“KalaLea is an audio journalist who has produced stories for NPR’s Latino USA, Slate Studios, NPR’s Interfaith Voices, The New Yorker podcasts and KCRW.

She received her Master’s degree from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism with a specialization in multimedia storytelling. In 2017, KalaLea was a recipient of the Tow-Knight Entrepreneurial Journalism fellowship.

Before working in audio, KalaLea worked as a digital producer for advertising and publishing companies. And before that, she was the owner of a little cafe in Brooklyn.”

Steve Ackerman is Executive Vice President, Co-Head of Global Podcasts at Sony Music Entertainment (SME). Based in New York, Ackerman runs the division’s U.S.-based operations and jointly spearheads SME’s global podcast content and development business strategy. Prior to this role, Ackerman was Chief Content Officer and Managing Director of acclaimed UK podcast and audio production company Somethin’ Else. Since joining the company in 2000, he helped to build the business into a successful content brand specializing in audio, social media, TV production, and podcasting, leading the company to become the UK’s biggest independent podcast producer. Prior to Somethin’ Else, Steve was a producer, radio DJ and journalist.

Jack Barsky’s life marks him as one of a kind. He was born in Germany, became a chemistry professor, was recruited by the KGB, spent 10 years in the United States spying for the Russians, and ended up a United States citizen and information technology executive.

Jack’s story was featured in May of 2015 on CBS 60 Minutes. His memoir “Deep Undercover” was released in March of 2017. The book has been translated into German, Swedish and Polish. Jack has appeared frequently on US cable stations such as CNN, FOX and MSNBC as well as on foreign TV including in such countries as Germany, Poland, Japan, Turkey and France and the UK. In his 6th career as a public speaker Jack has had appearances across the United States as well as in Germany, Ireland, and Poland. In December of 2021 Imperative Entertainment released a podcast called “The Agent”, which is an audio documentary about Jack’s life. Jack lives with his wife Shawna and daughter Trinity in Covington Georgia.

Preet Bharara is a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the co-founder of CAFE and host of Stay Tuned with Preet. His work as a prosecutor and advocate has led to him becoming one of the top figures and trusted voices in US law. Preet graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, is a New York Times bestselling author, and is a regular contributor to CNN and other networks.

Molly Bloom is the host of Brains On! She loves finding out about the way things work — whether it’s a glass factory or our brains or molecular bonds. She likes playing piano, sings in a choir and wishes that people would break into song and dance like they do in the musicals that she loves. She was always the shortest one in her class and has worn glasses since the third grade.

Chris Bowlby is the Head of Brand Partnerships for Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast, the third largest podcast ad network. In this role, he works with large agencies and brands to leverage host read and programmatic opportunities with leading independent publishers. He’s previously held sales and management leadership roles with The Information, Spotify, Flipboard, The New York Times, and Time, Inc. Prior to his digital career, he led broadcast sales teams in cable television and radio. His professional passions include building effective sales teams, mentoring young media professionals and collaborating with clients to create successful podcast ad campaigns.

Ben Brock Johnson is the Executive Producer of Podcasts at WBUR, where he helps direct strategic and editorial initiatives involving on-demand audio across the organization. Ben also co-hosts the podcast Endless Thread. Previously Ben was the host of the national daily program Marketplace Tech, where he also conceptualized and launched the podcast, Codebreaker in partnership with Business Insider.  Ben has also worked at Slate and WNYC.

Gary Coichy is the founder of Pod Digital Media, a leading multicultural podcast network that connects advertisers with diverse audiences. Leveraging his extensive experience in marketing and digital campaigns, he identified a niche for a platform that serves both advertisers aiming to tap into multicultural buying power and podcasters seeking monetization opportunities.


Pod Digital Media stands out as a pioneer in the industry, being the first of its kind to focus on the multicultural space within the podcasting world. The agency’s success is underscored by its swift acquisition of numerous prominent advertisers shortly after launch. Coichy’s vision and leadership have propelled the company to the forefront of the podcasting industry, ensuring that it is well-positioned for continued growth and innovation.

Jimmy Conrad is a former professional soccer player who had a 13-year career in Major League Soccer with the Kansas City Wizards (Sporting Kansas City), San Jose Earthquakes and Chivas USA. Conrad was a six-time MLS All Star and MLS Defender of the Year in 2005. On the international front, Conrad registered 27 caps for the United States Men’s National Team, representing the US at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Copa America. Since retiring, Conrad has become a soccer media personality, serving as a soccer analyst for CBS Sports HQ and hosting the “In Soccer We Trust” podcast. Conrad is also the Technical Director for USL League Two team, the San Francisco Glens.

Kerel Cooper is President of Advertising at Group Black where he leads Group Black’s revenue operations, strategic planning and insights teams. Cooper is an award-winning executive with 20+ years of digital media experience building Advertising Operations, Account Management, and Marketing teams. Before joining Group Black, Kerel was the Chief Marketing Officer at LiveIntent, where he led teams that managed campaigns for key publishers and advertisers, and teams that helped the company better understand the customer’s journey. He is the co-founder and co-host of Minority Report Podcast which highlights people of color, women & LGBTQ+ leaders within business, media, and technology.

He has been widely recognized for his leadership and innovation. Kerel was included in Crain’s New York Business Notable Black Leaders and Executives 2021 list. He is the recipient of the 2021 AdWeek Readers’ Choice best of tech diversity advocate of the year award, the 2021 Diversity Advocate of the Year award by Campaign Tech Awards and 2021 Award of Excellence by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts.

Scott Davis is SVP of NPR Corporate Sponsorship at National Public Media (NPM). With 30 years of work in radio and media sales at both public and commercial organizations, Davis has helped hundreds of brands share their story through audio. His team fuels the growth of NPR and public media by securing revenue from corporate sponsors. In 2018, the Network Sponsorship team led by Davis was recognized by Digiday Awards’ Most Effective Sales Team category. Davis lives with his family in Brooklyn, NY, is a member of the Board of Visitors for the University of Illinois’ Department of Political Science, a runner, and a diehard fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Bears.

Reggie Denson is recognized as one of the pioneers in urban radio marketing. He is currently President R2D Marketing Group. He was formerly the VP Sales for Reach Media, SVP Multicultural Marketing for Katz Media and Director of Urban Radio Sales & Marketing for ABC Radio Networks.

Denson has developed and managed many successful African American targeted advertising campaigns. His efforts have increased revenues significantly for urban radio nationwide. He educates advertisers and ad agencies on the intricacies of marketing to the AA consumer market.

An authority on the ethnic consumer market, Denson has served as a panelist at several functions including the Radio Advertising Bureau Radio Conference, National Association of Broadcasters Radio Show, Strategic Research Ethnic Marketing Seminars, Power of Urban Radio Conference, ANA Multicultural Conference and the Multicultural Media Expo.

He has participated in several organizations including, Columbia College Radio Advisory Board, Board Member of LaRabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Trustee for the Adler School of Professional Psychology and Media Advisory Board for Chicago City Colleges. He is also credited as a contributor to Arbitron’s African American Consumer study and Urban Radio in a PPM World.

Denson is recognized in the radio industry, being selected by Radio Ink as one of the Top 35 African Americans in Radio, Next Top 40 Powerful People in Radio and multiple Outstanding Presentation Awards.

One of television’s most visible anchors and personalities, Rich Eisen was a mainstay on ESPN’s SportsCenter from 1996-2003 before becoming the first on-air talent added at the NFL Network in June 2003, five months before the network’s launch in November of 2003.

As a four-time Emmy nominee for “Outstanding Studio Host,” Eisen can be seen Sunday morning’s throughout the NFL season hosting the network’s Emmy-nominated NFL GameDay Morning.

As the signature host of the NFL Network, Eisen also serves as the emcee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Canton, Ohio, and also anchors the network’s special on location coverage of the NFL Draft, NFL Scouting Combine and Super Bowl.

In 2014, Eisen created The Rich Eisen Show. Now in its sixth year, the Emmy nominated show originates out of Los Angeles, CA and features an engaging mix of sports, humor and pop culture, while attracting the most recognizable names in sports and entertainment, including Tom Brady, Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Regina King, Aaron Rodgers, Larry David, Morgan Freeman and more.

The show airs nationally from noon-3PM ET on Peacock TV, and is also available on Channel 211 NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM.

This February, Eisen will launch Just Getting Started, an original podcast distributed the Westwood One where he will interview the biggest names from news, entertainment, sports, and pop culture, discussing their career origins and mining their stories on how they got started in a format where audiences can be inspired by their endeavors.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Eisen earned a Master of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 1994.
He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Suzy Shuster. Together they have three children and two rescue dogs.

Tish Few is Vice President of Branded Partnerships at SpokenLayer, the leader in short form audio production and branded content creation. She started her audio career in Public Radio as an Underwriting Manager at WAMU in D.C. and later joined Market Enginuity, generating revenue for some of the largest public media networks in the country. Prior to joining Spoken Layer, she served as Vice President of Branded Content at Stitcher, now SiriusXM.

Ashley Flowers is the Founder and CEO of audiochuck, a female-focused podcast network, home to both scripted and unscripted podcasts in the crime space.

Ashley was born and raised in the midwest and has been true-crime obsessed since birth. She grew up with aspirations of becoming a detective and solving cold cases, and ultimately went to college at Arizona State University to study biomedical research. After college, she got a job doing genetics research at the University of Notre Dame. She eventually moved into software sales, and was working at a local software company in Indiana when she was drawn to the idea of working back in her original passion, and began producing the podcast.

In what little free time she has, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband and their beloved dog, Chuck. She also credits exercise — like hiking or hot yoga — as a method to de-stress from the emotional work of researching heavy crime cases.

Anne Frisbie is SVP, Global Business Development at AdsWizz, the technology engine powering the monetization of audio content worldwide. In her role, Anne works with publishers, creators, and buyers across all types of digital audio content, highlighting AdsWizz’s robust digital audio programmatic buying capabilities and advanced advertising features.

Anne brings more than 20 years of experience building and leading teams at some of the world’s leading digital media and technology companies, such as Yahoo!, AltaVista, Overture, and at Elon Musk’s first start-up, Zip2. Anne most recently served as SVP and GM for InMobi Exchange and North America sales. Anne launched InMobi Exchange, which is the largest, independent in-app global mobile exchange built for brands, in 2014. She also was a driving force for improving industry standards for in-app mobile video, in order to provide third-party measurement along with a buffer-free consumer experience.

Scott Galloway is the co-host of Pivot, Professor of marketing at NYU’s top-ranked Stern School of Business and best-selling author of three books The Four, The Algebra of Happiness, and Post Corona, which have all appeared on The New York Times bestsellers list. In addition to teaching, Galloway is the founder of multiple business intelligence firms including Red Envelope and Prophet Brand Strategy — as well as the education platform Section4.

Gina Garrubbo is President and CEO of National Public Media (NPM), a subsidiary of NPR owned in partnership with PBS and WGBH. As a full-service corporate sponsorship organization, National Public Media supports the continued growth of NPR and the public media system via funding from corporate sponsors across multiple platforms, from broadcast radio and podcasts, to the NPR app and NPR.org. National Public Media includes NPM Creative, its in-house creative studio offering brands long-form custom audio production, including branded podcast production. NPM Creative won the 2022 PR Daily Content Marketing Award for Best Branded Podcast in partnership with YouTube.


Outside of National Public Media, Garrubbo sits on the IAB Executive, IAB Finance and IAB Audio Committees, working with leaders across the industry to build industry standards, best practices and resources for audio marketing.


Prior to NPR, Garrubbo spent more than 20 years growing marketing and sales teams, launching brands and building companies, with extensive experience in both legacy and emerging media. She was one of the builders of women.com, one of the first websites for women, and BlogHer, a network of bloggers which brought independent voices to millions of readers. Garrubbo built advertising sales teams for Oxygen Media, Discovery Communications and in syndicated television. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and Glen Highland Farm.

Sheryl Goldstein is the Executive Vice President, Chief Industry Growth Officer at the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau). In her role, she oversees engaging the IAB’s 650+ members across all of the IAB’s vast initiatives, activities and thought leadership programs. Under Sheryl’s watch are the Member Engagement, Centers of Excellence, Research and L&D teams. She also spearheads talent development, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and runs the IAB CRO Council.

Sheryl Goldstein is a “net vet” with over 20 years of driving meaningful revenue growth through consultative selling in the dynamic digital landscape (Yahoo, AOL, About.com). She is adept at building successful teams, developing go-to-market strategies and gaining consensus across key stakeholders. Her background includes a wide variety of digital media platforms and technologies and numerous leadership roles.

In addition to her experience as a sales leader, Sheryl brings years of talent development and training to her role and is committed to making the digital media landscape a great industry for diverse talent to thrive and have a long and exciting career.

Sheryl is a current board member for 212NYC, Makers and was a past Board member of She Runs It. She serves on the Rutgers Business School Advisory Board for Marketing and is helping RBS craft a digital marketing graduate program. In addition, she has served on Boards and Committees for the NY Ad Club, Women in Communications, Inc. and the IAB and is a member of Chief. She is an award-winning sales leader (Yahoo Accelerator Award, AOL Best Media Partner presented by Verizon, AOL Presidents Club, AWNY Crystal Award Winner).

Sheryl is a graduate of Syracuse University Newhouse School and lives in New Jersey with her partner Cindy and dogs Pancho and Camden. On the weekends, you can catch her on the pickleball court or riding around the Jersey Shore on her new electric bike. Her daughter Sarah-Jaana lives in the Boston area with her husband Michael.

Andrew Golis is Chief Content Officer at WNYC where he leads all content efforts—from editorial strategy and program development to the continued integration of digital and radio—across WNYC News, WNYC Radio, and WNYC Studios, the organization’s podcasting and national program distribution arm.

Prior to joining WNYC, Golis was General Manager of Vox and the Vice President of Network Development for Vox’s parent company, Vox Media. During his tenure, he oversaw a team setting and supporting business strategy across Vox Media’s editorial networks, which include Curbed, Eater, Polygon, Recode, SB Nation, and The Verge. At Vox, he spearheaded the partnership that created its daily news podcast Today, Explained, helped the team grow into TV and set up partnerships to expand Vox’s journalism with everyone from ProPublica to the Rockefeller Foundation.

Early in his career, Golis was named as The Atlantic’s first “Entrepreneur in Residence” and was on the management team at PBS’ FRONTLINE. During his tenure overseeing digital at FRONTLINE, it was awarded six Webby honors, two Emmy nominations for digital storytelling, and an Overseas Press Club Award for digital innovation.

Frankie Grande is a presenter, actor, producer, reality TV personality and the host of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob BingePants podcast. Upcoming, Grande will star in the horror comedy film, Summoning Sylvia, alongside Michael Urie and Travis Coles coming out Fall 2022. Grande became known to the world when he launched his successful YouTube channel in 2012 and more recently, as a stand-out finalist on the hit CBS series, Big Brother. Following, Grande was a judge on the 2015 season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and as a houseguest on Celebrity Big Brother in the U.K. From 2016-2017, he co-hosted Style Code Live, an interactive fashion and shopping show that streamed live on Amazon.com. As an actor, Grande has starred on Broadway as “Franz” in the closing cast of Rock of Ages and made his debut with the mega-hit, Mamma Mia!, additionally guest-starring on Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger, its spinoff Danger Force, and Netflix’s Haters Back Off. As a producer, he has worked with shows on Broadway including Hamlet, La Bete and Born Yesterday, as well as Brooke Shields at Feinstein’s, and his own one-man show, Livin’ La Vida Grande. His philanthropic work includes co-founding the non-profit arts organization “Broadway in South Africa” which then merged with the organization buildOn. Grande devotes much of his time and energy supporting the Los Angeles LGBT Center. @frankiejgrande

Suzanne Grimes, a prominent executive with over 30 years of experience in the media industry, currently serves as the President of Westwood One and the EVP of Corporate Marketing at Cumulus Media. At Westwood One, Grimes oversees the largest audio network in America, providing nationally syndicated news, sports and entertainment programming to more than 9,400 radio stations nationwide, reaching a quarter billion monthly listeners. Under her leadership, Westwood One has expanded its digital footprint, growing streaming audio and launching the top-ranked Cumulus Podcast Network with over 1.4 billion podcast downloads annually. Grimes also leads corporate marketing at Cumulus Media, where she is responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies that promote the company’s brand and drive revenue growth.

Prior to joining Westwood One and Cumulus Media, Grimes held executive positions at other media companies, including iHeartMedia, Reader’s Digest Association, Condé Nast, and News Corp. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her leadership and industry expertise. She has been named a “Women to Watch” by Advertising Age and a Top Woman in Media by Cynopsis Media. She has been included in Radio Ink magazine’s “40 Most Powerful People in Radio” and “Most Powerful Women in Radio” each year since 2016, and currently serves on the Executive Committee of Radio Advertising Bureau’s Board of Directors.

Shantae Howell is the Director of Acast Creative in the Americas where she is responsible for overseeing the execution of brilliantly crafted brand stories. Prior to her role at Acast, Shantae was a Sr. Audio Strategist at Vox Media where she helped to bring the “Who are We: A Chronicle of Racism in America” podcast to fruition. Shantae also played an instrumental role in amplifying The TMI Project Podcast. Among the show’s most notable episodes, “Reclaiming Our Time” features stories from a series of writing workshops hosted in partnership with The Slave Dwelling Project on Juneteenth of 2017, along with and an overnight stay in the cellar of a historic house on Huguenot Street where former enslaved Africans once lived. Additionally, Shantae was named to the 2021 Top Women in Media list in the DEI Champions category presented by Folio: and AdMonsters, which recognizes leaders who have made a lasting impact on their brands, organizations and markets, spotlighting the diversity and progress of the broader media industry. In 2019, Shantae was named to the 13th Annual ADCOLOR FUTURES class.

Ross Jackson joined the Locked On Podcast Network in 2018 as host of the Locked On Saints podcast. Since then, his role expanded as a host on Locked On NFL, focusing on in-depth analysis of the biggest stories across the NFL and fantasy football. His background in performing arts drives his hosting style emphasizing energy and audience engagement. Ross is also a contributor to USA Today’s Saints Wire and serves as the Network’s Partnerships Manager focusing on collaborative efforts between Locked On, TEGNA, and Audacy radio stations while producing tentpole events.

Mike Jensen is the Chief Business Officer of Kast Media. Before joining Kast, Jensen was VP of Podcast Strategy for iHeartMedia, where he oversaw the development and launch of iHeart Original podcasts. Previously, Jensen led the successful launch of Stitcher advertising, joining in 2013 to create a monetization strategy for the brand, leading to the successful sale of Stitcher to E.W Scripps as Head of Sales in 2016. Jensen’s media experience includes management positions at AOL, Wall Street Journal, and Tribune. Jensen volunteers his time as a board chair of National Disability Institute, a non-profit organization building a better future for people with disabilities and their families.

Cody Johnston is a comedian, writer, host, and podcaster from Ohio. Katy Stoll is an actress, producer, and podcaster living in California. After nearly a decade of working with Cracked.com and building their online voice and presence, Cody and Katy created the popular YouTube channel: Some More News and launched the companion podcast called Even More News.

Charlie Kammerer is president of Slate, where he focuses on developing ways for brands to tap into Slate’s audience through editorial content, podcasting, video, and custom programs. Kammerer joined Slate in 2017 after spending 20 years at Time Inc., where he was a brand builder and revenue generator across a diverse portfolio of brands, including Real Simple, Fortune, Food and Wine, Cooking Light, Golf, and This Old House. He’s based out of Slate’s Brooklyn office.

Noel King joins Today, Explained as co-host and editorial director from NPR where she reported from across the US while occupying the host chair for Morning Edition and Up First. She was part of a team of NPR journalists who won an Edward R. Murrow Award, and her reporting from Minneapolis after George Floyd’s murder won a Gracie Award for best feature interview. In 2020, the Radio Hall of Fame honored her with its “One to Watch” award.

As Chief Revenue Officer at Veritonic, Korri oversees Business Development, Sales, and Marketing operations. Korri is responsible for driving the company’s growth and revenue by designing and implementing business process models and operational blueprints while establishing strategic partnerships, expanding client business & heightening the visibility of the company’s brand and technology. Prior to joining Veritonic, Korri was COO at ART19, which she transitioned to after serving as CRO at Midroll Media/Stitcher.  A visionary strategist and operations-focused leader, Korri has more than two decades of experience in fast-paced and high growth environments, with a particular focus on scale and monetization. She resides in NYC with her family.

Emily Kwong (she/her) is the reporter for NPR’s daily science podcast, Short Wave. The podcast explores new discoveries, everyday mysteries and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, Monday through Friday.

Prior to working at NPR, Kwong was a reporter and host at KCAW-Sitka, a community radio station in Sitka, Alaska. She covered local government and politics, culture and general assignments, chasing stories onto fishing boats and up volcanoes. Her work earned multiple awards from the Alaska Press Club and Alaska Broadcasters Association. Prior to that, Kwong produced youth media with WNYC’s Radio Rookies and The Modern Story in Hyderabad, India.
Kwong won the “Best New Artist” award in 2013 from the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition for a story about a Maine journalist learning to speak with an electrolarynx. She was the 2018 “Above the Fray” Fellow, reporting a series for NPR on climate change and internal migration in Mongolia.

Kwong earned her bachelor’s degree at Columbia University in 2012. She learned the finer points of cutting tape at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in 2013.

Ken Lagana is the Executive Vice President of Digital Sales at Audacy, the #1 creator of original, premium audio content representing an audio universe of discovery and connection. Home to the industry’s most influential collection of broadcast and digital content, podcasts and premium live experiences, Audacy engages over 170 million consumers each month. In this role, Lagana leads sales strategy for the company’s large and rapidly growing digital business, including the fastest growing digital audio app in the United States (formerly RADIO.COM), and Audacy’s Podcast Network, which includes Cadence13, an industry leader in podcast creation and distribution, and Pineapple Street Media, an award-winning, renowned independent producer of top-rated podcast content. Prior to joining Audacy (then Entercom) in 2019, Lagana served as Head of Sales and Marketing for Megaphone, the leading provider of breakthrough podcast technology for publishers and advertisers. He played a key role in developing and promoting Megaphone Targeted Marketplace (MTM), the company’s game-changing advertiser-driven targeting and measurement solution. Previously, Lagana was Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for CBS Digital Media where he oversaw revenue generation and integrated marketing for the company’s entertainment, news and sports properties globally. His media career spans over 20 years and also includes sales and management positions at Turner Broadcasting and planning and strategy roles at Grey Advertising. Lagana earned a Bachelor of Science degree in strategic communications from the University of Delaware.

Harris Lane began her career in the music industry, taking on talent booking, promotions and marketing for a number of major players in the industry, including Sony Music and Live Nation, leading to audience growth for a number of major festivals, fairs and sporting events. Additionally, she developed, promoted and executed live event tours for adidas advertising their quarterly new product launches. Transitioning to podcasting in 2020, Harris has been responsible for launching multiple shows to six figure downloads and number one chart positions, across both talk show and narrative formats.

Lori Lindsey is a former U.S. women’s national team player whose professional playing career spanned 13 years. Lindsey is one of only four players to have played in all three of the U.S. professional women’s soccer leagues, most recently with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL. Since retiring, Lindsey began work in soccer broadcasting, calling NWSL matches for CBS Sports, Nashville SC matches in MLS, USL games, along with ACC and SEC collegiate soccer matches. Lindsey is also a contributor to CBS Sports’ podcast, Attacking Third, which focuses on women’s soccer. Lindsey also travels the globe speaking, raising awareness, and advocating for women’s equality and the LGBTQ community.

Andy Lipset is Chief Executive Officer of SpokenLayer, a position he has held for close to two years. He has been widely credited for pioneering and creating the Digital Audio advertising ecosystem and marketplace when, in 2003, he co-founded Ronning Lipset Radio, the first sales representation firm to sell streaming audio. When Ronning Lipset was acquired by TargetSpot in 2008, Mr. Lipset became Chief Revenue Officer of the newly formed entity. In 2014, he joined Pandora as Vice President, Local Sales, overseeing the sales and strategy for the company’s fastest growing division, as it entered into 50 local markets. In 2016, as Vice President, East, he was given oversight of the company’s largest region that encompassed all Pandora’s agencies and advertisers from New England to Florida.

Julia Longoria is the host and managing editor of More Perfect. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, Longoria grew up in a conservative pocket of Miami, and attended Brown University, which often felt like a liberal ivory tower. That contrast made Longoria a storyteller drawn to contradictions, complexity, and rich characters. She got her start in local public radio newsrooms, at WLRN in her hometown of Miami, and then at WNYC News. She was previously the host of The Experiment, The Atlantic’s flagship weekly show, and produced narrative audio stories for the New York Times. Her work has also aired on Radiolab, Latino USA, Marketplace, The World, and Planet Money. She currently lives in Denver.

Roman Mars is the host and creator of 99% Invisible, a short radio show about design and architecture. With over 350 million downloads, the 99% Invisible podcast is one of the most popular podcasts in the world. Fast Company named him one of the 100 Most Creative People in 2013. He was a TED main stage speaker in 2015. It is currently the most popular TED Talk about design with over 5 million views. His crowd funding campaigns have raised over $4 million and he’s the highest-funded journalist in Kickstarter history. He is also a co-founder of Radiotopia, a collective of ground-breaking independent podcasts.

Walker Mehl has been covering the Charlotte Hornets daily, hosting Locked On Hornets since April of 2018. While attending UNC-Charlotte, Walker began his career in sports media as an intern with WZGV/ESPN Charlotte in 2013. After graduating with a communication degree in 2015, he earned a full-time spot as an on-air host with an ESPN affiliate. Along with covering various sports stories throughout his career, Walker has a well-rounded background hosting daily radio show, voice-overs, color analysis, and PXP announcing.

Marty Michael is the CEO/Co-Founder of Headgum and Gumball. With a background in sales at CollegeHumor, selling and growing revenue has been at the core of his career.

Lulu Miller is a Peabody award-winning science journalist, co-host of the award-winning WNYC Studios show Radiolab, and cofounder of NPR’s Invisibilia—a show about the invisible forces that shape human behavior (which received over 50 million downloads in its first season). She is the author of Why Fish Don’t Exist, a nonfiction scientific thriller and memoir that The National Book Review called a “small marvel of a book” and left the New York Times “smitten.” Her written work has been published in The New Yorker, VQR, Catapult and beyond. Her reporting interests include disability, mental health, and, inexplicably, entomology. Radiolab was the show that made her fall hard for radio and it is a surreal honor to be joining the team as cohost.

Chris has an established track record as a trailblazer and innovator in podcasting. In 2013, alongside his late partner Reggie “Combat Jack” Osse, Morrow co-founded the Loud Speakers Network, home to hit shows like The Read, The Brilliant Idiots, The Combat Jack Show, Insecuri-tea and Tax Season. The network has won praise for its groundbreaking work in amplifying marginalized voices in podcasting. In 2016 Morrow co-created the aforementioned Mogul, on which he still serves as a lead editor. In 2019 and 2020 Morrow was named to Inside Radio’s 30 Most Important People In Podcasting. Morrow has created, produced and marketed over 30 podcasts throughout his career to date. These podcasts have generated over 350 million listens and over $13 million in revenue. Morrow also has a strong track record in identifying and breaking new talent, having helped launch the careers of such podcast stars as Kid Fury, Crissle and TaxStone, as well as launching the podcasting careers of established stars like Charlamange Tha God, Andrew Schulz, Van Lathan, Angela Rye, DJ Vlad, Adam22, DJ Envy, Lil Duval, Rob Markman and Angela Yee. In addition to his work in podcasting, Morrow has also enjoyed a successful career as a ghostwriter, where he has co-written six New York Times bestsellers, including books with Russell Simmons, Rev Run, Charlamange Tha God and 50 Cent.

Lauren Nagel is a creative director and storyteller with a broad range of experience in writing, directing, and composing across many mediums. Lauren currently serves as Chief Creative Officer for the short-form audio leader SpokenLayer, crafting award-winning content for publishers and brands to amplify sonic diversity with a team of wizards masquerading as producers, writers, journalists, voice actors, and project managers. Previously, Lauren served as VP/Executive Creative Director at Pandora to create dynamic storytelling for Advertising, Brand, and Content partners. She was featured by Creative Mornings OAK for her lecture on humility and improvisation in the creative space (“Don’t Be An Assclown”) and acts as a creative consultant, composer, vocalist, and lyricist for film and tv.

Latif Nasser is co-host of the award-winning WNYC Studios show Radiolab, where he has reported stories on everything from snowflake photography to medieval robots to a polar bear who liked to have sex with grizzly bears. Earlier this year, he hosted the miniseries The Other Latif, about his Moroccan namesake who happens to be Detainee 244 at Guantanamo Bay.In addition to his work in audio, Latif is the host and executive producer of the Netflix science documentary series, Connected. He has also given two TED talks, and written for the Boston Globe Ideas section. He has a PhD from Harvard’s History of Science department.

Hector Navarro was born in San Diego, California, and raised on cartoons and comic books. He’s been attending San Diego Comic-Con since he was ten. After earning a degree in Media Arts and Animation, Hector moved to Los Angeles to work in the visual effects industry, and eventually found his way in front of the camera, flexing his geek muscles and improv comedy skills. He has since worked for companies like DC Entertainment, Geek & Sundry, Nerdist, Skybound, and the El Rey Network. He hosted the Nickelodeon Animation Podcast and now the SpongeBob SquarePants companion podcast, “SpongeBob BingePants,” for Nickelodeon.

Nilay Patel is co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Verge, the technology and culture brand from Vox Media. He has grown The Verge into one of the largest and most influential tech sites, with a global audience of millions of monthly readers, and award-winning journalism with real-world impact. Honored in Adweek’s “Creative 100” under Patel’s leadership, The Verge received its first Pulitzer and National Magazine Award nominations. Patel is an expert voice in the tech space, hosting The Verge’s flagship interview podcast Decoder and co-hosting its award-winning podcast The Vergecast.

Scott Porretti is the President of Katz Digital, leading digital audience sales, operations, and strategy since October 2021. Under his guidance, Katz Media has expanded into podcasting, streaming, Connected TV (CTV), programmatic audio, and a comprehensive data-enabled marketplace, solidifying its position as an industry leader.

Previously, Scott served as EVP of Digital at Katz Media Group from May 2018 to October 2021, driving digital revenue growth and expanding into new areas like podcasting and OTT services. With over 25 years at Katz, Scott has held numerous leadership roles, including managing a 250-person sales team across major markets, generating $1.35 billion annually.

Scott oversees the nation’s largest customizable streaming network, representing over 3,000 station streams and the exclusive local representation of Spotify. His leadership has enabled Katz Digital to collaborate with over 5,000 brands, achieving significant campaign successes. He has capitalized on the dramatic shift to streaming, driving significant growth and innovation within the industry.

Scott is a member of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Board and the IAB Chief Revenue Officer Council, contributing to industry advancements and best practices.

Sara Baiyu Porritt is the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Omnicom Media Group responsible for putting rigor behind the shared Omnicom mission of attaining equal representation, development, support, and retention of all underrepresented groups.  Expanding her advocacy beyond the walls of OMG, Sara is on the board of the 4A’s Foundation supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry; and is a mentor for She Runs It, supporting career development for women in advertising. 

As an R&B vocalist and yogi, Sara has been shattering stereotypes since the age of 17 when she co-launched a record label with a Grammy winning music producer.  Since that time, she has VJ’ed for MTVu, released 2 EPs and 2 full length albums, hit the stage with Wyclef Jean at Advertising Week, and starred in CW’s “The Next.”

In her spare time, Sara is dedicated to capturing and sharing stories of those who have also traversed the road not taken, and is the host and creator of Hear Us Roar⁠—a podcast featuring inspired conversations with fearless Asian women about how ideas and passions can ignite transformative journeys.

Laurie Pracher is Head of Podcast Ad Sales at Wondery, where she has overseen the company’s ad sales team since its inception. Prior to Wondery, Laurie managed the sales team for New York Public Radio, WNYC Studios and led the national radio sales team for CBS and Intercep.

Sean Rameswaram is co-host of Today, Explained and creative director for Vox Audio where he blends curiosity, humor, and wild creativity to deliver the news in unexpected ways (even including an original song from time to time). Before joining Vox, Rameswaram reported for WNYC’s Radiolab series More Perfect and PRI’s Studio 360. At WNYC, he also covered culture for the newsroom, starred in videos for the digital team, and hosted live events.

Emily Rasekh is Senior Vice President of Business Development and Operations, Podcasting at Sony Music Entertainment. Based in New York, Emily focuses on driving the strategic expansion of Sony Music’s partnership, distribution and monetization in the podcast space. She is also responsible for managing day-to-day relationships with various podcasting partners and overseeing the podcast sales and marketing teams.

Prior to Sony Music, Emily was Vice President of Digital Partnerships at Entercom where she oversaw digital content distribution strategy across digital, mobile and emerging platforms. Before that, she helped launch CBS Radio’s audio-on-demand business, growing total podcast listenership from 4 million monthly listens to over 25 million monthly listens within two years. She previously held business development roles for CBS from 2011-2016 and MTV Networks from 2009-2011.

Emily graduated Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and minor in Business Administration.

Hanna Rosin is the editorial director for audio for New York Magazine Formerly, she was the co-host of the NPR podcast Invisibilia with Alix Spiegel. She previously worked as a writer for The Atlantic as well as for Slate, where she founded its women’s section and hosted the Waves podcast. She is the author of two books, including The End of Men: And the Rise of Women, which was a national best seller.

Dustin Ross is a New York City based writer and producer. Since 2015 he’s hosted the Friend Zone on The Loud Speakers Network and can also be heard co-hosting Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams.

Anna Sale is the creator and host of Death, Sex & Money, the podcast from WNYC Studios about “the things we think about a lot and need to talk about more.” Anna won a Gracie for best podcast host in 2016 and the show won the 2018 Webby and 2021 Ambie for best interview show.

Before launching Death, Sex & Money in 2014, Anna covered politics for nearly a decade. She is the author of the book Let’s Talk About Hard Things, which The New Yorker wrote “shows us how supportive listening happens.” She grew up in West Virginia and now lives in Berkeley with her husband and two daughters.

Sam Sanders is an award-winning reporter, radio host and podcaster. He currently cohosts Vibe Check from Stitcher Podcasts, with Zach Stafford and Saeed Jones. In 2022, The New York Times named Vibe Check one of the 10 best podcasts of the year and the show was awarded with a Signal Award in 2022 for best pop culture podcast. Previously, Sam Sanders launched and hosted the NPR radio show and podcast It’s Been A Minute, in which Sam was heard on over 400 public radio stations across the country every week, interviewing luminaries ranging from JLo to Maya Rudolph to Beto O’Rourke. Sanders was also a founding host of the NPR Politics Podcast while covering Election 2016 for NPR. Sanders founded the pop culture podcast Into It at Vulture and New York Magazine, and it was named a best podcast of the year in 2022 by both Spotify and VOGUE. Sanders has been named best podcast host by both the Ambies and the IHeart Podcast Awards, and his work has been honored by the LA Press Club, the National Association of LJBTQ+ Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists. His written work has appeared in New York Magazine, Politico Magazine, and the Columbia Journalism Review. Sanders has a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word and a Master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and has taught radio at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Jen Sargent is a successful entrepreneur and executive with 20 years of digital media experience. She is currently the CEO of Wondery, an Amazon company, is a premium podcast studio known for character-driven, binge-worthy stories including Dr. Death, The Shrink Next Door, Even the Rich and Business Wars, and distribution of hit partner shows SmartLess, My Favorite Murder, and How I Built This.

Previously, Jen was the President of Uproxx, a Comscore Top-100 digital publisher and award-winning content studio programming cultural content for Millennials. As President, Jen led the strategy, revenue generation, partnerships, and operations across the organization. Uproxx was acquired by Warner Music in Summer of 2018. Prior to Uproxx, Jen was the CEO and co-founder of HitFix, a multi-platform entertainment news brand focused on helping consumers discover and experience movies, TV and pop-culture. HitFix featured entertainment’s most celebrated tastemakers and a cross-platform reach of 300 million monthly viewers. HitFix was acquired by Uproxx in 2016. Previous roles include head of Online Marketing & Development for Reed Business Information (parent of Variety); the International Media Group of top ad-serving technology company DoubleClick; venture capital experience from BV Capital in Hamburg, Germany; and finance experience from JP Morgan investment banking in New York. Jen earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Matt Shapo is the Director of Digital Audio and Video in the IAB Media Center where he serves as the IAB’s subject matter expert focused on all things audio and drives the center’s efforts to develop market-making research and best practices in the digital audio space. He works in close collaboration with members of the IAB Audio Committee and Audio Board, the IAB Tech Lab, and industry stakeholders in the publishing, creator, and ad tech communities to optimize frameworks for buyers and sellers of digital audio advertising to engage with consumers. Before joining the IAB, Matt served as VP of Digital Content for the All Access Music Group, a music marketing company and audio industry news publisher where he planned and led advertising, editorial, and other growth initiatives for AllAccess.com, a B2B website that delivers breaking news, data, and commentary to an audience of audio content creators, sales leaders, and programming executives. Matt holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Tufts University and an M.F.A. in Radio, TV, and Film Production from Florida State University.

Six-time Emmy award winning journalist Pamela Silva is co-anchor of the Univision Network’s and Uforia Podcast weekday newsmagazine “Primer Impacto” (First Impact), one of the highest-rated TV programs in the United States and in 12 Latin American countries. Since she joined the show in 2011, she has covered major national and international news stories; most recently the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in Florida and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, by which she received a nomination for a National Emmy.

As part of the Univision News team, prior to “Primer Impacto” she was the national correspondent for Univision’s primetime newsmagazine “Aquí y Ahora” (Here and Now), where she continues to collaborate with special features. Previously, Silva anchored the leading Spanish-language morning newscast in South Florida for the Univision Miami local affiliates. She has also guest-hosted ABC’s “The View”.  She was recognized by “People en Español” in 2013 and 2017 as one of the 25 most powerful Hispanic women, she was also included in their “50 Mas Bellos” (“50 Most Beautiful”) edition of 2013 and 2018.

A celebrated journalist, in 2006 Silva won her first Emmy award for on-camera work, and in 2007 she received three additional Emmy awards in the writing, news feature and human-interest story categories. Two more Emmys followed: in 2009, for a feature story on Facebook, and in 2010, for a news feature. In addition, she was recognized as Alumni of the Year by the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Florida International University. In 2013, she received the FIU Medallion for the Outstanding Alumna. In 2015 Silva received the Young Alumnus Award at FIU College of Business’ Hall of Fame.

In 2013 she established a scholarship benefitting first-generation, low-income college students. In 2018 two Dreamers and a student affected by Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria joined her Scholarship as well.

Most recently, Silva is the co-host for the Motherish, a podcast about information and guidance of first-time moms who work full-time and have to balance maternity with career and personal growth.

She is a member of the board of directors of Amigos for Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect,and is a national volunteer and spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She was also chosen to be part of the inaugural class of the “Women Leadership Council” at Univision, where she now spearheads the speaker series.

Silva Conde graduated with honors from Florida International University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and subsequently went on to acquire a graduate certificate in Bilingual Communications from St. Thomas University. In 2012 she received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Florida International University.

Kainani Stevens is the main anchor for Locked on Now, a daily recap of the sports news happening across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. Graduating from Northeastern University in 2011, Kainani moved on to become a TV journalist for over a decade covering major sporting events across the country, such as the New England Patriots Super Bowl runs (multiply times!) and the Red Sox World Series championships. Having worked as a multimedia journalist, Kainai finds joy in creatively communicating with an audience and enjoys shooting videos, editing, and writing.

Kara Swisher is the co-host of Pivot, co-founder of Recode, editor-at-large at New York Magazine, and co-executive producer of the Code Conference. Revered as one of the world’s most powerful tech journalists, she has spent over 30 years covering the tech industry. Her interviews with tech’s biggest players break news and dissect the truth about how technology is changing the world and changing us.

Colin Thomson founded Kast Media in 2016, and grew it into one of the top 20 podcast networks, as measured by reach, in the world. Colin’s career began in music composition, where he developed a set of skills that contributed to his success in podcast development and production. In his 5 years as CEO of Kast, Colin has overseen its growth from small podcast production house to one of the last major independent entities in the podcast industry. Colin maintains a focus on the creative development of Kast Original podcasts and intellectual property, while also overseeing the rest of company operations in his role as CEO. Kast develops and represents premium story and conversation-based podcasts that have launched to wide acclaim and developed large, engaged audiences worldwide.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a renowned astrophysicist, best-selling author, and host of StarTalk, a weekly podcast and video series discussing all-things space and science alongside celebrity and comedic co-hosts. When he’s not hosting StarTalk, Neil is also the director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium in New York City.

Janet Varney is an Emmy-Nominated actor, comedian, writer and producer. In the animation world, she’s the award-winning voice of Korra on Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra. On Hulu, she can be seen fighting dark forces opposite John C. McGinley in Stan Against Evil and as the entitled Becca on FXX’s You’re the Worst. She also created, wrote, produced and starred in the critically-acclaimed IFC online series Fortune Rookie. For the past 8 years, JV has hosted her podcast The JV Club with Janet Varney, where she interviews celebrities about their awkward teenage years. JV can also be heard as the AI “Sorry” on the improvised sci-fi comedy podcast Voyage to the Stars. On the development and production side, Janet co-created, co-wrote and co-produced Neil’s Puppet Dreams, a series featuring Neil Patrick Harris and his puppet-filled dreams. She is co-founder/creative director/producer of one of the largest and most acclaimed comedy festivals in North America, SF Sketchfest: the San Francisco Comedy Festival, now in its 20th year.

Lizzie Widhelm is the SVP, Ad Innovation & B2B Marketing at Pandora | Stitcher. In her present executive role, she leads B2B marketing, ad product innovation, The Insights Lab research division, as well as in-house audio creative consultancy, Studio Resonate. Lizzie is an Advertising Hall of Achievement inductee, where she was celebrated for her professional successes bringing impactful audio ad products to market throughout her 15-year tenure at Pandora.



Under Lizzie’s focused leadership since the company’s early formative years, the company has grown into the industry-leading audio platform it is today, offering advertisers the largest addressable audience nationally, 150-million monthly listeners across SiriusXM Holdings’ properties. Lizzie has led the launch of all major audio ad capabilities across the platform — enabling greater personalization across formats, as well as monetization efforts for Pandora’s Podcast Genome Project. From the rise of the connected home surging listenership in podcasting, Lizzie continues to push the boundaries of digital advertising by focusing on the future.

Freddie Wong is an online video pioneer, bringing professional premium content to the YouTube platform with his channel, RocketJump.

Named as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars on Forbes magazine’s 2015 “30 under 30” list, his viral videos have spread internationally with over 1 billion views since the channel’s inception in April 2010.

Video Game High School was named “#1 Web series of 2013” by Variety and won numerous Streamy Awards. Season 3 was heralded as a must-see People pick in 2014 and was nominated for a 2015 Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Digital Series.

Most recently, RocketJump and Wong have completed Dimension 404, a sci-fi anthology series for Hulu and Lionsgate.

Edwin Wong is the Senior Vice President of Insights & Innovation at Vox Media and has over 20 years of experience in studying digital consumer behavior with previous roles at BuzzFeed, Pinterest, Veoh, and Yahoo. His most recent speaking engagements include CES 2021, AdWeek, Omnishopper, Nielsen’s c360, MediaPost Digital Publisher Summit, and the B2B Marketing Summit.

Roy Wood Jr.’s comedy has entertained millions across stage, television, and radio. In addition to stand-up comedy, producing and acting, during his tenure on The Daily Show, Roy has used the show’s brand of satire to shed a light on serious issues like Chicago gun violence, police reform, LGBTQ+ discrimination, ICE deportations and PTSD in the black community. He also recently appeared in a guest-starring role on the AMC series Better Call Saul and will be seen on The Last O.G. on TBS and on the Netflix comedy Space Force.

Notes from America with Kai Wright is a show about the unfinished business of our history and its grip on our future. In addition, Wright served as one of the hosts of Indivisible, a national live radio call-in show that WNYC convened during the first 100 days of the Trump Administration to invite Americans to come together across divides. The show aired on 165 public radio stations across the country.

He has also hosted other WNYC Studios limited-edition podcasts with social justice themes: Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice, which was honored with an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award; The Stakes; and There Goes the Neighborhood, a podcast about gentrification and development. After a first season focused on Brooklyn, There Goes the Neighborhood went on to partner with KCRW in Los Angeles and WLRN in Miami to produce seasons focused on the same issues in those cities. 

Wright’s journalism has focused on social, racial, and economic justice throughout his career. As a fellow of Type Investigations, he covered economic inequality, access to healthcare, and racial inequity. Wright is the author of Drifting Toward Love: Black, Brown, Gay and Coming of Age on the Streets of New York, as well as two surveys of black American history. Most recently, he was a contributor to the New York Times bestselling collection 400 Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019.

For the past five years, JEFF YANG and PHIL YU have cohosted of THEY CALL US BRUCE, the unfiltered, independent podcast about what’s happening in Asian America. Curating a bold, sometimes celebratory and sometimes defiant discussion about media, entertainment, politics and culture, Yang and Yu bring together incredible guests and commentators weekly in episodes that are urgently listened to by the community’s most influential stakeholders.

JEFF YANG has been observing, exploring, and writing about the Asian American community for over thirty years. He launched one of the first
Asian American national magazines, A. Magazine, in the late ‘Nineties and early 2000s, and now writes frequently for CNN, Quartz, Slate, and elsewhere. He has written/edited three books—Jackie Chan’s New York Times bestselling memoir I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action; Once Upon a Time in China, a history of the cinemas of Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Mainland; and Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture.

PHIL YU is the founder and editor of the popular Asian American news and culture blog, Angry Asian Man, which has had a devoted following since 2001. His commentary has been featured and quoted in the the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and elsewhere. He recently received a Peabody Award for his trailblazing work in digital media.

Together with iconic YouTube creator Philp Wang, they wrote the recent New York Times bestseller RISE: A Pop History of Asian America, from the Nineties to Now. Yang and Yu live in Los Angeles, CA.