Before I met recent Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) Radio and Podcasting graduate Karl Svikis, I’d heard about him. Actually, it is more accurate to say that I was told what I would hear when I met him, and that is his beautiful voice.

Our first conversation was alongside two other students, Lee Chan and Mark Williamson. That day reminded me why face-to-face interviews gift something far superior to filling out a question sheet. The three were way more than the sum of their parts, and brief bios.  

Karl told me that day:

“I’m not a very typical masculine person. I identify as a man, and I like that about myself. But I think there are a lot of feminine things about me that I’m still learning more about  and learning to talk about. And I want to set a good example for younger men so that they can feel comfortable in themselves and expressing their emotions.”

Honestly, and I think that Karl will understand, not only is that statement brave, but it was also counter to what appears on the box.

The second time we met, and Karl didn’t remember this, was a few months later at the AFTRS broadcasts at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I sat in while Sunshine Wood was on air. Sunny was and is working as an ABC producer in Tasmania and most comfortable behind the scenes (although I knew her Northern Tassie listeners and fans would espouse her charm, and disarming lack of sporting knowledge, on air).

Sunny was nervous, naturally, and Karl was her producer. The two hadn’t met before as Sunny was an online student. I witnessed Sunny experience her own role with Kim Napier reversed.

She was made to feel in control via Karl’s attention to all the other details. Karl was 100% focused on his responsibilities.

This third meeting was about a new AFTRS ad campaign that features Karl, and that mellifluous voice.

What that ad doesn’t tell you, the same way as ‘you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover’ is that Karl has ended up right where he’s meant to be, and that’s down to the person he is, not the voice.

Karl, like many Grad Dip students, initially wanted to become an announcer. Across the year, with the Sunny example at the Easter Show evidence, he discovered he really enjoyed production (his words) and was able to bring out the best in others (my words additional).

After the wonderful broadcaster James Valentine died, I heard some audio of James describing himself as a weird fish who just happened to land in the right pool, at the ABC and on radio. The outpouring of love for James has been heartening, not just because he represented the best of us, but also for all of us who also hope to find we can swim in the pools we land in.

James also revealed a truth to my Radioinfo job that I hadn’t consciously realised.

People will joyously talk up good humans without guile or filter. As a result, some of the people I know the most about in the audio industry are because others are unashamed and unafraid to sing their praises.

One of these good eggs is Nic Kelly. Nic and Loren Barry host the Hot Hits across the Hit Network. Karl is working as their producer. Karl said of meeting Nic the first time:

“I was a street teamer, getting my little tour of the office, and he was sat at his computer working on something. He looked up and saw me looking like a lost puppy.

He gets up and says, ‘I’m Nick, so nice to meet you. What are you doing here?’ I say I’m part of the street team and studying at AFTRS.  

He says awesome and sits and yarns with me, asking what I’m interested in and making me feel incredibly welcome. Nobody asked him to do that and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer welcome to a big scary space like that. He’s a good man.”

On the flip side of the coin, Karl is also working for the Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) on the Saturday League Kick Off show with Chad Townsend and Denan Kemp also as a producer and graphics operator.

NRL and a new and Australian music show. But, both roles feature immaculate attention to detail, something that matters immensely to Karl.

He told me about singer Charlie Puth’s interview by Nic and Loren:  

“Every single person they interview has their guard is brought down within 20 seconds. They talk to you like a friend they’ve had for ten years. They express this genuine interest and appreciation of the art that this person has put out into the world. Expressing yourself through art and music is a scary thing.

Nic and Lauren go into the details of why they love it, not just like, I love this song. It’s cool.

They’ll say, hey, this part of this song I found particularly engaging because of X, Y, Z, and you see the artist go, Holy shit.

Charlie Puth had done upwards of 12 hours of interviews that day. And they were right at the bottom of the list. And Charlie said something like, ‘man, why can’t we start with interviews like this? Oh my God!’

He was just beside himself. It is masterful interviewing.”

Karl has also gotten so much out of the skills of Chad and Denan to make their NRL program inclusive to anyone, while still having in jokes for the dedicated show fans. Plus, having learned already how valuable callers are to radio conversation, that no one is more prepared to chat than the Broncos fan whose team was ripped off by the ref in a close one, post-match.

There’s more in the pipeline for Karl, unrelated to both above, but more attuned to the values he holds. Watch this space.

That is where AFTRS has adapted too. As well as providing a complete tool kit of audio skills, they also encourage diversity of opportunity and perspective. Nothing in radio or podcasting follows a set pathway anymore, so neither should the students.

Karl said:

“I’m really, really enjoying what I’m doing and I’m just going sit in that for as long as it lasts.

Two years ago, I was shovelling gravel into a wheelbarrow. Now I get to produce for a national radio show. And not only do I get to produce for a national radio show, I get to produce for the national radio show that I was telling everybody that I was going for.

 I have spent my entire life waiting for what’s next. I think a lot of people do. I am doing my very best to start actually paying attention to what’s going on right in front of me and taking every moment in as much as I can.

Producing for Nic and Loren, producing and graphics for SEN. I’m here because I worked hard to be employable in this media industry. I’ve put in a lot of hours, a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of effort. And I’m here doing the damn thing.

I’m really proud of myself for that.”

AFTRS’ Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting course is a dynamic program that helps audio enthusiasts from all backgrounds build the skills, confidence and connections to create and share stories across all sound-based platforms. It’s delivered full-time or part-time, on campus in Sydney or online from anywhere in Australia. Applications for the 2027 intake open Monday 15 June. To find out more or register interest see aftrs.edu.au/radio

Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster. I asked Karl to supply an image that showed who he is. The future of audio is in good hands.