Meet the people presenting at the soundwave summit

---

ORGANIZER - Amanda is an award-winning podcast producer, TEDx speaker, author, and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Lead Podcasting and the author of the #1 Amazon best-seller, Let’s Talk Podcasting: The Essential Guide to Doing it Right. As an adjunct professor, she helped redefine the radio courses at Seneca Polytechnic and Toronto Metropolitan University. Previously, she worked as a radio reporter, news anchor and producer. Most notably, she was the first woman to be a program director at a talk radio station in Toronto.

ORGANIZER  - Sherley is a Montreal-born podcaster since 2008, now works in Toronto as a podcast producer, speaker, and digital strategist. She co-founded The Chonilla Network, hosting podcasts like Black Canadian Creators and Uncolonized Podcast. She also leads the BCANC Instagram and Facebook groups, supporting over 450+ vetted content creators. Their motto: "We create community and welcome new media content by keeping it funny, thought-provoking, and educational.

ORGANIZER - Michael is a podcaster and co-founder of The Sonar Network, a Toronto-based indie podcast network. He has been involved in podcasting for over a decade and hosted the Toronto-based improv comedy podcast, That's How I Remember It. That’s How I Remember It has won 7 Canadian Podcast Awards and has been voted one of the top Toronto Podcasts by blogTO, NOW magazine, Streetcar.ca, Indie88, and The Comedy Network Online. Michael himself has also won a Canadian Podcast Award for Best Male Host. 

Alex is a writer, audio and casting director, illustrator, and occasional bassist based in Toronto. She is the co-creator/writer and director of the award-winning horror audiodrama Parkdale Haunt. Currently, she is holding the same positions on Woodbine, a noir-inspired audiodrama about vampire detectives. In her day to day, she is a voice casting and audio director at Pirate Sound. As a writer and illustrator, her work has previously appeared in FLARE, The Toast, Slackjaw, TSN’s BarDown, Jezebel, and CANADALAND, among others. In her off time, she can mostly be found obsessively looking for new recipes to try out and fruitlessly trying to convince her friends to get into F1.  

Marianna is a podcast executive and project manager with a passion for the arts. She's got a knack for keeping creative projects on track and is committed to quality. She thrives on efficiency, collaboration, and helping creators bring their visions to life. Marianna is a project manager at Lead Podcasting and an executive at The Sonar Network, Canada's premiere indie comedy & arts podcast network, where she oversees production and branding/marketing efforts. Based in Toronto, she spends her downtime exploring the local arts & comedy scene and trying desperately to keep her 3 rambunctious pets out of trouble. 

 Briana is the Director of Business Development at Lead Podcasting. She first fell in love with audio storytelling and production when co-hosting the morning show on her high school's radio station. It led her to graduate from a joint program at Western University and Fanshawe College and to secure more than a decade of experience in the radio news industry. Before joining Lead Podcasting, Briana held the position of Managing Editor at a major market media company in Toronto. Now, Briana helps thought leaders and organizations discover how to make their podcast visions come to life.

Ryan is an accomplished audio producer and sound designer with over a decade of experience seamlessly blending compelling narratives with exceptional soundscapes. His passion for music and audio production began early, leading him to master various brass instruments, particularly the trumpet. After graduating from Seneca College's Radio program in 2016, Ryan quickly advanced through roles such as Technical Producer at Sportsnet 590 The Fan, Commercial Producer at 105.9 The Region, Assistant Producer on KiSS 92.5’s Roz and Mocha Show, and Producer/Sound Designer at Frequency Podcast Network, Pacific Content and Lead Podcasting. Ryan has worked on several acclaimed shows, including "The Hopeful," which was honored as Apple Podcast Canada's 2020 Show of the Year. 

Kattie is an award-winning, freelance podcast producer and writer based in Brantford, Ontario. She has a life-long love of public radio, and has been clinging to the podcasting space since 2013. As both a professional and independent podcast creator, Kattie’s insights have her keenly focused on making the Canadian podcasting ecosystem sustainable, equitable and world-renowned. Kattie writes the biweekly newsletter, Pod the North, the Substack for the Canadian podcasting ecosystem. Pod the North’s regular readers include many media executives from the likes of CBC Podcasts and Spotify.