Sophie Crane will lead the Transom Story Lab as its executive director, the organization announced Tuesday.
She will usher in a new era of Transom, which will split from parent organization Atlantic Public Media to become the independent nonprofit Transom Story Lab, according to Managing Editor Jennifer Jerrett.
With the change, the Transom Story Lab “will redouble its work to train the next generation of radio and podcasting talent while publishing emerging and established voices on its Peabody Award-winning website,” according to a press release.
Crane previously worked as an EP and senior editor at Pushkin Industries and a series producer at Frontline.
“Everyone’s voices need to be heard — especially the softer voices, the ones that tend too often to be muted in our national din,” she said in the release. “The Transom Story Lab will be a place where creators can find the community, resources, and public-spiritedness to take the risks that significant work requires — the kind of work that can bring people together.”
Over five years, the Transom Story Lab will aim to “create a world-class institute for the audio arts” with programming such as a curriculum for educators, workshops and an annual audio festival. It will also “experiment with new ways to bring community voices to public radio,” according to the release.
In a “small manifesto,” Crane wrote, “There isn’t enough support for stories that are poetic, weird, non-commercial. We’ll be a place that nurtures that work, helps it grow, and gives it sunlight.”
“I look forward to partnering with Sophie to expand our mission,” Jay Allison, the founder of Transom, said in a press release. “Sophie embodies the spirit of Transom — a true believer in the power of stories. Her vision for the future of audio will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of creators.”
Crane is the daughter of environmentalist and author Bill McKibben. The idea for Transom came from McKibben, who wanted “to hear more interesting and diverse stories on the air,” according to Transom’s website.