USC Annenberg students visit Spotify’s LA Arts District campus for a day-long career trek co-sponsored by the USC Bass Lab and USC Annenberg Career Services.
by Brielle Smith
The Bass Lab Podcast may be coming to a platform near you.
After a jam-packed day of insights from industry leaders, mind-blowing studio tours, and a delicious lunch that deserves an honorable mention, USC Annenberg students left Spotify Studios with the confidence and equipment. (Thanks, Spotify for the ring light and microphone gifts!) to become podcasters.
The Bass Lab organized the trip with Spotify to highlight BIPOC podcast creators’ and their journeys to the mic (or behind it).
During the tour, students had the privilege of viewing office and event spaces at Spotify Studios and exploring podcast studios through a hands-on experience which included a visiting transformative green room space, imitating podcast production, and observing media personality and feminist Amber Rose record content for her podcast. Students also enjoyed two insightful panels that detailed careers in front and behind the scenes (cameras) of podcasting.
The first panel of the visit titled “Creator Careers: Finding Your Voice” entailed a conversation about the creative journey of Dave Schilling, producer at podcast studio Wondery, and Edwin Covarrubias, creator and writer of popular podcasts Scary Story, True Scary Story, and more.
Schilling shared his anything but linear path to his role as a producer at his podcast company Wondery, which required him to spend time working as a Hollywood assistant, pursuing a YouTube stint, and writing editorials for local publications. Covarrubias’ success was not overnight either. He briefly discussed the quick failure of his first podcast which taught an invaluable lesson of authenticity and dedication which pushed him towards a total of $80k in his first year of monetization during his second podcast launch.
As Schilling and Covarrubias detailed their unique paths into creative industries and podcasting, an overarching inspiring message to always chase your dreams loomed over each student. Recognizing the diverse group of students in attendance and the adversity that minorities often face, Schilling shared, “You have to know that you’re gonna be looked at a certain way, but at the same time, you have to know that you belong in that room. You have to be assertive. And you have to be confident.”
The second panel titled “Careers in Podcasting” explored all the behind-the-scenes roles required to bring podcasts to life on the Spotify platform. While many college students don’t embark on four-year degree programs to become podcasters, there are many career paths which lead into podcasting and many career expertise needed in the podcast industry.
Spotify employees Michelle Kitchen, Production Operations Lead; Nichole Henderson, Senior Program Manager, Creator Equity Fund, and Amber Watkins, Creator Partnerships Manager revealed the daily intricacies that ultimately create some of our favorite podcasts. Although none of these women received their degrees in Podcasting, these women collectively hold degrees in International Business, Finance, International Studies, Broadcast Journalism, Public Relations, and Sociology. Their confidence and passion about their current positions despite their backgrounds smoothly articulated how there’s room for everyone in the podcast industry.
Leaving Spotify Studios with a generous podcast starter set gift that included a ring light and microphone, USC Annenbergers felt inspired and optimistic about potential careers in podcasting. Overall, the visit was exciting and enthralling!
