PRX Builds Two New Podcast Content Roles

Public media organization PRX today announced that Julie Shapiro and Audrey Mardavich will serve in newly-created strategic roles on the company’s content team. Shapiro will serve as Vice President of Editorial at PRX and Radiotopia and will also continue as Executive Producer of the acclaimed podcast “Ear Hustle.” Mardavich will serve as Senior Director of Content of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX.

Shapiro and Mardavich will help to guide, develop, and envision new partnerships and original content, support vital ongoing programming, and collaborate with creators across the PRX and Radiotopia podcast portfolios. Shapiro and Mardavich report to Jason Saldanha, Chief of Business Development and Content at PRX.

“As the podcast industry accelerates, Julie will now bring her incredible experience, creativity, and creator-conscious mindset to podcasts and strategic partnerships across PRX’s growing portfolio, and will continue to guide Radiotopia as the network evolves,” said Saldanha. “In addition, since the network’s inception, Audrey’s dedication to Radiotopia’s mission, content, and creators have been without comparison. We’re excited to drive a path forward in audio together that champions independent creators and their work.”

As Vice President of Editorial at PRX and Radiotopia, Shapiro will continue to steer the creative direction and growth of Radiotopia, a podcast network of extraordinary, artist-owned podcasts. In addition, Shapiro will now also help to shepherd large-scale content partnerships throughout PRX. Further, Shapiro will continue to work hand-in-hand with the “Ear Hustle” team as Executive Producer. Shapiro was named Executive Producer of Radiotopia in 2015 following the launch of the network. Created in 2017 and part of Radiotopia, “Ear Hustle” is made inside and outside of San Quentin State Prison, sharing daily realities of life there. Shapiro and the “Ear Hustle” team have received recognition from the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes, while the podcast has been downloaded more than 55.5 million times. For more than a decade, Shapiro served as Artistic Director of the Third Coast International Audio Festival. She has also served as Executive Producer at ABC Radio National in Australia.

As Senior Director of Content for Radiotopia, Mardavich will oversee the strategic planning, operations, and management of the network, including new launches and ongoing series. Mardavich will work closely with producers and across teams at PRX to achieve production, audience, and revenue goals. Mardavich has held multiple roles at Radiotopia and PRX since 2011, ranging from Director of Special Projects to Radiotopia’s Network Director, helping to drive projects such as the opening of the PRX Podcast Garage in Boston in 2016 and Radiotopia’s live tours on the east and west coasts. Mardavich has also served as a Boston storySLAM producer for “The Moth” and at the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

Both Shapiro and Mardavich will continue to serve as executive producers for “Radiotopia Presents,” a podcast feed and home for new limited series from independent creators in which producers retain 100% ownership and creative control of their intellectual property while receiving financial, production, distribution, and marketing support. The debut series from “Radiotopia Presents,” “Blind Guy Travels,” premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Festival in New York.

“I’m looking forward to supporting PRX’s expanding content ambitions, to identifying new partners and projects, and to breaking new ground creatively by paving the way for more impactful and transformative storytelling," said Julie Shapiro, Vice President of Editorial at PRX and Radiotopia. “It’s an honor and pleasure to build on the work I’ve done with PRX through Radiotopia and ‘Ear Hustle,’ and to continue onward working alongside the network and the show, too. Both have big plans in store.”

“It’s a joy to work closely with Radiotopia’s hosts and producers, and to provide a space where creators are valued and their dream projects can thrive,” said Audrey Mardavich, Senior Director of Content of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. “As a fierce advocate for independent producers, I look forward to helping lead Radiotopia forward in an ever-changing podcast landscape.”

For more about PRX and Radiotopia, visit PRX.org and Radiotopia.fm.