Lee students and faculty produce podcasts featuring wide range of content
From true crime and music to service and ministry — students and professors alike are obsessed with podcasts. Whether hosted in a high-tech studio or recorded from the comfort of a dorm room, this trendy medium is becoming more accessible. With the aim of sparking meaningful dialogue, a diverse selection of podcasts are being produced within the Lee community.
All photos by Sydney Pressley.
“Flipping Records”
At a school so invested in music, podcasts focusing on the topic are of interest to many students. Marissa De La Rosa, a sophomore graphic design major, co-hosts “Flipping Records” with her brother Anthony. The brother-sister duo review music albums across a wide variety of genres.
“Right now we’ve been doing an oldies record, but the next week, we’ll review an indie record and then a top 40 record,” Marissa said. “We do a lot of different genres — it’s not exclusive to one — but we haven’t covered every genre yet.”
Listeners may not realize the amount of preparation that goes into creating a podcast. Marissa said one of the hardest parts of creating the podcast is the research that goes into each episode.
“I tend to put a lot of research into it,” she said. “I like to analyze the lyrics and read about the writing process. It can be a little time consuming to try and balance school as well.”
“Vindagua: The Making Of” is a new podcast that released its first episode this semester. Jordan Crocker, a senior digital media major and head of marketing for Vindagua, has focused the podcast on the biannual magazine’s creation.
“Our podcast is basically a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating the Vindagua,” Crocker said. “[It’s] for anyone who loves Vindagua or wants to know more about the process behind it.”
While sound quality is an important component of podcasting, Crocker explains how podcast content should be relevant and intriguing.
“[If] the content you’re talking about is interesting, it doesn’t really matter what it was recorded on,” Crocker said. “People will want to listen.”
Crocker’s statement rings true of Dr. Luis Almeida’s podcast, aptly named “The Dr. A’s Podcast.” Beginning in October 2018, Almeida, an associate professor of communication, experimented with sound acoustics using an app on his smartphone called Anchor.
“To me, what works is to go to a place with good acoustics,” Almeida said. “In a small closet with a lot of clothing, my cell phone sounds pretty decent.”
Almeida’s goal is to form a relationship with students through his podcast. He offers 2-5-minute episodes that talk about issues in the workforce, human behavior and other topics a college student may face.
So far, “The Dr. A’s Podcast” has approximately 5500 downloads and views, and Almeida is excited for the prospect of reaching more students, including those on other campuses.
“The Good Content Crew”
Co-hosted by Lee alumni William Vest and Zach Camp, “The Good Content Crew” aims “to host conversations around the struggles, the joys and the complexities of people that work in the creative industry,” according to Vest. “Our goal is to cultivate conversations that are healthy and engaging.”
The 1-year-old podcast is intended to reach any kind of content creator, from singers and graphic designers to painters and writers. The duo’s goal is to craft relevant content for anyone in the creative industry.
Stay tuned for season two of “The Good Content Crew,” coming soon.
“Servecast”
As the veteran podcast of Lee’s campus, Director of the Leonard Center Dr. William Lamb reflects on “Servecast” and its conversations about faith, leadership and service.
“We believe that those are three values that all of us should aspire to,” Dr. Lamb said. “We have faith in Jesus, we become leaders and we serve. These three values are the main conversation pieces.”
With over 10,000 downloads and 330,000 feed hits, Lamb credits the success of “Servecast” to the commitment of always striving to deliver relevant content to listeners. Whether Lamb is hosting, talking to a guest or collaborating with co-host Christian Sweer, Lamb emphasizes the intentionality behind producing a podcast.
“Make sure you understand the why,” Lamb said. “If you’re only doing a podcast to be heard, you’re not benefiting anybody. If you’re doing the podcast to deliver relevant content that will be impactful, then jump in and go fast.”
Beyond campus, Servecast has grown globally in both audience and impact.
“I was in Cambodia, and I was able to interview on-site two Lee alums,” Lamb said. “They are serving with People for Care Learning. That was a fantastic episode — I really enjoyed that,” Lamb said.
“Targeted: True Crime Domestic Violence”
Professor of Communication Dr. Megan Moe produces “Targeted: True Crime Domestic Violence.” Her podcast has engaged listeners with its narrative-style content since March 2018.
“Targeted” is based heavily on research, which Moe says is one of the most enjoyable parts of creating each episode.
“[The podcast] incorporates elements of true crime as well as academic research about domestic violence,” Moe said. “I like getting in and diving into this topic, and either relearning or finding out new information.”
Moe advises those interested in starting a podcast not be discouraged by any perceived barriers. She explains mastery of podcasting comes with experience.
“You can’t learn everything ahead of time,” Moe said. “You need to learn it on the fly. You need to jump in and learn as you’re going.”
Channeling personal passions is a key component of hosting an impactful podcast. Campus Pastor Rob Fultz and Graduate Research Assistant Jeffrey Pitts have exuded their passion for “The Collectives Co. Podcast” since launching it in July.
“We got to talking about students and our passion for college ministry, and we started asking difficult questions that neither one of us could really answer,” Fultz said. “We thought about doing a podcast with great thought leaders and having this conversation on how to engage the culture.”
To host great thought leaders from around the area, Pitts and Fultz said there is a lot of background work that needs to be completed before an episode comes to fruition.
“There’s a lot of effort that goes into preparation,” Pitts said. “When you have high-level leaders, you want to ask really good questions — you want to get to the meat of the matter really quick.”
Although neither of “The Collectives Co.” podcast hosts had original plans to begin the show, Pitts and Fultz believe the podcast has come full circle as God has guided their individual lives.
“In my past, I’ve felt at some point that I’ve really wanted to do this,” Fultz said. “I’ve never really had the opportunity or collaboration to get it going. [It was] not until I got here, and Jeff and I started talking that it made sense to launch one.”
For Pitts, his previous experience in media is now applying to his life at Lee.
“It is the uniqueness of how God works in life sometimes,” Pitts said. “Before coming to Lee, I spent two years at a state school, and I served in the TV/radio area of that college. With something I did 20 plus years ago, it’s unique how God has full circle brought that back in a different context.”
Joining the ranks of others on campus, the Lee Clarion is excited to announce the launch of its very own podcast called “Story of My Life.” The first season centers around the untold stories of how faculty and staff made their way to Lee.
Matthew Taylor, a junior journalism and English double major, hosts the interviews in the new Student Media Podcast Studio.
“On our brand new podcast, we ask faculty and staff about their life story,” said Taylor. “Hearing the anecdotes and life experiences behind the people we see everyday has been truly amazing.”
“Story of My Life” is now available to stream at LeeClarion.com.
