The Department of Accounting and Finance and the Regions Institute for Financial Education have launched the latest season of their popular Collat F.A.M. podcast opens a new website, providing listeners with a deeper dive into all things finance and accounting from the perspective of experts, faculty, students, and alumni.
The bi-weekly podcast series, which features finance instructor Sevante Metcalf and accounting professor Marena Messina, launched in 2020 after the department’s advisory board suggested capturing the wisdom of event guest speakers into podcast episodes for a wider reach.
Metcalf and Messina jumped at the chance to work in front of the microphone and interview guests while advisor Tristan Buie agreed to work editing magic behind the scenes and produce each episode.
Metcalf, who has an audio-visual background through work at his church, said he was thrilled to have the opportunity to marry to two worlds.
“Meshing that interest with the ability to get those speakers out there and to try to get the word out about what alums are doing and what our students are doing, it helps us garner more interest from students on campus about what accounting and finance can do for them,” he said.
Messina said she tries to approach interviews as a regular conversation.
“I have a slightly different approach to preparing for interviews,” she said of her process. “We have a general idea of what we want the interview to be about, based on their credentials or job title. But, I also ask the guest what they want to talk about. They know what they know, and they like to talk about it. They give me the direction and it made it a lot easier for me to have an organic conversation.”
Buie said that the crew used the first couple of seasons to fine-tune their ideas and build up a library of episodes.
“We were figuring out our niche, where we’re going and what we’re doing,” he said. “We also wanted to have a good list of episodes in place before directing people to the podcast.”
Luckily, there’s now plenty to choose from. New Collat F.A.M. podcasts drop every other Wednesday and are available wherever you listen to podcasts. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review so others can find the podcast more easily.
5 Collat F.A.M. podcast episodes to check out first:
Blake Gore, founder and CEO of Gore Consulting, talks about exploring your passions and using them as a springboard to start your career.
Menanteau Moolman, senior strategy and transactions manager at Ernest & Young, discusses hot topics in finance and accounting topics, as well as her time as a Collat student.
Nolan Sanburn, a Collat alum, former professional baseball player and current real estate investor, talks about how he earns passive income through real estate investments.
Collat alumna Cindy Wyatt explains how intentional living helped her gain work-life balance.
Dr. Caleb Houston talks about his experience working at Xerox and breaks down his day-to-day routine as a finance professor at Collat.