Meet Christian Koons, associate podcast producer.
Tell us about your post-Biola work/life journey.
I had a writing emphasis and had assumed for most of my time in college that after Biola I'd go to grad school for an MFA, but by the time my senior year rolled around, that wasn't something I felt eager to pursue. So I graduated with zero plans, joined a band, and got a job as an admin assistant somewhere I was pretty familiar with: the Biola English department. After that job, and a handful of others—including barista, editorial intern, transcriber, and freelance music writer—I decided I wanted to work in podcasting. I cold-emailed the creator of one of my favorite LA-based podcasts and finagled my way into getting an internship. That internship became the job I have now.
So tell us about your job, and how did majoring in English prepare you to do it?
I'm the associate producer of a music podcast called Song Exploder, where we interview musicians and composers who tell the story behind the creation around on of their songs, piece by piece. My job includes some technical audio engineering aspects but is mainly editorial. I take a 60-120 minute interview and whittle it down to its best parts, and arrange those pieces into a (hopefully) compelling and fluid story. This all adds up to a mountain of tiny editorial choices, and studying English in college prepared me to make those choices confidently. The best way to learn how to tell good stories, after all, is by reading them.
What was a favorite class or experience you had while a Biola English major?
I really enjoyed Advanced Composition with Paul Buchanan. We'd write essays, put them up on a projector, and, as a class, workshop them to pieces. It was a little intimidating at first, but I knew so much more at the end of the semester than when I started. We also read two great books that I still recommend to people who want to improve their writing: The Elements of Style and On Writing Well.
I also loved Vision, Voice, and Practice, which is a sort of art-philosophy hybrid course for both writers and visual artists. We did a lot of cool collaboration-based projects that changed the way I view art and art-making in general. It's also a great way to make inroads with the cool art kids.
What about life after college was most surprising to you?
How big and open-ended it was (and is). As the recipient of a traditional Western education, a considerable part of my life up until that point had been spent accomplishing a continual list of (largely) pre-determined tasks within a rigid timeline. But once I graduated, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the choices I had to make, and how no one cared whether or not I made them.
What advice would you give to a current Biolan majoring in English?
Don't feel limited by your degree. English majors really can do anything, and your current efforts to master the written word will help you convince others of the same! (Good cover letters can go a long way.)
For the reasons mentioned above, figuring out the "what" can sometimes be difficult. Following your passions is a good start, and if that doesn't pay at first, find a job that allows you the time and energy to continue that pursuit.
Also, while in college, spend time trying things out that you are interested in. Don't let your lack of confidence or experience stop you. You might be bad at it (and probably will be, at first), but you're in college—that's when you're supposed to be bad at things! You'll probably never have as much free time and resources as you do now, so take advantage of them and explore your interests.
What have you been reading lately?
I recently finished The Largesse of the Sea Maiden, a new collection of short stories by one of my favorite writers, the late Denis Johnson.