Who are Fresh Air

Beckie makes everything come together. Whether it’s sorting out timing schedules, coordinating location recordings or organising the creation of hundreds of separate deliverables, Beckie helps our producers to deliver great podcasts in the most effective way.

An Arsenal season-ticket holder and Eastenders obsessive who previously ran her own cake business, Beckie’s two main objectives in life are to make better monday.com boards and to meet Ian Wright. None of us know what we would do without her.

Richard has almost 20 years of experience of marketing some of the world’s biggest media and tech brands.

From launching websites at The Guardian & Observer, to launching some of the UK’s biggest shows at the BBC and Sky, Richard then went on to lead global marketing for Yahoo and HuffPost. He loves making our podcasts wildly successful, building them to be a core part of any marketing and content strategy.

Making radio since 1999 and podcasts since 2008, Phill is a reputable and experienced, award-winning producer, editor and sound engineer as well as University Lecturer in Audio Journalism with bags of skills honed at the BBC and in the commercial and private sectors.

One of his many career highlights was producing and editing the chart topping American Vigilante podcast.

He began working for Fresh Air in 2019 for our client, the AQA. Since then he’s produced his magic for us on our projects for NBC Universal and the National Lottery, and on The Big Steal.

Away from work, Phill is a big Spurs fan (but not for his sins, he’s a good boy) and music lover, especially Jungle/Drum & Bass on vinyl. He also loves swimming, cycling and going to the pub.

Izzie is an Executive Producer at Fresh Air and science journalist.

She leads a range of acclaimed shows including That’s Just Wild with Steve Backshall, Technology Now for HPE, Call of the Wild for WWF-UK, and This Is Not A Beauty Podcast hosted by Isabella Rossellini for L’Oreal, in partnership with T Brand, the content studio within New York Times Advertising.

With a background in physics and entertainment radio at the BBC, Izzie specialises in turning complex ideas into compelling, creative audio.

She also hosts the UK’s #1 astronomy podcast, The Supermassive Podcast, and is the author of two books about space. Her work has won Webby, Lovie and Corporate Content Awards.

Neil founded Fresh Air Production in 2003, after spending his early career as a producer with BBC Radio 5 Live.

He’s gone on to be one of the most experienced, well-connected and highly regarded producers in independent radio production. He’s directed David Attenborough, managed the promotional campaigns for five Olympic Games, and written the lyrics for a ridiculous World Cup song that no-one bought.

Neil has also been Creative Development Director at RadioWorks, and is a regular event speaker. In 2017 he decided that Fresh Air should focus on branded podcasts, and the rest is history.

Annie joined Fresh Air after more than 15 years as a journalist with the BBC, producing live programmes including news and topical affairs. She’s worked with tonnes of presenters, often in a fast paced scary live environment. She loves outside broadcasting and has produced shows in places as varied as Salisbury Cathedral, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the CERN laboratories in Geneva.

Annie has put her stamp on podcasts for Shell, Allianz and Happiful, among many others.

Hannah is an audio producer with a specialism in science, and has produced podcasts and programmes on everything from witchcraft to gravitational waves. Always one to record ‘out and about’, she has recorded on location around the world: examining historical documents in haunted vaults, searching the seas for bioluminescent organisms, or tracking Burmese pythons through the Everglades, to name just some of her audio adventures.

Hannah is also an experienced science reporter, presenting and producing various stories for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service – most recently meeting a lovely group of problem-solving bees.

Nik is an expert in promoting podcasts through numerous channels and maximising both Fresh Air’s and the client’s ability to bring an audience to a show.

With podcasts being judged against other digital content, metrics are hugely important and Nik knows how to show exactly how successful your podcast has been.

Like Beckie, he holds a special place in his heart for Arsenal, and for Bukayo Saka in particular.

Michaela joined Fresh Air after 20 years with the BBC, where she was Head of Audio at BBC Creative. There she was responsible for leading an award winning team to create the audio marketing campaigns for the BBC’s highest priority shows from Strictly to Killing Eve, the Olympics to Eastenders, Dr Who and Planet Earth. We could go on.

She’s also worked for every BBC network radio station, developed strategy and creative for the BBC’s Voice and Connected Speaker offering, and commissioned sonic brand identities for BBC Music and BBC Sounds.

From brains to bugs to better ways of protecting the planet, Eva creates entertaining and enlightening podcasts about science.

She joined the Fresh Air team after spending 18 months producing and presenting science shows for The Naked Scientists on BBC 5 Live, ABC’s Radio National in Australia, and the flagship ‘The Naked Scientists’ podcast.

When not editing audio or writing a script, you’ll find her taking long rambling walks with coffee in hand…listening to a podcast!

Clara worked in Irish radio since 2015 and has production experience from breakfast to current affairs and magazine to music stations, and dabbled in presenting.

She produces and co-hosts ‘House of Gossip’, a brunch-table-girlie-chat podcast about the highs and lows of living in London in your thirties. She has previously hosted ‘Summer Baes – The Unofficial Home & Away Podcast’, (Performs theme song on request)

She’s hugged Beyoncé twice, supports Burnley FC and can usually be found watching RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Alex boasts 15 years of experience producing a range of specialist music radio shows at BBC Radio 1 including Gilles Peterson, Pete Tong & the Essential Mix, B Traits, Judge Jules & Mary Anne Hobbs’ The Breezeblock.

He has also produced several critically acclaimed documentaries for Radio 1, notably, Gilles Peterson in Cuba & in Havana.

Alex is also a music producer and international DJ, he speaks two languages and has a cute dog called Milo.

Katharine is an experienced radio and podcast producer with a passion for nature, science, history and social issues. A long-running partner in creating strategic audio content for brands, we’ve worked together on award-winning productions since 2016. Also a freelancer writer, artist and owner of Podcast Pioneers, you can find Katharine’s book “Step-by-Step Podcasting for Business” on Amazon.

She’s managed our projects for Legal & General, National Grid, Greater Anglia Trains, English Heritage and The National Galleries of Scotland.

Meera is an award-winning Producer and Content Development Exec. She was selected as one of the Rising Stars of 2022 in the British Podcast Awards, was named Best Entertainment Producer in the 2022 Audio Production Awards, and has won two Lovie Awards. Meera has produced stories for the BBC, Sony Music, Universal, UK Parliament, Waitrose, and other well-known brands. Meera is Ambie nominated, and has had her work featured in The Guardian and The Times and selected as one of Spotify’s Best Episodes Of 2021.

Having pivoted into radio and TV production after training as an astrophysicist, Harry has flourished as a producer, working for the BBC, reporting for the World Service, and producing content for the Discovery and Smithsonian channels. He specialises in science and technology but loves to dabble in all things factual having produced documentaries about where our clothes come from, how our technology traverses the world before we ever see it, and even exploring the challengers and champions of nuclear energy. He’s finally returned to podcasting where he’s the primary producer for Technology Now, and also working on a little something on the side.

When he’s not making podcasts, Harry can be found programming conferences, playing cello in several orchestras, woodworking in the garden, or dreaming up and baking cakes far bigger than he can actually eat.

Finlay is a podcast producer and a recent graduate of City St Georges, University London Podcast Journalism MA.
He’s a producer who loves to work in all podcast mediums; Audio, Video… and Social.
He works across multiple Fresh Air productions as well as taking the lead on producing content for the That’s Just Wild social channels – racking up over 10 million views in the first 3 months after launch.

Sarah is an award-winning journalist and factual audio producer with 20 years’ experience in BBC radio.

She’s reported on a hugely diverse range of stories for BBC News, often broadcasting live and alone from the most remote locations, using her wits and a range of technologies!

Conversely Sarah has also produced and presented finely-crafted features and documentaries for regional and network BBC radio, including for Radio 4’s Today, PM, Broadcasting House, You and Yours, Farming Today, and Saturday Live.

She has her own extensive sound effects archive and a nerdy collection of quality microphones.

Her main interests are dogs, chickens, singing and kayaking.

Jayne started out with BBC Radio 4 working on flagship shows such as Start the Week , You and Yours and Loose Ends . She moved to South Africa where she started the country’s first commercial podcast company, making powerful audio content for leading financial and retail clients and pioneering the development of SA’s podcast sector.

Since being back in the UK, she has worked with us on successful productions for Legal & General, Hakluyt strategic advisory, South East Trains and the FCDO ( Taking Apart Terror – deconstructing Islamist extremism – was a New York Audio Festival finalist and Lovie Award winner). She is also the Series Producer of The Graham Norton Book Club for Audible.

Julie-Anna’s extensive journalism experience spans BBC radio (Radio 4’s news programmes and Radio 1 Newsbeat), BBC regional TV and Sky News.

Business news has been her focus in recent years. Alongside writing about mergers and acquisitions for Dealreporter and Mergermarket, she produced and presented a podcast on the topic.

Career highlights include a day spent with the Hell’s Angels and a night out with Kiefer Sutherland

Raj first worked for Fresh Air as part of BBC Asian Network programmes where she was making specialist music shows, but her work now spreads across a huge range of our podcasts.

A social media queen, and fashion know-it-all, Raj has worked on multiple campaigns for ITV making more memes than you can shake a stick at.

She created, and co-presented “The Reality Tea” for Radio 1, and was named “Best New Presenter” at the ARIAS 2020 with her co-host Pilar.

Martin has over 20 years’ experience as a journalist and producer. He’s worked in live radio and natural history television and was producer of BBC Radio 4’s Costing The Earth.

Since joining Fresh Air Production in 2018 he’s worked with major clients such as Shell, BASF and Decathlon. He also produced The Big Steal, winner of the People’s Lovie Award for 2020, finalist in the 2021 Webby Awards and the New York Audio Festival awards.

He is a huge advocate for press freedom with an unhealthy love of journalism.

Melvin has over 20 years experience of producing radio, podcasts and music. As a journalist he’s led teams on daily news programmes, live shows and major series for BBC Radio 4.

He’s authored and produced BBC documentaries on everything from natural history to current affairs, Nordic culture and jazz. And as a music producer he has worked for feature film, TV and at the BBC Proms.

He’s a music nerd and proud of it.

With over 35 years of professional broadcasting experience in both commercial radio and at the BBC, Graham has had a distinguished career both as a presenter and producer.

Some of the documentaries he’s made include life aboard a British patrol submarine (he slept in a hammock strung up between two torpedo racks!), and flying with the world-famous RAF Red Arrows.

Graham likes cycling, aviation and DIY but is rubbish at playing cards.

Stemming from a radio production and music journalism background, Lynnike has worked her magic at BBC, Roundhouse, and Reprezent Radio, where she’s presented, produced, taught young people how to master the mic, produce and DJ. She produces and hosts ‘Let Mummy Talk,’ a parenting and wellness podcast empowering fellow mums to take charge of their self-care and level up their lives. She’s also a Continuity Announcer and Scriptwriter on the comedy channel Dave, persuading you (in the most entertaining way possible) to keep your finger off that remote. When she’s not behind a mic or setting one up for a client, you’ll find her belting out a 90’s RnB banger! Because that era of music is obviously undefeated.

After years of collecting various audio, writing, and storytelling skills from working in live radio, TV production, and magazine editing, Anouszka decided to get a job that allows her to use all those skills at once.

As a freelance podcast producer, she’s worked with some of the biggest names in broadcasting, nurtured the talent of new presenters, and just about has time to produce and present her own award-winning podcast too. A stickler for sticking to schedules, if you want a perfectionist project manager, Anouszka’s the one to ask.

Helen started as a traffic reporter on national radio, then tackled voiceovers (which are still a big part of her work) and TV continuity before producing Robin Ince’s very first podcasts for Comedy Central in 2006. Sprinkled over recent years, she has made national radio trails for BBC Creative Audio, produced myriad audiobooks and mixed a number of projects from podcasts to apps. As a Producer for B7 Media, she also makes award-winning audio drama for Audible and BBC Radio 4, among others.

Helen loves sci-fi, gin, musicals, comedy and any excuse to listen to good audio. She also once narrated a slightly saucy viral video that clocked up nearly 20 million views worldwide. Possibly more now. She daren’t look.

Harriet has produced award winning shows that have taken her across the UK, abroad and to the red carpet. She’s made shows for the likes of BBC, Wondery, Netflix and Universal Studios amongst others. Over the past few years she’s helped shape some of the UK’s most successful podcast series as well as having worked extensively in engineering and sound design.