cerca", a new podcast created and hosted by Miguel Bacho. In this series, Bacho sits down with writers and poets to explore their work, creative process, and the deeper ways readers can approach and interpret literature.

Three episodes of this series featuring writers from Peru and Chile have already been recorded and are currently in post-production. The episodes will soon be released and made available through Casa Cultura’s digital platforms.

Mirar de Cerca Podcast: Miguel Bacho (Host) and Carolina González Velásquez who joined virtually from Chile.

The studio will also contribute to a growing community archive documenting Latino life, cultural work, and grassroots leadership in Trenton. This archive is intended to serve educators, researchers, artists, and future generations seeking to understand the region’s cultural history and community leadership.

Programming will include open studio sessions, facilitated recording projects, thematic storytelling series, youth media workshops, and collaborative productions with community partners.

The launch of the Casa Cultura's Podcast Studio represents a significant step in the organization’s broader mission to use arts, culture, and media as tools for civic engagement, cultural preservation, and community empowerment.

Stay tuned for updates on upcoming content at www.casaculturacenter.org