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THE ECCO - 2ND edition

THE TIME HAS COME! We're putting together the 2nd cohort of THE ECCO!!

Here's what you need to know:

Application Deadline: January 12th
Date of the retreat: April 9-13th
Retreat location: tbd (we're looking at somewhere in Southern Europe. We'll make it dependent on the constellation of the cohort)
Budget: self-funded. realistically around EUR 600-800 (depends where you're coming from and where we'll stay).

As of now, we're officially a registered association. But, we currently have zero funding. (That might still change, but for let's prepare for a "worse-case" scenario.)

Part of the magic of THE ECCO retreats is that they're self-funded (admittedly not so magic. That might've been an exaggeration), beautifully scrappy (magic), self-catered (yum) and self-organized (yeah!) situation. I (Jasmin) will need to rely on the cohort to help me make this happen because I am by no means a travel agent.

Since we'll be traveling to the retreat destination, I think you should budget around EUR 600-800.

I'll likely ask you to send me the payment to book the accommodation around mid-January, which will probably cost around EUR 350-ish per person (hopefully less).
Group: We'll be around 10-12 people (rooms will probably be shared during the retreat)
Timeline:
- Application deadline: January 12th, 2025
- Assembly of the cohort and kickoff Sunday, January 26th 2025
- Idea development & tape gathering, semi-regular check-ins for trip planning between January and the retreat
- Retreat: April 9th-13th 2025
- Production and peer-reviews: April - early June 2025
- Deadline to submit your final piece: June 29th
- Listening session (location & exact date tbd): July 2026
Payment: This is unpaid, as in: your work on your piece is unpaid (*unless some funding comes our way during this cohort).

THE ECCO truly is somewhat of a trial of commitment towards the craft, art and love of audio making. We'd love to get to a place where we can pay people for their work, but we're just not there yet. So right now, THE ECCO is purely an occasion (a time, place and good company) to create something because YOU believe it should exist.
Who should apply?
- This will be a pan-European cohort with a preference for audio creators who'd like to make pieces that aren't in English. We'd love to hear from Spain, France, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, Poland, Greece, Italy and so on! Even if you're not European, but you live in Europe, please apply! Where are you all of you audio creators out there? We also like to think about representation in our cohort, so whichever gender, social class, ethnicity, we're excited to have you in the mix. Please don't be shy to apply!
- THE ECCO is NOT for total beginners. You should've dabbled in audio a bit before. You can be a print journo, you can be a chef, a sculptor, a musician, a delivery driver ... what's important is that you should've made an audio piece or two before. And you need to know a bit about how to edit, about the workflows of making audio, you need to have your own audio equipment (recorder, mics, DAW etc), and you need to not be afraid of a DAW
- Being part of the cohort means, you'd need to commit to making a piece that's up to 10 minutes long and put time and energy towards this. We can't pay you for it yet. But we guarantee that your pieces will travel and be heard and celebrated. People have gotten jobs, have sold their pieces and more because of their ECCO-works. And yes, life happens. And no, there are no contracts. But you should give it a really good shot.
- Anyone who feels like they want to make new audio friends and would like to help me (Jasmin) organize and shape this experience
- Anyone who feels like they thrive when receiving (critical) feedback and are happy to give others feedback, too
- Anyone who's happy to share their skills, contacts and support
- Anyone who's keen to learn new tricks for things they thought they already knew how to do

The application process:

Just apply. Don't overthink it. I know, "application" sounds so daunting, but it doesn't have to be. All it is, is a virtual coffee, based on a form that you're filling out. No need to prep. Just write what comes to mind.

They're just a bunch of questions trying to get you know you better. Like a dating platform but for audio nerds.

Also, if you don't get in, don't sweat it. The thing is that the cohorts are curated. People of different skill levels, fields, ages, from different places and walks of life. We're trying to avoid the industry bubbles and cliques and are hoping to be more open to new voices, as much as some very established ones.

Out of everyone who applies, Jasmin and maybe some folks from the 1st cohort are going to get in touch with a short list of people, and just chat about ideas. We want to hear about what excites you, what you've been curious about lately, what you've always wanted to try. What's the thing that you know no one would ever buy, or the idea you don't want to try to sell, what's the thing that you've been afraid to try but think in good company of skilled peers, you might just give it a shot. We want to hear about your life, how much time you think you'll be able to commit, what your expectations are and what ours are.

The application form, will ask similar stuff of you. Maybe just have some links to some previous work ready for us, let us know what language you'd like to create something in.. that kind of thing.

Ok. You've made it this far.

Now: If you've got a bit of money set aside for this trip/retreat (like EUR 300 in Jan, and the rest once you start booking flights, trains etc), and you think you can make it work and you REALLY just want to play and make something because you CAN, this is your shot!

Apply now