Graduate Diploma in Radio, 2018
Pariya Taherzadeh is a multi-award winning podcast producer.
In 2021, her audio feature Jaleh’s Drive For Freedom was commissioned by the ABC Radio Days Like These program. The feature won a Gold prize for the Personal Lives Podcast category, and was a Finalist for two other categories at the 2022 New York Radio Festival Awards. The feature also received two Honouree awards at the 2022 26th Annual Webby Awards.
In 2020 Pariya received a Gold Prize in the History category, together with a Silver in the Social Issues category for audio documentary, Escape From Iran, again at the NY Festival Radio Awards.
Pariya is a guest lecturer and mentor to students in AFTRS’ Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting and Master of Arts Screen: Documentary programs.
In 2018 she was the recipient of the Selwyn Speight Diversity Scholarship, awarded by AFTRS and ABC. Along with the scholarship, she got the opportunity to work at the ABC for one year. It was here she created Escape From Iran for the Radio National show History Listen.
While at the ABC, Pariya also worked as a producer for triple j shows like Dr Karl, F Off Friday and The Friday Mix, to name a few. Pariya also enjoyed bringing awareness to ADHD and relationships by chatting on triple j’s late night show, The Hook Up.
With extensive experience in the audio industry, Pariya has taken on a variety of different roles – the latest being executive producer for the Netflix podcast, Lived It, Finder.com’s podcast Two Broke Chicks, Queensland University of Technology podcast Future Law Podcast, and the sound designer for The Trap, just to name a few. Pariya was previously at Australia’s largest independent women’s media company – Mamamia, as a producer for the parenting podcast, This Glorious Mess, among others.
In 2022, the inaugural Pariya Taherzadeh Radio and Podcasting Scholarship opened for 2023 applicants. This scholarship has been generously made possible by Pariya, and will be awarded annually to support and develop the career of an outstanding Radio and Podcasting student, selected on the basis of creative excellence from those experiencing hardship. You can read more about the scholarship here.
AFTRS HIGHLIGHT
I loved doing ALL the live broadcasts. I learnt so much in such a little amount of time and I’m a hands-on type of learner, so being able to get in and learn producing skills was so useful to my career.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
In comparison to a lot of other industries and perhaps even professions, I would say I’m pretty fresh to the game, so I’m literally enjoying every aspect of my career – so I would say the last 3 years as a freelancer has been a highlight. Going out on your own is such a scary thing to do, especially when you still have to be adulting, so being able to work my own hours, have such great clients and create content all on my little lonesome is actually still a crazy concept to me.