We are delighted to shine a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of Bella Soames (Ne. 2010–15), who continues to make waves in the world of audio journalism and narrative podcasting. Recently appointed Head of Narrative Podcasts at DMG Media, Bella has been shortlisted for both Producer of the Year and Best Factual/Documentary Producer at the prestigious Audio Production Awards 2025.
Bella’s nominations cap what she describes as a “whirlwind year” for her team—one defined by critically acclaimed releases, international reporting, and chart-topping storytelling.
This month saw the release of CHARLENE: Somebody Knows Something, a narrative true-crime series that has surged straight to number one on both the True Crime and Series charts on Apple Podcasts. Bella supported the creative team behind the project—Nicola Thorp, Ruth Barnes, Matthew Nielson, and John Scott—in bringing the story to life.
Another major success followed swiftly: From Bomb to Ballot was awarded Podcast of the Year at the Irish Journalism Awards, further cementing the team’s growing reputation for rigorous and innovative audio reporting.
Earlier in the year, Bella helped lead DMG’s first audio-first investigation, Pipeline: Left to Die, an ambitious and impactful series exploring the Paria Pipeline disaster in Trinidad. Working alongside Andrew Jehring, John Rogers, John Scott, and journalist Isabelle Stanley, Bella helped bring international attention to a tragedy that had long remained out of the public eye.
The series has since surpassed one million downloads and topped podcast charts in both the UK and the US.
With the awards ceremony set to take place on 27 November at the BFI, London’s South Bank, we extend our warmest congratulations to Bella and will keep everything crossed for her tomorrow night.