Announcing the 2026 Mentees
Meet our 2026 cohort and read their bios below.
Elle Scott is a Senior Podcast Producer and Audio Journalist who moves easily between character-led storytelling, in-depth journalism and inventive formats. She has produced major factual and true crime series for BBC Sounds, Radio 4, BBC 5 Live, the World Service and Wondery, including Sport’s Strangest Crimes: Confessions of a Super Bowl Streaker, Witch, and The Curse of County Mayo. Known for her disarming interviewing, Elle combines forensic research with empathy and warmth to illuminate the people at the heart of her work. She has a particular passion for science-led projects and female-skewed formats, and is always brimming with new ideas. Before moving into audio, Elle worked in factual television, which continues to inform her cinematic approach to audio.
Emily Jarvis is a line producer at ITN Productions specialising in the production of podcasts ranging from investigations and true crime narrative series to science and wellness projects. Having worked with a range of clients including Audible, the BBC and Sony she excels at supporting creative teams taking ideas to delivery on time. She is happiest where most are unhappy: schedules, budgets and resource allocation.
Gabrielle Morris is a specialist music producer and live DJ. She played a key role in delivering one of the most influential specialist music programmes as a producer for Benji B's show on BBC Radio 1. Most recently, she stepped into the spotlight to present The Chillest Show for Sian Eleri on BBC Radio 1 over the Christmas period, showcasing her curated musical taste and on-air versatility. Her experience spans the breadth of the UK radio landscape, from producing Saturday Afternoons on BBC Asian Network to hosting regular shows across London’s community radio scene, including Balamii. Beyond the studio, she served as Music Industry Lead at Nordoff and Robbins, where she managed relationships with major talent such as David Gilmour, IDLES, and AURORA. Currently freelancing for the label WotNot, she continues to champion cutting-edge music across multiple platforms.
Hannah Fisher is an award-winning freelance audio producer with a specialism in science, who has worked on a diverse range of podcasts and programmes for the BBC (BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 2), The Economist, Audible and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, among others. Always one to record ‘out and about', she has recorded on location around the world: examining historical documents in haunted vaults, searching the seas for bioluminescent organisms, or tracking Burmese pythons through the Everglades, to name just some highlights from her audio adventures. Her work investigating coastal erosion in Puerto Rico won her the Gold Ricardo Ortega Memorial Prize from the United Nations Correspondents Association in 2024.
Hannah is also an experienced science reporter, presenting and producing various stories for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service - most recently meeting a lovely group of problem-solving bees.
Hannah Loy is a producer and presenter with over 20 years’ broadcast experience. She spent 18 years of those at the BBC, contributing to both daily and weekly output, including The Arts Show, and producing documentaries for BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Wales and BBC World Service. Her credits include The Lost Women of British Jazz, which was nominated for a Prix Europa. In 2024, Hannah launched her own independent company, Read the Room Productions, bringing her editorial expertise and creative vision to podcasts, radio programmes and short-form video. She currently presents and produces ongoing series The Aberystwyth Book Club on BBC Sounds, which brings together everyday readers from the town and culminates annually in a special live recording at Hay Festival. In 2025, Hannah produced Breaking Boundaries, a podcast series for British Council Wales inspired by a literature scoping trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa. The series showcases ambitious, cross-cultural collaborations and celebrates bold creative exchanges between Welsh and international artists.
Harry Bligh is a freelance journalist, producer and presenter with over six years’ experience working in audio.
He began his career producing podcasts before joining BBC News in 2019, and later the BBC World Service, where he produced and presented programmes including the highly acclaimed Global News Podcast.
Harry has developed and launched new audio products, from news briefings for smart speakers to podcast titles such as The Happy Pod, which has brought uplifting and solutions-focused stories to global audiences. More recently, he launched the Global News Podcast on YouTube, creating visualised interviews and filmed explainers that brought previously audio-first journalism to new audiences.
Now working as a freelancer, Harry is pivoting beyond daily news, developing and pitching narrative-led stories and programmes. His work is shaped by a curiosity about culture, particularly music, language and craft, and by a desire to create engaging sound-rich storytelling.
Hywel Davies is a radio professional currently working as a Producer for the award-winning community of interest radio station, RNIB Connect Radio, which broadcasts around the UK to a predominantly blind and partially sighted audience.
Hywel currently produces a range of content for RNIB Connect Radio including ‘RNIB Tech Talk’, the leading technology podcast for blind and partially sighted listeners.
Hywel has also led an award-winning 6-year prison radio project in south Wales, working with prisoners to develop confidence and life skills through the medium of radio.
With previous stints on commercial radio with Cumulus Media and in television with ABC and PBS affiliates in the USA, Hywel has a broad skill set and is passionate about increasing access to education and training for people who have fewer opportunities.
He has delivered a range of qualifications and training packages including courses from Agored Cymru and NCFE and enjoys working with students and volunteers to develop their skills and share their stories.”
Jo Meek is an award-winning audio producer, executive producer and content designer with over 20 years’ experience crafting high-impact factual and narrative stories. She has worked across BBC radio networks, BBC Sounds, the BBC World Service, ABC National Radio in Sydney, and leading commercial podcast platforms in the UK and US.
Jo’s recent credits include executive producing long-form narrative series for iHeart and Novel, alongside development work for Naked Productions. She has led and edited internationally successful investigative podcasts including The Pitcairn Trials, Carrie Jade Does Not Exist and The Girlfriends, and was executive producer of Different with Nicky Campbell, winner of a British Podcast Award for Best Interview. Her work has received multiple ARIA awards, as well as recognition from the Rose d’Or and One World Media.
Previously, Jo was Content Director at Audio Always, where she led the factual and children’s departments, and earlier she worked as Digital Director for the Prison Radio Association after co-founding Manchester-based indie Sparklab Productions. She has a long-standing commitment to mentoring and leadership development, and is currently nearing completion of a professional coaching diploma. Jo currently works freelance and is based in the North of England.
Jules Garnett is a writer and director, focusing on scripted comedy and comedy-entertainment. His broadcast writing credits include Have I Got News For You, The News Quiz and The Now Show. He has written for live & podcast sketch group Vice Captains (including the group’s run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe) and live sketch group The Bosun’s Delight (with which he has also performed, at festivals including Brighton Fringe & Camden Fringe). He has directed short films, live comedy and scripted audio. He has been part of developmental initiatives with BBC Studios, The Media Trust and DANC/Triple C.
Kelly Shungu is a multi-award-winning podcaster, engineer, and founder of the Women In STEM Podcast, which she created to build community and foster conversations among women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. What began as a space for connection has grown into an international platform with over 75 episodes, amplifying voices from around the world. Kelly's podcasting work has earned recognition, including Best Technology Podcast 2025 at the Women in Podcasting Awards and the Technology Award 2025 at The Podcast Awards. As a multi-award-winning hardware engineer, named among the UK's Top 50 Women in Engineering 2025 by The Women's Engineering Society, Kelly brings authentic, firsthand experience of navigating the STEM industry to her storytelling and community-building in audio.
Lucy Johnson is a freelance radio and podcast producer, primarily working with a variety of direct clients and small businesses. Beginning her producing career in commercial radio, Lucy transitioned to podcasts through a small production company, learning to produce both original in-house offerings and branded podcasts.
Thrust into the world of freelancing via redundancy, Lucy’s work has spanned a number of companies and independent productions, including Avalon Entertainment and curly media. A two year stint producing the British Podcast Award nominated ‘The Girls Bathroom’ put her at the heart of creating content for a visually engaged and discerning Gen Z audience. At present she produces branded podcast FlightGlobal Focus and Vision of Health, while also helping business owners and founders create their own unique content.
Mandeep Mann is the Assistant Commissioner for Music at BBC Asian Network, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping the station's music strategy and overseeing its daily operations. A driving force in the British Asian music industry, Mandy began her career at BritAsia TV before moving to Asian Network where she has gained over a decade of experience on the Music Team, from her first role as an Assistant Producer to her current role.
Mandy leads on the curation and execution of the award winning Asian Network Certified, the station’s flagship club night that has landed in Bradford, London and Birmingham. She also curates lineups for Asian Network’s coveted All Star DJ Takeover. She played a pivotal role in Asian Network’s partnerships with Europe's largest outdoor South Asian festivals MirchiFest, in The Hague and Breaking Borders in Malta.
Mandy’s passion for showcasing talent took her to Austin, Texas where she represented Asian Network at SXSW and went on to partner with SXSW London to curate British Asian showcases. She continues to influence the future of music, across all genres, as a member of the voting panels for both BBC Radio 1’s Sound Of and the Brit Awards.
Meera Kumar is a freelance Producer, Presenter, and Content Development Exec. She was recently named the Producer of the Year 2024, selected for Radio Academy’s 30 Under 30 and awarded Best Entertainment Producer in the Audio Production Awards. She has developed and produced narrative and entertainment series for the BBC, Sony Music, Universal, Waitrose, iHeart, Love + Radio, and others, working across audio and visualised formats - from audio drama, sports documentaries, and branded chat shows to sleep stories, horror shorts, and music game shows. Recent projects include Afghan Star, hosted by John Legend (The Week's Best Podcasts of 2024), Thrill Seekers (The Independent's Podcast of the Week), and Blood Memory (Tribeca Independent Audio Nonfiction Award 2025).
Michelle Martin is a freelance Executive Producer, Story Editor and Podcast Consultant. After spending her formative years as a producer in the BBC Science Unit, Michelle joined the podcast commissioning team at Audible, before moving into a senior leadership role at Wondery, helping to establish the new UK unit.
Millie Chu is an Executive Producer, heading up the podcast and digital content team at Mindhouse Productions. In her role she oversees development, pitching and production of new and existing formats, as well as producing Spotify's chart-topping show, ‘The Louis Theroux Podcast’. Before Mindhouse, she produced scripted history show ‘British Scandal’ (Wondery), hosted by Alice Levine and Matt Forde; eight-part narrative series ‘Smokescreen: The Greatest Scam Ever Written’ (ITN/Sony); and ‘Rylan: How To Be in The Spotlight’ (Mindhouse/BBC Sounds). She began her career at Sony Music, working across both radio and podcast projects, including ‘Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner’, ‘The Penguin Podcast’, and several shows across BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4 and 6Music. She has made shows for Audible, Wondery, BBC, and Spotify.
Olga Smirnova is a freelance radio, podcast, and TV/video producer. She has produced and presented documentaries across multiple genres — from stand-alone programmes for Radio 4 and the BBC World Service to multi-part series for the BBC Two, Natural History Unit, CNN, and National Geographic. Olga was part of the team piloting BBC Verify and has worked as an OSINT and AI trainer for BBC Media Action and Royal Holloway, University of London. She has also worked for BBC News, producing live TV and radio, as well as working for UGC and Investigations. Olga grew up in Russia and initially came to the UK to complete her PhD. She began her journalism career in Belfast, where she also lectured in Post-Soviet and East European Studies. She is currently producing and presenting a multi-part investigative podcast for the BBC’s World of Secrets.
Olivia Swift is an award-winning audio producer with a passion for specialist music radio, audio documentary, and person-centred storytelling. She has made a variety of programmes for networks like BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio 4, and Radio 3, as well as podcasts for Hits Radio, BBC Bitesize, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Dedicated and enthusiastic for knowledge, Olivia learnt the ropes of audio production through student, hospital, and community radio, meeting a collection of brilliant, kind and generous people along the way. She arrived at Reform Radio in 2019, in her home city of Manchester. As a non-profit using creativity to engage young people, Olivia quickly learnt to develop her skills, passing on her learning through workshop facilitation. This work led her to win 'Best New Producer' at the 2021 Audio Production Awards, a British Podcast Award, and in 2022 she became a Radio Academy 30 under 30 alumna.
Seb Masters is an award-winning audio producer and sound designer. His passion for audio storytelling began while studying Zoology, where he created a BBC Radio series about the form, function and beauty of insect song. He went on to set up an independent radio station, where he honed skills for producing immersive documentaries. His work has been commissioned by organisations including BBC Earth, Radio 4, the Ashmolean Museum and The Listening Planet. Today, Seb is particularly interested in using creative audio techniques to tell stories in new and surprising ways. His latest show, For FUZZ Sake, explores the history, psychology, and philosophy of auditory distortion, and was selected as BBC Radio 4’s Pick of the Week.
Shreni Yajnik is a radio producer, executive producer, and director of Solis Productions, the company she founded after seven years in the radio industry. Starting her career as a Junior Content Assistant, she has worked her way up to run her own production company, securing three BBC commissions in the past year.
Her journey began at Leeds Student Radio, where she presented and produced shows and served as Weekend Editor. After graduating, she joined Bauer Media producing the Birmingham Breakfast Show.
In 2021, Shreni launched the BBC Introducing show on the Asian Network, championing British Asian artists and supporting their rise to major festival stages including Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds, earning Music Week award nominations.
She has since produced a range of programmes including Radio 1 Future Artists, Radio 1’s Indie Show, Asian Network Motivation and Asian Network Celebrates. Known for collaborating across music and speech formats, Shreni focuses on developing talent and creating impactful audio.
Silas Gray is an Executive Audio Producer at Reduced Listening and the presenter/producer of Eclecticist on Rinse FM. Working across radio and podcasting, he specialises in music-led storytelling, live broadcast production and documentary-led formats that place culture and context at the heart of the listening experience. He produces and executive-produces for major UK broadcasters, and is also the producer of the Guardian’s Women’s Football Weekly podcast, winner of the 2025 FSA Award. Across his work, Silas collaborates closely with presenters, artists and contributors to shape ambitious programmes with clarity, warmth and purpose. Alongside his broadcast output, he develops original ideas that spotlight global scenes, underrepresented voices, and the stories behind the music. He is passionate about talent development, thoughtful editorial leadership and creating work that connects audiences to sound, place and perspective.
Vic Turnbull is the Founder of MIC media, an award-winning podcast production and training agency set up as a social enterprise. Since 2019, MIC has produced 60+ podcasts and trained more than 2,800 people, working with “good eggs” across charities, councils, universities and cultural organisations including Amnesty, Oxfam and the National Football Museum. MIC uses podcasting as a tool for storytelling, confidence-building and impact - not just downloads.
Before founding MIC, media production was a constant thread, with live radio experience alongside charity sector roles, and broadcast credits including BBC Radio 5 Live. MIC has been recognised by the Audio Production Awards and British Podcast Awards, and Vic has been named twice in the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise. A familiar industry voice, she speaks at events such as The Podcast Show, is a judge for major podcast awards, and runs MIC’s Podcast Club, a global peer community for 1,500+ indie podcasters.
Shola Aleje is an audio and radio producer, currently producing the Lauren Laverne mid-morning show on BBC 6 Music. She also worked on the production team for the 6 Music Breakfast show from 2019 to 2025, where she was part of the launch team and later went on to produce the show, hosted by Lauren Laverne, and from 2025, Nick Grimshaw. With over 12 years of experience in audio, Shola has also produced audio in a freelance capacity for Cherry Healey, Emma Gannon & Lliana Bird, worked on the production team for award-winning Amazon Audible series, The Beautiful Brain. Shola has also launched podcast series Football, Feminism & Everything in between hosted by Alastair Campbell and Grace Campbell, and Angela Scanlon’s Thanks A Million podcast, and has also live-produced podcasts for several clients.