work samples
Stars and Stars with Isa
Host Isa Nakazawa talks about the stars above with the stars below. Each week, Isa interviews guests by reading them their astrological birth chart as a path into a vulnerable conversation about the guest’s life, work and creative process. As the producer for this weekly interview show, I book, edit and sound design our episodes. Sample episodes include:
Louder Than A Riot
Season 2
Season 2 of Louder Than A Riot examined who hip-hop marginalizes, and how misogynoir — the specific racist misogyny against Black women — is embedded into the fabric of the culture that we love. The Louder Than A Riot team was awarded the 2024 NABJ’s Journalist of the Year for this season.
Each episode of Louder Than A Riot unpacks the unspoken rules of rap that discriminate against a select few and have held the entire culture back.
As a producer on this season I:
Reported and produced on an in-depth look at the case that could have been hip-hop’s Me Too reckoning
Produced and field reported on Rico Nasty’s 2021 tour experience, how it re-enforced the Strong Black Woman trope and the way her community rallied to support her
Co-edited, produced and sound designed host Rodney Carmichael’s powerful reflection on fatherhood, masculinity and hip-hop
Produced a team conversation for the third act of Louder’s finale
Led production and writing on our season two trailer
Co-produced our episode on body policing and the male gaze: Beauty is in the eye of the male gaze
Provided editing assistance on our episodes about the Tory Lanez trial, iLoveMakonnen and Saucy Santana
Life Kit
‘What is 'communal living' and is it right for me?’ — I pitched, reported, wrote and voiced this episode of NPR’s Life Kit. I also bylined the digital story:
I also worked with journalist and equity educator Tuck Woodstock to produce an episode on 4 Ways To Make Your Workplace Equitable For Trans People.
I worked with Tobin Low and Kathy Tu of WYNC’s Nancy to produce an episode on Navigating The Coming Out Conversation — From Both Sides.
Cascade PBS & Youth Today
I co-reported and produced, wrote, tracked and scored episodes for this three part series looking at how public funding is being spent to address youth homelessness in Washington state.
(Photo by Genna Martin/Crosscut)
Season 2, Episode 1: Washington’s new youth homelessness ‘Lifeline’ service lags
Season 2, Episode 2: Researchers team up with court staff to help WA homeless youth
Season 2, Episode 3: ‘Home was never a place’: One woman’s life in WA foster care
KEXP’s Sound & Vision
I pitched, reported, produced and tracked this episode sharing neighbor’s memories of a giant wind harp on Bainbridge Island and the community that brought it to life.
Louder Than A Riot
Season 1
From NPR Music, Louder Than A Riot traces the collision of rhyme and punishment in America.
The series investigates the criminal justice system through the experiences of artists including Bobby Shmurda, Nipsey Hussle, Noname, DJ Drama and Isis Tha Saviour.
I led production on:
Series teaser - why are hip-hop and mass incarceration so entangled in America? How did they become that way?
Episode 9 - a former ward of the state who gave birth while imprisoned, Philly rapper Isis Tha Saviour uses hip-hop to transform her trauma into freedom.
Episode 11/finale - as Yo Gotti and Jay-Z work to reform prisons, Noname and Mariame Kaba imagine how hip-hop could help abolish prisons completely.
I supported production on the rest of the series, helped run our social media presence and co-bylined this long-form interview between abolitionist and organizer Mariame Kaba and Noname.
NPR Reporting
While at NPR, I reported and produced stories on the impacts of COVID-19 for All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and NPR Shots through:
Remembrances of essential workers who died during the pandemic
Obituaries for people like Scott Blanks and Zlatko Veleski told through the voices of loved ones
Reporting on the impact of moving home on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth
Sound Art & More Freelance Work
I’ve worked with Campside Media, Transcripts Podcast, Constellations, KNKX, KUOW, and Field Recordings:
Campside Media - Run Bambi Run
I worked with host Vanessa Grigoriadis to deeply research the court case, police reports and 1980s journalism this podcast centers on. I also located sources and produced interviews with many of the people featured on the show.
Transcripts Podcast - Episode 2: Extended Edition: "The South Deserves People Like Me"
I sound designed and scored this episode with Ariana Martinez, along with the shorter cut, "Episode 2: I'm Fighting So That People Can Live Their Lives."
Constellations, Season 3 — That Spiraling Place.
This piece was also featured on Other Sight’s Currents and Waves radio.
Field Recordings — Stargazing, Zion National Park, Utah, USA
KNKX Sound Effect — Rabbi Turns 500-Year-Old Love Songs Into Rap
KNKX & KUOW/Transom — Kelli Wimbley Dinh: Everyone’s Barber