Pass The Mic with Amelia Chappelow: Podcast Insights

Meet Amelia Chappelow, Executive Producer for Earwolf at SiriusXM where she manages a team of comedy podcast producers for notable shows like TV, I Say w/ Ashley Ray, Unspooled, and I Weigh. Amelia's career trajectory includes groundbreaking contributions to the audio and broadcasting space. She has been recognized for her innovative approach to audience engagement, and has received multiple awards for her talents. Amelia has also contributed her expertise as a judge on panels for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Helpmann Theatre Awards, and China’s International Comedy Festival. She continues to navigate the intersection of creativity, leadership, and strategic vision in her current role, leaving an indelible mark on the world of media and entertainment.

Amelia sat down with Sophie Anderson, Associate Director, Sales Marketing, Podcasts, as part of our new creator-focused season of Pass the Mic Podcast. In her interview, Amelia talked about creating safe spaces in the podcasting world, staying true to yourself, and her journey along the way. Here are some highlights. 

Audio is a storyteller. 

Highlight: “I think it's that, people can choose. People can curate their own content. Sometimes you don't want to just have what's on the radio. You don't have to listen to the music. You want to curate your own. SiriusXM Radio is a lot different because you have curated content that matches what you want, as well. With podcasting, then you can learn different things, get new stories. Audio storytelling is a pure form of storytelling. Just sharing stories.” - Amelia Chappelow 

Tell new stories. 

Highlight: “What are people doing? What unique voices and stories have I not heard before? I think a common thing I hear is that, 'Oh, great, now we get to hear more stories.' Like the Barbie movie is pretty much great, everybody loves hearing a different story. Even though it's Barbie, It's told from a female director. It's always going to be a bit different when we share our stories. I think it's definitely monitoring and soaking up what people are doing, what content is out there.”  - Amelia Chappelow 

Stay true to yourself. 

Highlight: “A journalist would come and do training with us. And he said to me, you sound young. And I was like, because I am young. He's like, I'm going to train you to lower your voice. And I did that training, and my voice is lower. And I have probably been trying to un-train my voice since then… I sound like a woman, I sound like a young woman. That's how I should sound. I shouldn't train my voice to sound deeper, like a man's voice or something.” - Amelia Chappelow 

Freedom in podcasting. 

Highlight: “With podcasts, we know there's more than 30 people listening. There's a space where they can be vulnerable. And I know someone like June Diane Rafael, who's on How Did This Get Made?, that's two guys on the podcast and her. And when she records a podcast, they record at home. She doesn't have to put makeup on, she doesn't have to do anything. And TV is so demanding of what you look like. And I think it sort of comes back to what the audience wants.” - Amelia Chappelow 

Ready to hear more content from Amelia about the comedy podcasting space and female empowerment? Check out her full episode now. When you’re done and ready for more doses of inspiration, binge seasons one through four of Pass the Mic.