At Gen-Z Media we’re committed to creating stories that are as relatable as they are surprising, filled with twists, turns, humor, and heart.

Ben Strouse

CEO / Co-Founder

Peabody Award-winning creator Ben Strouse oversees Gen-Z Media. Before co-founding GZM, Ben practiced Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law in New York City. He is the author of The New York Times Best-of-the-Year children’s book Hey Boy (Simon & Schuster), as well as the librettist and composer of the Off-Broadway musical Whateverman.

David Kreizman

Chief Creative Officer / Co-Founder

David Kreizman is an Emmy, Writers Guild, and Peabody Award-winning showrunner, writer, director, and producer. A lifetime fan of middle-grade and YA entertainment, David oversees the writing and development of all original GZM shows. Before entering the world of podcasting, David was head writer for the daytime drama Guiding Light, co-head writer of All My Children and As the World Turns and head writer for World Wrestling Entertainment. His YA novel, The Year They Fell, was published by Macmillan in 2019.

Chris Tarry

Chief Production Officer / Co-Founder

Chris Tarry is a Peabody Award-winning writer and a five-time Juno Award-winning musician, composer, and sound designer. His book of short stories, How To Carry Bigfoot Home (Red Hen Press), won the IndieFab book of the year for short fiction, and has been widely praised as one of the best short story collections of 2015. Along with his extensive experience leading production and creative teams, Chris is one of New York’s most in-demand bass players. His cinematic compositions and sound design aesthetic are the backbone of the immersive, high-concept adventures produced at Gen-Z Media.

Tom Casiello

Writer

Tom wrote for As the World Turns, One Life to Live, Days of Our Lives, and The Young and the Restless, winningthree Emmys and a WGA Award for his work before spending six years on the creative team of WWE. Currently, he’s world-building Apex Legends, creating characters, crafting storylines and producing animated shorts for the game played by over seventy million people all over the world.

Lucky Gold

Writer

Lucky’s career has ranged from writing feature films for MGM, Universal, and Miramax, where he was script doctor for Shakespeare in Love, to writing and producing for Christiane Amanpour at CNN. Through it all, he has collected multiple Emmys for writing such stalwarts of daytime TV as Another World, One Life to Live, Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Young and the Restless, and General Hospital.

Art Hays

Composer

Art is an Austin-based musician/composer/producer and has been performing and writing music professionally since 1989. His songs have appeared on Criminal Minds (CBS), Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami (E!), Royal Pains (USA), Live To Dance (CBS), The O’Neals (OWN), Love Bites (NBC), NCIS LA (CBS), Jane By Design (ABC Family), and many more.

Marla Kanelos

Writer

Marla is an Emmy Award-winning television writer with extensive credits in daytime and primetime including All My Children, The Young and The Restless, Wild Card, and Port Charles. The winner of two Writers Guild of America awards, she has developed dramas, comedies, and feature films for eOne Entertainment, Gulfstream Pictures, and Vitameatavegamin Productions.

Noah Levinson

Producer

Noah is a freelance audio producer from Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He co-produced The Chemo Files, an award-winning podcast about his mother’s journey through breast cancer.

Nidhi Mehta

Writer

Nidhi has written for television in America and Europe, performed at Caroline’s on Broadway, and helped start-ups start up their branded content. Currently taking on podcasting and mobile tech, Nidhi enjoys finding new adventures to indulge in. Among her greatest loves are pizza, The Princess Bride, writing, and her family (not necessarily in that order).

Jonathan Messinger

Producer

Jonathan is one of the leading voices propelling kids’ scripted podcasts into the mainstream—and beyond. He is the creator of the hit show The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, now in its third season.

Darian Newsome

Associate Producer

Darian is an audio engineer who enjoys making music, playing video games, and hanging out with his friends and family. He is also really great at sound design, editing voices, and laying down tracks.

Shawn Pierce

Composer

Shawn is one of the busiest film composers in L.A. He has worked on more than 200 albums, composed music for many television shows (CTV, ABC, FX), and earned a Grammy nomination, 5 Juno awards, 22 Juno nominations, plus 2 WCMAs and 12 WCMA nominations.

Jennifer Rowekamp

Composer

Jennifer is a San Francisco-based composer and music editor. She works as an associate music editor at Pixar Animation Studios and freelance composes for podcasts, short films, and documentaries.

Michelle Tattenbaum

Producing Director

Michelle is a two-time Drama League Directing Fellow, with deep theater roots, having directed plays and musicals at the Old Globe (San Diego Theatre Critics Circle nomination: Best Director) and Second Stage Theater in NY. Tattenbaum worked for Manhattan Theatre Club for three years, producing and developing new plays and musicals.

Sharon Michaels

Production Manager

Sharon is a production manager with a background in musical theater. An AEA member, she is resident production stage manager at Midtown Direct’s national series of Listen to Your Mother and the North Jersey Pride Festival. Past jobs have included TEDX Maplewood (PSM) and producer on Verizon’s “Can you hear me now?” campaign.

Robert Hann

Editor & Sound Design

Robert is a composer, sound designer, songwriter, and audio engineer. When not making podcasts he can be found exploring hidden sites in the city, snowboarding in the mountains, or at home watching old classic movies.

Deborah Goldstein

Producer

Deborah is a writer and producer for the page, the stage, and the screen. She is the executive producer and host of The Big Fib podcast and supervising producer on the Disney+ streaming version, The Big Fib. 

Jessica M. Fisher

Marketing Coordinator

Jessica is a digital marketing specialist from New Jersey. Although she recently graduated from NYU with a musical theater degree, she has been a social media expert for five years for multiple groups including NYU Skirball, Broadway Direct, and Phoenix Productions. Contact: jessica@gzmshows.com

Mike Olekshy

Composer

Mike is a guitarist, composer, and producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. A Gemini award-winning sound designer, he has composed and written songs for several television shows, films and, more recently, podcasts.

Kat Vokes

Composer

Kat is a Brooklyn-based composer, vocalist, and pianist, specializing in writing for film, television, and other media. She studied classical piano for 12 years before she formally trained as an opera singer at the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Ed RosenBerg III

Composer & Sound Design

Ed is a composer/performer residing in Brooklyn, N.Y. He studied saxophone at the Eastman School of Music and holds a PhD in Composition from Stony Brook University.

Jorge Aguirre

Writer

Jorge is an author and animation writer. He’s currently working on two new middle-grade graphic novel series, Monster Locker, and Call me Iggy. He also co-created the animated series, Goldie & Bear, for Disney Junior.  

Jenn Levine

Director of Development

Jenn Levine is a story and content expert. As the head of the Story Department for WME / Endeavor and with years of experience as a freelance story consultant, her notes and critiques have been used to select and improve material by top studios, networks, agencies and writers in Hollywood and beyond.

Callum Plews

Managing Producer

Callum Plews is a Brooklyn-based producer and post production engineer. His award-winning work spans across audiobooks, podcasts, and film. He specializes in audio dramas and conceptual works that call for an innovative approach.

Ania Grzesik

Sound Designer

Ania is a sound designer and engineer whose podcast credits include shows from WNYC Studios and Team Coco. Previously, she was the Audio Supervisor for Blue Man Group’s NYC production. Recent projects include composition and sound design for exhibits in the Kennedy Space Center’s new attraction Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, which means she’s basically an astronaut now.

Jason Sheesley

Editor

Jason is a musician and audio engineer with an extensive background in music production. He enjoys presenting and writing about audio, working with documentary podcasters, and using sound to help stories come alive.

Adam Tatro

Editor

Adam is an audio engineer with experience in music, sound design, audiobook, and podcast production. He is interested in exploring the vast possibilities of audio storytelling. As a musician, he has toured as a drummer and has written music featured at global professional wrestling events.

Kristian Foster

Editor & GZM Beats

Kristian Foster, aka evergrxnbeats, is a Hip-Hop producer, composer , engineer, and sound designer from Seattle, WA. He has worked with several emerging artists in the Seattle music scene from multiple genres. He studied Audio Production at the University of Washington.”

Gavin Skal

Editor

Gavin Skal is an audio engineer and editor based in Queens, NY. In addition to working with GZM, he has worked on hundreds of audio books, music recordings of all genres, and live recordings and streaming from places ranging from living rooms to the United Nations General Assembly.

Interested in joining our team? Apply at jobs@gzmshows.com