We’re so excited to announce that Deondric Royster will lead Signal Awards as our Managing Director. Deondric comes to us from Spotify where he ran Sports and Gaming Podcast Editorial and has had a long career fostering community growth within the podcast industry.

In anticipation of the Signal Awards Extended Entry Deadline, we sat down with Deondric, to talk about his passion and predictions for his new role.

Q. Where are you from?
A. I’m originally from Flint, MI where I was born and raised.

Q. And how about today? Where do you currently reside?
A. I currently reside in NYC, more specifically Harlem. Which has been my second home for about 6 years now.

Q. What’s your favorite thing about NYC?
A. Wow, I could go on and on! But my favorite thing about NYC has been the amount of culture that resides here, both past and present. Even after the pandemic you get a since of the resiliency and spirit that NYC has in abundance and it just motivates you to keep going.

Q. How did you get involved with the Signal Awards?
A. My road to Signal was kind of designed overtime. I started out as an aspiring On-Air Talent and DJ so when I didn’t get that opportunity immediately in college I started a podcast. That took me on the journey from iHeart Media as an On-Air Talent, then to Anchor where I helped creator distribution, and most recently to Spotify in Podcast Editorial. Landing at Signal was the natural next step in my career!

Q. What are you most excited about when it comes to this role?
A. This role has me excited for a number of reasons! The first being that it allows me the ability to help the podcast industry grow as a whole, not only just from an accolades standpoint but also from a discovery perspective. There are so many different communities and so many different creators that Signal can actually become a tool to surface these podcasts to a greater audience, perhaps the biggest in the world and that’s simply incredible to me!

Q. Why podcasting?
A. Because podcasting gave me a certain amount of creativity and freedom that other mediums didn’t allow me. Podcasting is our own creative space where we can be as free as we want to be. Speak with, to, and sometimes for our respective communities. It also has the incredible ability to become a gateway to building something bigger than ourselves, oftentimes sharing information and experiences through meaningful exchanges in a world that sometimes can make people feel voiceless. In many ways, podcasting is what the people needed during these times especially.

Q. Is there any chance Signal will have its own podcast?
A. YES!! One of the things I’m excited about the most is that I get to bring Signal alive in the podcast world! Bringing in our inaugural judges and partners for in depth conversations, sharing industry secrets, sharing tips on discoverability and monetization opportunities! You name it and it’s all being shared through our podcast, which will be available everywhere podcasts are very soon!

Q. What’s your all-time favorite podcast?
A. Great question! That’s a tough one!! I would have to say my all-time favorite podcast is the Midnight Miracle!

Q. Any current favorites?
A. Yes! I love The Limits with Jay Williams, All The Smoke, The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip-Hop, Asian Enough, Birds Eye View, & probably more that I forgot because I’m always giving something new a try!

Q. What do you like to do outside of work?
A. Sleep!! Hahaha, I try to rest and restore as much as possible. But all jokes aside I’m a wine connoisseur, I’m still an athlete at heart so I love healthy competition, I’m somewhat of a movie nerd so I enjoy watching a dope movie or tv show to get a healthy escape!

You can reach Deondric at deondric@signalaward.com if you have any questions about Signal, podcasting, or if you just want to say hi! Don’t forget to enter your podcast to Signal Awards by August 5th.