Join the PGR Cast team
The team at the PGR Cast are looking to recruit more volunteers - we've recently been overwhelmed by requests to appear on the show, and we're struggling to keep up with the demand. Please read on if you'd be interested in committing 2-6 hours a month in exchange for some podcasting experience and a cool addition to your CV.
What is the PGR Cast?
- The PGR Cast is a podcast run by PGRs at the University of Bristol, that aims to give listeners a taste of the diverse lives of postgraduate researchers.
- We typically release one episode per month, however we would like to move to fortnightly releases in order to keep up with recent demand.
- Last month, we had about 200-250 listeners, mostly from outside of Bristol.
- Most episodes are a freeform interview with two hosts (from the PGR Cast team) and one guest (someone with knowledge of the episode's topic, normally a current or former PGR). You can get a feel for it by listening to any of the episodes on Soundcloud, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
- The topics covered by the podcast are pretty diverse - basically anything that we can loosely link to life as a PGR, be that something that you do for your career, or something that you do to survive. For instance, our most recent episodes cover self-care advice (December 2022), PGR Rep roles (January 2023), starting a business (February 2023) and a PGR's guide to RPGs (a.k.a. Dungeons & Dragons & Research) (March 2023).
- We have support from the Bristol Doctoral College, but no official affiliation with the University.
Do I have to commit right away?
No, for now we're just trying to find enthusiastic people to join the team. If you think you might be interested, we'll arrange for you to join a team meeting and/or taster session before committing to anything going forward.
Am I qualified to join the team?
Yes! We've all started with a fairly limited skillset, and we all pitch in to help each other learn. If you'd like to learn how to edit audio and video, for instance, then we'll sit down with you (or have a video call) and guide you through your first few tasks until you're comfortable.
What's the time commitment?
Anywhere between 0 and 8 hours a month. The last thing we want to do is put anyone under more pressure than necessary during their PhD, and team members are very welcome to "go dormant" and dip out for a while if they're going through a particularly busy period. In a typical month, we have four meetings of 30-60 minutes, for which attendance is optional (but encouraged). Other tasks might take another 2-4 hours per month, depending upon what you sign up for and how frequently we release podcasts.
What roles are we interested in?
We're open to all help, but to keep things simple, we're trying to divide tasks up into specific roles. That's not to say that you would be restricted to only doing your role - an editor is welcome to get some hosting experience, for instance. It's just a way to make it easier to delegate tasks and make sure that we always have enough support to put out our podcasts - especially while we try to make the step up to fortnightly releases.
The role we are most in need of is one or more promoters. Some possible tasks for promoters could be:
The role we are most in need of is one or more promoters. Some possible tasks for promoters could be:
- Email the BDC to get the latest podcast added to their news bulletins.
- Come down to podcast recordings (PGR Hub) and take some pictures or video clips for social media.
- Post on Twitter when a new podcast is released (currently once per month).
- Make 1-4 short clips (15s to 60s long) from our podcast recordings (we're happy to train people in ClipChamp, Inkscape or iMovie).
- Post said clips online (Twitter, YouTube shorts, TikTok) the week before and after a podcast release in order to generate more traffic to our podcast.
- Contribute ideas to help promote the podcast further.
- If we get enough help, then maybe to set up a simple website on SquareSpace or something similar.
In order to keep up with the requests for podcasts, we are also interested in getting another editor. Editorial tasks are largely:
- Edit and mix the podcast (remove interruptions, add music, adjust levels if necessary). Again, training will be available.
- Align audio recordings with footage (if available) for the creation of promotional material.
- Help create short clips for promotion (see above).
One of our producers is also nearing the end of their PhD, so would be happy to train someone to run the podcast. A producer:
- Keeps track of upcoming podcasts and who is responsible for making them happen.
- Monitors our inbox for communications with the BDC.
- Emails potential future guests and arranges interviews.
- Email the BDC to get the latest podcast added to their news bulletins (shared with promoter).
- Make notes in meetings (I've found this is better for keeping track of what's been said and what needs to be done than chairing).
Lastly, while we do already have several regular hosts, we'd be happy to expand our team to meet the demand for podcasts - although it might be easier to just appoint people to the other roles and then give them the option to do some co-hosting on the side until they're confident.
It's also worth noting that every team member gets an equal say in our weekly meetings, and can give suggestions for future episodes/guests. We also give every team member the option to come up with questions for upcoming interviews, even if the bulk of the work is usually done by the hosts.
It's also worth noting that every team member gets an equal say in our weekly meetings, and can give suggestions for future episodes/guests. We also give every team member the option to come up with questions for upcoming interviews, even if the bulk of the work is usually done by the hosts.
If any of the above interests you, then please drop us an email at pgrcast.podcast@gmail.com and we can set up a chat about your place in the PGR Cast team.