The Beautiful Thinkers Project

Goal: Embrace beautiful thinking. Interview others who do the same.

In the Fall semester of 2023 the IU Media school offered a first-time course called the Beautiful Thinkers Project. In this 16 week course, the class would take a podcast season from conception to production to publication. In the following Fall semester, I was invited back to serve as the course’s Assistant Instructor.

TBTP As A Student

While in this course we were divided into groups of 3-4 called Master Mind groups. Then each class we would have to develop and pitch the next piece of the podcast season–initial concept, theme, press release, guest list, questions, etc. The group I was apart of established the theme of “Saturation” and presented a list of candidates, most of which were chosen. These candidates hailed from around the world, and fortunately, we landed pretty much of them.
Following the initial development, each group was tasked with one individual who they would research, contact, interview, edit, and promote. Additionally, the full class was assigned roles to carry out a full season launch event which took place at the IU Media School. With this event, and the broader season, came the need for marketing materials, coordination, and much hands on support.

Season 6: Episode 2

Our MM group had the pleasure of researching and interviewing Connor Hitchcock who is an IU alum and the founder of Hopefield Apparel. In this interview we spoke about Homefield’s origin, as well as the gorilla tactics they used (at the time and continue to) to engage with the rabid fanbases in college sports.

TBTP As An Instructor

As an assistant instructor I was entrusted with much responsibilities due to my relationship with our professor, Carolyn Hadlock, and my close age to most of the students. During the course of the semester I helped facilitate the end-to-end production of 6 student-created podcasts, guiding 18 students through concept development, guest preparation, editing, marketing, and launch. Additionally I led all class assemblies, delegated roles and assignments, and served as the primary point of contact, fostering a collaborative and productive team environment.

Visit TBTP Website!

To see more, visit the Beautiful Thinkers Project website to view Season 6 (student) and Season 8 (Assistant Instructor).

Read More