2026 New Voices AMPLIFY Creators

NEW YORK, NY, April 1, 2026—The Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) Names 2026 New Voices AMPLIFY Creators, an exciting step forward in supporting independent podcasters to expand their reach and achieve new levels of success.

“Making a good show isn’t the hard part anymore. Getting it seen, talked about, and sustained is,” said Lynn Casper, Program Manager at AIR. “AMPLIFY is where creators learn how to use data, shape their story, build real audience momentum, and position their work for press, growth, and revenue.”

Now in its third year and supported by Apple Podcasts, AMPLIFY is focused on helping creators move from making strong work to getting that work heard. From May 5 through July 1, participants will take part in twice-weekly, hands-on sessions with industry experts, applying practical strategies to expand visibility, build audience connection, and position their shows for long-term growth.

Each creator will receive a $1,000 stipend, one-on-one mentorship from leading audio professionals, a one-year AIR professional membership, access to AIR’s SoundPath video library, and continued connection to AIR’s national network.

AMPLIFY webinars will be available on SoundPath for AIR members, broadening access to expert-led sessions and insights. The program is led by Captain Keisha "TK" Dutes (New Voices ‘16) and Lynn Casper, AIR’s Program Manager, with support from mentors Danielle Desir Corbett, Paulette Erato, Amanda McLoughlin, and Arielle Nissenblatt. 

Learn more about the creators in the 2026 New Voices AMPLIFY cohort and their podcasts below:

Rob Bell / Plants & Beats

Rob Bell is an independent audio producer, journalist, and educator based in Rochester, NY. He is the creator and producer of Plants & Beats, a podcast that blends lo-fi music, sound design, and reflections on plant care and creativity. Since beginning his career in Philadelphia recording studios in 2010, Rob has contributed to award-winning journalism projects, including City on Fire. He currently serves as Content Manager for United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes and teaches writing and digital media at Nazareth University, focusing on consistency and long-term creative practice.

Plants & Beats is an audio-first podcast that blends original lo-fi music, sound design, and short reflections centered on plant care, routine, and mindfulness. The show explores how consistency, attention, and patience shape both living systems and creative work. Designed as an end-of-week listen, it offers a calm, focused space for listeners who value intention over noise.

Tanisha Blakely / Notes from Chicago

Tanisha Blakely is an independent podcast producer and former journalist with a background in media product leadership at Essence, New York Magazine, Nickelodeon, Travel & Leisure, and Food & Wine. She is the producer of Notes from Chicago, a podcast documenting the entrepreneurs, organizers, and creators shaping the city’s 77 neighborhoods. Her work centers around community storytelling and cultural documentation.

Notes from Chicago is a weekly podcast exploring the people shaping one of America’s most complex and creative cities. Through conversations with entrepreneurs, organizers, artists, and cultural leaders across Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods, the show documents the stories that rarely make national headlines. It’s a love letter to the city, where residents shape the narrative.

Vince Comegys-Davis / Out of the Ashes

Vince Comegys-Davis is an independent audio storyteller, audio producer, and creator of the post-apocalyptic fantasy audio drama Out of the Ashes. As a Full Sail University graduate, he balances professional sound design with grounded, character-driven storytelling shaped by working life, family, and global mythology. Born and raised in Delaware, he creates immersive audio worlds in the margins of a full life as a manufacturing supervisor, husband, and father of six.

Out of the Ashes is a post-apocalyptic modern fantasy audio drama about hidden magic, ancient bloodlines, and the families forged in the aftermath of collapse. Set in a broken world shaped by global mythology, the series blends cinematic sound design with character-driven storytelling to explore legacy, power, and what survives when the old world burns away.

Fanshen Cox / Sista Brunch

Fanshen Cox is an award-winning artist, producer, and educator, and founder of TruJuLo Productions, a media company dedicated to truth-driven storytelling for justice and love. A former Senior VP at Pearl Street Films, they championed socially conscious projects by underrepresented creators. A Peace Corps volunteer and holder of multiple degrees in education and the arts, Fanshen co-authored the Inclusion Rider and co-created the Webby-nominated podcast Sista Brunch, celebrating Black women and gender-expansive voices. Their work inspires positive change and amplifies diverse stories in media and education.

Sista Brunch is a fun, casual, interview-style podcast that uplifts, shares and preserves the stories of Black women and Black gender expansive people thriving in film/TV and media.

Andy Dehnart / Made from Humans: How Reality Becomes TV

Andy Dehnart is a writer, teacher, and the creator of Reality Blurred, where he analyzes, critiques, and reports on reality television. Named one of the top 50 creator journalists, he has written for NPR, The Los Angeles Times, Vulture, Playboy, and The Daily Beast, earning multiple awards including the 2023 NLGJA Excellence in Journalism award and L.A. Press Club honors. In 2025, he was elected president of the Television Critics Association. An educator and mentor, Andy has taught at Stetson University and Johns Hopkins CTY. A trained improviser, he also performs comedy and speaks at conferences on writing, media, and television.

Made from Humans: How Reality Becomes TV pulls back the curtain for candid conversations about reality TV, blogging, and writing, plus recommendations for great TV and pop culture. He offers insight on everything from reality show producing to his writing and blogging. Join Andy for an insider’s perspective you won’t find anywhere else.

Eteng Ettah / Consider This for Comfort

Eteng Ettah is a New York City–based narrative and creative strategist, podcast host, and cultural commentator. Raised by Nigerian immigrants and MTV, she brings a unique perspective to storytelling, strategy, pop culture, and entertainment. She hosts Consider This For Comfort, exploring why favorite TV shows resonate as comfort viewing. With over a decade of experience, Eteng has partnered with nonprofits, media organizations, and brands on strategic storytelling, audience-first communications, and social impact campaigns. Her commentary appears on NPR, Scalawag Magazine, WGN-TV, and more. She also publishes Eteng’s Edit, a newsletter on lifestyle, culture, and media.

Consider This for Comfort breaks down why your favorite comfort TV shows are your favorite comfort TV shows. Welcome to your guide through the rich tapestry of iconic shows, why they hold a special place in our hearts and what they say about our society and culture. Raised by MTV and Nigerian immigrants, pop culture commentator Eteng Ettah sits down with creatives, TV writers and cultural tastemakers for insightful, fun conversations about the shows that shape us.

Amber Janke / Super Sorry

Amber Janke is the creator, producer, and co‑host of SUPER SORRY, a podcast that uses superhero stories and pop culture to make conversations about apology and emotional accountability accessible, entertaining, and fun. After more than a decade leading programs in HR and higher education at organizations including Amazon, NYU, and the University of Washington, she returned to her creative roots in storytelling and media. Amber creates audio that balances structure, humor, and heart—helping listeners understand the real-world value of apology.

SUPER SORRY is the podcast about superhero apologies. Each episode of the premiere season, hosts Amber and Todd look at a MCU movie and ask who messed up, who changed, and who maybe should have just said I'm sorry. We talk about superhero apologies in MCU movies: where they exist, where they don't, and how your favorite superhero could have apologized - all with a healthy dose of humor. And you get to learn about how you can use the power of apology in your everyday life.

Kevin Kato / Bonus Smiles 

Kevin Kato (aka Public Radio Runner) is the veteran trash panda who calls the dumpster behind his local public radio station home. He loves snacks, running distances people hate driving, and above all the communities that comprise the trail, ultra, and public radio worlds--the friend, family member, or rando cheering you on at a Mile 77 aid station is the same kind of person who supports local public radio. They both care about community when it hurts.

Bonus Smiles is a weekly music and interview show that’s fueled by runners and their playlists! The show embodies the grit of the trail with the soul of public media. We’re powered by the same people and communities who support their local radio stations as well as friends and randos alike at late stage aid stations. We profile these fantastical humans through the music that fuels them!

Kristen Kim / Culture Kids

Kristen Kim is a Korean American mother of two, wife, and the host and producer of Culture Kids, a multi-award-winning nonprofit audio show for children and families. Created during COVID and inspired by her immigrant experience, the show explores cultures worldwide through immersive, screen-free storytelling with authentic community voices. With a background in classical music composition and television production, Kristen has worked with Discovery Networks International, CBS, and NBC Sports. A board member of Kids Listen and judge for the Webby and Signal Awards through IADAS, she uses audio to uplift cultural identities, foster curiosity, and bring families together through joyful, meaningful listening.

Culture Kids takes families on imaginative, screen-free adventures around the world to discover cultures, traditions, foods, languages, and stories told by the communities themselves. Hosted by a mom and child, the show is designed for shared listening and helps kids grow curious, confident, and connected to a bigger world.

Jess Lin / Cultureful

Jess Lin is an independent creator and the host of Cultureful. A second-generation Taiwanese American in a cross-cultural marriage, Jess brings a personal and professional passion for culture to her work. Formerly a global health community mobilizer and Peace Corps Zambia volunteer, she has focused on social justice and understanding how different cultures “do” life. After a disability prompted a career pivot, she launched Cultureful to elevate underrepresented voices through storytelling. An extroverted community lover, Jess is also a yoga teacher, meditator, language learner, and proud Los Angeles native living in Atlanta with her husband and cat.

Cultureful is a narrative podcast that bridges cultures and builds empathy, turning strangers into neighbors. Through personal stories on everything from family history to food and dating, underrepresented voices share their lives in their own words, grounded in the historical context we all need to understand each other. It is a social impact project to foster a global neighborhood where every guest and listener alike knows they truly belong.

Tyler Adams / Goodpain

Tyler Adams has been a business leader in healthcare and media for 23 years, including five years as a mentor, executive coach, and workshop facilitator. In 2010, his youngest daughter suffered a catastrophic injury in Dallas, TX, inspiring him to create Our Claire’s Journal, a blog documenting their journey that gained a wide following. In 2015, Tyler and his family moved to Colorado, where he joined Children’s Hospital Colorado’s leadership team, combining personal and professional purposes. Trained by the Center for Courage and Renewal, he supports families facing hardship and will begin doctoral work in psychology in Fall 2025, focusing on loss, grief, and recovery.

Goodpain is an invitation to reclaim the space for honest, candid conversations about our struggles, about not knowing, about the wisdom found simply in enduring. Like the ancient tribes, gathering around a fire to share hard-won wisdom, we'll talk about life's true intensities: the raw realities of parenting, the relentless demands of careers, the shattering impact of tragedy, the quiet burden of pain, and the unexpected moments of joy that flicker in between. Because whether your struggle was a sudden storm or a slow erosion, your story is meaningful, and in the stories we share, we hope you'll find echoes of your own.

Julia Rose Portela / Femme & Furious

Julia Rose Portela is a feminist pop culture analyst, podcaster, and lifelong fangirl who believes that stories are never “just entertainment.” She loves digging into movies, TV, books, and fandom with curiosity, humor, and a sharp eye for cultural context. Julia is drawn to women and queer-centered narratives, but she also loves reexamining traditionally masculine fandoms through a feminist lens. Her work blends critical insight with unabashed enthusiasm, turning emotional engagement into a tool for understanding, community-building, and advocacy. When she’s not recording, she’s probably thinking about her next Femme Frame, planning a watch party, or doting on her cats, Sherlock, Watson, and Fig!

Femme & Furious is a podcast where pop culture meets a feminine framing. This podcast is a warm, sassy, and insightful space where pop culture is taken seriously without draining the joy out of it. Each episode explores movies, TV, books, and fandom through a feminist or queer lens!

Jennifer Pemberton / Closing the Gap

Jennifer Pemberton is a writer, editor and podcast producer based in Juneau, Alaska. Her radio stories have aired on NPR's All Things Considered, Here & Now and numerous public radio stations across the country. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama. She’s a Pisces and a mom.

Closing the Gap shares untold stories about the global energy transition from our front row seat here in Alaska. Based in history, but with an evergreen foothold in the evolving present, learn about the people and the technologies that are meeting energy crises one community at a time.

Bryce The Third / The Friend Lab

Bryce The Third is a Detroit, MI based, nationally recognized speaker, content creator & professional artist. He’s worked with brands and institutions such as SAMSHA, The Recording Academy, University of Michigan Ann Arbor and more. As a person in long term recovery from substance use disorder his mission is to guide the homies, new and old, on a compassionate journey of authentic growth!

The Friend Lab is a curious, candid, and sometimes (oftentimes) chaotic exploration of what it means to be human together. Struggle with making friends? Human connection in 2026 sound intimidating? Press play because you’re in the right place my friend!

Relando Thompkins-Jones / Social Justice Origin Stories

Relando Thompkins-Jones is a macro social worker, social justice educator, and consultant who leverages media and education to advance equity and justice within individuals, organizations, and communities. He founded Social Justice Origin Stories to harness storytelling, make experiences accessible, and showcase the liberatory potential of social justice education. His work helps justice-seekers find community, feel less isolated amid systemic oppression, and reflect on how to contribute meaningfully to the work. Serving as a resource for guidance, connection, and inspiration, he emphasizes that those who can must do what they can to advance justice and create lasting change.

Social Justice Origin Stories is a storytelling project that highlights personal stories and defining moments that have inspired individuals and organizations to labor for equity and social justice. Through truth-telling: the honest sharing of their experiences, storytellers teach us about themselves, enabling us to learn about ourselves and our world through their stories. By reconnecting with pivotal moments of activation in their lives, they invite us to do the same.

Mikkel Woodruff / Small Ship Cruise Talk

Mikkel Woodruff is the co-founder and editor of Sometimes Home and Sometimes Sailing, and co-host and producer of the Small Ship Cruise Talk podcast. Based in Winter Park, Florida, she creates travel content with her husband, Dan, exploring the world together since 2015. A professional photographer for over 18 years, Mikkel is drawn to storytelling and the human connections her work captures. Her background in theme park design shaped her love for narrative-driven, immersive experiences, which inform her photography, writing, and audio. Through her platforms, she inspires culturally rich, intentional travel while encouraging curiosity, empathy, and meaningful connection to people and places.

Small Ship Cruise Talk is a weekly podcast dedicated exclusively to small-ship cruising, featuring firsthand experiences on river, yacht, expedition, and barge cruises carrying 1,000 passengers or fewer. Designed for curious, culturally engaged travelers—especially those 55 and older—the show demystifies small-ship travel and inspires meaningful, immersive journeys that foster deeper connections with places, people, and cultures around the world.

New Voices AMPLIFY 2026 Mentors

 

Danielle Desir Corbett (she/her), Podcast Host and Podcast Marketing Coach, is a 6x grant-funded and award-winning travel creator. She is the host of The Thought Card, a travel finance podcast, and co-host of Road Trip Ready. Danielle helps independent creators grow their audiences through discovery-based marketing strategies like SEO (search engine optimization) and PSO (podcast search optimization). Through her coaching and resources, she empowers podcasters to build stronger personal brands, improve discoverability, and sustainably grow their shows. Danielle also curates funding opportunities, including grants, paid fellowships, and residencies, on Grants For Creators, one of the fastest-growing grant discovery platforms supporting U.S. and Canadian creators and small business owners.

Paulette Erato (she/her), Founder, Latinas In Podcasting, is a speaker, podcaster, and community leader based in Long Beach, CA. After 20+ years as an event planner and award-winning community builder, she pivoted to podcasting and founded Latinas In Podcasting (LIP), a thriving global community built on the core ethos of "connect & collaborate." She is also the host of La Vida Más Chévere de Childfree Latinas, a podcast that helps Latinas reject society's toxic cultural norms while remaining rooted in our culture. As a 2025 alumna of AIR Media's New Voices AMPLIFY program, Paulette now returns as a mentor, bringing her signature blend of cultural authenticity and expertise to the next cohort of emerging podcasters.

Amanda McLoughlin (she/her), CEO, Multitude, a podcast collective, production company, and ad sales provider. A digital creator since 2004 whose career started in finance and business services, she created Multitude in 2018 to support fellow creators in making a living on their own terms. She was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Media honoree in 2021, co-hosts the podcast Spirits: Mythology & Folklore, and executive-produces several shows. She also teaches podcasting at Stony Brook University.

Arielle Nissenblatt (she/her), Founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective, Head of Community & Content at Pinwheel, is a podcast strategist, community builder, and founder of EarBuds Podcast Collective, a weekly human-curated podcast recommendation newsletter. She hosts several podcasts, including Trailer Park: The Podcast Trailer Podcast and Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You, and regularly writes about podcast discovery and marketing. Arielle is also a licensed NYC tour guide and the founder of Nisstory Tours.

New Voices AMPLIFY Captain

Keisha "TK" Dutes is an audio producer (Buzzfeed's Thirst Aid Kit, Function with Anil Dash, Good Words with Kirk Franklin, Open World et al.) educator Spotify, PRX Podcast Garage, BRIC Arts Media), host talent (Rise Up Radio, TK in The AM), and reporter (NPR). With experience spanning terrestrial radio, online, podcast, since 2005, her life in audio is all encompassing. Her most recent episode of NPR Life Kit is about "How to Mind Your own Business". Currently, she helps people bring their podcasts to life via her company, Philo's Future Media and serves as a board member of Association of Independents in Radio.

Fun Fact: She is also an extreme hobbyist and visual artist. www.tastykeish.com

New Voices AMPLIFY Program Manager

Lynn Casper is a passionate media creator and artist fascinated by the connective power of technology. After receiving a BA in Sociology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Casper developed social media strategy at Working Films and provided community coordination for Mozilla’s NYC Hive Learning Network.