Ad/PR Students Launch Podcast With Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Focus
“Where We Fit” Podcast Focuses on All-Star Alumni With Industry Expertise
While the marketing industry continues to claim that it struggles to attract, hire and retain talent of marginalized backgrounds, CCNY and our Ad/PR program continues to produce the high achieving talent they are looking for.
Ad/PR alum Edgar “Eggie” Pena ‘20 saw two problems that could be solved with one solution: galvanizing the growing student cohort of the CCNY AAF, and demonstrating that CCNY students embody the talent and expertise to solve the marketing industry’s diversity, equity & inclusion recruitment challenges.
To help solve both of these challenges, Eggie led the formation of a grassroots, student-led and student-produced podcast titled “Where We Fit” during the Fall 2020 semester. Under the oversight of Faculty Advisor and the newly designated podcast Executive Producer Professor Javier Garcia, Eggie assembled a team of students across all three Media & Communication Arts disciplines - Film, Journalism and Ad/PR - to form a mini content studio within the still growing CCNY AAF.
“The City College of New York has a legacy of providing opportunity and access to New York City’s sharpest minds. The Ad/PR program at City College is the sole undergraduate integrated marketing specialization in the CUNY system. Proving, yet again, that City College is an incubator for trailblazers and innovation” - Eggie Peña
The team designed the podcast to represent the CCNY AAF’s three pillars - professional growth, resume & portfolio development, and industry understanding & exposure. The podcast celebrates the unique paths and voices of the marketing and communications industry emerging from CCNY by interviewing its alums, with the goal of helping current CCNY find where, how, and why they fit within the industry.
The “Where We Fit” team operates much like a mini content production studio - the season one production team, led by Edgar Peña ‘20 and CCNY AAF ‘20-’21 President Monique Carchi, built the blueprint for how operations should be managed. Other members of the club, including ‘20-’21 CCNY AAF Vice President Francini Balbuena, established protocol around guest outreach and booking and developed the podcast’s communications and social media strategy. CCNY AAF ‘20-’21 Secretary & Operations Manager Dakota Medina produced the introduction song for the podcast, and in no time, the team was recording its pilot episode featuring Executive Producer Professor Javier Garcia in the hot seat. The first season of Where We Fit wrapped with a total of four episodes, featuring notable CCNY Ad/PR alums award-winning copywriter and Co-Founder of the advertising & PR advocacy group 600 and Rising, Bennett D. Bennett, and Senior Marketer and Author, Natalie Carey.
The fourth and final episode of the first season of the podcast also saw the formation of a new tradition - producing the season’s “wrap” episode, where members across all teams responsible for producing the podcast come together to record their reflections on the experience and share their favorite moments and lessons among themselves, and with their future CCNY teammates and audiences. While producing the first season of the podcast, many of the club's members found themselves having to wear different hats and taking on roles including graphic design, project management, audio and video editing, script writing and content distribution - experiences more likely to be found in an agency internship or job.
“Being a part of the [Where We Fit] podcast has allowed me to practice and initiate creative endeavors that are not always offered in our curriculum. It has given me the opportunity and space to work with highly passionate and ambitious people who constantly challenge each other to reach higher heights of success.” - Monique Carchi
Where We Fit quickly became a cornerstone of the CCNY AAF’s growing legacy, and an important creative outlet for the MCA department’s most eager students. Production of Season Two of Where We Fit kicked off at the start of the Spring 2021 semester, featuring guests such as Ad/PR graduates Isabella Santana ‘20, Edgar Pena ‘20, and Samantha Ortiz ‘20 - each of whom were hired into full-time roles immediately after graduating and were integral to helping re-establish the CCNY AAF in its full glory.
Search for “Where We Fit” on all major podcast services, with episodes premiering on Anchor.fm: https://anchor.fm/wherewefitpod
Watch “Where We Fit” on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1qP4Pl4o9TzOmC7MDBTWvg/videos
Follow “Where We Fit” on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/wherewefitpod/
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