‘Making It Big’ Podcast Kicks Off with Diplomat on October 24
The soon-to-be released Season 7 of Emerson’s Making It Big in 30 Minutes podcast features a diplomat, a world-class marketing strategist, an Emmy-nominated writer, and other alums standing out in numerous professions.
Seth Adam ’08 is the featured guest on this season’s first episode, being released on October 24. Adam, who majored in Theatre Studies, is a diplomat in the Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State. Prior to his time in government, Adam led communications strategies for some of the nation’s top nonprofits working to advance LGBTQ+ equality, as well as globally-recognized entertainment media companies.
This season consists of seven episodes, all with new host Hunter Reis ’17, who is eager for the podcasts to be available.
“I’m honestly excited to listen back on the conversations I’ve had with people over the last couple of months,” said Reis. “It’s my first time as a podcast host, so I feel like during our interviews I was maybe hyper-aware of trying to keep a natural conversation going while also hitting the questions that we try to ask each guest.”
Reis is a digital producer for consulting firm Talk to Jess, which serves clients including Mattel Films, Dove, Warner Bros., and the United Nations Unstereotype Alliance. Reis previously worked for NBC, CBS, Disney, and The Rundown on E!News. His work for Entertainment Tonight earned him a 2021 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment News Program. He also received Emerson College’s Distinguished Young Alumni Award in 2022.
“Making It Big felt like a great opportunity to reflect on my own time at Emerson and the goals I had for myself when I started as a freshman 10 years ago,” said Reis. “I also never pass up the opportunity to meet and connect with other Emerson alum, or to give my advice to current students about to start their own careers.”
Rebecca Glucklich, executive producer of the podcast and Associate Director of Alumni Relations, said the podcast’s purpose is to recognize alums who aren’t necessarily in the public spotlight, and do incredible work in every field and industry imaginable.
“It’s been an opportunity for alumni to tell the community how their experiences at Emerson have shaped their lives and careers, and to share funny, heartfelt, and sometimes difficult anecdotes about their college days,” said Glucklich.
The rest of the season’s interviewees are:
Jessica Joseph ’13: A world-class marketing strategist, advertising instructor, and business consultant. Her area of expertise is in building purpose-driven brands and helping businesses across a variety of industries move towards sustainable growth.
Jamie Loftus ’14: An Emmy-nominated TV writer and comedian who just released her first book, Raw Dog: A Naked History of Hot Dogs.
Kevin McKeon ’07: As Vice President of Production at Mattel Films, McKeon has shepherded feature projects, including Barbie and Hot Wheels, through development and productions.
Sarah Spiers ’17: An award-winning game producer, serving as a development director at Maxis Studios on the upcoming game, Project Rene. In 2022, she was listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Games and named one of the Women In Games’ Hall of Fame recipients in 2021. Spiers also serves on the board of directors for the IGDA Foundation as the nonprofit’s director of global development.
Nyla Wissa ’15: A brand narrative manager for Nike, she also was the founder of the Emerson student organization Flawless Brown.
And the final episode for the season will feature an interview with Emerson College President Dr. Jay Bernhardt.
Check out previous seasons of Making It Big in 30 Minutes.
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