Pariya Taherzadeh
Freelance Podcast Producer
Professional Voice Actor | Pariya

Who am I?

My name is Pariya Taherzadeh, my husband calls me Peach. I’m a global award-winning audio producer, content creator, voice-over artist, storyteller and freelance podcast producer.

I’m what you get when a culture invests in diversity, thanks to the Selwyn Speight Diversity Scholarship awarded by the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and the ABC.

My journey from refugee to global content creator, is a tribute to my mother – an independent woman and free-spirited individual who risked her life to give me the opportunities I now have.

I’m a child refugee who found her voice. I escaped from Iran on the back of a camel with my mum when I was eight months old and grew up in Australia. I speak English and Farsi.

Currently, I’m freelancing on a variety of shows. My successes haven’t only been personal triumphs but also an inspiration for other aspiring broadcasters and content creators. I’ve since returned to AFTRS as a guest lecturer and mentor for the MAS Documentary course, as well as the Postgraduate Radio Course. I’m grateful to be part of the progress to diversify Australian media, opening a door of opportunity that allows the next person’s voice to be heard.

Pariya Taherzadeh

My life
became
my content

Along with winning the scholarship in 2018, I got the opportunity to work at the ABC for one year, who commissioned my radio documentary Escape from Iran for the Radio National show History Listen. All of a sudden my personal side project transformed into a feature documentary for Australia’s national broadcaster, with my own family’s story as the content.

Escape from Iran is the story of how my mum smuggled me out of a war-torn country after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the severe crackdown on women and people of the Baháʼí Faith, who weren’t allowed to have a voice or an identity. The project was a lifelong passion about my origin, and I was honoured to voice our story because many women who struggle daily, live their lives in silence. It was also something to share with my future grandchildren and show them how fierce their great-grandmother is.

Escape from Iran, which I scripted, voiced and produced, was awarded the Gold Prize in the History category at the New York Festival Radio Awards in 2020 and also won the Silver Prize for Social Issues. I was honoured to be in such good company – since 1957, the New York Festivals has celebrated the world’s best work by content creators from all across the globe.

I’m a radio
& podcast
producer

While at the ABC, I also worked as a radio producer for triple j on shows like Dr Karl, F Off Friday and The Friday Mix. I brought awareness of the impact of ADHD on relationships by chatting on the late-night show, The Hook Up.

I then landed a role as a producer at Mamamia, Australia’s largest independent women’s media company, working on the parenting podcast, This Glorious Mess, among other shows.

Podcast Production Companies
Podcast Production Companies
Podcast Production Companies

Marry Me
Marry My
Family

My family was again at the center of the story when my multicultural Persian-Macedonian wedding was featured on the SBS documentary series Marry Me Marry My Family. As my husband, Viktor, said during our marriage vows, ‘Knowing who one is, is really the legacy of having been known properly from the start.’ To me, it was important to incorporate both our cultures and traditions into the wedding, celebrating the rich experiences that diversity can bring.