(Listed in alphabetical order)
Akosua Annobil, Outreach Journalist London
Akosua Annobil is an entertainment publicist and broadcaster who has worked in the media since 1995. She is currently the editor of Overgroundonline.com, a news and culture website for young adults. Akosua is also founder of public relations company Fire Media UK, and joined Headliners in 2009 to enhance her work with hard to reach young people mainly based in Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Haringey.
Katie Baker, Head of Programmes
Katie is responsible for devising and delivering strategies for the training and development of young people, to ensure that we are an organisation that delivers a quality programme. She also supports the training and development of staff. Prior to this Katie was our Youth and Training Officer where she worked with other staff and young people to develop the accredited programme of peer training we use today.
Katie previously worked in the Philippines, China, and the USA with various NGOs, government groups and learning establishments. With these groups Katie developed and delivered curriculums, training packages, risk assessments and evaluations in both development and disaster contexts. In her free time Katie likes outdoors activities and can often be found flying stunt kites on Hackney Marshes.
Simon Boden, Head of Finance
Simon arrived at Headliners in early 2008 bringing with him a strong commercial background and many years of experience in the financial field . He trained with Binder Hamlyn in the city and remained with them for some 9 years. He then spent 17 years as the internal auditor and then financial controller of a public company in the security sector.
Prior to joining Headliners, Simon was the Finance Director of a publishing company involved in corporate communications for blue chip and governmental agencies.In his spare time he runs and maintains a couple of classic cars, enjoys a pint in his local pub and takes long walks with his partner and their dogs in the countryside surrounding his home.
Sharon Boyd, Development and Volunteers Co-Ordinator
Sharon helps to organise projects which allow young people to create change in their community by raising their voices, challenging decision makers and volunteering their time. She also works with young people who want to take a Volunteer Peer Educator role, supporting the facilitation and delivery of projects.
Prior to Headliners Sharon lived in rural Eritrea, East Africa, where she worked as a teacher-trainer; going round schools supporting local teachers and giving workshops. She also worked with vulnerable adults in Manchester co-managing a women’s centre and teaching Basic Skills. There was even a time before that when she was doing calculations about the strength of walls and bossing scaffolders around. She’s based in the London office but can often be on busses, trains and tube. Travelling around to meet partners.
Jacob Brown, Project Worker, West London
Jacob is an outreach journalist working in London. This means he helps young people learn about journalism, leading them to grow in confidence and become more aware and vocal about their local community. Prior to Headliners Jacob was living on a tiny Island in the South Pacific called Samoa, working as a journalism lecturer at the National University of Samoa and as a news editor for a national radio station during the XIII South Pacific Games.
He has also worked as a broadcast journalist in Australia and the UK, and before that lived in Japan where he taught English to elementary school children. Since his return to the UK, Jacob is getting used to not seeing much of the sun but is taking pleasure in the choice of more than one daily newspaper to read.
Rebecca Frankel, Editorial Manager
Rebecca Frankel is an Editorial Manager. She helps shape story ideas into pieces for the website with the journalists, and has also been developing the new radio station, website and extended programmes across the weekend. Before working at Headliners Rebecca was the editor of FourDocs, Channel 4’s online documentary channel, and mentoring on various film schemes with First Light and Media Box. She has also produced a range of short creative film projects including a fiction film for the UK Film Council about a car crash and a documentary about women in Cumbria who love to tap dance.
George Gisborne, Outreach Journalist, Yorkshire
George is the outreach journalist/project worker for Yorkshire. As part of Headliners’ outreach programme, he works with a wide variety of young people, helping develop their skills and increase their participation through print and broadcast journalism projects.
Before joining us, George worked on a youth filmmaking project with the Interplay Theatre in West Leeds, was a press officer for Leeds City Council and a reporter for the Asian Express newspaper.
He has also worked as a production runner on CBBC production ‘The Mysti Show’ and on numerous productions for Opera North at Leeds’ Grand Theatre.
Sam Hepworth, Journalist, London
Sam is one of the journalist/project worker based in Headliners London Bureau. He works with a wide variety of young people, helping develop their skills and increase their participation through print and broadcast journalism projects.
Before joining us, Sam was a youth worker in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, initially delivering hip-hop music workshops at youth centres across the region. He then moved into detached work, offering support and advice to hard-to-reach young people in and around Halifax town centre. He spent two years as the music editor of Redbrick, the University of Birmingham’s student newspaper, and also hosted a show on the campus radio station, Burn FM. He is obsessed with old vinyl, and one of the benefits of his outreach work is it gives him chance to scope out second-hand record stores in different parts of the country.
Shelia Lewis, Outreach Journalist, South East
Sheila worked for many years as a Social Worker before retraining as a journalist. She has worked for media/film companies in Holland, but gained a real insight into working with young people and journalism when she worked for Children’s Express in New York. She has also worked on local newspapers.
At present she works with young people who are NEET (not in employment education or Training) or at risk of offending. Sheila loves what she does and strongly believes in the product! “Seeing the confidence levels of the young people I work with improve tells me that I am doing the right job!”
Yemi Lufadeji, Media & Communication Officer
Yemi is responsible for developing and implementing Headliners communications strategy. This involves raising the profile of Headliners among its target audiences and managing the use of its corporate communication tools and how Headliners is portrayed.
After gaining a masters degree in International Public Relations at Cardiff University, Yemi started her career by completing work at the United Nations in New York and then going on to work for a series of charities and NGOs. Yemi is also co founder of a community group called Revived which offers support for young people and their families, in her spare time she serves as a mentor to young girls in her local community.
Anna McKeown, Outreach Journalist, North East
Anna is an outreach journalist in the North East, currently based in South Shields. She works with young people aged 16 and over, helping them produce reports that campaign for change in their local communities. Anna studied Media and Sociology in Leeds before going on to complete an MA in Media Production at Sunderland, where she specialised in documentary production. Anna's experience includes working for Save The Children North East, where she made educational resource packages and documentaries.
Ciaran McKerr, Project Co-ordinator, Belfast
Ciaran is the project co-ordinator in the Belfast and took over the job after volunteering with the organisation for a year. As well as working with Headliners, Ciaran is a counsellor and volunteer shift supervisor for ChildLine where he supports other volunteers taking calls from young people. He has also been involved with the charity’s schools' outreach project teaching pupils how to be peer mentors and helping implement anti-bullying stratagies.
Ciaran also worked with social services as an outreach worker/mentor for young people coming out of residential care.
Ciaran worked as a journalist for seven years in several weekly, regional and national newspaper titles including the Daily Mirror, People and the Irish News. He also worked as a freelance photographer covering sporting and news events and his work has been published in all the major newspaper titles in Northern Ireland. His other media work has included designing a 48-sheet poster for the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade, scripting radio comericals and designing corporate logos. In his ever-dwindling spare time he likes to go kayaking, camping and mountaineering. Oh, and he’s a new dad as well.
Samantha Payne, Outreach Journalist, South East
Samantha is an outreach journalist in London and the south east. She works with young people from different backgrounds enhancing their personal development through the production of stories in various media formats. This could be making podcasts, documentaries or magazines with young people.
Prior to Headliners, Samantha worked as a multimedia reporter for KentOnline and KMFM and was a reporter for London titles the Hackney Gazette and the News Shopper. She lives in Kent, loves bouncing up and down teaching kids in ROCK on a Sunday in Bromley, and also knows how to make a mean white chocolate cheesecake!
Jill Reilly, Outreach Journalist, South East
Jill Reilly is an outreach journalist working in East London. She works with young people aged 15-19, helping them produce reports that broadcast issues which are important to them for the wider world.
Jill studied Multi-Media Journalism at Bournemouth University where she learnt the art of door-stepping and the necessity of shorthand as well as completing work at BBC World, ITV and Press Association.After working for an educational charity in a tsunami-ravaged village in Southern India, Jill travelled around Asia to write a feature for Cosmopolitan magazine.
On her return to London she worked on several trade magazines, newswires and business to business publications. Jill continues to freelance for several print outlets and can’t wait for newsrooms across the country to be dominated by Headliners journos.
Victor Searle, Training Officer, London
Victor is the London Training Officer, responsible for delivering the Introduction to Journalism and Peer Training programmes. He also helps to develop members story work.
Prior to joining Headliners, Victor was active in the community radio sector, initially undertaking broadcast work which led to a Millennium Volunteers award. He also gained a teaching qualification whilst volunteering at a community radio station in Sheffield. This led to him delivering a presentation on the sector at Nottingham Trent University as well as a brief stint as a media studies teacher in a Pupil Referral Unit.
Andrea Sewell, Central Services Co-ordinator
Andrea joined Headliners in July 2008 as the Central Services Co-ordinator. She is responsible for the smooth running of the head office, purchasing, organising events, co-ordinating staff recruitment and providing admin support for the organisation.
Prior to working for Headliners, Andrea worked as campaigns support officer and later office manager for The Drinkaware Trust, an alcohol awareness organization. Prior to this she worked as an administrator for The Portman Group and various other organisations including Lambeth Social Services.
Andrea recently completed a BTEC in Jewellery Design and Craft and volunteers at the weekends running a jewellery making workshop with children and their parents at a local charity. She's a chocoholic and enjoys Pilates twice a week.
Vivian Smith, Project Manager, A Louder Voice
Vivian joined in 2007 and is the Project Manager of the outreach national expansion programme funded by the Big Lottery. Vivian remotely manages our team of regional outreach journalists, and is responsible for maintaining SLA's of the many partners we work with, guiding project progress and monitoirng the overall impact on young people taking part. Prior to working at Headliners, Vivian worked in substance misuse (not to be confused with taking drugs) She was part of the practice managment team in a residential home for people detoxing from Class A drugs, During this period Vivian was also the Volunteer Development Co-ordinator, where she built the programme and trained future substance misuse professionals. Prior to this Vivian has worked for Save the Children, The Children's Society and Department of Health. Vivian is a trained counsellor, has a Diploma in Management, and is a member of the Chartered Management Institute.
Lizzie Whyman, Outreach Journalist, North East
Lizzie is an outreach journalist delivering the Headliners programme in the North East. She is currently based in Newcastle upon Tyne and helps develop young people’s skills and increase their participation through print and broadcast journalism projects.
Before joining the Headliners team in August 2008, Lizzie worked for a number of years as a staff writer for Mslexia and was involved in several residencies, facilitating writing workshops with groups of young people. Lizzie continues to write reviews and features for Culture Magazine, Mslexia, and The Big Issue in her spare time.
Mark Warr, Outreach Journalist, North East
Mark is an outreach journalist in the North East, based in Newcastle City Centre. He works with young people aged 11 to 19, helping them to increase their skills and confidence to challenge the world around them. Before joining Headliners Mark spent 12 years working in the media. He was the face of GMTV in the North East, as well as a regular voice on Smooth Radio, BBC Newcastle and Radio Tyneside, the hospital radio network for Newcastle and Gateshead. Before going into the media he trained to be a teacher, so his work with Headliners ties the two areas nicely together!
Fiona Wyton, Director
Fiona has been the Director of Headliners since 2004. She is responsible for the overall management, funding, direction and policy of the organisation. Previously Fiona worked in national newspapers for 20 years and held various posts including News Editor of Today newspaper, Associate Editor of the Daily Mirror and Deputy Editor of the Sunday Mirror. Before that she was an on the road reporter travelling widely around the UK and Europe. She has also worked as a consultant brokering partnerships between community organisations and commercial companies. Outside of work Fiona is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
Carol Zagrovic, Regional Development Manager, North East
Carole Zagrovic joined in 2009 as the Regional Development Manager and works with 3 Outreach Journalists from our Bureau in Newcastle city centre.
Previously, Carole worked for Friends of the Earth for 10 years as a regional campaigner on issues including climate change, sustainable development and planning and policy.With a BSc in International Studies Carole has also clocked up some 20yrs youth and community development experience which also earned her a training place with Dignity International to study Human Rights in Portugal.
With a keen interest in music Carole took a leading voluntary role in developing a Music Collective securing funding for a 24 track digital recording studio, employing 8 young people and ensuring young people from disadvantaged areas and backgrounds could record, perform, practise and host creative events in their own communities.
