Meet the Producers

Robin started working for Spotlight in early 2008.  She is from the Chicago area of Illinois in the United States.  Robin enjoys cooking, traveling and learning about other cultures.  She has been married for 9 years and has 3 wonderful children.  Robin loves learning about new ideas for future Spotlight programs, and hearing from Spotlight listeners around the world.

Ryan Geertsma joined the Spotlight team in 2006. He lives near the city of Chicago, in the United States. Ryan enjoys watching and playing sports, listening to and playing music, and working with computers. He has been married for two years. Ryan’s favorite part of producing Spotlight is learning about interesting people, places, and cultures from around the world.

Ruby joined the Spotlight team in September 2006. She lives in the UK, and she can claim to be 100% British: her parents are Welsh, she was born in England, and she grew up in Scotland!  Ruby lived in a number of other countries – so she knows how difficult it is to learn another language. And she hopes that Spotlight programmes can really help listeners to feel ‘at home’ in English.

Joshua has been on the Spotlight team since 2005. His favorite part about Spotlight is reading mail from listeners to the program. In his free time he enjoys creating videos, hiking, and listening to music.

Steve is the newest member of the Spotlight team.  He joined in July 2008.  Steve enjoys playing sport, particularly football.  His favourite team is Bristol Rovers.  They are from his home town, but are not very good! Sport is one of his favourite topics to write about, as well as the environment.  Steve now lives in Worthing on the south coast of England.  Like most of our listeners, he’s also currently learning to speak a new language - Albanian.

Adam has been with Spotlight since May of 2008.  He is interested in religion, economics, history, and literature.  He often writes about people who have overcome big obstacles.  Adam likes to run marathons, eat chocolate chip cookies, and take naps.  When not working he enjoys walking with his wife and young twins.

Mike started work on the Spotlight project in 1996, and so is our oldest and longest serving staff member. You hear him on the air sometimes, but most of his work is behind the scenes, editing scripts and acting as project co-ordinator. He is married with two daughters. He also has a vintage motorcycle, a 1959 Triumph. He lives in Cambridge, England.

Marina has been with the Spotlight team since September 2000. She lives on the south coast of England by the sea. She is currently studying a part time MA course in International Development. She hopes to use some of her studies to improve Spotlight programmes!  Marina enjoys travelling, experiencing new cultures and cities and hopes to emigrate somewhere warmer some day.

Courtney Schutt joined the Spotlight team in July 2006.  She lives near the city of Chicago in Illinois.  While growing up, students from Germany and Japan lived with her family.  She enjoyed learning about their families, traditions, and cultures during those times.  Courtney also likes it when listeners write to share their lives, traditions, and cultures with Spotlight.

Christy has worked with Spotlight since 2001.  She grew up in Canada, but now lives in Michigan, in the United States.  Christy occasionally writes programs, but spends most of her time on administrative tasks.  Christy’s favourite part of Spotlight is answering the mail.  She loves to learn more about our listeners and web visitors.  When she is not at work, Christy can often be found reading books.

Liz has been a member of the Spotlight team since 2003.  She grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  In fact, she still lives there today with her husband and new baby.  For Liz, the best part of producing Spotlight is being able to discover and research new ideas and topics that she might not have known about before.  In her free time Liz enjoys reading, and watching films and television.