In this story, hosts Jaiyana Wiley and Alonzo Jones, and producer Jake Kadar share their thoughts about the inspiration for their endeavor, what they have learned from their experiences, and what’s next for their podcast.
Please provide an overview of the club, your role in the club, and when and where your sessions take place.
I am the producer and editor of the Beyond the Banter podcast. We film in the chemistry lab utilizing the living wall as a backdrop. We typically record once a week. I then edit the recordings and get them posted the following week. I also make blooper reels.
-J.K.
The podcast club is a production of the finest podcast out of New York! We (Jaiyana, Alonzo, and Jake) host a podcast which looks to inspire teen voices. Jaiyana is the marketing manager; Alonzo is the creative director; and Jake is the producer (Marketing: The social media and short form content, Creative: Podcast topics and ideas/innovation, Production: technical equipment and recording/editing). We record every Monday or Thursday in front of the green wall in the schools’ science lab.
-J.W./A.J.
How did the podcast idea and then the reality of the show develop? Speak to inspiration, the process of getting it started, challenges with which you dealt, content development, support you received, etc.
I wasn’t present for the ideation of the podcast. Alonzo and Jaiyana came up with the concept. When Alonzo mentioned it to me, I told him it sounded cool, and I offered to produce and edit the podcast. We knew that every year Mr. Rodriguez purchases equipment for clubs, so we researched the equipment we would need to make a professional sounding and looking podcast. Mr. Rodriguez purchased us a mixer, microphones, headphones, a hard drive, and cameras.
-J.K.
Well, for Alonzo, the idea of a podcast has always fascinated him. He had been in search for a co host since freshman year. His dreams were answered when, over the summer, Jaiyana had expressed her ideas for a podcast. Alonzo and Jaiyana grew close through the summer period and when school rolled around, they set out to make it a reality. As the school year slowly progressed, Jaiyana and Alonzo pitched the idea of a podcast club to Mr. Rodriguez. He has been a major help in getting the club up and running. Mr. Rodriquez supported the idea immediately and proceeded to ask for a material list to send to the school administrators. Alonzo had been on the more technical side but sought help to put the list together, which is when he reached out to Jake. Similarly to Mr. Rodriguez, Jake was in! He helped put together the material list and fast forward a few months to February, the equipment arrived. The first problem to arise was recording into separate tracks. Jake had problems with the recording software that we use; not being able to separate the incoming mic feed into two tracks. Eventually, the problem was resolved but more soon ensued. The team had to push back the episode release by two weeks due to the school being closed for mid-winter break. Eventually, the team was able to troubleshoot and with the explosive release of the podcast, they never looked back.
-J.W./A.J.
What have you learned from your experiences on the podcast? How has the podcast changed from your first meeting up until now? Where would you like the podcast to go from here?
I learned how to use the editing tool Adobe Premiere in order to edit the podcast. The podcast has improved over time as we now use different cameras and just got a new mixer, so it’s a higher quality production. I’d like the podcast to gain more popularity and viewership. We are working on advertising more and creating better publicity for the podcast.
-J.K.
Alonzo has learned how to creatively lead and innovate an ongoing passion project. This experience has allowed him to enter a world of entertainment and content creation that he never knew he would love to be apart of. Jaiyana has learned how to express her thoughts in a public manner. Creating the podcast has offered a therapeutic space for her.
-J.W./A.J.
What has been one of your most memorable shows? Why does this particular episode stand out to you?
It’s not an episode but my favorite thing that I’ve edited for the podcast is the blooper reel because I was cracking up the whole time making it. It is so random and all over the place but it is consistently funny!
-J.K.
One of the our most memorable productions is episode 2. That was the first episode where we, Alonzo and Jaiyana, truly opened up and became comfortable with being in front of a camera and mic. The conversation was funny, interesting, and deep. Episode 2 encompassed everything that we hope to bring to our growing audience.
-J.W./A.J.
Why is this club important to you?
All my projects are important to me, but I find the podcast to be really fun. I get to listen to people mess around and sometimes have deep conversations.
-J.K.
This club is important to us because it serves as a time capsule to view in the future and reflect on our teen hood. It also allows us to view the impact that we have on others which is exciting to see.
-J.W./A.J.
How might other students get involved in the club? Do you welcome guests, and what might you want from prospective guests/participants?
We are planning on having guests very soon. We’ve been gearing up and preparing to have a guest by trying to figure out how the dynamic would work. We are hoping to have a guest after a couple more episodes.
-J.K.
Other students can contact Alonzo and/or Jaiyana through the podcast socials including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. We are open to having student/teen guests or people who have creative ideas; we’re always looking to innovate!
-J.W./A.J.
Anything else to add?
I am in the process of editing episode 7 and it will be out Friday April 10.
-J.K.
CHECK OUT THE PODCAST!!!
-J.W./A.J.