About me

Contact me directly di(dot)hope(at)live(dot)com - I don't check this account very often. I do location sound for podcasts and audio features - and make my own immersive sound-rich audio productions - everything from podcast episodes and radio features to audio guides for clients like BBC, ABC, NPR, museums and all sorts of podcast outlets. I can get you just great location sound/a tape sync - or help research, develop and script ideas, as well as edit and mix. I have in-depth science training (3 degrees including a PhD & 45 published journal articles) AND a ton of project management experience. Drawn in particular to the the natural world I love to capture and craft compellingly realistic sound portraits of people, places and stories. Also I sell custom sound packages for use in tv, film, audio and gaming - I have a sound library that includes: trains, giant telescopes, soundscapes from South Korea and Shanghai, China, the rain forests and coastline of Panama and the deserts of Arizona. I have interviewed a fair few ravens, pinyon jays, elk, coyotes, howler monkeys ... and even a Gila monster, in my travels.

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Projects

• The Unexplained podcastI'm so happy to be script writing again, for another season of the Unexplained podcast with Richard MacLean Smith. Topics that I'm researching and writing about for this new series span the realms of history, weird science, disappearances ... and of course, the paranormal.
• BBC Radio 4 - Obsessed with the QuestI came up with the series structure & produced episodes 1, 4 & 5, including recording & editing guests, finding music, mixing and sound design. Episode 4 - Bicycling with Butterflies was featured on BBC R4's Pick of the Week recently.

Work history

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Script writer & researcherThe Unexplained Podcast
Jan 2023United KingdomFreelance
Research and script writing for episodes of The Unexplained podcast with Richard MacLean Smith. Includes a wide variety of topics across the fields of history, unexplained deaths, biology, psychology, and of course, the paranormal - everything from the Yeti and the history of the search for the Loch Ness Monster, to topics like 'Can the Wind Drive you Mad?'.
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Audio ProducerBBC Sounds
Oct 2023 - Dec 2023United StatesFreelance
Producing three episodes of 'Obsessed with the Quest' for BBC's audio science unit, working with Martin Smith & Florian Bohr. Work included - research, pre-interviews, scripting, recording, editing, mixing and sound design.

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Skills

• Project Management
• Sound Audio
• Sound Design
• Scripting
• Audio Editing
• Location Shoots
• Research
• Research Projects

Education

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PhDUniversity of Aberdeen
Jan 1993 - Mar 1996Aberdeen, United Kingdom
I have a PhD in Plant and Soil Science (Biogeochemistry of the Global Carbon Cycle, a Master of Science in Ecology, both from Aberdeen, along with a Bachelor of Science (First Class) in Mining Geology from Imperial College, University of London. I've worked as an Assistant Research Professor at Arizona State University - where I managed a ground-breaking multi million dollar urban ecology study for the National Science Foundation.

Awards

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Best Multimedia on the WebThe Science Studio
Award was for my audio documentary podcast 'Wrecked!' about the science of shipwreck corrosion, made for 'Distillations' the podcast of the Science History Institute (US): https://soundcloud.com/diane-hope/wrecked-exploring-the-fate-of
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Best audio documentary - runner upThe Missouri Review
Runner up award in the documentary/story telling category for a 15-minute edited version of my piece 'Lonely Nights' about the life of a professional telescope operator. The original was made for BBC R4 with Alan Hall at Falling Tree and received the following review from Elizabeth Mahoney in The Guardian "a hypnotic, mesmerizing tapestry".

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