Reynolds School students learn how to tell stories through various forms of media. One such form is audio, and our students frequently create podcast projects that reflect their passions or interests.
We got the chance to talk with a few podcast hosts here at the Reynolds School and compiled a list of some of the podcasts that came from Reynolds students and alumni from recent years. Read about their inspirations before you take a listen to their podcasts.
Discover America with Prince Nesta
When Prince Nesta, a Reynolds School grad student, came to the United States one year ago, the last thing on his mind was to start a podcast. In Kenya, podcasts just weren’t that popular, he said.
But when his advisor and Reynolds School professor Nico Colombant thought he should share his American journey, he started “Discover America with Prince Nesta.”
“Nico held my hand and guided me, encouraged and advised me,” he said. “Although I host and produce the episodes, his advice is always precious. He’s my executive producer.”
Nesta will be producing his first Swahili episode on Discover America soon, which will become one of the first Swahili podcast episodes in the world.
“I think talking about the things we’ve messed up on takes a lot of that shame and embarrassment we feel away and gives us power. Listening to other people share their experiences of failure helps us feel like we’re not alone and that we can come out of most bad situations.”
After taking a podcasting class at the Reynolds School with Nico Colombant, Holly Hutchings, a recent graduate, started “How I Broke This.” The podcast brings in students, CEOs, professors and everyday people to talk about a moment they made a mistake.
“The Reynolds School was the perfect place to start a podcast,” she said. “In the podcast class, Nico continued to give me practical advice and guidance, as well as really good audio edits. He really believed in my concept, which fueled me to believe in it more, myself.”
“I have always loved listening to my grandparents tell stories about their youth and what it was like growing up in a different time. These stories not only inform younger generations, they also entertain nostalgia in older ones.”
Natalie Weckesser, a senior at the Reynolds School, shared her inspiration for this podcast on the “. She started the podcast “It Was a Different Time” when she thought others would appreciate the stories the older generations have to tell.
“I wanted to find a way to take these representations of the past and immortalize them.”
“I would say the moment we knew that we should start a podcast, we were in the Reynolds School,” Reynolds School Professor Benjamin Birkinbine said in a full-length interview with the Reynolds School. “We got in to this discussion and I got really upset, and I said ‘you have no heart’ and just walked out. So, what do you do? You start a podcast.”
Recent Reynolds School graduate, Joey Lovato, and Birkinbine started “Residual Culture” after a heated debate about the cheesiness of the original “The Predator” from the 1980s. They now have over 1,000 subscribers on iTunes for their podcast that covers their differing taste in forms of media.
Laura Crosswell teaches Health Communications at the Reynolds School and also hosts “SODOTO”, a partnership podcast between the Office for Community Faculty at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno, School of Medicine and the Reynolds Media Lab. “SODOTO” stands for See One, Do One, Teach One. The podcast covers stories about how your doctor was taught and how sometimes even physicians make mistakes.
“The most rewarding part of the Sportscast is the completed product. It is a really cool feeling after finishing a great episode or segment and publishing it.”
John Macaluso, a recent Reynolds School graduate, sat down with us in 2017 to answer questions about “Sportscast Weekly.” He started the podcast on his own, but when Nico Colombant offered him an independent study course to strengthen the podcast, he couldn’t refuse. Macaluso learned how to promote his podcast on social media and gained traction as a sports podcast.
Fil Corbitt graduated the Reynolds School in 2013. “Van Sounds” is a travel and music podcast that features sounds and stories from different areas.
From the Archive
The following podcasts from the archive aren’t currently producing episodes. Read their descriptions and listen to the published episodes to see what these alumni created while in school.
A podcast about unique interests with co-hosts Reynolds School graduate Joey Lovato and College of Business graduate Alex Meyerhoff. Currently in hiatus, but expected to return soon.
A podcast featuring stories from strangers that rode in Regina Revazova’s taxi cab in Arizona. Revazova received her master’s degree in Media Innovation in 2013.
A student-run sports talk show that focuses on University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä sports. Reynolds School grads Garrett Hirschberg and Jordan Berns co-hosted the weekly podcast.
Corrections: This article was corrected on June 28 to include “SODOTO” and to change the number of years that Prince Nesta has been in America.
