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When Austin Barach was a freshman in high school, his classmate had his own talk show. Seeing his passion and creative ability, Barach decided he wanted that kind of platform and voice.

A year later, Barach created “Clean the Boards,” a sports podcast, with three of his friends. Four years later, the show is still active and thriving.

“I’ve always loved sports, and it just seemed like a fun thing to do to get my voice out there,” Barach said.

Barach is one of several Syracuse University students who’ve produced their own original podcasts, aiming to share the voices of young adults with the public. Students said their podcasts are passion projects to project their own personal interests.

Barach, now a sophomore at SU, said he has continued to put out episodes while at school, once or twice a month, whenever they can.

The team — John Boyle, Rohit Dsouza, Bigan Sharifi and Barach — bonded over their support for Massachusetts sports teams. On “Clean the Boards,” they discuss all things New England sports, as well as their favorite college teams.

He and his co-founders, who go to different colleges, plan on continuing the show simply for the joy of creating content. The group is dedicated to both the show itself and the kinds of topics they speak about, Barach said.

“It’s just a thing that we like to do for fun, honestly,” Barach said.

The group adds personal touches to the show, like placing special emphasis on their own home state teams. One year around Thanksgiving, they even outlined the top 25 events in sports they were thankful for.

Noah Concordia, a junior at SU, formed “The Queue” with his classmate, Zak Patterson, to discuss topics like music, clothes, sneakers and popular culture.

Concordia had a different podcast in high school, and decided to continue sharing his voice as his creative outlet in his college years.

“We talk a lot about culture and anything that’s going on that we think kids our age would be interested in,” Concordia said. “We talk about what’s going on with Twitter and the latest trends.”

In the first couple of episodes of the show, Concordia and Patterson discussed different streetwear brands and how Instagram gives street-style its own market and characteristics.

Even though Concordia worked for the campus radio station, Z89, he wanted to start his own show as an outlet for his own creativity. It could be on his own terms, for what he feels is important for the wider SU community.

“I wanted to do my own thing, and talk about whatever I wanted to talk about,” Concordia said.

The duo plans on continuing and further growing the podcast with special guest speakers on the episodes and further insights on the topics they discuss.

“We want to get people updated, because there’s always stuff going on,” Concordia said.

Junior Liv Pines explores the world of podcasts, as well, with her show “Liv’s Happy Hour.” She entertains listeners with a number of guests and comedic relief, while also sharing some of her new favorite music. The show is laid-back, comfortable and fun, Pines said.

“All of my friends who I bring on my show are super funny, so I never really know what I’m gonna get,” Pines said.

Each week, Pines comes up with a special activity to keep the tone of the show light and entertaining, such as talking about her ‘Bev of the Week.’

Because she runs the show, it can take whatever form it does in any given week, Pines said. She enjoys the freedom she has to express whatever she feels is important.

Though they are more established, campus-run shows tend to be more regulated, Pines said. With her show, Pines is able to choose exactly what she wants to share with her listeners, including sharing lesser-known artists. She uses her podcast to develop her understanding of media and to explore other, less-traditional kinds of media, she said.

All three podcasters said podcasts are so popular with college students because they are relatable. Pines said college students today tend to enjoy podcasts with people their own age behind the microphone.

“You’re listening to someone you know, or someone you feel like you might know,” Pines said.

These free-form shows offer college students a space to share whatever they feel is important and interesting without having to follow a set list of rules, Concordia said. That element of freedom makes the show dynamic and engaging for fellow college students.

“(Our podcast is) not buttoned-up,” Barach said. “It’s just a time where you can peel back the curtains and have fun.”

Published on October 24, 2022 at 11:03 pm