During 2020, the Tufts podcast team was inspired to make a major creative pivot, and transformed how we crafted compelling audio stories for Tufts University’s “Tell Me More” podcast. The global pandemic has caused many people to feel isolated, uncertain, and afraid this past year; we wanted to combat that with something informative, entertaining, and uplifting. The episode “How to Be Alone Without Feeling Lonely” took a deep dive into the topic of isolation—interweaving seven compelling stories and perspectives from Tufts researchers, faculty, staff, students and alumni.
The following episode, “Seven Stories of Regeneration,” with a similarly diverse set of voices, was a tribute to starting over after hitting the lowest of low points—which for many listeners was a good way to describe 2020.
These episodes were a major turning point for the “Tell Me More” podcast. Previously, the podcast was a Q&A format, exclusively featuring visiting guests or VIPs who came to campus. With the pandemic canceling most in-person events and lectures indefinitely, the podcast’s future was essentially in question. We realized that we needed to pivot. But could the pivot present an opportunity? After brainstorming solutions, the team found new ways to create a highly produced podcast while working 100 percent remotely. The resulting “Tell Me More” episodes are highly polished audio stories that explore timely-yet-universal topics through expert insights and personal experiences. They showcase the breadth of the Tufts community in a new way for a growing listener audience.
From the Judges
We collectively agreed that this submission was the clear winner. We loved the creativity and quality of the podcast. They had ambitious goals, and exceeded them with strategic and purposeful execution. Great job!
