Milo Hartill Wants The Mic Handed Back To Women: “Representation Is Important”

Every straight white man seemingly has a podcast these days, but it's time to take the microphone back. Enter DomeFest — Australia's first podcast fan festival, created for Gen Z and Millennial women. Host Milo Hartill tells Refinery29 Australia they're ready to see underrepresented voices take centre stage, with talent like Abbie Chatfield, Cheek Media, and Kat Sasso part of the lineup. "Careers like being an entertainer, like influencing, like podcasting, are all industries that I think have really been begun and cultivated by women, or at least greatly improved by women," the queer advocate says. "It's interesting [in] these femme-dominated spaces, always at some point, we'll have men try to claim it. And I think it's going to be a great opportunity to have the mic [handed] back to more women."

The influencer notes that in Australia, so many people aren't seen in the media, which contributes to the right-wing rhetoric starting to snowball. "People really need to see themselves reflected more, and see opinions of people that share your lived experiences be heard, and seen and given a platform. But I also think that representation is important... in avenues that you can't avoid. Like the media, like the news, like podcasts that get platforms. Because I think a lot of this manosphere, right-wing, anti-Black, anti-gay, anti-fat, anti-oppressed group ideology comes from the lack of hearing those people's opinions in normalised spaces," she says. "There's just nowhere near enough representation. And I think that it is so important, not just for the audiences that want to see themselves seen, but also so that people [who] really don't want to see us can know that we exist."

Hartill can't speak highly enough of Aussie talent, and can't wait for people to discover more at DomeFest. "We have such gorgeous talent in this country, that are fat, that are women, that are people of colour, that are a part of oppressed groups that just aren't given the microphone," they say. "This is a really great starting place, and I'm really glad to see that they are creating and cultivating the space, The Dome."

Hartill also wants to inspire others to use their voice regularly. "Ultimately, [we] just have to speak up. If everybody [were] speaking up and everybody was passionate about making the world a better place, not just for themselves, but for the generations that are there to come afterwards, then there wouldn't be fear in speaking up about these things," they say. "People really underestimate the power of speaking up."

Co-founders Sophie Greiner and Bella Filacuridi add that there's power when it comes to podcasts, whether that be to spread certain messages or just discover community. "The podcasting industry remains largely male-led — in terms of on-air talent and behind-the-scenes decision making — so Soph and I were quite intentional about our lineup and platforming some of the most influential women and non-binary voices in our feeds," Filacuridi notes. "[These are people] who are shaping cultural conversations around identity,  relationships, sex, ambition, feminism and all things state of the world." Greiner also hopes people can connect with other like-minded people during DomeFest. "We see podcasts as really powerful social filters, and honestly, a great way to make new friends as an adult," she says.

With the increasingly terrifying political climate across the world, genocide happening in Gaza and Sudan, and Pauline Hanson making a resurgence in Australia, Hartill hopes DomeFest can bring some comfort to young people. "I'm really excited to bring a bit of fun as well into the day," she says. "I think it is such a beacon of hope, and it does feel scary [but] all of us, I feel like, are trying to break away from the norms. Call out shitty behaviour. Call out all of the... fucked things that are going on politically, and economically, and in terms of poverty, and war, that's happening everywhere."

In terms of how people can cope when faced with a constant barrage of negative news, Hartill admits they don't have all the answers. "Getting off your phone is life-changing. Finding things that are entertaining, that aren't social media, like reading a book [or] listening to a podcast that you value and enjoy, hanging out with your friends, finding community," she says.

"Oh, and living in a capitalist society, if a company is doing an evil thing, use your money elsewhere."