Popsock Media is an award-winning narrative podcast company based in Wellington, New Zealand
Popsock Media crafts powerful, high-quality stories that captivate audiences worldwide.
Founded in 2020 by Kirsten Johnstone and Melody Thomas in Wellington, we’ve quickly made our mark with thought-provoking podcasts—spanning investigative journalism, social justice, and personal storytelling.
AWARD WINNING PODCASTS FROM POPSOCK
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AWARD WINNING PODCASTS FROM POPSOCK 〰️
2024 New York Festival Radio Awards:
Gold medal (Narrative/Documentary)
2023 Voyager Media Awards:
Best Podcast (Season/Serial)
Winner of eight awards including:
2022 New York Festival Radio Awards:
Gold (Narrative/Documentary)
2022 Voyager Media Awards:
Best Podcast (Narrative/Serial) & Best Team Investigation
Why Choose Popsock Media?
With Kirsten Johnstone and Melody Thomas leading the charge, Popsock Media has become one of the most respected independent podcast production companies in New Zealand. Their commitment to creating compelling, high-quality podcasts has set them apart as leaders in the industry. Whether you're looking for investigative podcasts, storytelling excellence, or award-winning content, Popsock Media continues to raise the bar in the podcasting world.
The team behind it all
Popsock Media was founded in 2020 in Wellington, New Zealand, by experienced broadcaster and audiophile Kirsten Johnstone, and podcast maker and writer Melody Thomas.
Melody Thomas
Melody Thomas is creator and host of new series The Good Sex Project, created for Stuff. She also made the hit sexuality and relationships podcast BANG! in partnership with RNZ.
Melody’s work has been awarded both within Aotearoa and internationally — most notably, with a Gold Medal at the 2024 New York Festival Radio Awards for The Good Sex Project and a Silver Medal at the 2019 New York Festival Radio Award for BANG!
Melody also works as writer and columnist, and publishes her substack newsletter Truly Melody Deeply here.
She is currently working on a book based on BANG! and The Good Sex Project.
Kirsten Johnstone (Ngāi Tahu)
Kirsten Johnstone is an audio producer and editor, who learned to craft impactful stories and sound while working for RNZ National. She spent 15 years working for RNZ as a producer, on-air host and content creator, and was part of the team that created Music 101 and Song Crush.
She is obsessed with sound, music, and stories and loves constructing complex audio puzzles.
She writes and takes photographs for publications including NZ Herald, The Spinoff, and Audioculture.
Kirsten holds an honours degree in performance flute, but prefers to play the banjo these days.