Podcaster Profiles: The Creative Flame Burns Brightly at AiAi Studios

 Dr. Tamanda Walker and Aiwan Obinyan of Leeds, England are like oil and water. They shouldn't match at all. One -- Walker -- is a research scientist and sociologist extraordinaire and the other -- Obinyan -- is a creative genius in music, filmmaking, sound design, and podcasting.

Despite those different areas of expertise, they actually make up part of the dream team of artistic invention under the name AiAi Studios.  

AiAi Studios is a storytelling and production studio based in Leeds, UK, but working for clients globally such as Nike, GAY TIMES, gal-dem, Amazon, Channel 4, and Audible. The studio started 11 years ago and has been incorporated for the last four, signaling that they plan to be around for a very long time.

I spoke to Tamanda and Aiwan last week about AiAi Studios, their podcasting projects, and their overall business philosophy.

AiAi studios, located in Leeds, England, is the definition of a multimedia studio. The company produces documentary films such as Right To Move: The Unity Ball documentary series. They also developed audio design for projects such as Wax Print and the podcast Stacked. Their first in-house podcast was created in collaboration with UK Black Pride and proudly supported by GAY TIMES.

 

Perhaps, their most high-profile project was a completed a podcast project for Amazon Prime that ran in six, circa 40-minute episodes in May-June 2021. Escape: The Underground Railroad Podcast narrates a more accurate and deeply personal tale of the underground railroad.

 

I listened to all six episodes and the show is a tour de force. In the telling of the history of the transatlantic slave trade, enslaved people were frequently painted as passive victims - but there have always been active resistance and success.

In one episode, we learn of
28 enslaved people who escaped from Kentucky on the Underground Railway. Their ingenious getaway method? They paraded through the city in broad daylight dressed as a funeral procession!

In another episode, we hear of untold stories of women-led slave revolts. This episode goes back to the 1700s, where we discover the amazing revolt aboard the ship Little George.

Here's how Aiwan Obinyan describes AiAi Studios: "We are a group of change-makers from the margins, who are all on the same assignment: to create boundary-breaking, truth-telling, culturally authentic podcasts, films and projects that turn up the volume on the ones who struggle to be heard."

 Dr. Tamanda Walker supports that view by stating: "We place equity and social justice at the core of all our services and end products."

 What do we know about these two women who lead AiAi Studios?

Dr. Tamanda Walker ensures that: "our storytelling goes beyond simply showing data, connecting the dots between research, theory and raw human experience, to craft high-impact content that sparks dialogue and change. Much of the content in our current slate has been underpinned by my award-winning sociological research, which covers issues related to race, religion, gender, sexuality and class inequalities."

 Dr. Tamanda Walker is a Consultant, Facilitator & Researcher. She is the Founder & Co-Director of Roots & Rigour, which she founded after a 15+ year career addressing inequities alongside clients and partners across the U.K., U.S., Sweden, Botswana, Jordan, Cyprus, Bosnia, and Sudan.

"Roots & Rigour takes a unique, community-rooted approach to research, learning and knowledge generation, drawing on creative, participatory, and lived-experience storytelling to drive systemic change," says Dr. Walker.

Recent collaborations include partnerships with Black-led organizations including Black Thrive Global, The Ubele Initiative, Maternity Engagement Action, and Catalyst 4 Change.

Dr. Walker holds research affiliations with the University of Leeds as a Leeds Arts & Humanities Research Institute (LAHRI) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, and with King’s College London as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Society and Mental Health.

Tamanda notes: "These affiliations allow me to bridge the gap between academia, community organizing, and the creative sector, ensuring our voices and stories are heard loud and clear in spaces where they might otherwise be overlooked."

Aiwan Obinyan describes herself as: "A creator of audio things working across a range of mediums including podcasts, film, music and theater. I've had the privilege to write, produce, engineer, mix and master music, film and audio for a wide variety of brands, artists, and organizations. I'm proud of the awesome projects I've had the honor to be a part of." 

Aiwan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Production from Leeds College. 

What does AiAi Studios have coming up in the near future?

First, an exciting project they worked on for Audible coming this year. Second, a new podcast with Tamanda and Aiwan as co-hosts. That new show is slated for April.

Why did Ear Worthy focus on AiAi Studios?

First, supporting creative, socially conscious, and activist independent studios is critical to the podcasting infrastructure. Does anyone envision a world where iHeart, Spotify, and Wondery are the only three studios as a positive outcome for podcasting and listeners?

Podcasting needs incubators of creativity and bold commenters on the human condition like AiAi Studios. Further, we need audio narratives that focus on marginalized communities. 

Second, AiAi Studios injects unique chemistry in the audio content creation process. On one hand, we have Dr. Tamanda Walker, a sociologist and researcher, who brings data, analysis and rigor to the creative process.

Then, we have Aiwan Obinyan, who leverages her music background to infuse every project with her imaginative and inspired talents.

Third, as creators, they don't play it safe. They're not about producing content that we've heard many times before. Conversely, they're not pie-in-the-sky, avant-garde creators.Tamanda and Aiwan know that audio can be wildly original and still be accessible to all and financially successful. Although they're not in it just for the money, they both know that money keeps their dream alive and thriving.

Fourth, when I spoke with them over Zoom, I found them to be delightful, funny, committed to their vision, focused on marginalized groups, and creatively endowed. Plus, they're a lovely-married couple.

Check out AiAi Studios to view their wildly creative projects and to see how audio can make the world a better place.