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Creating a podcast had been in the back of his mind from the very beginning. Easton Allen, senior communications studies major, had worked with �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ Student Media for years—writing articles about athletics. Going into his senior year, he knew it was now or never. “With the help of Assistant Sports Information Director Nick Trumble, who plays a huge role in all the filming and post-production tasks, we decided to create Dog Talk,” says Allen.

And so, a brand-new podcast was born. Dog Talk premiered in early September this year. Each episode centers on a different sport at �������ϲ���ʷ������¼, and features Allen interviewing athletes involved in that sport. “My favorite part about Dog Talk so far has been being able to provide a platform for our athletes that brings something new to the student-athlete experience here,” says Allen. “I want this podcast to be something cool and I think it's achieved that purpose so far.”

He says it’s been a great learning experience. “I've enjoyed having to navigate scheduling interviews, building questions and ideas for the show, working with my filmer and editor, etc. I've essentially learned how to run my own mini business.”

So far, there are three episodes, focusing on men’s and women’s soccer and football. A new episode drops every other Friday. “The goal by the end of the school year is to have a least one episode for all 19 sports,” Allen says.

“�������ϲ���ʷ������¼ Student Media (tlustudentmedia.com) has long been a home for magazine style journalism by students about students,” says Associate Vice President for Campus Equity, Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Communication Stephen Vrooman. “It’s a great window into the �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ student experience for friends and alumni, and it also provides a different way for existing students to connect and learn about each other.”

Vrooman says the Student Media team generates both written and video content. “Easton’s work this year is the culmination of three years on our team, developing content about �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ athletics. From a learning perspective, students in �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ Student Media learn an enormous number of content creation skills, from task management software to writing to video creation and editing, to social media. This is the preparation they need to enter the workforce in those types of jobs. In fact, in our most recent class of �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ Student Media graduates, one student’s experience as a paid Editor for �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ Student Media was the experience they needed to stand out from the competition to land a great job using these exact skills!”

For Allen, developing content is only one expression of an abiding passion for sports. His first love is basketball. A gifted athlete in his own right, his college achievements so far include All-SCAC Honorable Mention, he’s been named to College Sports Communicators Academic All-District twice, is a two-time NABC Honors Court Member and two-time SCAC Winter All-Sportsmanship Team Member.

He’s also the voice you hear calling football, baseball, and softball games at �������ϲ���ʷ������¼—and has been throughout his college career. “That has been a huge blessing,” he says. “I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Sports Information Director Bryce Hayes for taking me under his wing when he first arrived here when I was just a freshman and giving me the chance to be the voice of these teams for so long now.” Allen says calling the games has enabled him to build relationships and connections within the athletic department—and that, in turn, helped open the door to starting the podcast.

So, does he want to go into sports broadcasting after graduating in May? Not exactly. “Despite all these things I've been involved in, I plan on going into coaching after graduating,” he says. “I want to be a college basketball coach and have the initial goal of being a graduate assistant at a Division I program, while pursuing my master's at that school.” While commentating and content creation will remain a big interest, he’ll put them on the back burner for a while, knowing he may get back to them down the road. “The game of basketball is my true passion. I want to make the most of this final season of playing college basketball and if God has the professional ball route in his plan, then that's what's next, but if not then coaching is my next path.”

For the time being at least, Allen is happy to play ball, call games, and continue making episodes of Dog Talk. You can catch the show on YouTube on both the �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ Plus and �������ϲ���ʷ������¼ Student Media channels, and there are clips and outtakes on Instagram and YouTube Shorts.

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