WEBINAR: Friday, November 14th, 2025  9am PT / 12pm ET 

IIJ Presents 

Save Time, Money, and Clients with Clear Project Scoping

Freelancers who work on a project basis have an enemy, and that enemy is scope creep. When a project balloons out of control, we can burn out and client relationships turn sour. Learn how to avoid this fate from a panel of veteran audio freelancers.
This video is free to all 
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Key Takeaways

  • Learn how to realistically define the scope of a client project; setting deadlines, projecting how long the work will take, and how to adapt to the unexpected
  • Learn how to recognize scope creep, how to navigate difficult client conversations, and when to walk away
  • Learn how to set expectations with a client at the start of a project, and how to navigate difficult discussions when scope creep does occur

About this panel

  • Friday, November 14th, 2025
  • 9am PT / 12pm ET
  • Virtual
  • 75 minutes
  • Free
  • Recorded 
Freelancers who work on a project basis have an enemy, and that enemy is scope creep. When a project balloons out of control, we can burn out and client relationships turn sour. Learn how to avoid this fate from a panel of veteran audio freelancers, sharing guidance that will come in handy for those working in any medium. This discussion will cover how to negotiate a strong contract, how to manage shifting responsibilities on a project, and when to walk away.

Who is this panel for? 

experience levels 
Meet the moderator

John Asante

Independent Podcast Showrunner, Senior Producer & Consultant

John Asante (he/him) is an award-winning, independent audio producer, showrunner, and consultant. He’s devoted to crafting stories that shine light on marginalized communities within the worlds of music, pop culture, and social justice. After spending much of his 15-year career producing radio shows and podcasts for companies like NPR, WNYC, Stitcher and Pineapple Street Studios, John shifted to freelancing in 2022. Since then, he’s made podcasts in collaboration with several shops, including Awfully Nice, Fresh Produce, Pushkin, Imagine Entertainment, EmbraceRace, Audible, Spotify, and Hartbeat. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their two rambunctious cats.
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Meet the panelist

Dennis Funk

Founder and Editor
of Written in AIR

Dennis Funk is the founder and editorial director of Written In Air, a production studio and independent audio magazine. Written In Air has collaborated on audio projects with BBC Radio, Pushkin Industries, Pineapple Street Studios, iHeartMedia and more. Dennis curated and dissected thousands of hours of audio art and documentary with Chicago's Third Coast International Audio Festival, and produced features from around the world with The Washington Post. He’s also edited audio series for Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio. Dennis’ audio work has appeared on podcasts, radio, theatre and in the halls of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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Meet the panelist

Lushik Lotus-Lee

Podcast Producer & Editor

Lushik Lotus-Lee is an award-winning podcast producer and editor who started out as an intern at NPR. Since then, Lushik has produced shows for large networks like SiriusXM and Wondery as well as public radio outlets. She also enjoys working with independent creators to conceptualize and launch shows. Lushik is passionate about telling stories that have a lasting impact on listeners.
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Meet the Panelist

Isis Madrid

Co-founder: Pizza Shark

Isis Madrid is a first-generation Colombian-American journalist, writer, showrunner and executive producer with nearly two decades of experience in written, audio and video storytelling. She has produced award-winning projects, covering topics that span from public health to pop culture.

As co-founder of Pizza Shark, a Latina-owned production company, Isis creates impactful, culturally relevant stories and develops top-class content for clients around the world. She is passionate about elevating underrepresented voices and championing diverse perspectives in media.

Isis lives in New York City with her husband and two pugs.
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Meet the Panelist

Katherine Reynolds Lewis

founder of the Institute for Independent Journalists

Katherine is a science journalist and author based in the Washington, D.C. area who writes about education, equity, mental health, parenting, journalism, and social justice for publications including The Atlantic, The New York Times, Nieman Reports, Parents, and The Washington Post. Her 2018 book The Good News About Bad Behavior grew out of Mother Jones’ most-read article. A biracial woman (Asian American and White), she previously worked as a national correspondent for Newhouse News Service and Bloomberg News.
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The Institute for Independent Journalists

The Institute for Independent Journalists is an education, professional development, and mutual support organization for independent journalists, focusing on Black, Indigenous and people of color. Our mission is financial and emotional sustainability for independent journalists of color, through community learning, innovation and advocacy.

Our mission is to ensure financial and emotional sustainability for independent journalists of color, by:

Connecting freelancers for learning, collaboration and mutual support in a space that centers marginalized voices and facilitates authenticity and vulnerability.

Creating tools, services and shared wisdom for economic self-sufficiency and mental health, regardless of churn in journalism or who controls newsrooms. 

Advocating for fair and equitable treatment of freelancers and best practices for ethical use of independent labor, throughout the media.

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