APAC 2023

Monday, March 3

OPENING SESSIONS

8:30am - 9:00am ET: Vocal and Physical Warm Up

Moderated by:
Ann Richardson (Narrator/Publisher, Great Plains Audiobooks)
Narrating from her home studio in the San Francisco bay area since 2008, Ann has won multiple Earphones awards and works with many publishers of all sizes, as well as independently published authors. She has been an APA member and volunteer for many years and founded her publishing company, Great Plains Audiobooks, in the middle of the pandemic.

Speakers:
Eliza Summers (Narrator, Speech-Language Pathologist, 360 Voice Audiobook)
Eliza Summers is a narrator and a speech-language pathologist with a deep interest in vocal health. She has studied vocal musculature and science and has treated clients to both maximize vocal efficiency as well as to recover from vocal injuries.

Janina Edwards (Narrator and Yoga Teacher, Janinaspeaksvolumes)
For Audie and Earphones award winner, Janina Edwards, Narrator and yoga teacher are two of the hats she wears. She began recording audiobooks in the late 1980s, but also narrates long-format journalism for the New York Times. She is a graduate of the Studio Acting Program at New York University, and coaches audiobook narration through Open Studio online. Janina became a certified yoga teacher in 2011. As a yoga teacher she focuses on accessible yoga classes in non-traditional spaces.

8:30am - 9:00am ET: Mindfulness Meditation

Esther Wane (Narrator, Astraia Limited)
I am Esther Wane; a multiple Earphone award winning British audiobook narrator on over 400 titles. Over the past 9 years I have been lucky enough to work with many of the big producers and publishers in the UK and US on titles as wide ranging as Alison Weir’s “Queens in the Age of Chivalry “to Sarah Vaughan’s “Anatomy of a Scandal”. I live just outside London with my husband, two children and “loopy” doodle dog. Just over 12 years ago, inspired by wanting my children to live their dreams, I left my City finance career to go to Drama School.

9:30am - 10:30am: In Conversation with S&S CEO Jonathan Karp
Speakers:
Jonathan Karp (Chief Executive Officer, Simon & Schuster)
Jonathan Karp was named President and CEO of Simon & Schuster in May 2020. In this role, he leads Simon & Schuster’s publishing groups as well as its international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Karp first joined Simon & Schuster in June 2010 as publisher of the company’s flagship imprint. During his tenure, he oversaw the publication of bestselling authors such as Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Irving, Walter Isaacson, and Bob Woodward.
In 2018, Mr. Karp was named President and Publisher of Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, encompassing the company’s New York–based adult trade publishing: Atria Books, Gallery Books, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, Touchstone and their associated sub-imprints and lines. During his tenure, the adult group launched a successful new imprint, Avid Reader Press, and established the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau.
Prior to joining Simon & Schuster, Mr. Karp was Publisher and Editor in Chief of Twelve, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group, which he founded in 2005. Before founding Twelve, he was Editor in Chief of Random House, where he began his publishing career in 1989 as an editorial assistant and worked for sixteen years.
Mr. Karp earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and his Master of Arts degree from New York University.

Chris Lynch (President & Publisher, Simon & Schuster)
Chris Lynch has been in the audio publishing business for more than 35 years and has been President and Publisher of Simon & Schuster Audio since 2013. He has published numerous award-winning audiobooks including Anthony Doerr’s ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, Bruce Springsteen’s BORN TO RUN, Garrett Graff’s THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY, Jason Reynolds’ STUNTBOY, IN THE MEANTIME, and Patrick Stewart’s MAKING IT SO. Under his direction, S&S Audio has published numerous bestselling original audiobooks from authors such as Jimmy Carter, Stephen King, William Kent Krueger, Christina Lauren, and Bob Woodward.

10:30am - 11:45am: Producers, Publishers, Paymasters (production)

Moderated by:
Khristine Hvam (Co-Founder, Curated Audio)
​With more than 20 years of experience, Khristine is passionate about innovating new ways of creating content to support each storyteller’s vision. Having earned multiple awards and nominations in both TV and audiobook production, as well as performance, she understands storytelling from all sides and uses that experience to create compelling stories that capture the imagination and transport listeners. She is a producer, director, performer, and coach.

Speakers:
Noah Michael Levine (Services Owner/Operator, Skywire Paymaster)
"Noah Michael Levine is owner/operator of Skywire Paymaster Services. Since 2017, Skywire has been the premier, go-to paymaster, serving the audiobook industry with the best, friendliest, and most affordable service. As an audiobook narrator/producer himself, Noah is extremely familiar with both the business and creative sides of what we all love to do.

Kat Jackson (Senior Director, Audible)
Kat Jackson is the Senior Director of Audible Studios, overseeing all production in the US as well as Canada, Latin America and Brazil. She also leads the international studios expansion team, spearheading studio development in all new territories, having overseen the launch Audible’s production operations in India, South Africa, Spain and Ireland. Kat is the head of Audible’s University Outreach program and the yearly Global Studios Summit, as well as the team’s forays into innovative storytelling via new technology.

Julie Wilson (Senior Executive Producer, Penguin Random House Director of Casting, Strategic Partnerships, & Digital Production Platforms)
Julie Wilson is an industry leader in audio storytelling and an award-winning Senior Executive Producer. ​As the Director of Casting and Strategic Partnerships at Penguin Random House Audio, she spearheads the growth of the global talent pool and partners with external companies to elevate creativity and efficiency in the voiceover industry. Recent production credits include working with Adam Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alicia Keys, Brandi Carlile, Seth Rogen, and Keanu Reeves. She created the global casting platform for voiceover, Ahab Talent, which increases diverse casting options for creators. ​She is a native New Yorker, writer, urban gardener, rock climber, and graduate of Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing.

Mandi Ogle (Producer, HarperAudio)
Mandi Ogle is an award-winning audiobook producer at HarperAudio. She has produced titles in nearly every genre including multicast celebrity productions such as The Last Dream by Pedro Almodovar, author-reads including American Story by Wilmer Valderrama, fully scored children's titles, and international literary fiction.
Before working at HarperCollins, Mandi was part of the team at Penguin Random House Audio, although she started her audiobook journey as an independent producer and narrator. She has built relationships with colleagues across the audiobook industry and is a publisher member of the APA.

Cameron Potts (Vice President - Audiobook Production, John Marshall Media)
Cameron Potts is the VP - Audiobook Production at John Marshall Media and has been with JMM since 2017. Cameron started out as an overnight editor in NYC and has worked through every facet of audiobook production on the way to his current role. He has a passion for people and process, and is endlessly curious. Cameron lives in Wilmington, NC with his wife and two sons.

10:30am - 11:45am: Blowing Up the Box (production)

Emily Drabinski (Associate Professor Queens College, City University of New York)
Emily Drabinski is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at Queens College, City University of New York. She served as the openly queer President of the American Library Association in 2023-24 during a period of heightened attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community and on libraries. Drabinski edits Gender and Sexuality in Information Studies, a book series from Library Juice Press.

Reynaldo Piniella (Penguin Random House)
Reynaldo Piniella is an actor, writer, and educator from East New York, Brooklyn. He is a graduate of PRH's Audio Narrator Mentorship Program. In 2021, he was in the acting company of two Broadway shows at the same time – Thoughts of a Colored Man and Trouble in Mind. TV credits include Reservation Dogs, Sneaky Pete, Law & Order: SVU, The Carrie Diaries, Flesh & Bone, Blue Bloods, Greenleaf, Louie, NYC 22, Us & Them and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Film: Madeline’s Madeline (Sundance Film Fest, Showtime), Shadows (HBO Max) and Broken City (20th Century FOX). @ReynaldoRey. www.reynaldopiniella.com

Laura Wilson (Senior Exec. Producer, Penguin Random House)
I've worked in audio publishing for over 20 years. For the past 2 years I've worked with the DEI Team here at PRH as well--working with our company ERGs and on PRH's DEI Council.

Dan Zitt - PENDING

10:30am - 11:45am: Open Room for Meetings (business)

AFTERNOON SESSIONS 1

1:30pm - 2:15pm: The 3D Voice (production)

Speaker:
Colette Feehan, PhD (CMFVoices, Inc The 3D Voice)
Colette Feehan, PhD is a linguist, audiobook director, and voice actor. They got their PhD in linguistics from Indiana University in 2021 focusing on the articulatory and acoustic phonetics of voice acting. With the help of several spectacular voice actors and using 3D/4D ultrasound, Colette was able to look at what's going on inside the mouth while actors do different voices and how those articulatory movements affect the acoustics of the sound produced. Now Colette uses what they learned about the vocal tract and articulation in their job as an audiobook director to help narrators, particularly in performing multi-lingual books.

1:30pm - 2:15pm: The Future of International Growth and New Markets (business)

Moderator: TBA

Speaker:
Lance Fitzgerald (SVP - Content and Business Development, Penguin Random House Audio)
Lance Fitzgerald leads the Editorial Acquisitions, Licensing and Art team to grow editorial acquisitions and broaden the reach of digital audio by acquiring audiobook rights from publishers outside of PRH, both domestically and internationally. Prior to joining PRH Audio, Lance Fitzgerald spent 25 years as a Foreign Rights Director at Penguin Putnam, Simon & Schuster and Crown.
Under his guidance, he and his team have acquired rights for rights for Audiobook Originals MeatEater’s Campfire Stories series, No One goes Alone by Erik Larson, On Tyranny: Expanded edition by Timothy Snyder, Smitten Kitchen Keepers: A Kitchen Counter Conversation by Deborah Perelman, and more. He is a member of the Frankfurt Book Fair Foreign Rights Advisory Board and has been a featured panelist at the Frankfurt and London Book Fairs, the Writer’s League of Texas and the American Association of Literary Agents.

1:30pm - 2:15pm: Open Room for Meetings

AFTERNOON SESSIONS 2

2:30pm - 4:00pm: Whose Narration Is It Anyway?  (production)

Moderated by:
Neil Hellegers (Brown House Brooklyn)
Neil Hellegers Neil is an actor, narrator, and educator who lives in Brooklyn, NYC. As an award-winning narrator of over 500 titles for published, produces, and indie authors alike, Neil has a focus in GameLit, LitFict, NonFict, and SciFi/Fantasy. He can also be seen playing various bearded professionals on numerous different screens, and has performed, taught and created productions of Shakespeare internationally. Proud member SAG-AFTRA and PANA.

Speakers:
Matthew Lloyd Davies
Matt is a British Actor, Director and Narrator of over 400 Audiobooks. Trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Experience ranges from Community and Regional Theatre to West End shows, International Tours and award winning TV and Film.

Marni Penning (Audiobook Narrator, Marni Penning Narration, LLC)
Marni's been fondly dubbed “The Maven of a Million Voices” for her ability to create a wide range of fully-realized distinct character voices, as well as compelling (and consistent) narration, which led to an Audie nomination for Best Fiction Narrator in 2024. With 300+ titles on Audible (including her romance pseudonym), Marni shines equally in complex, dramatic roles and goofy, snarky ones. Mystery/thriller, sci-fi, romcoms, & anything for young adult or middle grade audiences are her passion.

Dani Martineck (Narrator)
Dani Martineck is a New York-based actor and writer passionate about stories that help us feel less alone. Since being scouted from a play into their first audiobook in 2018, they've narrated mostly queer and genre fiction and have a special fondness for characters determined against all odds to save themselves and each other. Their sensory short film about grief and healing, THE RUSHING OF THE SEA, garnered festival nominations for best screenplay and wins in multiple categories. They’re currently in preproduction for their next short film, HANDLE WITH CARE, about rediscovering self-love from within chronic pain.

Tim Lounibos (Narrator)
Tim Lounibos is a multiracial Asian American actor with 35 years of experience across stage, screen, and streaming. He has 2+ years of experience in narration and is grateful for the 70+ publisher offers he's received since jumping into the audiobook fray. He can't imagine a more welcoming, supportive, and camaraderic industry and is grateful to be a part of it.

Samara Naeymi (Brick Shop Audio)
Samara Naeymi aka Samantha Brentmoor has voiced over 400 audiobooks in romance and other genres and is a 2023 Audie winner. Since 2018 she has worked as the Director of Production for Brick Shop Audio, working with independent and traditionally published clients to bring their books to audio. When not narrating she works in cartoons and video games (Pokémon, World of Winx, Pathfinder series, Warhammer 40k).

Jorjeana Marie (Narrator, Superbloom Studios)
Jorjeana Marie is a comedian, the Los Angeles Times bestselling author of "Improv for Writers" (Penguin Random House) and a writer on the Emmy nominated "Tab Time". She voices the magical rabbit “Trikini” for Disney. She has narrated over 400 audiobooks, som of them AUDIE, SOVAS and multiple Earphones award winners. She can do a shoddy cartwheel and really enjoys to play "peas in a pod".

Robin Miles (Narrator, Producer, Director, Teacher - Voxpertise)
Audible Hall of Famer, Robin Miles, has garnered top honors, including multiple Audies, Booklist Voice of the Year, and Audiofile’s Golden Voice, with over 85 Earphones and Best of the Year awards.
Her chameleon-like performances win accolades for nuance, variety & depth, and span over 600+ audiobooks including Caste, Hugo winner The Fifth Season Trilogy, and The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Her clients include every major US publisher, NYC’s American Museum of Natural History, The Smithsonian, and PBS.
She’s done Broadway (The Violet Hour), Law & Order, regional theater classics/premiers, and Collected Shorts (Symphony Space/NPR). She holds a BA (Yale), MFA (Yale School of Drama), attended BADA (Oxford, England), studied with legend Uta Hagen, and owns Voxpertise audiobook production & training studio.

P.J. Ochlan (Producer/Narrator/Coach, Lepton Productions)
P.J. Ochlan has been working in the entertainment industry for nearly 40 years with credits spanning Broadway, feature films, and numerous television guest star and series regular roles. Along the way he’s worked with many icons including Jodie Foster, Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Joseph Papp, and Al Pacino.
With some 600 audiobook performances, P.J.'s narration has been recognized with multiple Audie Awards, Earphones Awards, Voice Arts Awards, and the Odyssey Award.
P.J. is also one of the industry’s leading dialect and performance coaches, and with his company, Lepton Productions, he's produced and directed many award-winning projects from films to countless audiobooks.

Judges

Hillary Huber (Hillary Out Loud Narrator)
Hillary Huber has recorded almost 800 spanning many genres – but thrillers are FAVORITE! Hillary has a BA in English Literature and is a voracious reader and listener of audiobooks. Her narration has garnered multiple Audie Finalist, Earphone, SOVAS and Audiofile Best of Awards. She spends half the year in Santa Monica and half in NY. Most of that time is spent in a small 4x4 cell. When not narrating Hillary enjoys hiking, planning parties, knitting, baking sourdough and sipping an excellent bourbon cocktail while planning her next trip.

Vikas Adam (Narrator)
Genre Fluid narrator Vikas Adam has recorded over 500 audiobooks and is an actor, director, and faculty at the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television. He also records for Apple News and The New York Times Audio. Vikas has won the Audie Award (and is a 16 time nominee), a Voice Arts Award award, 25+ Earphones awards, is on several “Best of the Year” lists and is an inaugural inductee into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. Vikas is a founding faculty member for narrator.life, and sits on the Sag Aftra audiobook steering committee.
Socials: @vikasadam

2:30pm - 4:00pm: Seizing the Rise of Audiobooks, Marketing Like You Mean It (business)

Moderated by:
Darcy Piedmonte (Senior Sales Manager, NetGalley)

Speakers:
Mark Pearson (CEO, Libro.fm)
Mark Pearson is the CEO and co-founder of Libro.fm, the digital audiobook platform for more than 3,500 independent bookstores.

David Walter (Executive Director, Circana Books)
David Walter is in his seventeenth year in the publishing and data space, during which time his roles have covered metadata, business development, research and commercial functions.
Currently David leads the team at Circana that delivers book industry data and insights to publishers, retailers and content creators. Since 2022 he has been adjunct professor at the NYU School of Professional Studies, teaching on the Publishing Masters course.
Originally from the UK, David has been a New York resident since 2015.

Agustina Casal (Digital Sales and Marketing, Ingram Content Group Direction)
Agustina has nearly 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, providing independent book publishers expertise in online and digital sales, as well as digital marketing strategy. She leads the division of Ingram Publisher Services that is focused on increasing sales via e-commerce sites, by developing creative retail and social advertising campaigns that drive online consumers to discover new books.

Jess Kessler (Head of Brand & Content Marketing - North America, Audible)
As Head of Brand & Content Marketing, North America at Audible, Jess Kessler leads promotion of groundbreaking audio content available on Audible and Amazon. With more than 15 years’ marketing experience, Kessler plays a key role in shaping award-winning initiatives to reach audiences. She spearheaded Audible’s first-ever global brand campaign and launched campaigns for Harry Potter, the Obamas’ Higher Ground, Chrissy Teigen, and hundreds of other authors and creators.
Prior to Audible, Kessler held positions at Cinedigm Digital, a theatrical and streaming entertainment company, and at Nickelodeon where she marketed global properties including SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.

Samantha Edelson - Macmillan (SPEAKER FORM PENDING)