He was deaf for 35 years + Listener Stories kickoff
3/23/202630 min
Last year, we ran three full episodes of listener-produced stories. But one beautiful story was just a little too long for the final cut… and we couldn’t leave it behind. In this episode, sound designer Jesse Herrera tells the story of his grandfather, who lived in silence for 35 years before receiving a cochlear implant, and the overwhelming, joyful process of learning to hear again. Afterwards, Dallas and Casey reflect on last year’s Listener Stories and kick off this year’s competition. Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026. To make a donation to the Harry Hakeem Scholarship Fund supporting the education of children with hearing loss, visit peiabq.org/giving. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at 20k.org/plus. Subscribe on YouTube to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Explore incredible speakers, soundbars, and more at sonos.com. Visit quo.com/20k for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software. Get 3 months of free payroll at gusto.com/20k. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at shopify.com/20k. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDallas Taylor· Host0:01
Hey listeners. Last year we launched a listener stories competition where we invited you to send us a fully produced mini story about sound. The response was overwhelming, and we received incredible sound stories from all over the world, from high school students to professional sound designers and everything in between. We collected our favorites into three episodes that we ran last summer. It was such an overwhelming success that I couldn't wait to do it again. And as of today, the twenty twenty-six Listener Story Competition has officially begun. Whether you're an audio pro or just getting started, this is your chance to be heard by over a hundred thousand sound loving listeners. Your story could be hilarious, surprising, heartbreaking, mysterious. It just has to relate to sound in some way, be appropriate for all ages, and be around five minutes or less. You can include guest interviews, music, sound design, anything that helps tell the story. And in the credits you can plug your business, your podcast, your band, whatever you wanna promote. Like before, we'll collect the winning sound stories into an episode or series of episodes later this year. The top creator will also get a five hundred dollar credit toward our online store so everyone you know could have a super soft T-shirt. For full details on what we're looking for and how to submit, visit 20k.org/2026. There's also a link in the show notes. The competition closes on May thirty-first, so be sure to put that on your calendar and get started now. I can't wait