Darryl is a Development Producer and Lead Creative with almost 7 years of experience in the industry. With a multi-disciplined slate, he has worked across large scale factual entertainment, branded entertainment, book adaptations and TV drama, as well as live events and podcasts.

The Birmingham native has a huge passion for ideas and loves to collaborate closely with other creative minds. Before entering the world of television, Darryl spent 7 years working as a Personal Mentor in Birmingham, helping students reach their potential, so it’s no surprise that he is the founder of This Is Spoke.

“My favourite moment was recording episode two and seeing the team working together in full swing. It was a beautiful moment to see our crew of amazingly talented people of colour creating something meaningful and entertaining that will inspire a generation.”

Indira has worked at Penguin Random House for nine years, and on This Is Spoke since its inception. Starting as a publicity assistant at Vintage Books, she worked on campaigns for Salman Rushdie, Colson Whitehead, Annie Leibovitz and more before specialising in social media. In her current role as Senior Manager for Penguin Audiences she works on digital strategy and content creation and leads a team focused on Penguin’s social media and newsletters, alongside being an Executive Producer for This Is Spoke.

“My favourite thing about season two is seeing This Is Spoke flourish. There were only a few of us working on every aspect of our first season, so this time it’s not only been a relief having extra hands on deck (!) but a proud moment. Seeing our team of enthusiastic, like-minded people working together and hearing the meaningful conversations on season two has been both inspiring and cathartic.”

Joshua is a passionate and dynamic Producer from London. Whether it’s TV or radio, a podcast or content strategy, he’s down – which is why, despite most of his experience over the past decade being within the BBC, his impact is evident across many of their brands including Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra, Radio 4, BBC Studios, BBC Sounds, BBC Sport and BBC Three.

The man behind successful shows like Barbershop Ballers, Let’s Settle This and The Rap Game UK, he’s been responsible for producing some of the hottest podcasts on the 1Xtra Chat feed including Dope Black Dads, 3 Shots of Tequila and Galdem Sugar.

“My favourite thing about working on This is Spoke was being able to foster real and genuine conversations that wouldn’t happen so publically otherwise. I think people will find the series as a whole really interesting.”

Ayesha is a Development Researcher from London who has recently graduated from the University of Birmingham in English Literature and American Studies.

She began her TV career in 2018, creating BBC Three’s Galdem Sugar, a docu-soap about 6 female Grime MCs for Thunderclap Media. Soon after, she joined Fremantle’s Global Development team and became immersed in the world of This Is Spoke straight away, devising episode topics, casting contributors and ensuring the smooth running of record days. Ayesha is passionate about creating entertaining content which gets at the crux of humanity and culture.

“My favourite thing about working on Spoke was knowing that we were creating an outlet for people all over the country who have never had their experiences articulated before. The episode on Mixed Heritage really resonated with me – finally, an insightful conversation was happening about a topic which touches on identity, race and belonging through a different lens.”

Bisola is a fashion and music PR consultant with almost 10 years’ experience in the industry. Her work spans across brands such as Bally, Uniqlo, G-Star Raw, Amazon Fashion, Clarks, Mercedes Benz, Westfield and most recently Tinie Tempah’s contemporary brand, What We Wear.

The Hackney native is also founder of Safe House LDN, which focuses on educating and inspiring inner-city children by creating safe spaces for growth. Spreading positive vibes and bringing awareness to amazing projects is her passion, which is why she fits perfectly into the This is Spoke team. She will be leading the charge in creating maximum exposure, injecting the Spoke brand into the world for generations to come.

“What I love about working on Spoke is how every person is valued. There’s real beauty in joining a team at the early stages, seeing individuals from different but relatable backgrounds coming together for one common goal.”

Afia is a final year BA History student at the University of Kent. Following a trainee scheme with Media Trust, Afia began interning at the BBC and now works there as a Freelance Assistant Producer across Radio 1, 1Xtra and The Asian Network.

Between writing essays Afia is also pursuing a broadcasting career; she is a DJ and presenter, hosting live events and radio shows across the UK. She is the Social Media Community Manager for This Is Spoke and has enjoyed every minute of working with the team.

“My standout moment was hearing about Ben Hunte’s experience of coming out, in the ‘LGBTQ+’ episode, and I was also moved by rapper Ransom FA and model Bashir Aziz’s stories on overcoming being different, in the ‘Against All Odds’ episode.”

Born in Nepal yet sendin’ it in London, Sagar is a freelance film maker with a passion to create, whether its directing music videos to shooting events or festivals in the UK and abroad. He leads on the filming and editing of This Is Spoke video content, where his editing style is characterized by super 8 film looks, VHS and 3D analogue GIFs.

Prior to the podcast he graduated from Loughborough University but ditched his Business & English degree to pursue in-house creative roles with notable record labels and companies such as Defected Records and Street Feast. He is now setting up his own production company called Undivided Attention, so watch this space.

“My favourite moments from the podcast has been interacting with guests during the photoshoot and getting them absolutely gassed.”

Mike is a Film Director who runs his own worldwide production company, Silva Pictures Ltd. He is a direct descendant from the once King of Kandy in Sri Lanka, Veera Puran Appu.

Mike has an MA in Directing for Film and Television from Bournemouth University however his creative career began as a content creator for various artists such as Annie Mac, Eli and Fur, Preditah, Scouting for Girls and Verne Troyer. Mike then transitioned into filmmaking, writing and directing, making a wildlife documentary in Sri Lanka, followed by several short films and music videos. He currently works with Silva Pictures Ltd directing, writing and producing films and enjoys creating content for celebrities such as Virat Kohli, Gary Lineker, Amir Khan and Ed Stafford.

“My favourite moment on This is Spoke was being Big Zuu’s hypeman during photo shoots, encouraging him to karate kick and dance his way around the studio!”