Episode 7: Surviving and thriving creatively in the future 8 Dec 2025 Listen Now on your preferred platform ABOUT THE EPISODE When you think about the future, do you feel excited or scared? Is AI really going to take our jobs? What skills will we need, and what does it mean to truly thrive rather than just survive? In this episode, we explore these questions and find inspiration to help shape our own creative paths. Hear from writer and producer Karen Jeynes and creative director Erin-Lee Petersen in this unmissable episode of Creative Allies. MEET THE HOSTS LERATO SOKHULU @rapunzulu A magnetic presence on stage and behind the mic, Lerato Sokhulu brings over a decade of experience in radio and television production, comedy, and voice artistry. As the host of Creative Allies, she blends storytelling, wit, and an authentic love for culture and craft. Armed with an infectious laugh and an eccentric yet down-to-earth style, she is on her way to becoming a renowned broadcaster. CAROL WILLIAMS @caroljoywilliams Carol is a podcast producer, composer, and co-founder of one of SA’s first creative audio agencies, The Stellar Effect. With a background in music therapy and sound design, she blends technical skill with emotional depth to create immersive, human-centred audio experiences. Now at content agency 2Stories, she helps brands tell powerful stories through branded podcasts. MEET THE GUESTS KAREN JEYNES www.linkedin.com/in/karenjeynes www.both-worlds.com Karen Jeynes is an award-winning South African writer and director for stage and screen, known for series such as Die Nuusmakers, The Morning After, and Recipes for Love and Murder (Season 2). She co-leads Both Worlds with Thierry Cassuto, developing acclaimed productions across drama, comedy, and documentary, and is currently lead writer and director on a new KykNET project. An accomplished playwright, her work includes the multi-award-winning Everybody Else (is Fcking Perfect) and co-creations such as Vaslav and An Evening in the Company of Grief. Karen is a sought-after script consultant, lecturer, and co-author of The Karen Book of Rules and Flow: the Book About Menstruation, and she co-founded DAWN (Disabled Audiovisual Workers Network) in 2024. ERIN-LEE PETERSON www.linkedin.com/in/erin-lee-petersen researchunit.co.za Erin-Lee Petersen is the founder and maker at Research Unit, where she and her husband Chad design hand-crafted, sustainable apparel that tells a story and comes with a ten-year guarantee. A former radio and TV presenter with a Broadcast Journalism degree from Varsity College, Erin-Lee now leads the creative, marketing, sales, and PR direction at Research Unit. The multiple-award-winning duo funded their venture by selling an iPhone 4 when traditional institutions would not support them, drawing on years of experience in broadcasting, modelling, industrial design, and luxury retail.
