Our story

Songtalers is a songwriting duo. Judy Pokras writes the words, and Mike Levine makes the music. Between them, your favorite memories, milestones, and inside jokes become original, unforgettable songs.

Judy Pokras: the words

Part journalist, part filmmaker, and total creative spirit, Judy loves to unearth a great story. She has worn many hats over the years (author, artist, singer-songwriter) but they all connect to her being a storyteller.

After chasing stories for The New York Times and other publications, Judy brought her love of human stories into songwriting. Along the way she directed comedy videos, including the mock Seinfeld episode “Anomalies”, wrote the novel “Artist Girl's Cambridge Daze” featuring her playful surreal drawings, and rocked out in bands from New York City to London. Having honed her craft studying art at Pratt and filmmaking at the London Film School and NYU, she brings a vivid, visual imagination to every song she touches.

At Songtalers, Judy is the listener and the lyricist. She takes the story you share and turns it into words worth singing.

Mike Levine: the music

Mike has lived in New York all his life, and music has been the thread running through it. A composer at heart, he uses AI music tools to craft the soundscapes that bring Judy's lyrics to life in whatever style your story calls for. Their collaboration worked so well that it became Songtalers.