Who we are
New Orleans youth have a lot to say, and too often they are told to “be quiet” or overlooked. We ask them to Be Loud. When youth are trusted to lead and share their stories, their confidence grows and their mental health improves.
It doesn’t stop with them. When youth are heard and connected, they don’t just feel better. They help our city become more caring, creative, and connected.
Since 2019Hear their stories. In their voices.
Our history
Be Loud Studios was founded by two teachers in January 2018 after a shared observation: their STEM class fully engaged students who seemed academically disengaged everywhere else. One student refused to write or participate when given academic work. Given the mic, he filled pages with his ideas and rushed to school to record his words.
That spark revealed how deeply students need real-world practice with creative technology — an outlet to speak up and be heard.
The energy grew the project into a school-wide, student-run radio station. We printed T-shirts and recorded nearly 100 students in the first six months, broadcasting the show during carpool hours. In March 2019 we launched Be Loud Studios as an independent 501(c)(3).
Be Loud has since worked with over 3,000 teens and 50 schools and organizations.
Our impact
By the numbers
0%
Specifically on skills like recording with a microphone, writing, editing and mixing, and sharing their work publicly.
0
Building these connections increases the capacity of youth to grow and make mistakes.
0%
We proudly prioritize our ability to build positive and inclusive culture alongside kids.
0%+
As well as reporting that their kids feel safe and heard in our programs.
0%
Connection first: friendship and peer support are the foundation of every session.
0%
Mentors show up consistently, so kids know the studio is a space built around them.
0%
Real gear, real training — competence built session by session, from levels to final mix.
0%
And 87% feel confident mentoring younger DJs — leadership that keeps paying forward.
Join us
We ask kids to speak up to build a more equitable world. Kids need outlets to be heard, and safe places to practice using digital tools. Our culture often devalues the voices of youth, especially BIPOC youth. So we work with students not to teach them creativity, but to amplify the creativity already within them — through digital media skills, script coaching and real outlets to be louder.
What our kids are saying
Read about Be Loud Studios
The Be Loud krewe
Executive Director
Alex is a dedicated educator with over 10 years of classroom experience. Throughout this time, Alex has stewarded creative schools and learning environments that encourage hands-on learning, student autonomy, and collaborative problem solving. In New Orleans, he co-founded and manages Be Loud Studios, a non-profit radio station dedicated to amplifying youth confidence through radio and digital media production.
Operations Director
Diana has been a proud New Orleans educator for the last fourteen years. She was a founding teacher at Firstline Schools and Bricolage Academy where she taught K–4th grades and coached teachers across the city. Diana has spent her career working with educators to promote student voice, integrate antiracist teaching practices, and engage students in culturally relevant learning. Diana, along with Alex, founded Be Loud Studios in response to students wanting a place to write and discuss what was important to them. She currently leads fundraising and operations.
Lead Producer
Té V. Smith is a Nigerian/American educator and writer with over 15 years of organizational experience. He is the founder of the Amù Primary schools in Nigeria and Kenya. Té also designed an SEL-based curriculum, Colors of A Nation, to probe the dominant and counter-narrative of American history for BIPOC students as a shared story of the United States. He has been awarded residencies and fellowships as a writer, including the Rhode Island Writers Colony Fellowship, the Disney Plus Reimagine Tomorrow Residency, and the Tunnel Vision Poetry Prize. Té is most impassioned about telling and supporting the stories of young people and underrepresented communities.
Partnership Producer | Teacher Fellowship Lead
Jeff has guided students in publishing books and producing more than 50 youth-led podcasts. Over his 10+ years teaching, Jeff was named his school’s Teacher of the Year, received the Outstanding Graduate Award from the University of New Orleans, and won the prestigious citywide Excellence in Teaching Award from New Schools for New Orleans. Before becoming a teacher, Jeff worked in music production and advertising, bringing a unique blend of storytelling, education, and media experience to his work.
Producer
Joanna Farley is a Producer at Be Loud Studios and a worker-owner at Civic Studio, a New Orleans cooperative supporting community-driven planning and design. With a background in urban planning, she helps lead storytelling projects that highlight community voices and local history. Joanna is also a longtime radio enthusiast and volunteer host on WWOZ, bringing a love of public media and collaborative storytelling to her work with Be Loud.
Governance
Development Director
Propel America
Founding Director
Sydney Kastner Consulting
Cultural Outreach Manager
Our Voice Nuestra Voz
Senior Manager of Organizational Effectiveness
K Allen Consulting
Founder and CEO
Dirty Coast
Producer
At Will Media
Attorney
Kiefer and Kiefer
Scientist
Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic
