Where Ya At? SDSU's Journalism and Media Studies podcast

Eric Blehm (Class of 1994) is a two-time New York Times best-selling author who just released his fifth book, "The Darkest White: A Mountain Legend and the Avalanche That Took Him." A self-admitted snowboarding bum while at SDSU with dreams of becoming a professional snowboarder, two conversations on ski lifts changed Blehm's life: the first was when a travel reporter peppered him w...

Cami Buckman (Class of 2018) is freelance video producer who has worked for The Los Angeles Times, a popular Youtube channel led by Johnny Harris, and now works in the world of documentary. Initially inspired by watching journalist Lisa Ling's investigative segments on "The Oprah Show" as a kid, Cami shares how studying journalism provided the foundation for what she does now and ho...

John Sasaki (Class of 1991) is Director of Communications for Oakland Unified School District, a job he took eight years ago, following 20 years as a reporter/anchor for KTVU-TV in the Bay Area. A psychology major, John shares a fortuitous conversation on campus with a friend that inspired him to pursue Broadcast Journalism, the internships where he learned the industry, and some of his favorite m...

Whitney Bond (Class of 2014) is a recipe developer, food blogger, on-air culinary host, published cookbook author and social media influencer. Whitney shares the story of early cooking memories in her family, baking cookies to make friends at SDSU and becoming known as “the girl who cooks” in the dorms, and the steps of turning her food blog into a career. Cooking segments on TV are excellent expo...

Tina Sturdevant (Class of 2009) is the Talent Development Director at The Athletic, where she's part of a talent team that contributes to every aspect of the talent process for 400+ global newsroom employees, including external pipeline and recruiting, employee development and internal culture.  Tina reflects on the dual career paths she was considering at SDSU, the impact of interning in the...

Dustin Winn (Class of 2014) is a seasoned Public Relations professional with more than 10 years of experience managing global video games and tech-driven PR campaigns. Dustin shares the story of how he took his passion for gaming and turned it into a career, which now includes being the co-founder of Ember PR. That wasn't Dustin's plan and it didn't happen immediately. He gives advi...

Adriana Heldiz (Class of 2017) is the assistant visuals editor at CalMatters. She previously worked at The San Diego Union-Tribune and Voice of San Diego. A first-generation Mexican-American born and raised in Chula Vista, Adriana shares her story of starting as a Music major before finding a passion for Journalism. She reflects on the bonds she formed with like-minded student Journalists at The D...

Wendy Hovland started her career doing Communications in Public Affairs, before transitioning to her current job as a Voiceover Artist who specializes in corporate narration, eLearning, explainer videos, podcasts, commercials, event emcee, telephony and more. Recorded on location from the "That's Voiceover Expo" in Los Angeles, Wendy and host Josh Suchon discuss the different types...

Daesha Gear is the Editor in Chief of The Daily Aztec, a former digital intern at NBC 7, and set to gradate in the Spring of 2024. Daesha gives us a current student's perspective on the state of student journalism, how technology is changing how stories are covered, and the latest on  SDSU's School of Journalism and Media Studies. Gear became the first Black woman to lead SDSU's stu...

Amber Salas (2017-21) joins the "Where Ya At?" podcast as she's closing out a two-year stint at KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa and just before she begins a new job with Austin-based FloSports. Amber details the challenges of attending college and getting internships during Covid, the 50-plus jobs she applied for and didn't get, the changes she made to her demo reel to ultimately land...

Carlos Delgado (1991-96) is a former TV news reporter who now works for Rady Childrens Hospital as an award-winning Bilingual Senior Media Relations and Public Information Officer. A proud Aztec, Delgado shares stories from his work as a reporter in numerous markets throughout California and how that experience helps in his current role. He details the process of thinking of a story idea, how he p...

Bella Ross (2016-20) is an Audience Engagement Editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune who also writes commentaries and sits on the paper's editorial board. As a student, Bella went from a freshman with a megaphone on campus leading protests, to a reporter who covered the biggest story of the year about the renaming of the human Aztec Warrior, and later became the Editor In Chief of The Daily A...

David Moye, affectionally called the Wizard of Weird, has made a career writing stories that are, well, weird. Moye once worked for a company that supplied weird news stories for wacky FM deejays and late night talk show hosts. For the last 12 years, he's written for HuffPost about weird news, dumb crimes and all things pop culture. Moye shares the background of why these stories interest him...

Steven Luke is a 15-time Emmy Award winner who is currently the Morning News Anchor for NBC 7 in San Diego. He's a rarity in the news business, in that he got an internship at the station while a student at SDSU, left briefly for Bakersfield, then returned to the same station and has been there for over 20 years.  Luke (1995-99) recalls why he attended SDSU, what stories he put on his Demo Re...

Ana Ceballos (2009-14) is an investigative journalist for the Miami Herald who focuses her coverage on education and immigration. Born in the United States, Ana grew up across the border in Tijuana, then moved into an apartment in San Diego with her brother while in high school to escape the violence in her hometown. She found writing to be therapeutic when she was home alone. Her curiosity about...

Jamie Ballard (2013-17) is a freelance journalist based in New York City who primarily specializes in Data Journalism, lifestyle, pop and internet culture, shopping, travel and entertainment. Her byline has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Cosmo, People, Hollywood Reporter, YouGov and Woman's Day, among others. Jamie shares the story of moving to New York, the early struggles financially, jobs...

Vivian Huang (2011-14) is an Associate Strategy Director at Media. Monks, managing brand and media strategies, with emphasis on end-to-end organic and paid social, digital marketing, and influencer marketing. She explains what it means to be the child of immigrants who forged her own identity in a creative field and how that can inspire other AAPI professionals to pursue their dreams as well. Vivi...

Chidozie Ononiwu (2009-13) spent five years at ESPN, advancing from a Production Assistant to being in charge of college football on ESPN2, and then becoming "the gatekeeper" for which sports documentaries are chosen for the "30 For 30" series. These days, he's a Content Producer creating Esports Features for The Riot Games. Chidozie tells the story of reaching out to big...

Morgan Rubin (2012-14) is the Director of Communications for the NFL, where she ensures that diverse stories are told and helps to advance and amplify the league’s priorities in the social justice, DE&I, and social responsibility spaces.  On this week's podcast, Morgan tells the story of dreaming about being another Olivia Pope (the fictional character from "Scandal" known for p...

From the time she was 5 years old, Stefanie Cruz knew she wanted to become a television news reporter and that's exactly what she became. Upon graduating from San Diego State University, she mailed 300 VHS cassette tapes with her demo reel around the country, ultimately cold calling a TV station in Yuma, Ariz. and getting her start.  Stefanie ascended to News Anchor for the Fox affiliate in S...

Ross von Metzke is the Senior Director of Communications and Public Relations for the "It Gets Better" Project, the world's number one LGBTQ+ storytelling initiative and one of the most successful non-profits to emerge on YouTube. On this week's "Where Ya At?" podcast, Ross details arriving at The Daily Aztec before starting as a freshman at San Diego State University...

Megan Burks is the lead producer at MPR News and an integral member of the National Headliner and two-time Edward R. Murrow award-winning team that covered the killing of George Floyd and the trial of Derek Chauvin. On this week's "Where Ya At?" podcast, Megan shares her story of an early interest in Journalism, how an interest in Sociology at San Diego State guided her path into co...

After a summer hiatus, the "Where Ya At?" podcast returns for the Fall 2023 semester and the first episode features professor Noah Arceneaux to give an overview of the School of Journalism and Media Studies. Noah described the classes that he teaches, what new or future JMS students should expect at San Diego State University,  how wide of a spectrum "media studies" has become...

The final "Where Ya At?" episode for the Spring 2023 semester is a story about modern journalism, modern social media, and modern love. Fresh off their wedding, Alex Piscatelli (Class of 2018) and Jack Molmud (Class of 2020) joined the podcast from their new home in Maine to share the story of how they met, including how their second date was Jack going on Alex's dating podcast to g...

Jill Cacic (Class of 2009) initially wanted to be the next Erin Andrews, a sports broadcaster working the sidelines of sporting events, until she learned at SDSU about media relations. She dove into that work instead, worked nine years in professional baseball, and figured she'd be a baseball lifer.  Seeking a better work-life balance, she left sports to work in Public Relations in the corpor...