DU junior, Riley Callahan, displays his love of learning and history in his podcast, “History Does You.” He is an international studies (INTS) and history double major and serves as Vice President of the Interfraternity Council (IFC).
Riley is featured as part of the Clarion’s Arts & Life series promoting student work. In an interview, he discussed his decision to start his podcast and his desire to spread a love of history.
Hannah: Can you tell me about your podcast?
Riley: “History Does You” is a weekly podcast about historical events and figures. We also cover subjects relating to INTS including U.S.-Mexico relations and the United States in the post-Cold War world. As an INTS/history double major, I think the connection between the two subjects is really important and branching out to modern problems is important. We have 13 episodes so far, and we’ve had three NYT bestselling authors and one Pulitzer Prize winner as guests. It’s been super interesting to learn from experts and their studies.
Our last episode sticks out to me when it comes to cross-subject studies. When the Ottoman Empire took control over the Eastern Mediterranean, a historically European-controlled territory, they pushed European powers to explore new routes—and it led to the discovery of America. It was also in this era where we saw a rise of the nation-state, so countries started looking out for their own geopolitical interests. In the past, Christian states had been united against Islam and made expeditions in the early Crusades. But in this time, European nations like France allied themselves with the Ottoman Empire. It would have been unknown a few centuries earlier.
Hannah: What was this podcast inspired by? Why did you start it?
Riley: I enjoy listening to podcasts, and to be able to combine my love of history with podcasts was a great way to combine two things that I love. I want to spread my love of history, and I think the field hasn’t taken advantage of evolving technology and media platforms. By interviewing experts and historians, I hope it can inspire younger people engaging with history as well as those who aren’t necessarily interested in it and just want to learn something new.
Hannah: What did your interviewing and research process look like?
Riley: It usually depends on what I am interested in. I track down professors’ or historians’ contact information and inquire about them coming on and giving an interview. Usually, the research process involves learning more about the subject so I can come up with good questions for the person. They’re taking time out of their day to talk with me, so I want to put in extensive research on the topic. It usually takes a couple of days to come up with everything.
I also prefer to condense the interviews. I usually do four within the span of a couple of days, so I can have the episodes lined up. It can be pretty challenging talking to four different experts on four different days, but I enjoy the challenges and talking to these people.
Hannah: What was your experience like getting this podcast started?
Riley: A process. Not having any actual experience in the field created a lot of trial and error, but within the last few months, I think everything I’ve learned and how much the podcast has improved has been super cool. There’s definitely growth from the first episode, where I was talking for a while without notes, to the latest episode where I did an in-depth interview with a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Hannah: What is it like running a podcast during this time? What are you hoping that people take from your podcast?
Riley: It isn’t easy, but I hope that this podcast is something that people can listen to and learn something new from. Especially with a lot of people finding extra time on their hands now, I think it would be great if they listened and ended up reading a book by one of the authors who are featured.
Hannah: What advice do you have for aspiring podcasters?
Riley: Just stick with it and find your niche.
Hannah: Is there anyone who helped you bring this podcast into creation you want to thank?
Riley: Yes, the authors who I interviewed. It’s been really great learning from some of these experts, and I’ve definitely taken a lot from them.
You can listen to “History Does You” on your favorite streaming sites, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Through this time, the Clarion remains devoted to highlighting student work. In this section, we will be featuring podcasts, blogs, and projects that have been created and are run by students. If you or someone you know is interested in being featured, email duclarioneditorialteam@gmail.com.
