Senior staff letter: Brant, podcasting executive

I came to USF not expecting to join the publication.

Joining the newspaper management class, I did not know I would be the producer for the next two years, but it was one of the best memories I have had here. I knew something was missing at our university when there were no podcasts when the podcasting space was only growing bigger by the day. So, when I pitched the idea to the Editor-in-Chief at the time, they loved the idea.

It started off small with only about 15 minutes only covering two to three stories. Now the Encounter Podcast covers one story from each section, with each episode lasting about an hour. With a change of management from Alex Mielcarz to Scarlett LaBuda and now Rodolfo Flores, it has been an honor to work under all three of them as their Podcasting Executive.

I also had the opportunity to revive TV Club this year, which was an extremely big undertaking. TV Club as a whole was falling apart due to not being involved on campus. Doing fewer shoots each semester. I wanted to bring back the bi-weekly newscast, which we were successful in doing so. I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who helped with this project, from professors to students and even viewers who watched our newscasts.

I also started my very own show here on campus as well called Prison City Plates. In this show we would feature local restaurants in the Joliet area. With a “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” feel, this show has been a remarkable success for TV Club, and I plan to take it and continue after college. I would not have been able to make this show without the amazing crew of TV Club that helped in every episode. I especially want to thank Big Chill & Grill because without them saying yes to my idea this series would not have happened.

I would like to also thank Professor Brien McHugh and Professor Glen Gummess. Without both of them and their encouragement of my wild ideas, I would not have the skills or the possibilities that I have today with all my video projects.

I would also like to thank the USF baseball team and Coach Brien Michalak for their support for me for the last three years of attending USF. Especially this year for watching all my Prison City Plate episodes and coming and being featured on our February Encounter Podcast.

Thank you to USF for allowing me to meet such amazing people and expand my creativity, and for letting me create such wonderful projects, of which I am so proud.