AUM students take second place in podcast competition at Southeast Journalism Conference
On the day of onsite competitions at the 2025 Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC), journalism major Nichlos Cutrell felt the pressure of transforming an HBO television episode into a compelling podcast — all within just 24 hours.
Cutrell participated in the podcasting category of SEJC’s onsite competition, where students were given a prompt and tasked with scripting, editing, and producing a podcast for judging. He teamed up with communication studies major Shaniece McGhee to reinterpret the HBO documentary “Ren Faire,” specifically the first episode titled “Daddy’s Dyin’, Who’s Got the Will?” into a six-minute podcast.
“This was the first time I worked with such a major deadline to turn around a project,” Cutrell said. “We were given a lot of creative freedom in producing and editing our podcast, so we took a theatrical approach instead of the usual back-and-forth commentary you commonly see in podcasts. It helped our podcast stand out from others.”
Their podcast ultimately earned second place in SEJC’s onsite podcasting competition held Febraury 2 at Misssissippi State University. First place went to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and third place went to the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
Cutrell, a Prattville native, said the experience gave him a taste of the real-world pressure journalists face. He plans to pursue a career in audio reporting and video production after graduating in December.
“I’m passionate about audio production, so I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with new equipment and collaborate with other students pursuing careers in audio and video production,” he said.
McGhee, a Montgomery native and transfer student who joined AUM in Fall 2024, said their storytelling approach helped listeners understand the documentary even without having seen the episode.
“We explained it well enough for a person to understand what was happening all while making the content conversational,” she said.
The competition also gave the team experience in navigating unexpected hurldles that can occur during a production, McGhee said. A technical issue in the podcast room delayed their recording time, forcing them to do multiple takes and cutting into their editing window.
“I gained insight on how timeliness is imperative when competing in a competition, also to be ready to pivot if a challenge arises,” she said. “Something went wrong in the podcast room when another group was recording, and the time it took to fix the situation cut into our time for recording. We had to do multiple takes to get the right recording, which in turn affected our time for editing the podcast audio.”
In addition to Cutrell and McGhee, three other AUM students — freshman Jonathan Gardner (pre-social work) and juniors Mya Law (journalism) and Nicholas Drayton (journalism) – also competed at SEJC’s three-day event held January 31-February 2. AUM students competed in the categories of opinion writing, current events, radio news and television news anchoring, and feature photography.
“The onsite competition is a dynamic, real-world experience that pushes students to apply their classroom knowledge and experiential learning under the same high-pressure conditions they will face in professional journalism careers,” said Communication and Theatre Lecturer Kendra Love, who mentored students during the event.
“From news writing to TV anchoring, our students tackled industry-relevant scenarios with tight deadlines, honing their skills in a way that goes beyond the classroom. Seeing them rise to the challenge and compete at a high level against students from across the Southeast was a powerful testament to their preparation and potential.”
About the Southeast Journalism Conference
The Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) was established to encourage greater interest in student journalism and to foster closer ties among journalism schools in the Southeast United States. Held annually, the conference brings together a vibrant learning community of collegiate journalists in a variety of media disciplines to refine their craft through professional development. SEJC, primarily an academic organization, consists of member colleges and universities in states from across the Southeast, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
