Antioch’s Seed Field Podcast has won a Bronze Circle of Excellence Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, in recognition of its excellence. This award, given to the podcast a year-and-a-half after its launch, highlights the way that the podcast has come to play a central role in sharing Antioch’s diverse voices and many areas of expertise both internally and externally.
The Seed Field Podcast was started in February, 2021, and in over thirty full-length episodes it has sought to embody its tagline: “The show where Antiochians share their knowledge, tell their stories, and come together to win victories for humanity.”
A major area of emphasis is reflecting the ways that Antioch is different from other universities. As the show’s host, Jasper Nighthawk, says, “Ideally, our guests embody the ways that Antioch is an important center for asking questions about social, economic, and environmental justice. So winning this prestigious award is obviously exciting, but it also tells us that we’re on the right path.”
CASE Awards recognize outstanding projects and people who contribute to the growth of alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing. In the judge’s comments recognizing the Seed Field Podcast, they specifically note how exciting it is to have guest hosts matched with experts—and the outstanding audio editing done by Lauren Instenes. “You can hear their passion for this work in each episode,” says Karen Hamilton, Antioch’s Director of Marketing for Content and Communications. “Jasper is a natural podcast host and Lauren is a technical expert. I’m thrilled that their hard work and innovative approach has been recognized by this award.”
Instenes is an audio storyteller with an MA in Oral History from Columbia University. Nighthawk agrees with the CASE Awards judges that it is impressive how she uses her skills to create a show that’s compelling and sounds great. “The way that she’s able to edit our episodes to a consistent excellence speaks to her brilliance, and I feel so lucky to get to work with her,” Nighthawk says. “Her job is literally to make me sound smarter, and she’s really good at it, so much so that we’re winning awards for it.”
The podcast team is supportive in both directions, as all involved strive to bring forward each other’s strengths. “I am honored to work on this project with Jasper, whose intellect and curiosity make him a perfect host for this podcast and a great collaborator,” says Instenes.
Overall, the trajectory of the show is a point of pride. “It has been amazing to see the podcast grow from just an idea into a platform that is truly allowing us to highlight the amazing expertise here at Antioch and connect our community across the country,” Instenes says.
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Subscribe to the Seed Field Podcast in your favorite podcast player, or listen online now to the two winning episodes: a Social Justice Round-Up and and an Interview with Mariaimeé Gonzalez hosted by Gina Pasquale.
