By: Andreea Barbu, SFU Student
SFU’s communication student union has recently revamped their podcast, The Medium, The Message. It is hosted by vice-president of the communication student union, Talha Butt, and communications coordinators Simran Mann and Arianne Cervantes. The first episode was released on November 1.
Their new podcast series aims to reach all communication students, as well as any SFU students navigating their university experience. Through an interview with The Peak, Butt, Mann, and Cervantes were able to express more about what this new undertaking will entail.
Prior to the November 1 relaunch, The Medium, The Message was a platform that offered academic-related advice such as applying to co-op or grad school. When expanding on the nature of the revamped series, Mann explained how their goals changed from the original release. “I wanted us to shift from talking about just school and career opportunities and then also mix in some fun, random topics,” said Mann. “I feel like that would keep our listeners a little more engaged.”
Keeping true to this goal, their first episode informed listeners of the hosts’ first year experiences at SFU, along with advice they have for students undergoing their first year. “We wanted something lighthearted, where [ . . . ] students from the faculty could come together and speak about their experience about being communication students and geek out about their major,” said Butt.
When asked about who their intended audience was, Butt admits The Medium, The Message “is definitely tailored for communication students but it’s open to everyone throughout the university [ . . . ] similar to all of the events that we post as well, we try our best to tailor it to communication students but at the end of the day, anyone and everyone is welcome to join.”
Cervantes added, “We want it to be more fun! [ . . . ] We want it to be really authentic. We want our viewers to get to know not only us, but the communication members as well.”
“How many clubs do you know at SFU that have their own podcast?” said Butt. “We really take pride in being one of those few clubs that actually offers something other than just your typical social media promotion, whereas we have a podcast as a means for students to feel relaxed but still get a little bit of information and something out of it.”
In the long-term, Butt, Mann, and Cervantes’ plans for The Medium, The Message include bringing in external speakers, such as other executive members in the student union, industry professionals, and graduate students. Additionally, any SFU student is able to suggest topics for discussion by submitting requests through the student union’s website. Episodes are expected to be released twice a month.
To listen to the communication student union’s podcast, visit Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts.
