Letter from Lee Reynolds
Director of Community and Alumni Relations
Greetings Alumni and Friends,
You may remember that we officially opened the John Bonnar McBreen Multimedia Center last March. I am happy to report that students, faculty, staff and alumni have taken advantage of this resource, using it on a daily basis.
OU President Joe Harroz was the first user of our center and hosted several podcasts with VIP’s, including OU Football Coach Brent Venables.
Dr. Ralph Beliveau taught a podcasting class last semester and shared his experience using the podcast studio.
“Given the growing significance of podcasting, the studio is essential to my students’ learning. First, I teach a stand-alone class, JMC 4693/5693 – Podcasting where students develop their own podcasts. Topics coming out of the class podcasts have included Jane Austin Adaptations, stand-up comedy, sports rivalries, fashion culture and Movies You Should Have Seen. Two of the members of the first version of the class have already won Society for Professional Journalism (SPJ) awards: Beth Wallis for her series called ‘Destination Greenwood,’ and Lacee Mouser for her series ‘Through The Cracks: Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women in Oklahoma.’ Second, Professional Writing Professor Mel Odom and I taught a class in Spring 2022 called ‘The Writers Room.’ For that class, 22 students wrote and produced a murder mystery podcast series called ‘Guilty Party.’ Finally, I have used the podcast studio to have capstone and documentary students produce podcast versions of topical reports that they present in class, so they have the experience of creating similar content in two different media.”
Xavier Rhone, journalism senior and chairman of the Gaylord Ambassadors,had this to say:
“The topics I have covered on ‘Good Morning OU’ have always been centered on the student experience in Norman. We have covered anything from popular student experiences to more anecdotal experiences. The show is just a reflection of what it’s like to be a student at OU. As a resource, having such an adaptive setup that requires little experience means a lot for growing the medium in our college and encouraging more students to give it a try. However, aside from the remarkably intuitive and pristine equipment, I think the podcast booth reflects faculty dedication to the needs of the students. The college was proactive in requiring resources to create a space the students desired. The podcast booth is just a reflection of the faculty being a resource to the students. I plan on using the studio like last year for regular recording sessions, but hope to branch out to use more of the video capabilities this year.”
Maci French is a Gaylord College alum and JayMac board member. Her experience using the podcast studio was equally positive.
“My podcast is a virtual book club, meant to be a collaborative space for readers all across the world. We talk about both New York Times Best Sellers and first-time authors and hone in on the collaborative nature of reading and the way it ties people together. The podcast studio was a game changer to me as an alum. Not only does it produce high-quality audio but it brings a level of professionalism to my podcast and makes me feel empowered to work hard to make it something. This resource is free to me as compared to the typical day rates for a studio of this size and level and is invaluable to my podcast.
“I own a business called Well-Said Weddings where I help people write wedding vows, speeches, toasts, officiant scripts – you name it,” French continued. “I work with couples all across the world. In the future, I hope to expand my business to include a podcast where I share tips, tricks and wedding vow examples to the more than 200,000 people who view my short form Tiktok videos. The Gaylord podcast studio could be an incredible resource for expanding my business and ultimately changing what communication with my following looks like going forward.”
We invite you to use our podcast studio and are grateful to John Bonnar McBreen’s estate for making this unique resource available to our students, staff, faculty and alums. We welcome you to come visit and see it firsthand.
Lee Reynolds, APR
Class of 1977
