The Made in NY® Podcast Certificate Program is a collaboraitve initiative between The Mayor ’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP.

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L O O K B O O K

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M A D E I N N Y P O D C A S T C E R T I F I C AT E P R O G R A M

A B U K A R A D A N

My name is Abukar Adan (he/his) and I recently moved to New York City to pursue podcasting/narrative journalism. Before that, I was a general assignment reporter at WJCT, the NPR affiliate in Jacksonville, Fl. But I mostly covered politics and education. I grew up in Portland, ME, and got my start in audio at my hometown station, Maine Public Radio. I am a political junkie and a proud immigrant. I also care deeply about education. I am excited to learn how to produce the kinds of immersive audio narratives that led me to this line of work!

One of my all time favorite podcast episodes is This America Life’s #560: Abdi and the Golden Ticket. In this hour-long episode, we follow in real time the harrowing journey of Abdi Nor Iftin—who wins a rare US green card lottery, after fleeing to Kenya from war-torn Somalia—to America. From routine neighborhood raids to police bribery, Abdi’s story is full of suspense. I was in tears by the end.

A L A I S H A K E Y

Hello everyone! My name is Alaisha Key (she/her). Currently, I’m an Associate Editor at Meredith, but I’ve been working for a few years across the entertainment, fashion, lifestyle and news genres. From editing and writing to social media management, I’ve developed a variety of editorial content, but in the past few years, I’ve become more and more interested in the podcast space.

I want to learn more about production and audio storytelling throughout this program. This medium and form of storytelling excites me in a new way. Unlike the fast pace of digital and social, you really have to listen. What’s being said is just as important as how it’s said, and I aim to help produce more podcasts with diverse voices and stories, especially for black women.

Small Doses with Amanda Seales is one of my favorite podcasts! The way that Seales mixes the traditional one-on-one interview format with her comedic brand of solo commentary is genius. She manages to take apart big societal issues into digestible bites and speaks about them in an honest and raw manner. One of my recent faves is “Side Effects of Being Difficult.”

A N N I N A Z H E N G - H A R D Y

I’m Annina (she/her). A bit about me: I moved to NYC last year after a couple years as a Princeton in Asia fellow working in China. Since graduating from college I’ve worked as a teacher, bookseller, events assistant, social media manager, plant grower, ice cream maker...and I’m looking forward to being a student of audio storytelling now! My experience with the form is minimal; an organization I worked with in China produced a podcast called Environment China but I was never a direct part of producing it unfortunately.

I subscribe and listen to an embarrassing number of podcasts, but my go-to, in that I start every weekday morning with it, is The Daily. This episode in particular is what made me want to make podcasts, and also marked my first time openly weeping while listening to one. I remember having to duck into an alley while walking around my neighborhood with this in my ears.

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E R I N C A S S I NHello, everyone! My name is Erin Cassin (she/her). As an editor, writer and digital producer who never tires of travel, my professional adventures have ranged from co-founding a community newspaper in England to reporting about arts and culture in Mexico. Ever curious about the intersection of food and culture, my most recent full-time position was as a digital editor at Food Network and Cooking Channel. Now that I’m back in the freelance world, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to expand my skill set through this program and explore how to tell stories through the medium of sound. StoryCorps has long been a favorite listen for me because of how it amplifies many different voices across America. I love how this podcast strives to connect people through the art of storytelling, since that is the same concept that inspired me to pursue a career path in journalism. Here is an episode that I find particularly thought-provoking. It’s about an interpreter from Iraq who immigrated to America.

C R I S T I A N A Y A L AI’m a fresh grad and just started my first podcast producing job and I’m kind of a one man band on it. I specialized as a sound designer and recordist for film and TV in college but I decided that I love radio as well. I’ve made one season of an audio drama called The Van that got some recognition and I absolutely loved working on it. It definitely solidified my love for radio even if I’ve been an avid podcast listener for years prior.

I’m taking this program to better understand the less technical side of podcasting, like planning and interviewing. I feel strong on the software and hardware but am anxious about the less tangible aspects of the process.

My favorite episode of all time is Reply All’s “Long Distance” (Part 1 & 2). In the episode the host receives a scam phone call. Fed up with constantly receiving this, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He calls the scammers back and tries to open a dialogue with them. The investigation ends up going much, much further than you’d expect.

C I E R R A F R A N C OHey y’all, my name is Cierra (she/her)! I’m a native of the beautiful west Texas town of El Paso, currently based in Brooklyn, and a recent graduate of NYU, where I earned my Master’s degree in Cinema Studies with a concentration in documentary film. I’m passionate about uplifting and celebrating authentic voices and diverse perspectives, and I hope to one day produce a public-service podcast that encapsulates and preserves these stories and conversations for future generations.

By participating in this program, I not only aim to learn the general in’s and out’s of podcasting, but to develop my storytelling and narrative abilities as well. I gravitate towards more journalistic and essayist programs, so my goal is to harness and establish my own voice in crafting intimate and engaging stories.

My favorite podcast episode of all time is Radiolab’s More Perfect, with the Season 1 episode “Kittens Kick The Giggly Blue Robot All Summer.” Despite it’s strange acronym of a title, this episode dives into the complicated and intriguing history of the formation of the Supreme Court in signature Radiolab-style. It is the episode that reminds me of why I fell in love with audio storytelling in the first place.

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M A D E I N N Y P O D C A S T C E R T I F I C AT E P R O G R A M

J O E H A W T H O R N EMy name is Joe (he/him/his). I’m a native Brooklynite, Ultimate Frisbee player, boardgamer, aspiring DIY guy and a case manager at a Veterans Service Organization. Most of my career, however, has been in education and I really enjoy sharing History with others. In that vein, I have been working on a Historical Audio Drama and have been teaching myself podcasting tools along the way. I am excited to learn new skills in audio production and storytelling, as well as I how I can blend a career in history and podcasting!

If I had to pick just one episode, I would share Episode 2 of Moonrise (‘Visionaries of the World’). Moonrise does a great job connecting the history of science fiction to the Apollo Moon Landings and it made me excited to learn more. By coincidence, a few weeks later I was at a museum exhibit about the Apollo Missions and I was so excited to see artifacts that were directly referenced in the podcast. That’s the kind of moment I hope to inspire in listeners.

My name is Kim Buikema (she/her). I’m currently pursuing an MFA in integrated media arts at Hunter College, where I also work in the office of communications. In a previous life, I taught music and media studies for many years and also trained to be a clinical mental health counselor. I grew up in the midwest, and have had the opportunity to live in Japan, London, and Chicago before moving to NYC two years ago.

I’ve always loved listening to podcasts, and after taking an audio narratives class at Hunter, I was hooked. I enjoy every aspect of the process – the research, writing, interviewing, and editing. It can be such an incredible and accessible tool for people to tell their stories. I’m looking forward to sharpening my skills, developing some ideas, and gaining a better understanding of how the podcasting world works. I have a little bit of audio experience - I created a 13-minute podcast and have recorded audio for a couple of short films.

I’m a big fan of Heavyweight but as far as a singular episode goes, I really appreciate Radiolab’s“Mau-Mau.” It was gripping, I learned a lot, and it was thoughtfully written and edited with effective sound design.

K I M B U I K E M A

I’m Jonathan (he/him), a documentary filmmaker and journalist based in Brooklyn, after time in California and London. I’ve generally worked “independently,” with support from companies including BBC, PBS, Netflix, and NHK-Japan, Ford Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, and Sundance Institute. In 2019, my primary project has been a presentation format that aims to transform how films are used in the classroom.

Participating in the podcasting program is exciting in part as a means to learn more about the podcasting space, meet others who work/want to work in podcasting, and adapt my skills for podcasting in particular so that they’ll be more attractive to employers and funders. There are a lot of opportunities for experimentation and long-form storytelling in podcasting that I’d like to explore. I’d recommend Slow Burn S1 & S2. They’re so riveting, revealing, and relevant to what we’re experiencing politically today. If there’s one episode to highlight it would be S2, Ep 8: Move On, about Juanita Broderick. The exploration of why her story isn’t a part of what most of us think about when we think about Bill Clinton, and the focus on the shifting attitudes about gender of both the public and the journalist/host, are such a thoughtful listen.

J O N A T H A N G O O D M A N L E V I T T

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M A D E I N N Y P O D C A S T C E R T I F I C AT E P R O G R A M

M A R K Y A R MMy name is Mark (he/him/his), and I’m a longtime print and online journalist, with bylines in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Wired, WSJ. Magazine, and more. I’m also a former staff writer/editor at BreakerMag, a website about blockchain and cryptocurrency (please don’t ask me if you should invest in bitcoin!), and Blender, a print-based music magazine. One of the features I wrote for Blender, an oral history of the Seattle independent label Sub Pop Records, grew into my 2011 book Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge.BreakerMag folded in May, and since then I’ve been casting about for new opportunities.

Podcasting has long intrigued me, and I thought now is the time to finally get into it. My aim, broadly speaking, is to report and produce in-depth stories about compelling characters. (I have no audio experience, save for being a guest on the occasional podcast.)

My must-listen podcast is Longform, which is a weekly series of interviews with nonfiction writers—guests have included everyone from Gay Talese and Susan Orlean to Michael Lewis and Jia Tolentino. My favorite episode is probably the first interview the show did with expert profiler (and now best-selling novelist)

L Y D I A S M I T H

My name is Lydia (she/her). I’m from Missouri and graduated from Oberlin College, so come find me if you identify as a midwesterner. I studied cinema studies and gender studies and moved to NYC last year for a documentary programming internship with POV. Since then, I’ve been working freelance across various doc, narrative, and commercial projects.

Most of my audio experience comes from a film context, so I am very eager to transfer and expand these skills for podcasting. I’m looking forward to field work, talking to people, and learning the ins and outs of the production process. I think podcasting is one of the most engaging mediums for storytelling because people really have to pay attention to understand. I also think a lot about ethical storytelling, and I think podcasting has a lot of potential to give people agency in sharing their stories that is not often present in film.

Recently I’ve been listening to 1619—a podcast by the NYT that reckons with the legacy of slavery in US. Episode 3 “The Birth of American Music” examines the origins of Black music and it’s impact on American culture and ideas of artistic freedom.

My name is Laura Hernández (she/her) I’m a documentary producer and journalist originally from Colombia and based in Brooklyn. My most recent work has been producing sports docs for clients like Pepsi, FOX Digital Studio, and FOX Sports, where we got to tell powerful and inspiring human stories about athletes across the world.

Radio has always been in my life since I started my professional career working as NYC permanent correspondent for W Radio Colombia, reporting and producing on a daily basis, interviewing, and covering relevant events happening in the city, nationwide and internationally. Podcasting felt so natural to explore and exciting to pursue. I’m passionate about creating compelling and impactful stories in new formats that will allow me to combine the set of skills acquired in radio, TV, and documentary.

My latest podcast obsession is “Las Raras” (PRX) done in Chile and conducted in Spanish. They explore freedom stories about how people choose to live their life unconventionally and not under rules imposed on us by society. My favorite one tells the story of Verónica, who decided that the absence of a man would not prevent her from having a son. The father of the baby is known as number ‘13788’.

L A U R A H E R N A N D E Z´

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M A D E I N N Y P O D C A S T C E R T I F I C AT E P R O G R A M

S A M A N T H A S A N D E R S

I’m (she/her) a freelance writer and editor originally from Ohio but with a stint in Seattle lengthy enough to have both lost all ability to tan and to consider it my spiritual “hometown.” I’ve had a few careers, but my passion has always been narrative journalism.

Most recently I worked for two hobbyist magazines, and a co-worker and I developed and hosted an art-themed podcast. Doing the podcast was the highlight of my five years there and sparked a love for what I hope will become a career in podcast producing. Before finding this program, I’d been searching for a tangible way to learn the ins and outs of audio storytelling.

I gravitate toward podcasts that take on large cultural issues and contextualize them within a more concentrated lens, whether that’s homing in on personal stories or spotting the weird wake they leave behind. I loved this recent episode of Michael Lewis’s Against the Rules podcast that looks at the way the increasing rage directed at NBA referees reflects our general mistrust of all “judges.” But I can’t do serious all the time, so I augment with Bodega Boys, Dave and Jeb Aren’t Mean, Who? Weekly and Deadcast.

M I C H A E L S T E W A R T

Hi my name is Michael Stewart (he/him/his) a bi-cultural mixed race adoptee. I am currently the managing producer of the indie podcast called $6.99 Per Pound. I sat in on an episode recording and met the hosts. They eventually asked me to help run the podcast and I have been learning the podcasting game through through trial and error.

I am taking this program to learn the technical skills of creating a podcast and test my marketing and promotional ideas. I am excited to meet and share these next 9 weeks with you all!

My favorite recent podcast episode was the #34 episode of Earn Your Leisure ft. Jabari Johnson talking about his business Colors-Worldwide. He breaks down the importance of owning your own customer data as a business. There were other insights about how to produce live events. Useful tips for any growing brand or business.

My name is Moneke Williams (she/her) and I'm a graduate of Brooklyn College where I earned my degree in Television and Radio Production. By day, I can be found on Broadway! Except there are a lot less bright lights and marquees and a lot more processing of reports at Actors Equity Association where I work. In my spare time, I can be found studying improv comedy at Upright Citizen's Brigade as a 2019 Diversity Scholar. Storytelling has been a longtime love of mine, and I'm excited to be a part of the Fall 2019 cohort where I get to do just that but in new, innovative and exciting ways. I've always wanted to have a career in podcasting, and I hope to be the host (or co-host...I'm not picky) of my own show one day. Looking forward to learning with/from everyone!

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M A D E I N N Y P O D C A S T C E R T I F I C AT E P R O G R A M

S I E R R A T A L LMy name is Sierra Tall (she/her), and I’m currently leveraging strategies and skills as an operations associate and social producer at BuzzFeed News. As a passionate creative, I enjoy using a variety of mediums to express myself, however music and audio driven spaces are my favorite! Recognizing and celebrating culture through social justice perspectives is also something I value.

As someone who is consistently working on edifying myself, I hope my participation in this program will allow me to take my creative thinking processes to the next level, while also taking me to more vulnerable, unexplored places. My audio experience thus far has mainly just been me messing around with my piano and guitar in ProTools, but I’m ready to refine these skills. I’m also hoping this course will serve as momentum as I begin to pivot into a full-time audio career!

Right now, one of my favorite podcast episodes is The Nod’s “You Don’t Make Free People”. Not only was the sound design and movement between music and interview seamless, the story resonated with me and my experience deeply. The podcast, as a whole, does a phenomenal job celebrating black culture while slashing the notion that black people are monolithic.

Oftentimes, bios consist of work histories and highlights. However, my experience hasn’t connected to my career goals in any meaningful way yet. Thus, I’m challenged to find descriptors outside of what I do for a living, as it’s had very little connection with who I consider myself to be.

I’m a lover and consumer of stories in multiple formats. I’ve discovered that sharing personal histories/experiences is an invaluable tool for connecting with my family in new, meaningful ways. One of the biggest things I’ve learned since emigrating from the UK is how fluid and changeable identity is. I’ve never felt so British before! At various stages in my life I’ve fantasized about being a documentary maker and script writer for TV, film and theatre. More recently I’ve daydreamed of finding fulfillment in podcast production. I long for a life of ease and stability but am instead in constant flux and transit. I’m attempting to embrace the process.

For me, listening to The Read weekly is akin to church/fellowhips. My base tendencies are gratified by indulging in Desus and Mero’s f*ckery on the Bodega Boys. I could listen to Jemele Hill’s interviews all day and NPR’s PCHH is my guilty pleasure.

Y I N K A R I C K F O R D - A N G U I N

S H E E B A J O S E P HMy name is Sheeba (she/her), and I’m a naturally inquisitive person, and so I find myself seeing and hearing stories everywhere. I come from a business/marketing background, which has allowed me to work in various creative industries. So far I’ve seen how the music industry works from a label, indie, nonprofit and production studio standpoint. And have worked behind-the-scenes logistically with staged productions and events management in theater, concert and conference management aspects.

I was initiated into the podcasting scene at a former music nonprofit - we experimented with the idea as part of a content strategy. We produced and published over 150 episodes, but I have no audio technical skills from that experience, and am eager to learn and acquire some! I’d love to find a way to combine my past experiences and strengths, with my new found interest in production/producing.

And an inspiring podcast - Christy Wright from the Business Boutique utilizes a 360 degree approach to her show - which totally excites me about all the possibilities that are out there on how to engage with an audience and create a true brand for your show. It shows me that a show can be a two way street.

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J O S H G W Y N N

Josh Gwynn is an audio producer who has created work for Pineapple Street Media, The New York Times, Netflix, Essence, Stitcher, Nike, Lenny and others. He received his Masters in Media Management from The New School/Parsons in New York City and is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta. He is passionate about providing platforms for underserved voices and reflecting often overlooked nuances of the human experience.

“Palm trees, confetti, limes, rhythm, vitamin e oil, melanin and bones.”

You can find his work at joshgwynn.com and on social @regardingjosh.Contact info: josh.gwynn@gmail.com

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A G G I A S H A G R ET E A C H I N G A S S I S T A N T

Aggi Ashagre is a podcast producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She got her start producing news with NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered. In 2017, she was selected for BuzzFeed’s audio fellowship where she helped produce several shows including Another Round, Thirst Aid Kit, and See Something Say Something. Later, she became a culture producer at The Ringer where she launched a number of TV and music podcasts including the Westworld Recappables series and On Shuffle. After a brief freelancing stint, Aggi is now a full-time producer at Pineapple Street Media where she produces way too many shows to count at any given moment.