Behind every successful podcast, you’ll find unsung heroes—people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make the myriad pieces of producing a podcast come together, episode after episode. From executives, engineers, and managers to pre- and post-production specialists, writers, marketers, service providers, and more, it takes a village to ensure a show makes the desired impact. This month, we celebrate our love of podcasting by presenting 22 unsung heroes, nominated by those who see their efforts firsthand, who continuously strive to create the best podcasts they can for their audiences. Congratulations to all!
Aimee Loyet, Producer of Live Inspired Podcast with John O’Leary: An avid podcast listener herself, Aimee is “the equivalent of a whole team in the form of one committed professional.” Largely self-taught, she takes on every aspect of podcasting—from researching and scheduling guests to post-production editing, marketing the episodes, and so much more. In just three years, she has elevated the podcast to heights never expected. Thanks to Aimee’s devotion to their audience and selfless concern for others, the podcast has been downloaded several million times, the numbers keep improving, and the impact keeps elevating.
Annu Subramanian, EP Audio and Vox Creative of Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America: Can podcast ads and branded audio be meaningful, powerful storytelling? Thanks to Annu, yes! Described as “a force to be reckoned with,” Annu pushes the boundaries with branded podcasts that inspire and dig deep. She works tirelessly to tell stories that matter, spark curiosity and joy, and bring podcast advertising and branded audio to the next level. Carrying much of the load on her back, she helps power a rapidly expanding podcast network while fighting for every creative opportunity for herself and her team, so they can keep telling stories that matter.
Cynthia Brian, Creator, Producer, Publicist of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio: Cynthia believes in the voices and opinions of young people—the future of our world. In 2011, she created a broadcast for teens, by teens, and with teens, completely unedited and uncensored. She began by coaching five teens to be reporters and has now coached over 50 adolescents between the ages of 12-19 to be communicators and journalists. Cynthia produces every show, books guests chosen to motivate and inspire teens, coaches teens to improve their performances, and does the publicity… for FREE! She has given teens a voice, so they can speak up, speak out, and express themselves.
Dan Thibeault, Digital Producer of Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner: An “incredibly generous and fantastic human being,” Dan goes above and beyond to ensure every single podcast episode is successful. With the show since its beginning two years ago, he records all the audio, edits with unbelievable detail so each guest sounds their best, and then handles ALL of the technical details of getting it up into the Cloud on time, all the time. His incredible work ethic makes him integral to the show.
Editing Team at Edit Pods, for Average Joe Finances: This team is credited for being an integral part of Average Joe Finances making it to the top one percent on Listen Notes. They “made life so much easier” and were “awesome to work with.”
Felipe Velez, Podcast Manager of Stand Up & Stand Out: A musician by trade, Felipe had little experience in podcasting (other than as a listener) before jumping in with both feet to learn about the industry and the craft of editing when he joined the team. Since coming on board, the podcast has improved immensely, and he continues to make new recommendations for enhancements every episode.
Jeff Umbro, CEO/Founder of The Podglomerate: In 2015, Jeff began The Podglomerate with a simple idea: good podcasts *needed* great marketing and audience development. The Podglomerate works behind the scenes as the go-to podcast marketing firm for a high- profile portfolio of podcast clients, bringing national acclaim, major media placements, and millions of downloads to productions in the process. Through his dedication to podcast audience growth and success, Jeff, known as “a gentleman podcaster,” has been able to grow The Podglomerate from a one-person shop to a robust firm. His passion for podcasting is expansive, and he is always excited to work with others to find common podcast solutions and innovations.
Jessica Henderson, Program Director and VP of Marketing for BossUp Babes: Jessica, who works for Transformation Talk Radio, has helped in the creation of commercials, content scripts, marketing graphics, media kits, paid sponsors, and more. After going live, Jessica and team, described as “the best around,” quickly edit, produce, and list the show on over 50 different platforms—all within 24 hours.
Kale Ewing, Producer/Engineer of Girl Crush Podcast: Kale, “the backbone of this podcast,” is an audio engineer for Chicago Recording Company who “never gives less than 100%.” He’s also responsible for encouraging the hosts of Girl Crush to start a podcast in the first place, and they “couldn’t have done it without him.” He not only handles the editing and creates new theme music/intros for every season, but he also sits in on recording sessions and helps guide episodes. Though everything is recorded virtually and 1,000 miles apart, listeners would never know it, thanks to his editing expertise.
Kashmere Fitch, Producer of Everyday Practices: Two years ago, Kashmere was a novice in podcasting when she bravely took on the role of podcast producer for three weekly podcasts for the Productive Dentist Academy with grace, professionalism, and commitment. She accelerated her skillset to deliver professional, high-quality episodes week after week. She does all she can to ensure guests are well cared for while handling everything from editing, tracking stats, coordinating multiple softwares, and more. She is passionate about being the best producer she can be and has invested countless hours and sweat equity into ensuring she is. “Our success in sharing our message simply would not be possible without her!”
Kristine M Kruse, Production Assistant, Editor, Distributor, and Social Media and Website Director of Women Over 70-Aging Reimagined: What started solely as a podcast is now a full-time business, and Kristine has been there since the beginning. She’s supported her colleagues every step of the way, offering strategic guidance, creative design, and systems organization in support of the overall mission. Kristine never stops learning, is conscientious, and goes the extra step to make Women Over 70—Aging Reimagined look great.
Lauren LoGrasso, Executive Producer of Glennon Doyle’s We Can Do Hard Things: Having worked in radio and Sirius XM, Lauren’s entire career has been dedicated to the audio space. Now with Cadence13, she has gone on to spearhead and launch podcasts like Goop, Brene Brown’s first podcast, Maria Shriver’s podcast, and most recently, Glennon Doyle’s. At any given time, Lauren is creating and producing over 10 podcasts at the same time while also hosting her own show, Unleash Your Inner Creative. Lauren is passionate, hardworking, innovative, and talented. She knows exactly what it takes to create a show from the ground up, exceeding expectations along the way.
Michael DeAloia, Chief Executive Officer of Evergreen Podcasts: Michael is credited for growing a fledgling startup with a collection of five podcasts with 17,000 annual downloads to a thriving network averaging one million downloads per month in just five years, transforming it into a major player in the industry. His passion for storytelling, belief in the company, and vision for the future have carried EP to where it is today. Michael has always been excited about the evolving nature of this relatively young industry, consistently developing new approaches to the space. He is known as “a dedicated, incredibly hard worker” who believes in and supports his team above all else.
Mike Hamilton, Lead Content Creator at Rogue Media Network: Described as a “truly incredible person,” Mike leads Rogue Media Network, which currently has 70+ shows that all run thanks to his 15-hour days and seven-day workweeks. The only thing he asks in return? The best content and podcasts from all the hosts.
Rebekah Jordan, Script Writer at Qavah the Podcast: Rebekah has a passion for helping people trapped in, and survivors of, human trafficking. She also has an incredible gift that helps those without a voice—writing. Her scripts pull out the main themes in the guests interviews with such beauty, it’s like poetry. She organizes storylines to be fluid, interesting, and entertaining, and she does it all with an amazing work ethic and attitude.
Suzie Liu, Supervising Producer, The Dropout: Elizabeth Holmes on Trial (and many more!): Suzie is the total producer package. An original member of the ABC Audio podcasting team, she is an excellent writer, story editor, and project manager who is also technically savvy—she even assembles episodes and scores and mixes them when necessary. Her work speaks for itself, and she cares deeply about the power of audio storytelling. She also maintains a heavy focus on mentoring the next generation of creators eager to follow in her footsteps. Suzie embodies grace under pressure and consistently demonstrates grit and determination to get the job done while exuding integrity and kindness.
Thomas J. Mooney, Audio and Video Post-Production and Image Creation for Safety Talk: Thomas’s experience with his own traditional video production company shooting promotional videos, marketing, and advertising content and training materials for big names spans over 30 years. He has produced content for local and regional news stations as well as many advertising agencies in northeast Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and NYC. At Safety Talk, he works tirelessly to make guests look great and supply them with social-media-optimized images to promote their episode on the show. His post-production work is described as “wizardry.” Thomas is a “humble guy willing to do whatever it takes to produce a quality product.”
Tiffany Sicard, Executive Producer of Local Leaders THE Podcast: Via her role as executive producer, Tiffany has overseen the management side of Local Leaders, and the growth in terms of listeners and content has been staggering. It’s also been featured in the Podcast Magazine Hot 50 Chart twice in 2020 and was a finalist for The People’s Choice Podcast Award in the Best Business podcast category. Tiffany works tirelessly to promote the show through every aspect of the podcast business. Tiffany has also been honored as the Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce Women in Leadership award winner, and is a business owner in her own right.
Todd Cochrane: Founder & CEO of Blubrry, Podcast Hall of Famer, visionary, and podcast industry pioneer, Todd has been tirelessly shaping the new media space for nearly two decades. He’s responsible for bringing advertising to podcasts back in 2005 with GoDaddy. He introduced the People’s Choice Podcast Awards and continues to perfect statistics for podcasting through the Blubrry platform. Blubrry is one of the top media hosting companies in the space today with a fabulous reputation for their tech support.
Mike Dell, Blubrry: Mike has been responsible for Blubrry’s tech support and documentation since 2009, is the epitome of not only tech support, but also customer service. Mike is known for having the patience of a saint and the knowledge of the podcasting industry to match. A podcaster himself since 2005, he also co-hosts the Blubrry podcast, Podcast Insider, along with being an avid ham radio operator.
Tyler McLean, Pre-production, Producer, and Technical Director of About Space Today: The man with the “magic,” Tyler has been instrumental in all aspects of creating About Space Today. From instructing on the use of various programs to selecting audio equipment, lighting, and cameras, he has almost single-handedly made About Space Today the 24th of the top 50 ranked space podcasts.
Honorable Mention
Judith Skutch Whitson, Originator of Miracle Voices: Founder of the Foundation for Inner Peace and authorized publisher of A Course in Miracles, Judith was responsible for launching Miracle Voices—a show that may have never seen the light of day without her. She recorded episodes right up to her passing in October 2021 at the age of 90. Because she gave love so richly and deeply, she was beloved by literally millions all over the world, and her presence continues to be felt by those who knew her.
