Four young creatives from across the 海角视频 have won places on a BBC programme designed to help up and coming talent find success in the industry.
BBC Sounds鈥 Audio Lab has returned for its third incarnation helping up-and-coming audio creatives build confidence and connections in the industry while enhancing their writing, recording, performance, and promotional skills.
The BBC says it hopes the four new creators 鈥渇rom under-represented backgrounds鈥 will be able to follow the success of previous alumni, who have among other successes won nominations at the British Podcast Awards and secured an ARIA Gold award for Best New Podcast.
This year鈥檚 successful creators are Mia Thornton, Jay Behrouzi-Sneade, Hugh Sheehan, and Meg Elliot. They will join an accelerator programme of practical and professional training while embedded with one of Audio Lab鈥檚 production partners across the 海角视频.
Mia Thornton is a creative producer currently based in Liverpool who is 鈥渄riven by a passion for storytelling and a commitment to amplifying Black voices鈥.
Her successful podcast pitch will see her work alongside Audio Lab鈥檚 production partner, Manchester Reform Radio, to explore how black culture has helped shape different music genres. The series will have black voices at its core and will include archival content as well as interviews with industry experts, musicians and cultural commentators.
Jay Behrouzi-Sneade is a Filipino-Iranian journalist from Liverpool who is passionate about food thanks to her upbringing as a part of her a multi-heritage expat family in the United Arab Emirates.
Working with production partner, BBC Audio North, Filipino-Iranian immigrant, she will create a positive, food-science documentary that will see her experimenting with Filipino recipes, talking to guests, and discussing the British-Filipino experience.
Hugh Sheehan is an audio producer and musician/composer originally from Birmingham whose work explores issues around gender and sexuality, desire and shame, assimilation, and radicalism. Working with London Reduced Listening, his podcast will focus on lesser-known modern legal cases or pieces of legislation that concern the lives and rights of LGBTQ+ people in the 海角视频.
Meg Elliot is a writer, zine-maker, and mountain biker from Shropshire who is one half of The InBetween Collective, an international creative group sharing stories of culture, resistance and celebration. She will work alongside South Wales鈥檚 Overcoat Media on her podcast pitch exploring our cult fascination with the ancient past and folk traditions, and at the stories of the landscapes where people live.
Khaliq Meer, Audio Lab commissioning executive, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 thrilling to be at the starting line again with a new cohort of fresh talent 鈥 poised for a development experience like no other. It鈥檚 been a joy getting to know Meg, Mia, Hugh and Jay. We鈥檝e teamed them up with some of the 海角视频鈥檚 very best audio producers so they can be led and supported to realise their creatively ambitious ideas whilst growing their skillsets on-the-job. I can鈥檛 wait to press play on what they dream up. Best of luck Audio Lab Class of 2024 鈥 you鈥檝e got this!鈥
Audio Lab is also partnering with Multitrack, a charity working to raise awareness around diversity, equity and inclusion in the audio industry, by sponsoring its 12-week Fellowship programme. It will also support 14 full-time paid placements, create three additional part-time placements for producers outside of London, and help fund two commissions for BBC Sounds.
Don't miss the latest news and analysis with our regular North West newsletters - sign up here for free.
