The idea of making a podcast was born upon my arrival to the CEU Residence Center. Never in my life had I access to such a variety of nationalities, backgrounds and opinions! So many times I wished I would have recorded the discussions we’d had. This is why I was so happy to launch a podcast of interviews within the Alumni Scholarship program, where CEU students can get support to make their own projects.
Making podcasts takes time: writing and re-writing questions a dozen times, trying to match the schedules of all participants – the radio presenter, the sound engineer, the studio assistant and the guests. My work with the concept took a while too – it was important to decide the length of the podcast, the visual identity of the final product, and how to best engage the audience on the short and long run. One of the main tasks here was to find the members of the team. I was especially lucky in this regard, having a support from various CEU departments who got involved in helping me: Center for Media, Data and Society and the Sound Relations - Transgressions, Disruptions, Transformations project; the CEU Career Services Office and all the students and members of the CEU community who dedicated their time to my idea.
My team consists of two other Alumni Scholarship recipients: Andrej Hagan from the U.K. and Jani Korhonen from Finland. Together we try to answer the questions about this particular project and ourselves.
Elena Krusheuskaja, CEU alumni scholarship recipient and student in the School of Public Policy, is the author of the podcast project.
“I worked as journalist conducting many interviews in the past and it motivated me to launch my own radio projects.”
My very first job was at the Belarusian TV studio and later I got a firsthand experience from the best DJ in the country - Vadim Savin, training at the Radio Unistar. I used to work also as a club DJ and MC, as well as front lady of the music band - so I'm that very much the "girl with the microphone" type.
Jani Korhonen, CEU Alumni Podcast co-host and technical assistant, is a student in the Nationalism Studies Program.
“I really like podcasts and as a part of the Alumni Scholarship project, I wanted to participate in creating a CEU podcast.”
Jani says that his editing experience is solely from the documentary filmmaking class, where he already did some sound editing. He confessed to playing with sound editing software in his childhood and later admired the podcast project, which in his opinion broadens CEU’s media coverage to a new media platform.
Andrej Hagan, CEU Alumni Podcast co-host and technical assistant, is a student in the Department of International Relations.
“For two years I produced and hosted a weekly show for the online radio of my previous university.”
Andrej revealed that he also co-organized a number of DJ events across London to promote the radio station. During this period, he worked with sound and visual editing, and took this into documentary filmmaking at CEU.
Why podcasts?
Elena: “Podcasts are tomorrow. In our hectic schedules we often lack a friend who would tell a story, while allowing us to do something in parallel or just relax. You can listen to the podcast in the car, or gym, or while doing your chores - so this is a super convenient communication channel, and very personal”.
Jani: “Podcasts can be consumed in so different environments and contexts. They can be part of multitasking or relaxing. They also provide us an opportunity to disconnect from the screen and consume media in a more ageless fashion”.
Andrej: “Today, on-demand is in-demand. A podcast is so flexibly absorbed and, by its very nature, will engage its listeners most personally and thoughtfully.”
First impressions
Elena: “It was my first time to have a Skype interview and I asked to re-record the ending, as I simply didn’t think it through in advance. It was more than just a conversation – we built a bridge!”
Jani: “I think there were a lot of organizational moments to learn from, but I simply cannot wait for our next interview!”
Andrej: “A new experience with Skype and a great platform for future recordings!”
Andrija Visic, School of Public Policy Alumnus and first podcast guest: “CEU podcasts featuring alumni are amazing! The hardworking Alumni Scholarship Recipients of academic year 2017/2018 created an atmosphere for me where I felt happy and excited to talk about my time while studying at CEU and the ways I started building my career later on. It really made my day. The podcast felt so natural and I knew I would be helping future students with my messages."
Listen to the podcast here.
By 
Elena Krusheuskaja, student in the CEU School of Public Policy
