The Podcast Show 2025 is supported by an International Industry Advisory Panel, consisting of a group of figureheads from across the global podcast community. They will advise the Show across all aspects of the festival to make sure it’s as meaningful and helpful as possible to the podcast community.
Bernard P Achampong - Unedited
Bernard P Achampong, a creative leader, media professional, eight-time Radio Academy Award winner, and Rose D'Or nominee, was the driving force behind the sold-out presentation of "7 Secrets of Immersive Storytelling" at the London Podcast Show in 2022 and the Birmingham Podcast Festival in 2023.
He has served as a board member of Creative UK and is currently vice-chair of Audio UK. He advocates for creator ownership, intellectual property, diversity, and representation in the creative industry. His production company, Unedited, continues to produce ground-breaking programming, including Sounds of Black Britain (Spotify) and 1Xtra’s Throwback Party (BBC Sounds).
Unedited have been nominated production company of the year in 2022 and 2024, winning silver and bronze respectively.
Bernard’s personal career highlights are the documentary "HRH The Prince of Wales: Building Bridges" and delivering Spotify's Sound Up programme for the UK and Ireland for three years. In addition, his first children's television programme, Skin Deep (CBBC), exploring the identity of boys between the ages of 7 and 11, is his magnum opus.
Shelby Schenkman - UTA Creators
Shelby Schenkman is a creators agent at leading global talent, entertainment and sports company UTA, where she represents talent and helps build and establish audio and digital businesses for the agency’s multifaceted roster of artists and creators.
She represents a variety of podcast networks, creators and production companies including Dear Media, The Boston Globe, Jamie Laing & Sophie Habboo and their company Jampot, Small Town Murder, RedHanded, The Psychology of Your 20’s among others.
Schenkman started her career in the mailroom at UTA after graduating from the University of Southern California. Since starting at UTA she has worked out of the Los Angeles, New York and London offices.
Steve Ackerman - Sony Music Entertainment
Steve Ackerman is Executive Vice President, Head of Global Podcasts at Sony Music Entertainment (SME). Based in New York, Ackerman runs the division’s US and UK-based operations and 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, Ackerman was a producer, radio DJ and journalist.
Jenna Weiss Berman - Pineapple Street Studios / Audacy
Jenna Weiss-Berman is the Executive Vice President, Podcasts, Audacy, and Co-Founder of Pineapple Street Studios, which has made such podcasts as Missing Richard Simmons, 9/12, Still Processing, Wind of Change, The Clearing, and the Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow. Pineapple Street Studios is the long-time podcast partner of brands and studios including HBO, Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon, Nike, and Mailchimp.
Before starting Pineapple Street, Jenna worked in public radio for a decade, and started the podcast department at BuzzFeed. She currently sits on the advisory board of The Moth and co-chairs the Google Podcast Creator Program.
Ruth Fitzsimons - Sport Social Podcast Network
Ruth Fitzsimons is the Head of International at Sport Social Podcast Network, Europe's largest sports podcast network. Home to over 450 podcasts, Sport Social represents leading podcasters across a range of sport genres including The Anfield Wrap, The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club, Football Clichés, Joe Marler's Things People Do, For the Love of Rugby, Beef's Golf, Wisden Cricket Weekly, Autosport F1 & Motorsport and many more. Sport Social is also the co-producer for premium sports institutions including World Athletics, Paralympics GB, and numerous English Premier League teams including Man City, Tottenham, West Ham, Wolves, Brighton, Hove and Albion.
Previously, Ruth was Managing Director of Podfront UK, a joint venture between two of the world's biggest podcast companies, Stitcher and Wondery.
James Cridland - Podnews
James Cridland is Editor of Podnews, the daily podcast newsletter. He is a radio futurologist - a writer, consultant and public speaker on radio’s future.
James has worked in audio since 1989 as an award-winning copywriter, radio presenter, and internet strategist.
He launched the world’s first streaming radio smartphone app in March 2005, for the original Virgin Radio in London, launching daily podcasts earlier that year.
In 2007 he joined the BBC working on the BBC iPlayer for radio, achieving a dramatic increase in the service’s audio quality.
Part of the team that laid the foundations for the UK Radioplayer, he has since worked for a variety of businesses across the world, including Canada’s Vista Radio, receiver and silicon manufacturers Pure and Frontier Silicon, talkSPORT, the ABC, and a variety of media companies in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia; helping them focus on the benefits and challenges that new platforms bring to their business. He was an advisor to podcast host Captivate, which was acquired by Global in December 2021.
One of the organisers of Next Radio, the UK radio ideas conference, James has worked with the world’s largest radio conference, Radiodays Europe, since its inception. He’s also part of the programming team for Radiodays Asia and Podcast Day 24.
A founder of the hybrid radio technology association RadioDNS, he is an Associate Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and was made an Honorary Life Member of the UK’s Student Radio Association.
Born in the UK, James lives in Brisbane, Australia with his wife and daughter.
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Donald Albright - Tenderfoot TV
Donald Albright is an Atlanta based entrepreneur and CEO/Co-founder of the award winning independent podcast production studio Tenderfoot TV. Since launching in 2016, Tenderfoot has released critically acclaimed and hit podcast series including “Up and Vanished,” “Monster,” “Radio Rental,” "Dear Alana," “To Live and Die in LA,” and more, amassing over 800 million downloads.
Albright is a founding Governor of The Podcast Academy, non profit professional organization for podcasters, where he served as Chairperson for three years, and now chairs the Ambies/Awards committee.
He is also an Executive Advisor for BIPOC Podcast Creators, an organization dedicated to the amplification of BIPOC talent, as well as a member of the Advisory Board for The Podcast Show London, the biggest international festival for the business of podcasting.