Jennie Cataldo is an award-winning radio and podcast producer. She is the creator of Accompany Studios, a radio and podcast production company based in San Francisco, California. Accompany Studios uses music, creative audio editing and sound design to produce audio stories that sing.

Jennie has produced a variety of audio content, including commercial and public radio programs, documentaries, short form series, specials and podcasts. The range of subjects in which she has produced programs includes history, music, culture, health, science, and technology. Her productions have aired on national and international networks. She has worked with celebrity host talent such as Dan Aykroyd, Susan Sarandon, and Reid Hoffman. Jennie has conducted hundreds of interviews with critically acclaimed recording artists, authors, critics, historians, entrepreneurs and academic experts. She works with clients such as the University of California at Berkeley, the United States Library of Congress, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
 

Jennie’s work has been recognized yearly at the International Radio Festival since 2015, where she has also served as a Grand Jury member and presenter. Jennie also serves on the New York Festivals Radio Awards Advisory Board.

Jennie’s interests include music history, cultural criticism and analysis, literature, narrative nonfiction, and record collecting. She studied Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts at San Francisco State University, where she graduated with honors and received a BA in 2012.

John Catlett is a life-long radio broadcaster, having been introduced to the medium as an undergraduate volunteer at WPRB-FM at Princeton University in 1960. He completed his studies with an MBA in marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. After early experience at King Broadcasting Company in the Pacific Northwest and Time-Life Broadcast in New York City, he was tapped to manage CBS-owned WBBM-FM in Chicago just as the potential of FM radio was beginning to see its earliest realization. In 1972, he was transferred by CBS to take over WCBS-FM in New York City, where he installed the first major-market all-oldies format in July of 1972. Without any significant promotion support, the station suddenly became the first FM station to break into the top ten rated stations in the market, with a #5 ranking overall, and only six stations nationwide--AM or FM--had larger cumulative audiences. The oldies format survives to this day at WCBS-FM, with strong ratings.

Michael Freedman was a 35-year radio executive, broadcast journalist, university administrator and professor. He had served with distinction as general manager of CBS Radio Network News, vice president and managing editor for the Broadcast Division of United Press International, leadership press secretary to the Democratic Whip of the United States House of Representatives, vice president and professor of journalism at The George Washington University.  In addition, Freedman served as executive producer of the acclaimed public broadcasting series The Kalb Report, This Just In!, and GW Presents American Jazz (in collaboration with the legendary Tony Bennett). Over the course of his career, Freedman and his teams have earned more than 85 honors for broadcast excellence including 14 Edward R. Murrow awards from RTNDA, five Gold World Medals and a Grand Award in New York Festivals International Radio Awards, and the 2023 New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award.

International Broadcast Consultant VALERIE GELLER is president of Geller Media International. She works with top broadcasters in radio, TV, internet throughout the world, and has consulted on several award winning documentary films. As a content and story consultant, trainer and seminar leader, Using proven methods she developed over years of working in 35 countries with over 500 radio and television stations, Geller coaches and trains on air personalities, programmers, producers and broadcast news journalists to become more Powerful Communicators Geller has worked with some of the top personalities in the world. to get, keep and grow their audiences using the proven POWERFUL COMMUNICATOR techniques - Geller, a former program director (WABC, New York) and News Director (K101, San Francisco) has been training broadcasters since 1991. Her clients in Europe have included LBC, The BBC, Australia's ABC Sweden's MTG,among others.

Michael Harrison, the Founder and Publisher of talk media industry trade journal TALKERS magazine, is an iconic radio figure and thought leader.  During a colorful 53 year career, he has consistently been an influential pioneer in trade publishing, station programing, show production, and on-air performing. 

I was one of the original employees at Radio Clyde in Glasgow joining the station in November 1973. Through the 80s and 90s, I was Production Controller for Radio Clyde when the station won "Sony Station of the Year" 3 times and was nominated twice. I was also the producer on two Sony Award-winning shows for Best Rock and Pop Programme - Hue and Cry (1989) and The Big Day C1 (1991). I have 10 New York Radio World Medals as producer or co-producer. Among the other career highlights was the innovatory series of 17 annual open-air Kelvingrove Free Music Festivals which provided to launch pad for many local bands performing original music. I have always had an interest in aviation and have produced three critically acclaimed aviation documentaries. Doing the Continental – An hour-long examination of Continental’s first brush with Chapter 11 made in 1985/86 and featuring Continental pilots and crew, the FAA, and an exclusive interview with Phil Bakes. Britannia 300 Alph

Götz Naleppa, Drama Director & Sound Artist of Naleppa Audio Productions, Germany. He is one of the most well-known and experienced directors of radio plays in Germany. He is a member of the Radio Advisory Board.

In the 90’s he constructed the radio play departments of Germany Radio (Cologne / Berlin) as a radio play director, and from 1997 to 2008 Mr. Naleppa acted as director and dramaturg for Germany Kultur (responsible editor for sound art). Since January 2009 he has concentrated his talents on projects serving as a freelance director (radio drama, media arts), translator, and composer in digital sound art.

The NYF Gold trophy for “ZENScapes – City, Land, River” for Sound Art is Gotz Naleppa’s fourth

With more than 35 years of experience in the broadcasting industry,  Leslie has had the opportunity to produce and manage some of Canada’s most respected award winning programs. Now, she has the pleasure of cultivating an international audience for CBC Radio and Podcasts, enabling the broadcaster to share Canadian stories and culture with millions of listeners around the world. From Alaska to Australia, Leslie has established relationships with international broadcast organizations and facilitated the distribution of thousands of hours of CBC content. 

As CBC’s Director of International Partnerships, Acquisitions and Distribution, Leslie’s department manages over 40 hours of weekly overnight programming for Canadians across the country. As well, Leslie’s team oversees the programming of CBC Radio One content on the Sirius XM 169 channel. Leslie also spearheads CBC Radio and Audio submissions for international  awards and festivals in an effort to boost awareness of the broadcaster’s award-winning content and recognition of its roster of talented producers. 

Prior to joining the CBC Management team, Leslie was the Executive Producer of As It Happens, the CBC’s flagship evening show and one of the most popular and acclaimed programs on CBC Radio. She also acted as Executive Producer at Marketplace, CBC’s investigative television consumer affairs program where she helped to establish the Consumer Bureau delivering original enterprise programming from broadcast journalists across the country and media lines. Beyond the CBC, Leslie has also worked for Canada’s other major broadcaster, CTV, where she produced investigative stories for the network’s flagship newsmagazine program W5.   

Helen is an awarding winning producer/director and has been a judge with the New York Radio Festival since 2013. She runs Athena Media, in Ireland, a digital and broadcast storytelling agency, and Athena Media has previously won the Grand Award, six Gold, 2 Silver and a Bronze for its work at the New York Radio Festival. Athena Media has also been a multiple awardee at both the Celtic Media Festival Awards and the Irish Radio Awards. Helen is a graduate of UCD, DCU and was a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University at the International Affairs Centre. She has worked as a news reporter with the Irish Times, a current affairs producer with RTE and she was editor news and current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland before taking up the post as Head of RTE Radio. RTE is Ireland's public broadcasting service. She ran RTE Radio for five years, launching RTE Lyric fm and leading the digital transformation before taking the sabbatical at Harvard University and post that she set up Athena Media. Athena Media creates award winning podcasts and runs Podcasting Ireland. Some of its recent work includes a new transmedia project called Mother's Blood, Sister Songs www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com exploring the intricate relationship between Ireland and Iceland, through story and song. Helen sits on the board of Arts Council Ireland and is a member of the Royal Irish Academy's Social Sciences Committee. 

Mark Travis has over 20 years of experience in the music industry as a writer, producer, broadcaster, lecturer, and audio engineer. He is currently Managing Consultant of Media Production to the New York Philharmonic. Since 2011, he had been the Associate Director of Media Production for the New York Philharmonic and was Director of Media Production.  He produced the orchestra's broadcasts since 2003. Mark has also served as a writer and producer for Chicago’s WFMT Radio Network where he wrote and produced over 800 nationally syndicated programs--notably the Bucksbaum Family Lyric Opera of Chicago broadcasts. As a freelance producer, he has produced English-language broadcasts for the Berlin Philharmonic, The Suisse Romande Orchestra, the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, and the Milwaukee Symphony. Mr. Travis also has an extensive discography as a music-producer that ranges from recordings by the New York Philharmonic to recordings by William Warfield, Jenny Lin, Jeffrey Siegel, Susan Merdinger, Maria-Luisa Rayan-Forero and the Chicago Chorale for Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos

Carole Zimmer is the host of the podcast “Now What?” about big life decisions, transitions and how you navigate all those curves in the road. She worked at Bloomberg Multimedia as a digital video and television producer as well as a radio reporter for 15 years and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Edward R. Murrow award for her radio documentary “Stalking a Silent Killer.” Before joining Bloomberg, Ms. Zimmer worked at NPR and the CBS and NBC radio networks. She has been a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, Harper’s and other publications.