Bethany Hawkins, award-winning storyteller & podcast manager
Meet Bethany Hawkins, an award-winning storyteller & podcast manager with over four years of experience helping podcast creators see their vision through.
This feature is part of our #WeAreHere series highlighting Black, Indigenous and people of color who provide professional-level services in the podcasting industry. At a time when it has become essential to the success of any company to build multicultural teams and reach diverse audiences, this series is designed to make it easy for any company or individual to find the diverse talent they need to support their projects or build their organizations.
These are people in our community who have demonstrated experience in their respective fields, and a commitment to providing quality services to their clients. Some of the professionals within our directory are also open to freelance opportunities or long-term contracts.
Let’s get to know Bethany Hawkins, an award-winning storyteller and podcast manager with over four years of experience helping podcast creators see their vision through.
Q: What is your area of expertise?
My area of expertise is storytelling. Bringing the story out of our clients visually and through audio is what we do best.
Q: How long have you been doing this type of work?
I have been working in podcasting for four years, after spending almost two decades in the corporate world. As you know, there is more to this industry than audio. There are contracts, organizations, engaging with people, budgeting, presentations just to name a few. All of those skills, in addition to learning audio and content creation, allowed me to flourish in this industry in a short amount of time.
Q: What piqued your interest in podcasting?
I worked in the corporate world and after 18 1/2 years, I knew I needed a change. I was introduced to podcasting in 2017 when my friend shared with me Levar Burton Reads. After she showed me how to get podcasts on my phone, I became obsessed. When I started thinking about creating my own business, I knew my business' focus would be podcasting.
Q: What's an audio project you've really enjoyed working on, and why?
Like children, I refuse to pick a favorite. I truly enjoy the majority of my clients and their work so it is really hard for me to choose one. I have had the pleasure of working on narrative style podcasts, solo podcasts, interview style podcasts, and storytelling podcasts. Each style shares a journey and I am honored they ask us to assist them in sharing that journey.
Q: What products or services do you offer?
As of today's date we offer the following packages: Intro/Outro/Trailer package and Graphics Package in English and Español. We also offer Launch Package and Podcast Management in English. For our coaching services, we offer coaching and group cohorts for podcast business owners in English.
Q: What makes you or your services unique?
We are what makes our services unique. Our clients invest in us so we invest in them. We make a concerted effort to ensure that they will enjoy working with us and we will enjoy working with them. We just don't talk to them about their podcast. We talk to them about their life. Because if their life is “life-ing”, they can't bring their all to the podcast, and that happens. Together, we can find a work-around so they can get their message out there and not be drained emotionally and mentally.
Q: What are you particularly proud of about your work?
We just recently redid our website. In looking through all of the past and current projects, I was so amazed at all the podcasts we worked on. When I say we have worked on over 80 podcasts, it just feels like a number but when I took the time to really look at ALL THE PODCASTS we worked on it was astounding. To think, we helped someone take their idea and made it come to fruition and the impact it had on them, and on their listeners. Then the listeners may take what they heard and implement it in their lives so their family and friends are impacted too, and so on. The reach of us helping assist someone share their voice and then the domino effect it has in others helping more people makes me tear up a bit. Truly, I get a little choked up thinking about it.
Q: What would you like to see happen in the podcasting industry within the next five years?
I want to see all marginalized people DOMINATE this industry. I want to see us behind the scenes and in front of the mic. I want us to create stories for us by us! I want the graphics to be created by us. I want all of the legal contracts to be created by us for us. I want us to not only revolutionize podcasting but GET PAID Caucasian people's salary to do it!
Q: What kind of businesses or clients do you like working with in podcasting?
I love black and brown women. I LLLOOOVVVEEE THEM! So that is who we work with. We also work with REAL ALLIES of black and brown women. Not performative allies but legit, you are willing to be a Jessica Chastain standing up for Octavia Spencer's salary discrepancy white-woman ally!
Q: What motivates you to keep growing in your career or business?
Creating any business is not for the faint of heart but this business can be especially hard. It can be tiring wearing so many different hats. What keeps me motivated to grow in my career and in this business are my team members and my clients. I ADORE my team members. Two of them have been with me for years and I truly consider them my north star in navigating the trials and errors of my company. Also, my clients are truly and utterly the best! I know people say that but I truly mean it.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a creator in the podcasting industry, what would it be?
DO WHAT YOU LOVE!!! Because you are going to be doing it A LOT! You may hate it sometimes but if you love it, you will still have that love somewhere deep inside of you and you will continue. If you truly don't like what you are doing you can always switch it up. You aren't sentenced to do that one thing you have been doing in podcasting. You can always change your course. That is the beauty of podcasting. You can do so many different things in this industry.
Learn more about Bethany’s work here. You can also find other experienced professionals within our BIPOC Verified Service Provider Directory.