Winners announced for the 2019 Audio Production Awards

The winners have been revealed for the Audio Production Awards at a gala evening at the BFI Southbank, hosted by Tommy Sandhu.

The special Gold Award went to the Mental Health Minute, coordinated by Radiocentre and produced by Somethin’ Else in 2018 and TBI Media in 2019.

The Mental Health Minute was broadcast in May across hundreds of radio stations, including BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and 5 Live, BBC Local Radio, as well as networks including Global, Bauer and Wireless and community stations.

It reached a combined audience of over 40 million people, and featured His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge.

Elsewhere there was a special moment when Hilary Ineomo-Marcus presented the ‘Grassroots’ award, which he was unable to present last year because he was facing potential deportation to Nigeria. He appeared on stage, greeted by a standing ovation, alongside Miranda Sawyer, who stood in for him last year and alerted the audience to his situation. He then presented the Gold award to the winner, AMILIAH.

Fresh Air Productions, the company set up by Neil Cowling, which has been growing a specialism in branded podcasting as well as radio, won ‘Production Company of the Year’.

Other winners included Dave Masterman from Manchester’s Audio Always, who won Gold in the ‘Gethin Thomas Award for Best Comedy Producer’, as well as silver for ‘Best Entertainment Producer’.

In audiobooks, Penguin Random House’s Richard Hughes won Gold for ‘Best Audiobook/Readings Producer’, and Roy McMillan, also from Penguin Random House, won Silver for ‘Audio Performer of the Year’, with HarperCollins’ Bernard Mensch picking up Bronz.

Podcast winners included Audible’s Hana Walker-Brown, who won Gold for ‘Best Podcast Producer’ and a second Gold for ‘Best Factual Producer’. The latter award was presented by Helen Boaden, Funding Panel Chair of the Audio Content Fund.

In music, Folk on Foot’s Natalie Steed won Gold in the ‘Best Music Producer’ category, while Trevor Nelson won ‘Best Presenter – Music’ for his work with production company Somethin’ Else.

Ben Mundy from BBC’s Newsbeat won ‘Best Sports Producer’, and the ‘New Voice’ Gold Award went to Mo Ayoub of Reprezent Radio.

Kellie While, Chair of AudioUK, which organises the APAs, said: “In the APAs’ tenth year it was wonderful to have great moments like the reception for Hilary Ineomo-Marcus and the recognition given to Mental Health Minute. And as always a wide range of production companies and talent have been rewarded for their great work across radio, podcasting and audiobooks. The public’s appetite for quality audio content is growing rapidly both in the UK and internationally and these awards show that we have a thriving sector able to meet the demand.”

Steve Carsey, Senior Director of Original Programming, Audible, which sponsors the Awards, said: “More people than ever are enjoying expertly-produced audiobooks, dramas, podcasts and radio, and at Audible we’re excited to be part of this evolving landscape, investing an increasing amount in a huge range of innovative listening experiences across all genres. We’re very proud to join AudioUK again this year in recognising excellence and craftsmanship of producers, presenters, technicians, sound-designers and performers in this vibrant industry. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.”

Audio Production Awards 2019 – Winners and Nominees

Best Arts Producer

Anishka Sharma – Whistledown (B)
Cathy FitzGerald – White Stiletto Productions (S)
Jack Howson – Reduced Listening
Josephine Wheeler – Freelance/Just Radio
Sera Baker – TBI Media
Victoria Ferran – Just Radio (G)

Best Music Producer

Chris Elcombe – Reduced Listening
Fuzz Chaudhrey – Listen
Jax Coombes – BBC Radio 6 Music (B)
Natalie Steed – Folk on Foot (G)
Nathan Goodman – We are Grape
Tom Fuller – Somethin’ Else (S)

Best Factual Producer

Cathy FitzGerald – White Stiletto Productions (S)
Chelsea Dickenson – Audio Always (B)
Gabriela Jones – Freelance
Hana Walker-Brown – Audible (G)
Philippa Gearing – Overtone Productions
Richard Hollingham – Boffin Media

Best News and Current Affairs Producer

Anishka Sharma – Whistledown
Gabriela Jones – Freelance (G)
James Shield – The RSA (S)
Kate Lamble – BBC (B)
Robert Nicholson – Whistledown
Sam Bonham – The Next Episode

Best Sports Producer

Abi Paterson – Muddy Knees Media
Ben Mundy – BBC Newsbeat (G)
Justin Dealey – BBC Three Counties (S)
Simon Crosse – Shooting Shark
Tayo Popoola – Freelance (B)
Tim Durrans, Adrian Harms, Johnny Cantor – BBC
Sussex & BBC Surrey Sport

Best Entertainment Producer

Dave Masterman – Audio Always (S)
Hana Walker-Brown – Audible
Lily Ames – Chalk & Blade (B)
Lorna Skingley – 7digital
Louise Molony – BBC Radio 2
Will Wilkin – BBC Radio 1 (G)

Gethin Thomas Award for Best Comedy Producer

Dave Masterman – Audio Always (G)
David Tyler – Pozzitive
Ed Morrish – Somethin’ Else (B)
Elroy Powell – FAADA
Gus Beattie – Gusman Productions
Jon Holmes – Unusual (S)

Best Live Event/Outside Broadcast Producer

Andrew Wilkie – Prison Radio Association (G)
Andrew Wyke & Tony Moorey – TBI Media/Magic
Radio (S)
Chris Gilvear – Jazz FM
James Walker – Celador Radio (B)
Simon Furber, Mark Carter, Alison Ferns, Anthony
Martin – BBC Sussex

Best Podcast Producer

Ant McGinley – On the Left Side
Becca Bryers – BBC
Clare Freeman – ASFB Productions
Hana Walker-Brown – Audible (G)
Sam Bonham – BBC/Freelance (S)
Sefa Nkyi – BoomShakalaka Productions (B)

Best Drama Producer

Allegra McIlroy – BBC Northern Ireland Radio
Drama (B)
Boz Temple-Morris – Holy Mountain (G)
Charlotte Melen – Almost Tangible
Fiona McAlpine – Allegra Productions
Melanie Harris – Sparklab
Nicolas Jackson – Afonica (S)

Best Audiobook/Readings Producer

Chris Thompson – Heavy Entertainment
Jeremy Osborne – Sweet Talk Productions (S)
Joanna Green – Greenlit Productions
Neil Gardner – Ladbroke Audio
Richard Hughes – Penguin Random House (G)
Simon Richardson – BBC (B)

Best New Producer

Axel Kacoutié – Falling Tree (S)
Jessie Lawson – Freelance (G)
Leonie Thomas – Whistledown
Lucy Hunt – Listen
Ned Carter Miles – Just Radio
Richard Power – 7digital (B)

Best Station Sound Producer

Ben Stones – BBC Popular Music Station Sound (S)
Gordon Lundy – Absolute Radio
Liam Hadley – BBC Popular Music Station Sound (B)
Muna Ahmed – Prison Radio Association
Oliver Claxton – BBC Popular Music Station Sound (G)
Rob Green – Audio Always

Best Sound Designer

Adam Fowler – Overtone Productions
Alisdair McGregor – Holy Mountain
Arthur Hagues – Prison Radio Association (B)
Axel Kacoutié – The Guardian (G)
David Chilton – Almost Tangible (S)
Mark Pittam – TBI Media

Grassroots Production Award

AMALIAH (G)
Carousel
Podium.me
Prison Radio Association (S)
Radio Wanno – HMP Wandsworth (B)
Sue Clark Productions

Audio Performer of the Year

Bernard Mensah – HarperCollins Publishers (B)
Carl Prekopp – HarperCollins Publishers
David Walliams – HarperCollins Publishers
James Robinson – Almost Tangible (G)
Roy McMillan – Penguin Random House (S)
Weruche Opia – W F Howes

Best Presenter – Speech

Anushka Asthana – The Guardian (S)
Cathy FitzGerald – White Stiletto Productions (G)
Elis James/John Robins – Audio Always
Justin Dealey – BBC Three Counties
Roisin Hastie/Ben Mundy – BBC Newsbeat
Rose Kudabayeva – BlokMedia (B)

Best Presenter – Music

Huw Stephens – Folded Wing
Jamie Cullum – Folded Wing
Mark Radcliffe – 7digital (S)
Matthew Bannister – Folk on Foot
Snoochie Shy – TBI Media (B)
Trevor Nelson – Somethin’ Else (G)

New Voice Award

Audrey Gillan – Falling Tree (B)
Becca Bryers – BBC
Dame Kelly Holmes – 7digital
Jacob Rosales – BlokMedia (S)
Mo Ayoub – Reprezent Radio (G)
Shahlaa Tahira – Pulse 88/Freelance

Production Company of the Year

Audio Always (B)
Chalk & Blade
Fresh Air (G)
Prison Radio Association
TBI Media
Whistledown (S)

Gold Award

Special Gold Award for ‘Mental Health Minute’ presented to: Radiocentre; Somethin’ Else; TBI Media