Hi there 👋

Hi there, I’m Jonathan – based in New York City and helping businesses define their podcasting strategy and producing shows with my agency, Spotlight Podcasting.

I also run a weekly newsletter about local events in Jackson Heights (where I live) in New York called Jackson Heights Insider, celebrating the people, places, and small businesses that make this spot in Queens one of the most vibrant corners of New York.

How I Got Here

I grew up in a tiny village on the linguistic border of Belgium, the kind of place where cows outnumber people and you learn to switch languages mid-sentence.

After studying music at Edinburgh University (with a year in Salamanca that mostly involved guitar, tapas, and parties), I somehow pivoted to a Master’s in Computer Science at Bath. Don’t ask me how… I still wonder!

My first “real” job was with a telecom consultancy in London called Cartesian, working on projects for clients like Sky, Telefónica, and Virgin. It was all very respectable… until wanderlust struck.

In 2013, I packed a bag, took a sabbatical, and spent months traveling around Southeast Asia. On a boat party in the Philippines (as one does), I met a chap named Ian Robinson who was interning for entrepreneur Chris Ducker. That conversation turned into the early days of Freedom Podcasting, where we produced shows for legends like Tim Ferriss and Lewis Howes.

After a few years of digital nomad life, I missed London pubs and actual seasons, so I came home and joined Startup Institute’s first London cohort. I later helped launch IBM SoftLayer’s startup program across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, while also running the #techlondon Slack community – a wild ride of 8,000+ founders, makers, and dreamers.

And somewhere in the middle of all that… I met Johanna, my now-wife, who had moved from New York to study HR in London. In 2017, we decided to swap drizzle for bagels and moved back to New York – where we’ve been happily based ever since.

What I’m Up To Now

For years I focused purely on podcast production, building Spotlight Podcasting into a boutique agency helping B2B brands and creators grow their shows with strategy, sound, and storytelling.

Then in 2023, after a round-the-world trip with Johanna that took us through Europe, Asia, and Latin America, I found myself craving community closer to home. That’s how Jackson Heights Insider was born… part local newsletter, part creative experiment, all about connecting neighbors through stories, events, and shared curiosity.

Now my work lives at the intersection of media, community, and creativity – whether it’s helping a business find its voice through podcasting, or helping a neighborhood celebrate its own.