Zakiya Gibbons is a “Swiss army knife” award-winning journalist. She is a host, story editor, podcast producer, writer, and voice actor based in Brooklyn. She has worked with Spotify, Gimlet Media, WNYC, Radiotopia, Audible, Crooked Media, Slate Media, StoryCorps, NPR’s Latino USA, The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and more. Zakiya is a co-founder of the POC in Audio Directory, a resource created to fight the lack of racial diversity in the audio industry. Zakiya and her collaborators were recognized by Bitch Media as among the top 50 "most impactful creators, artists, and activists in pop culture" for their work in advocating for racial equity in the audio industry. The Association of Independents in Radio selected Zakiya to join an ambitious cohort of journalists that "represents the zing, talent, and drive to connect public media to all of America." She was also selected to participate in the prestigious Third Coast Radio Residency at the Ragdale Foundation where she worked on her experimental audio fiction passion project. Zakiya is the host and story editor of the breakout hit podcast Hang Up, named one of the best podcasts of 2023 and 2024 by Vulture Magazine, Vogue Magazine, CBC, Tink Media, and WNYC’s All of It. Zakiya enjoys talking to strangers and exploring human behavior, emotions, and culture through storytelling and conversation.