Cool Kids on the Block — Up in The Air Podcast
Welcome to Cool Kids on the Block, Recess Media’s weekly feature project where we showcase different creatives on campus who are passionate and committed to their work. New stories up on Medium every Wednesday.
This week’s and our first-ever Cool Kids are Jubilee Cho and Clarence Leung, hosts of the Up in the Air podcast! They are both part of the design program at the University of Washington and have come a long way since Up in the Air began as a show on Rainy Dawg Radio. Read more to hear about their story, what inspires them, and their words of advice.
Stay up to date with Jubilee and Clarence at @upintheairseattle on Instagram or via their linktree.
Tell us who you are, and what it is!
Jubilee: Hi, I’m Jubilee. I’m the co-host to Up in the Air. Up in the Air originally started as a radio show for UW’s Rainy Dawg Radio. We started in the winter of 2018, which is wild to think about. Clarence and I barely knew each other when we first started together. We had met in the design program, and we originally started as something more music based. Since it was for the radio, we would curate a playlist each week and then talk a little bit about selective topics like pop culture, current events, personal life experiences. During COVID, we transitioned into a podcast.
Clarence: Well, first of all, well said Jubilee [hahas]. Yeah, nowadays, our podcast revolves around what’s going on in the world and utilizing our friends to find more insight and perspective. In many ways, Jubilee and I have exhausted our own opinions, so it’s very nice to get a fresh view on something or a professional in a certain field. So we’ve dabbled a lot with other designers, especially since it’s our major. Still, we’ve also been focusing and talking to people in public health or activism and other topics like that, so it’s been fun to shift our show and continue talking about the issues we talk about.
What’s the story behind how this became a real podcast?
Jubilee: I had been on Rainy Dawg once because our friends had a Rainy Dawg show for two years (during their freshman and sophomore year). I saw they were open for applications, but I had never had any studio experience, but I do love music. Clarence and I got close after meeting in the design cohort, and he was like my only friend in the program for a little bit. We bonded over music a lot, and we thought we had pretty good chemistry when it came to conversing with one another, so I asked him like, “yo, do you wanna apply?” and we applied and interviewed! Clarence is good with words. He’s witty and usually has some really good ideas, so I was like, “ you’re in charge of coming up with the name,” plus all of my ideas were corny [hahas]. I was checking up with him like “hey, you come up with anything yet?” and he was like, “ oooh, you know it’s UP IN THE AIR.” It was late at night after working on a project; it was pretty organic.
Clarence: I think a lot of times, I have difficulty naming things, especially when things are so new, and our friendship was just evolving. It was hard to put a label on our show. “Up in the air” is a phrase for something that isn’t decided yet, so that’s how it came about. And when we first started the show, we wanted to touch on something lighter, and you know, give unqualified advice, share whatever music we wanted to listen to, what we like to listen to. But as we moved along, our reason why we wanted to do the show started to shift. We started transitioning into more serious topics, and things Jubilee had a lot of overlap in our lives, and we wanted to explore those topics. The show’s idea will always be changing, and I think in a few months it probably won’t be the same either.
Jubilee: To think about who Clarence and I were two years ago and how we structured the show, it’s just so different. We have been growing for the better. We took a two-month break, and after the beginning of June, with COVID and the protest, we had to rethink what we wanted our show to be, the conversations we wanted to have. We finally had an elevator pitch for the front and took steps to make it more of a cohesive brand, starting an Instagram and youtube channel. So it’s taken more seriously, it used to be casual. For a long time, with COVID, it was hard to find a good platform, but we enjoy the Youtube and Spotify podcast option.
Is there anyone or anything in particular that inspires your show?
Clarence: I guess in terms of other podcasts I listen to, I’m a huge fan of the Broken Record podcast, and they talk a lot about music. One of my favorite episodes is with Tyler, the Creator. And they don’t just talk about his music. They talk about his life and inspirations! It’s very intimate, and he talked a lot about how it is like being in the industry. I also really enjoy The Shop, where you have people like LeBron James and actors and all these different types of people, having a barbershop like a conversation. I think like you always want to get people you’re more familiar with so that you get those organic conversations. And one of the biggest things I wanted to hone into was getting the best organic responses, finding those nuggets of advice, and sharing our guest’s unique perspective. Something fun to listen to. ORGANIC.
Jubilee: I dabble in different podcasts, like more structured as I listen to Dissect a lot. I have up and down feelings towards that podcast because it REALLY looks into each song’s lyrics. I have also been listening to podcasts with a lot of banter. I appreciate those because, as Clarence said, you find the little nuggets of advice, especially in quarantine, you feel like you’re in a conversation or in a room full of people, which is nice. Someone who stuck out to me is like “On the Floor,” about a girl from new york who just talks to her friends. It feels like I’m talking to my friends sometimes. Many people, including myself, like “Fun With Dumb,” I like the guests they bring on, mainly because they focus on Asian Americans. But yeah, I think with our transition, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a host and how to bring up conversations. Clarence and I have enjoyed our friends and sharing with the audience what they have to say. Because we believe everyone, no matter how big or small their platform is, can have a lot of great things to say. Another shoutout to “Modern Love” is a more serious one, which shares a lot about relationships, both platonic and romantic, but yeah, I really like that one.
Clarence: There are also those murder mystery ones. Like with what Jubilee said about how to be a host, it’s really important to listen to those because they utilize comedy to ease the tension of something like a murder mystery. Like how can you make something like a murder mystery and make it entertaining? It’s quite interesting, and people should listen to those podcasts as well.
Jubilee: I think we’ve been trying to balance more serious and sophisticated conversations with the more casual style so that it’s more approachable. Most of the topics we’ve discussed so far haven’t been too controversial, too intimidating. But yeah, so we have a good mix with joking with people, plus we check on people because of quarantine.
Clarence: We just like to ease into those topics, so we usually start with like a “how has quarantine been treating you” to go about our show
What’s some advice you’d give to people who are starting or thinking about starting a podcast or even streaming, where someone has to talk constantly to entertain an audience?
Clarence: Honestly, it’s still so new for us. Something that definitely helped me (and I know it’s not always true for everyone). I would write notes about points I want to hit, so don’t feel lost and have a well-rounded conversation. Also, some conversation needs to happen before the show, so familiarizing yourself with the guest is helpful, so you don’t ask questions that are out of their comfort zone or too repetitive. It’s good to tap into something that’s more niche and more personal just so that it’s always different to grab all of the unique things out of your guest.
Jubilee: I’m personally not super confident about the way that I speak. It’s gotten better over the years, and I use to say “like” a lot that I still do when I get nervous. I think that conversing and practicing is a good way to go about it — now I’m self-conscious [hahas]. Finding topics you feel confident and passionate about, and finding individuals who would be comfortable talking about these topics is good, just breaching out is great. Hopefully, Clarence and I can have a guest who has a huge platform, one day, but I think there is something very special about just having our friends like we just had our good friend Steven on who knows a lot about public health, so that’s a great perspective. This is honestly not that stressful for us because we really enjoy talking to our friends, and it’s just us sharing our conversations.
Clarence: Juby and I already have a foundation in design so we can push out these promos and cohesive brand, and that was pretty helpful. So I would say, for anyone who is just starting a show, really think about what type of message you’re trying to put out and marking yourself in some way. Don’t overthink it. Sometimes it comes together as you do the show! It’s okay to change it as you go through with it. Be flexible with your identity with your show.
Jubilee: We never really had a cohesive brand until we made an Instagram. Even our logo was something I just drew up randomly at night. I F with it, and it looks nice, but I eventually had to edit that because we initially didn’t put any thought into it. Maybe lean into your network if you want to start a podcast to help with your brand and visuals. Don’t be intimidated to start because you feel like you’re not there yet. People have grace and love to see progress.
Why should people watch your podcast?
Clarence: Up in the Air is a show that is constantly evolving, which not only gives an opportunity for the chance to grow and change their perspectives, but the hosts are growing as well. To be “Up in the Air” is to learn new things, have your perspective shift, and be shaped by different opinions. This show is special because it allows the listeners to grow with us.
Jubilee: It’s a platform where you can both feel affirmed but also feel challenged. We want our listeners to be seen as people, listen to content that they can resonate with, and learn and hear new things. And it’s really leaning into the idea of educating yourself. Up in the Air is a mindset and way to live life freely, which I am working on as an overthinker and struggles with anxious feelings. It’s to be open to change, open about evolving constantly, and leaning into the experience.
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