During a time when podcasting has become a platform for voices of all kinds, senior Ivan Bascos has carved his own space in the digital world. By creating his own podcast, “The Real Talking Stage,” on May 20, he has been able to bring up pressing topics in his community, surrounded by speakers and listeners that are in highschool and college.
Throughout the episodes, topics such as trauma, psychology and relationships are covered, according to Bascos, along with various other featured speakers, such as senior Jayce Fukuda and senior Selina Wang, share their ideas about these topics, hoping to help listeners understand that they have a voice as well.
“Not many young people have a place to speak about these types of things,” Bascos said. “That’s why I made this platform.”
Creating a podcast is more than just a project for Bascos. Wanting to make a real world impact, especially on his peers around him, Bascos started the podcast to connect with them on a deeper level. All 11 episodes are available for streaming on iHeartRadio, as well as other media outlets.
“The end goal was to make a message for all of those who are young and old,” Bascos said. “A message showing that people who are young can also have smart ideas, and impactful ideas about relationships and things that matter to them.”
Fukuda, who has been both a listener and guest speaker on the podcast, said that he was impressed by Bascos’s project, having been able to see the formation of it from start to finish. According to Fukuda, episodes tend to be around three hours long, but he emphasized the importance of listening to the whole thing.
“I was a part of the group that he first talked to when deciding to form [the podcast],” Fukuda said. “I saw him have the idea and cultivate it into a reality. I want listeners to know that even though the videos are long it doesn’t have to be a huge commitment to sit through it.”
Wang was also featured in Bascos’s podcast as well, and speaks about her feature on the podcast as well as her view on Bascos’s project.
“My episode talked about the fear of communication and why people are afraid of commitment,” Wang said. “His episodes are all about deep conversation, things people would usually talk about with close friends. Sitting there, being able to talk for hours, is chill. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Basco believes that each episode teaches his audiences lifelong lessons with an impactful message for all.
“My favorite episode was episode nine, which was about personal stories that my friends and I have shared that were funny and oddly relatable to any teenage audience,” Bascos said, “Or episode 11, that had so many different topics, from prison, bullying, racism [and] ableism. That video had a high turnout for such a difficult-to-plan episode.”
The time and effort Bascos has put into this project is recognized by friends and listeners, and he is planning to continue the podcast in the future.
“I have no intention of stopping the podcast,” Bascos said. “It’s something that really means a lot to me. The relationships and conversations I’ve had have changed me as a person, changed the people around me, in a very positive way.”
