College Convo podcast for 2022
04 Feb 2022
They’re a trio of podcast enthusiasts, so it was only natural that Oli Aikawa, Thimeth Wijesinghe and Ed Davidson should want to establish their own.
College Convo will be released for the first time next week, the three students working hard to present the first of what will be a regular offering.
“It’s designed to have a casual vibe, to be like a conversation with those listening and watching, but most importantly we want it to be informative and fun,” says Year 13 student Oli.
“All of us like listening to podcasts and I’ve always listened to them when I’ve been working on my art. It just felt like a good thing for us to learn to do.”
As a Year 10 Ed Davidson enjoyed the College Project, a 2019 College podcast which focused on interviewing movers and shakers, politicians and entertainers, in particular. Now in Year 12, Ed says College Convo will aim to inspire boys at College by informing them about activities, clubs, events, and opportunities which occur on campus or have influenced entrepreneurs beyond.
“Ours is going to be structured so that the content informs and entertains, but is also motivational. We want to help boys find their passion through talking to experts on their behalf. How someone does something ordinary which makes a difference to themselves and to others.”
The first podcast episode is with Head Prefect Benji Ward, talking about leadership, his style, how he got there, and what he wants to do this year at College.
Thimeth says each 20-30 min podcast will end with a feature spot on something happening in the school at the time – Athletics Day, a rowing tournament, a debating competition, for example.
“When you’re in Year 9 you really don’t know about everything that’s going on. Sometimes you only find out at the end of the year. So, if you can upload a podcast and combine it with Spotify and Instagram we can make things known.
“By filming live, and getting a guest’s perspective on a subject, we’re hoping we can let people know exactly what’s going on.”
The second episode will feature Executive Principal Garth Wynne; Deputy Head Prefect Ollie Jones will also be a featured guest.
All three members of College Convo will participate in each episode, either as interviewer, behind the camera, sound man or mixer. Along the way, they all plan to expand their skill base, learn as much as they can, and most importantly make a difference to College.
“It would be great if others wanted to continue it in the future, and it’s possible it could be a bit of a legacy project,” says Thimeth.
