Meet the team
John Kirtley
Founder/Broadcast Talent Agent
Asheville, NC
john@soundoflifemedia.com
John Kirtley founded Sound of Life Media in 2016 to spread his passion for the importance of high-quality visual storytelling in television news. He enjoys helping his clients achieve their goals in local markets all over the country and at the national level.
John told stories throughout the country, from Myrtle Beach, SC to Portland, OR, finishing his newsroom career as the Assistant Chief Photojournalist at WLOS-TV in Asheville, NC.
In his decade-long career as a storyteller, he won numerous awards, including 10 Emmys, 5 Edward R. Murrow awards and was named the NPPA’s Ernie Crisp Photojournalist of the Year - Runner-up, the industry's highest honor for photojournalism.
John has spoken at workshops throughout the country, was the co-director of the NPPA Southeast Storytelling Workshop and is the director of the annual Sound of Life Storytelling Workshop.
John lives in Asheville, NC with his wife and four children. He loves supporting independent music, coaching youth sports, Survivor and a good acai bowl.
Tiffani Lupenski
Broadcast Talent Agent
Houston, TX
tiffani@soundoflifemedia.com
Tiffani Lupenski is an award-winning investigative journalist and newsroom innovator with more than three decades in broadcast news. A former News Director in Portland, San Diego, and St. Louis — Tiffani has built and led powerhouse teams recognized for excellence, including an NPPA Station of the Year award.
Her investigative leadership has earned some of journalism’s highest honors — including a Peabody, IRE Award, and national Edward R. Murrow Award for exposing systemic corruption in the Chicago Police Department. Most recently, Tiffani has been a driver of the evolution of local news through content and streaming strategy, having launched successful livestream channels in both Chicago and Houston.
Tiffani currently lives in Houston, TX, with her husband, Matt. She's a devoted Texans fan, avid runner, and all-around cat fanatic.