MA Publishing students develop podcast series with Penguin
- Written byChloe Murphy
- Published date 22 August 2023
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Over the past few decades, the field of publishing has continued to transform in line with a diverse range of audiences, topics and trends – celebrating its rich history of print while evolving with the latest developments in digital platforms. For contemporary audiences, storytelling now often moves beyond the visuals of words and images, and instead moves through sound with the expansive popularity of audio formats.
This year, MA Publishing students at London College of Communication were invited to enhance their skills through a collaborative podcast project with leading publishing house, Penguin. Working in small groups, they produced a total of 3 episodes for the LCC x Penguin Mini Podcast Series, which aimed to create conversations around crucial issues ranging from sustainability to diversity and inclusivity.
Framed around a series of discussions with members of the Penguin team, the podcast
also highlights the innovation and positive action being implemented by the celebrated publishing house, with further exploration of its initiatives such as The Scheme, which empowers emerging professionals to gain invaluable practical experience through a 6-month traineeship; and Lit in Colour, a report created in partnership with race equality think tank, The Runnymede Trust, which aims to support schools in the UK to make the teaching of English literature more inclusive.
The LCC x Penguin Mini Podcast Series builds on the existing history of collaboration between the two organisations, with initiatives such as a pioneering mentoring programme and diversity discussion workshops providing crucial links between academia and industry in ways that enable students to gain key experience for their future careers while providing access to the future-thinking of emerging creatives.
"Stimulating and engaging conversations"
Frania Hall, Course Leader for MA Publishing, explained that the project focused on skills-building through the production of high-quality content.
“It’s been fantastic for us at London College of Communication to collaborate with the teams at Penguin for this mini-podcast series. Our students have made some very interesting connections and explored key issues in publishing.
“This has led to a series of really stimulating and engaging conversations which we hope everyone will enjoy.”
"Helping shape ever-evolving positive action"
Louise Moore, Managing Director of Penguin Michael Joseph, highlighted the importance of the partnership in shaping the future of publishing in more inspiring, equitable ways.
“Being able to work together as a force for good, showcasing and helping shape the ever-evolving positive action initiatives our brilliant colleagues at Penguin Random House have crafted – from the classroom to the production line – is what our partnership with LCC is all about,” she said.
We caught up with one of the students involved in the podcast project, Claudia Scavuzzo, to discuss her journey towards the world of publishing, the importance of agile problem-solving, and how exploring the entire content development process can inspire you to think beyond more traditional forms and formats.
How did you become interested in pursuing a future in publishing?
I made the decision that I would one day work in publishing when I was 16. I was in my fourth year of high school in Italy and needed to decide what I wanted to do in the future. I was only sure of two things, which that I wanted to study in the UK and I really loved books.
It sounds like a bit of a cliché, because I think that a love for books is everyone’s reason to want to go into publishing, but that was definitely what pushed me into wanting to work in the sector.
I got a double honours degree in English literature and business studies hoping that the 2 combined would help me get into the sector. I then decided to take the MA in Publishing at LCC to further reinforce my choice.
How did you find out about the Penguin podcast project, and why did you decide to get involved?
We were told about the opportunity to explore the world of podcasts sometime in April 2022 by Frania, our Course Leader. I decided to go to the project’s induction session and see if it was something I’d be interested in learning more about.
I also thought that building contacts within Penguin - and learning more about what they do - would be a good addition to my knowledge of the sector.
What was your role?
I was the Project Manager for the episode on production and sustainability.
As the lead liaison between the team and the interviewees, I was 1 of 2 interviewers, and oversaw the coordination of project schedules, resources, information and equipment.
What lessons did you learn throughout the project?
I really enjoyed the experience because it taught me things I’d never even tried before.
Admittedly, we had more than a few missteps, so it was quite stressful at times! As the project was completed during the summer, we had to deal with challenges like people going on holiday and the College closing for the summer vacation. Because of conflicting time schedules, we had to interview our speakers separately because there was no date that worked for everyone, and we even had an issue with one of our recordings that meant we had to redo the entire session!
It definitely wasn’t easy – my role was to fix these issues, and I feel did as best I could.
Overall, the project was a big learning curve: I didn’t know anything about podcasting before, and found the experience as a whole very interesting.
How has the opportunity helped you to develop your skills and creative practice?
I think it definitely helped me to gain more experience in problem-solving, thinking outside the box, and also thinking on my feet.
The process of producing a podcast was new to me, so I gained a lot of experience throughout: from how different podcasting technology works to interviewing on a microphone and editing a podcast – all skills that could be useful in the future.
What have been the highlights of your time as an MA Publishing student at LCC?
I learnt a lot from my MA. It’s interesting: when you think about publishing, you mainly think about editing and marketing, but not really production, and I actually found production to be one of the most interesting and fun parts of publishing.
Learning about different printing methods, trying them out, using the workshops and completing a project from design to actually producing it was all really interesting to me.
Also, having the opportunity to meet likeminded people who want to enter the sector in different ways was amazing.
What advice would you give to prospective students who are interested in exploring the world of publishing?
I’m currently working in marketing and hope to get into publishing in a couple of years. I really like my current job – it’s not what I thought I would be doing, but many of the people I’ve talked with who work in the publishing industry started there after having a few years of experience elsewhere first.
Overall, I think that if there is something you are passionate about, you should go for it.
Related links:
- Listen to the podcast on Spotify.
- Find out more about MA Publishing at LCC.
- Learn more about our Media School.
