093: Creating New Approaches to Traditional TV Programing

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this ‘hands-on’ experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 11 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries.

This week’s Catalyst episode comes in like a gale force wind when Alia Hagi speaks with Hawaiian weatherman and television personality, Guy Hagi. Alia discusses with Guy how his career has spanned both traditional broadcasting and the digital landscape focusing on how Instagram and meme culture combined with Guy ability to convey his charming personality when broadcasting came together to make him a standout in his field. Guy touches on the importance of an authentic connection with the audience and they conclude by talking about how Guy's experiences highlight the changing landscape of media consumption, and the role authenticity plays in keeping viewers engaged nowadays.

The second interview this week focuses on Amy Ambatielos who sat down to talk with Sofie Kassaras about her current career as the Director of Educational Partnerships for a startup called BrainTrust Tutors, but also about the lead up to this position when she worked for over ten years as a producer for various journalism and television studios, including HGTV, CNN, and Dr. Phil. They discuss Amy’s journey through grad school and follow her career trajectory from HGTV and Dr. Phil, to her 7-year run at CNN Money [Currently CNN Business]. They discuss some of the challenges that she faced in that time, and how she used skills from each experience and/or job to propel her to the next step. They also talk about how social media came to be a factor in the way companies like CNN looked at and presented content. They wrap up the interview with Amy’s transition to working in education, and how the skills in relationships and communication she acquired as a journalist aided her in her journey to where she is now.