Marley Joseph, a first year student studying broadcast journalism, took advantage of a recent on-campus opportunity to prepare for and support production of a video podcast. Below, Joseph shares what he took away from the experience.  

In February, Media in the Mix podcast host and producer, Grace Ibrahim, held an experiential learning opportunity open to all American University students called “Get in the Mix.” The episode to be filmed was special: a celebration of SOC’s 30th anniversary. The two featured guests were professor and SOC3 director Pallavi Kumar and the interim SOC dean, professor Leena Jayaswal, both of whom were part of the very first cohort of students to graduate from the school the year it was founded. The job: a team of six students, including myself, would set up and record the episode. 

Students arrived at one of AU’s premiere production centers that morning unaware of, but excited for the prep work needed to create a podcast. In the two hours before recording, we were given a lesson on operating the equipment used within studios. We had hands-on practice with Sony’s FS7 cameras, as we placed them on Manfrotto tripods, had zoomed each one into different levels, white-balanced them, and learned to focus them manually on the subjects.   

We then learned how to sync two Rode microphones to an audio interface of choice, allowing for a seamless recording process before getting to my favorite hands-on experience, the ION Xe lighting board. After a tutorial on the state-of-the-art light board’s capabilities, I had the opportunity to control the studio’s lighting with the board and its software, eventually deciding on off-white front lighting with a duller backlight. 

The featured guests soon arrived at the production room, where students could speak with the two briefly before the podcast recording began. Once the podcast started, Jayaswal and Kumar (right) reflected on memories from their time both as students and after they had returned as faculty. Jayaswal noted during the podcast that she has been through almost every role at American, from student to adjunct faculty and eventually to her new role as Interim Dean. She also founded the Photography BA degree program in collaboration with CAS.  

During the 30-minute conversation, the two professors also spoke about how the school has developed over the years and what they envision for its future. They highlighted how SOC is a tight-knit community in which the professors care to build deep connections with students and where alums stay in contact with each other after graduation. 

Kumar noted her dreams for SOC’s future. Within the school’s next 30 years, she hopes for SOC to get more recognition for its program, as it contains a broader array of majors and minors than most communication programs. As a freshman, assembling a podcast from scratch while listening to Jayaswal and Kumar speak was truly impactful.

It is rare for a first-year to get the chance to set up a podcast and fully control a lightboard, film cameras, and audio monitoring. Even rarer is the opportunity for that freshman to have a project to add to their portfolio. 

“Get in the Mix” was a hands-on experience that taught me how to work a podcast set and use high-quality equipment, and helped me learn more about where I will spend the next four years, highlighting the importance of hands-on work and experiential learning.