Rachel Lightner is a media producer and audio engineer

Rachel produces, records, sound designs and edits award-winning nonfiction audio and video projects

Recent Podcast Work

The Pink House with Sam Smith

From Season 1 of Lemonada’s original series, The Pink House with Sam Smith, I was tasked with building the sonic identity of the Pink House and establishing the format of the narrative/chat hybrid show in piloting. I booked and researched guests, prepped the host for interviews, recorded all interviews, story edited, wrote voiceover, and mixed and sound designed the series.

Credit: Producer, Mix & Sound Design

Awards: 2024 Signal Award Nominee for Best LGBTQ+ Series

Wild Things

From the very first Apple Original Podcast, Wild Things. I was the lead researcher during development of the series and produced, mixed and sound designed the pilot that was ultimately greenlit. I scripted, sound designed, edited, and sourced the archival for the excerpt above.

Credit: Development Producer, Lead Editor

Awards: Webby Award for Best Limited Series

Uncared For

From Season 1 of Lemonada’s 6-part narrative series on the maternal health crisis in America in partnership with The Commonwealth Fund. I traveled to Costa Rica, the Netherlands, and Germany to interview healthcare professionals and gather field reporting on other countries’ maternal healthcare systems, and what America can learn from what’s working abroad. For over the course of a year, I worked with a team to take dense research and turn it into compelling storytelling.

Credit: Producer, Mix & Sound Design

Awards: #23 best podcast of the year by The Atlantic

I Need To Ask You Something

Created in partnership with the JED Foundation to facilitate difficult conversations between a young person and someone close to them. I researched and booked guests, scripted voiceover, edited, mixed, and engineered the series.

Credit: Producer, Mix & Sound Design

Awards: Mental Health America 2024 Media Award

More Podcast work

Credit: Producer, Mix & Sound Design

Credit: Lead Editor, Audio Engineer

Credit: Lead Editor, Audio Engineer

Credit: Lead Editor, Audio Engineer

Credit: Producer

Credit: Associate Producer

Incomplete list of more podcast credits can be viewed here on Podchaser

Documentary Work

Chicagoland

Client: CNN

Credit: Associate Producer, Location Sound, Music Supervisor

Freeway: Crack in the System

Client: Al Jazeera America

Credit: Associate Producer, Music Supervisor

Gainesville

Client: Viacom / CMT

Credit: Associate Producer, Music Supervisor

Jersey Strong

Client: Pivot / Participant Media

Credit: Associate Producer, Location sound

Incomplete list of more documentary credits can be viewed here on IMDB