As a child, junior Brooke Stobbe aspired to be seen and heard on the radio or television. Drawn to the glamour, Stobbe searched for an outlet to the dream and soon found herself on the road of podcasting for The Feather.
After listening in on Claire Kister’s (’08) podcasts, Stobbe joined journalism as a freshman. Soon, Stobbe was met with the opportunity to learn the process of podcasting with former podcaster Natalie McCallum, ’09 alumna.
Because the prospect piqued her interest, Stobbe took up the challenge and began to try it out. Despite struggles at the beginning, she grew to enjoy the activity.
Once she became accustomed to podcasting, she teamed up with David Casuga, ’12, to produce their own series, Where the Brooke Flows. They searched for ideas to discuss and events to reflect on, using Kister and McCallum as a platform.
“David and I would always compare ourselves to the original voice, Claire Kister, and strive to amp it up and hopefully, one day, be better than her,” Stobbe said. “We also enjoyed the fact that we had produced twice as many episodes as Natalie in less than a quarter of the time.”
According to Casuga, the venture has formed a partnership between the two, which they plan to continue throughout their future in media.
“Because of podcasting, our friendship has grown a lot,” Casuga said. “At the last journalism convention, Brooke and I decided we’d go to the same college so we could host our own broadcasting show.”
Since her start, Stobbe has completed over 20 episodes, and she daily challenges herself to improve. Even while she attended Buchanan High School her sophomore year, Stobbe managed to find time for podcasts with another series, A View From the Outside.
“Brooke is so dedicated to podcasting and FC Underground,” Casuga said. “Her dedication is really inspiring. Because she decided to be the voice of The Feather, it has brought The Feather to a whole new level, media-wise.”
As an experienced podcaster, Kister, now a junior and Communications Studies major at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, recognizes a number of strengths in Stobbe’s productions, including confidence, energy and appeal.
“Brooke takes podcasting to a whole new level,” Kister said. “When I first tuned into her podcast, ‘Confessions of a Drifter,’ I cracked up. I love the attitude in her voice and her willingness to make jokes at her own expense. Brooke’s voice is confident and energized. She makes you want to listen.
“When my roommate overheard me listening to Brooke’s podcast, she thought I was listening to a character from the Disney Channel. She definitely has what listeners are looking for in a podcast.”
With the realm of high school life to select ideas from, Stobbe strives to take both unconventional topics and average ideas, and transform her speech into an interesting angle. She takes inspiration and ideas from her daily life and inserts aspects of her personality into the podcasts.
“I talk about something I’m currently experiencing and bring an unexpected twist to the topic,” Stobbe said. “I try to add personality to what I’m writing, and someone who listens can learn a lot about me: my sense of humor, who my friends are and my interests. I’m not ashamed to tell embarrassing stories about myself because I think they’ll help my listeners be more interested in what they’re listening to and connect better to what I’m trying to get across.”
In light of her experience podcasting for The Feather, Stobbe anticipates studying broadcast journalism after high school.
“Podcasting is definitely something I haven’t gotten tired of, and I am seriously considering making a career out of it,” Stobbe said. “As a junior, college is becoming something I need to actually think about, and broadcast journalism is a road I want to take.”
To listen to podcasts, including past and current episodes, visit the Podcast Section.
