2026 Odyssey Awards Speech: Dan Zitt & Brian Ramcharan, audiobook producers of SOUNDTRACK

Dan Zitt & Brian Ramcharan are the audiobook producers of the 2026 Odyssey Honor-winning audiobook, SOUNDTRACK by Jason Reynolds. Their speech was delivered at the Odyssey Awards at the American Library Association Conference in Chicago, Illinois on June 27, 2026. Learn more about all the 2026 Odyssey Award Winners from Listening Library here.

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Dan Zitt: “First we would like to thank the Odyssey Committee, YALSA, and ALSC, as well as Booklist for hosting this event. I have spent a lot of time with these committees over my years in audiobooks, and I know how much work goes into this. Thank you.

Friendship is chaotic and beautiful. Some friendships arrive like an explosion and fade just as quickly. Some begin with a simple introduction and sustain themselves for a lifetime. The same could be said for art, for books, for stories. The story of Soundtrack is above all, a story of friendship. Chapter one of that story began on a loud rooftop bar somewhere down in the Carolinas at YALLFest. Surrounded by book lovers, I met a tall dude with dreads who had the same affection for bourbon, the same passion for writing, and most of all an emotional, almost unhealthy obsession with music. That was the first night I met Jason Reynolds.

After that, we kept crossing paths—festivals, panel events, green rooms—but always ending up back in that same rhythm of conversation. “Did you hear the new, insert your favorite hip hop album here.” “What are you listening to?” Conversations evolved, “How long you think you’ll be writing books?” “Man, I heard you did that Obama audiobook, that’s crazy.” Conversations that, even when brief, renewed the artistic spirit of our relationship.

Years later, that same friend drops Soundtrack on my desk and asks, “What do you think?” I said, “I think you have to let me turn this into an audiobook.”

And so, Soundtrack the audiobook is born. A mutual admiration for each other’s respective art form improvisationally turned into a love song to New York and friendship.

Soundtrack is about music. It’s about the beautiful randomness of New York and how it helps you find yourself. But most of all, it’s about the people you meet—how they’re rarely random, how they show up exactly when they’re supposed to. Brian, thank you for your friendship during this journey. Jason thank you for your trust.

This audiobook started as an idea and became a creative family. Just like the band in the story, we found each other through the work—and stayed for the connection.

Because in the end, the best stories aren’t just the ones we tell—they’re the ones we build together.”

Brian Ramcharan: “I’m thrilled to be recognized for an Odyssey Honor Award with my co-producer of the Soundtrack audio original, Dan Zitt. From the first read, it was clear this would become one of Penguin Random House Audio’s most immersive productions.

The story centers on Stuy and his friends, who form a band and busk throughout New York City subway stations under the name Soundtrack . As their following grows, success brings both opportunity and tension. It reshapes their lives and tests their relationships with one another and with the city watching.

To match the depth and specificity of Jason’s characters, we cast Soundtrack with care. After in-person auditions with more than 100 actors, we assembled a 21-narrator ensemble. The manuscript arrived in novel form, so our team adapted it into a performance script and recorded roundtable style. The cast could hear and respond to each other in real time, the same give-and-take that defines the band itself. That alchemy is on the recording; the energy is shared, not simulated.

Music sits at the heart of this piece. Composer Justin Ellington approached the score like a film while keeping a jam band’s spirit of discovery. The result captures the spark of collaboration: ideas passed between players, rhythmic lines built in the moment. Listeners will catch intimate textures such as a bassist or guitarist tuning, a horn player warming up, and Stuy drumming on buckets, the small sonic cues that make you feel you are right there.

Because the city is a character too, we leaned into authentic New York sound. You will hear real subway announcements, the rumble of cars, crowded sidewalks, apartment reverb, and the cadence of street vendors in accurate realistic detail, unique to the city of New York. To honor Stuy’s tap-dance influences, we also recorded live tap for the first time on a project like this, with Aaron Grooves channeling styles inspired by Savion Glover and Sammy Davis.

Ultimately, Soundtrack is more than a story about teens starting a band. It is a celebration of music’s power to help us navigate everyday struggles, to knit communities together, and to remind us who we are when the world gets loud. We are not only honored to be recognized here today but honored to help bring Jason Reynolds’ Soundtrack to life.”

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LISTEN TO AN AUDIOBOOK CLIP

HEAR MORE FROM THIS AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION TEAM IN THIS BEHIND-THE-SCENES MAKING OF VIDEO!