After listening to Sruthi Pinnamaneni’s advice, I realized I wasn’t paying enough attention to those things in our podcast, Pittsburgh Plates. I really liked three pieces of advice the most. First, she mentioned building the scenes instead of just explaining them. I liked this because it makes the scenes feel more real, and not just like a regular interview. Second, she says to follow emotional beats, which means paying attention to how people are really feeling during their stories to make the episode more meaningful and genuine. Third, she talks about using the mic to shape the conversation, such as asking better questions in the moment and guiding the guest rather than letting things go off track.

There are also three fixes I want to make to our first episode after hearing her advice. One fix is to make the emotional moments stronger, especially when our guests talk about their traditions and family moments. I can edit it to really emphasize these moments with sound clips and music. Another fix is to add more background sounds that fit nicely into the episode. For example, good sounds from the restaurant, so that the listener can really feel like they are there. And the last one is to improve our opening, because right now it’s a little simple and doesn’t actively captivate the audience, which is something I can improve.

When it comes to “character”, Sruthi made me reflect on how those we interview are essentially the characters of our podcast. People like Helen from Pierogies Plus or Saurin from Coffee and Culture play a considerable role in the story and how it’s told. It’s their backgrounds, feelings, and experiences that make our episodes interesting and engaging. For this reason, in the future, I want to focus more on letting their personalities come through and shine, ensuring that their stories lead the episode.