Persephonica, the award-winning UK production company behind hit podcasts Miss Me? And Dua Lipa: At Your Service, has appointed Fiona Hanlon as Managing Director, to lead its entertainment expansion.

Fiona brings 17 years of experience at the BBC where she worked with major names including Maya Jama and Scott Mills. She played a key role in the success of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw, shaping its creative direction and audience engagement.

Following her time at Radio 1, Fiona was part of the launch team for BBS Sounds, where she led the commissioning of popular music formats such as Pop Top Ten with Rylan and Scott, which was visualized for iPlayer. Fiona also developed companion content for hit TV series such as Peaky Blinders, Normal People, and Killing Eve.

At Persephonica, Fiona will grow the company’s entertainment stage, continuing its winning streak of launching habit-forming shows with A List talent, which connect with millions of listeners. 

The industry-leading company has pioneered in the field of podcast visualization, from its work on The News Agents to Miss Me?, reaching millions of viewers on YouTube. Persephonica has also expanded into live events, with two sell-out shows at London’s Hackney Empire in March. Fiona will continue to grow commercial opportunities for their formats on social media, and in front of live audiences.

This news of Fiona’s appointment comes straight off the back of two awards for Persephonica’s flagship current affairs show, Political Currency, at the inaugural Political Podcast Awards.

Fiona Hanlon says: “Persephonica has built an excellent reputation for working with world-class talent to create standout podcasts. I’m excited to lead the next phase of growth, expanding our entertainment slate, and developing fresh, innovative formats, fronted by hosts that have a special connection with their fans.”

Dino Sofos, Persephonica CEO, says: “Fiona joins at a key moment for the company, as we prepare to launch major new original shows in the UK and beyond, with a focus on bold formats, big talent and premium visualization. Fiona has an eye for spotting gaps in the market and matching top tier hosts with unique ideas. We are incredibly lucky to have such a creative powerhouse leading Persephonica into an exciting new chapter.”

One of the UK’s leading podcast companies is establishing its permanent headquarters and studios in Sheffield, as part of its plans to create a world-leading podcasting hub in the North of England.

It will mean some of the country’s biggest podcast shows are made and produced in Sheffield, as the city benefits from a multimillion pound revamp of it’s city centre and capitalizes on its cultural and creative history.

Persephonica make some of the UK’s biggest podcasts, including Miss Me?, with Lilly Allen and Miquita Oliver for BBC Sounds, and Political Currency, with Ed Balls and George Osborne.

It has had international success with Due Lipa’s interview series, At Your Service, and it was the co-creator of the UK’s biggest daily podcast, The News Agents, with international brand, Global.

Persephonica’s founders, Dino Soros and Tom O’Hara, are from Sheffield. They established the company in 2021 and one of their priorities in founding the company was to increase socio-economic diversity in the media — moving the company’s headquarters to Sheffield is at the heart of that mission.

Persephonica CEO Dino Sofos said: “This is a huge boost for creativity in the North. We are very excited about starting a new chapter for British podcasting in this buzzing, creative and diverse city.

“Talented people from lower income backgrounds often struggle to get a foot on the ladder in the media because they can’t afford to do free work experience or freelance on low wages while paying high rents in London.

“It means people growing up in the South East have an unfair advantage at securing interesting and influential media jobs. The best way to change the status quo is to create more opportunities outside the capital.”

“Thanks to its abundance of world class journalism and media courses, South Yorkshire is full of people with huge potential to become the future stars of the podcasting industry.”

Persephonica will move into Leah’s Yard, a former industrial workshop, early next month.

The company will fund training, internships and partner with local colleges and universities to develop a new pool of podcasting talent in the region. It will also partner with other media organizations and production companies to generate more new opportunities in the region. Perspephonica  will retain a small base and staff in London.

Persephonica CEO Dino Sofos is a co-founder of the Crossed Wires podcast festival, which took place in Sheffield in May and saw thousands of podcast fans, companies and makers flock to the city.

Sofos founded the festival with My Dad Wrote A Porno star Alice Levine and founder of Sheffield’s Tramlines festival James O’Hara. The first year was supported by Amazon Music & Wondery, and saw the biggest names in British podcasting perform in Sheffield, including Adam Buxton, Jon Robson, and Katherine Ryan. The Festival will return in 2025.