Communications major Emma Straus ‘24 is one of many who have started podcasting through GreyComm Studios on campus, joining the podcasting market. Podcasting has become a significant craze when it comes to online content consumption. In 2006 the podcast market was only 22% of the adult population, back when the internet was still starting to gain traction. Now the podcasting market has grown to 79% and is expected to keep rising as we head towards 2030.
Straus started her podcast, “Lick The Wrapper,” this year with the help of GreyComm Studios. “Lick The Wrapper” discusses feel-good emotions and memories that people associate with food so delicious that you have to lick the wrapper.
Straus said GreyComm Studios has made the podcast process easier, despite hectic school schedules. Greycomm offers to edit, provide a space to record, and a place to bounce off ideas about your podcast or vodcast.
“I wanted to make a podcast and a few people were telling me that GreyComm has the studio, so you can go and meet there and discuss your ideas. I know GreyComm offers to edit but I do all my own editing. GreyComm makes it super easy,” she said.
Sereana Killer ‘25 started her vodcast, “Glam With The Greyhound,” in the fall of 2022 after highlighting her love of make-up and editing to her advisor. She was urged to go to GreyComm Studios where they made her dream a reality.
“I think it’s so much fun. I can do whatever I want, I can be creative… I work with the team, and I can talk to them about different ideas and concepts, and I can merge two of the things I like, editing and make-up. It’s the best of both worlds,” she said.
Killer’s vodcast follows her as she tries different make-up trends. The vodcast is reminiscent of beauty and make-up YouTubers who have been around since 2010, which has been a big influence on her love of make-up. Combining that love with video editing made vodcasting a no-brainer for her.
Aidain Hunter ‘24 says he has seen success with, “The Zenerational Perspective,” his vodcast about Gen Z’s perspective on mental health, identity, politics, and pop culture. Hunter has interviewed several people not just on campus, but social media influencers off campus too.
“I was recently able to get this TikTok influencer on my podcast. His name was Chris Mowrey, and he’s got 230,000 followers. I talked with him about mental health. My podcast… cumulatively I think it’s hit over a thousand people, but the episodes fluctuate from 5-35 listens,” he said.
This stacks up with data from the past three years of the growth in popularity of podcasts. Podcasting has grown to be an influential form of content, having about 82 million people listening on average in 2021, a number that is expected to rise to over 100 million in the next few years.
Even without viral success, these vodcasters want to find the time out of their schedules to continue working on their new passion project, putting in work and hours to keep the dream alive even after graduating.
“The field I want to go into is photojournalism, but I think podcasting is a great skill to have. I know a lot of people look for journalists who can do multimedia projects. I would love to keep my podcast going, and maybe even start some smaller shows,” Straus said.
