Meet the Speaker — Celine Dirkes
Celine Dirkes is the Director of Audio Production for R. Clement Creative. Their session at the WITS Spring 2022 Virtual Summit is “Amplify Your Voice: Podcasting as a Tool for Advancing Your Career”.
· Why is speaking at WITS important to you?
I am so excited to speak at WITS because of the sheer & varied amount of wisdom that will be present. I’ve already had the chance to work on interviews with some of the women involved in the conference over the last four years, including WITS co-founder Gloria Bell and my fellow speakers Randi Parker, Amy Cliett and Amy Kardel, and know how much insight they have to offer. At the same time, as a communications technology professional, I am excited to share tools & skills that may be less obvious to professionals in more technical career paths. WITS exists to share the voices of women and non-binary people in the tech industry, and I believe in doing what I can to broadcast these voices even further!
· What or who inspires you?
I’m inspired by working with and teaching kids and teens, because their creativity remains unbounded and they learn so quickly. Whenever I teach I’m encouraged to step away from the discouragement adult life so often creates and engage with challenges from a fresh perspective.
· Most useful article you’ve read in the last month
In keeping with my presentation topic, I think I’ll tweak the prompt a little bit and share a podcast I’ve been finding particularly useful recently: Hurry Slowly with Jocelyn K. Glei, which shares interviews and insights about creativity, productivity, and creating a values-driven work life. Her interview with marathon swimmer Kim Chambers is a particularly stand-out episode!
- When you were a kid what was your dream job?
I was one of those kids who cycled through a different obsessions every few months — some career aspirations I can recall include being a professional ballerina, a lawyer, a spy and an author! Now, as an adult who juggles being a PR professional, a podcast producer, a professional actor, a drama teacher and a VO artist, I can’t say that my focus has gotten any more singular but at least my industries are closer together.
- Tell us something about your session
I’m passionate about podcasting for a few reasons, but mainly because the development of accessible audio technology over the last two decades has enabled people who traditionally have not been able to broadcast their voices to share their thoughts, insights, and innovations. With 28% of teens & adults in the US — eighty million Americans! — tuning in weekly, there’s a large & growing audience waiting to hear from us. In my session, we’ll share more stats about why podcasting now, plus give strategic tips on articulating your brand on air, and technical tips on setting up your own personal recording studio!
· What other sessions or speakers are you most excited to see?
I’m excited for Nyvata Bawa’s session Fostering Inclusivity in VR. As someone completely outside the VR development sphere the topic feels a little sci-fi, and it’s amazing to see such a cutting-edge technology being developed mindfully. It’ll be a cool opportunity to learn something completely new to me!
