Raised by podcasters
Back in the heyday of podcasting, before every influencer had easy access to make one, my parents were prominent hosts and bloggers in Vancouver. My Dad was the heart of the tech, being a computer and music wiz from a young age. He helped my mom and her friend start a popular podcast in 2006 called Lipgloss and Laptops, which won best podcast at “Vancouver’s Best of 604 Awards”. My Dad’s podcast was called Inside Home Recording, touching on lots of techy things. Both of my parents were able to travel, network, and even speak at podcasting events throughout my childhood. It was a flourishing hobby that was almost always set in my Dad’s basement office and studio. Being raised by bloggers was cool. I remember once my younger sister and I asked Dad to set up a recording for us, and we sat in front of the microphones with big chunky headsets for a while and talked about… who knows what. I think there was some singing involved too. Creating audio and writing pieces for the public is so accessible these days, and I am grateful that we can consume so many perspectives and stories all over the internet. My Dad would have been happy to know that his final blog post reached millions worldwide after his death in 2011. Words and voices are powerful influencers themselves.
Over the years, especially in university, I have become more extroverted and personable in public speaking roles. I have chaired countless meetings, led school trips, presented to new students, and now I am in a Communications-based job. My current role with the SFU Faculty of Environment is supporting communications and events, engaging current and prospective students all the time. This has continued to push me out of my introverted box and get more comfortable speaking. Within a couple weeks of starting this job in January, I was offered the opportunity to host a podcast for the Faculty.
Podcasts are a big part of my media consumption. I watch 1-2h episodes of various podcasts on a daily basis, morning, noon, and night. It is where I get a lot of news, culture, critiques, and comedy. It is also a great source of background noise when music isn’t enough for my buzzing brain. A couple of years ago I considered starting a podcast with my friends. I wanted to interview people I went to high school with, whether we were friends or not. There is so much cliquey-ness and awkwardness in high school, so I have gotten to know some of my peers better after graduation. I think in a few more years I may pick this idea back up – I gotta give you all the opportunity to get somewhere in your life, eh? Most of us are still with our parents in the same neighbourhood we went to school in.
The Green Collar Podcast
Over the past couple months I have essentially gotten to help write, edit, produce, and distribute an entire podcast from its infancy. This is a unique project that has been surprisingly fun. I thought interviewing people (especially over Zoom) would be utterly awkward, but it has actually produced some great conversations and connections with my environment peers. The purpose of The Green Collar Podcast is to provide career insights to students. My co-host Donna and I ask questions related to university, jobs, volunteering, and passions. I have even gotten to do a few interviews on my own, and I enjoy the editing part; I am able to bring a long audio file to life by adding music, intros, and cuts.
I was only a kid when my parents were making podcasts, so I do not know much about the process they used to produce and distribute it. All I knew is that MAC Cosmetics was sending us boxes of promotional makeup all the time, which is possibly why I am an avid makeup artist today.
Learning how to make communications materials like this from scratch is fun, and I hope it will stand out as highlight of my work term. I am gearing up to graduate with a Bachelor of Environment in August 2021, so job seeking is on the horizon. Stay tuned for another blog post coming soon on the SFU OLC where I reflect on being an Environment student working in a Communications role.
Please check out the brand new Green Collar Podcast if you are an environment person or not. There is career advice nuzzled in there that anyone can reflect on! New episodes are coming weekly, wherever you get your podcasts.
marina miller 