Wegovox, formerly known as Podcast Club, released its first two episodes online.

The name Wegovox came from an attempt to make an original club name that would not resemble any other in the school.

“I love anytime you can use something that’s a little bit different. ‘Vox’ is voice in Latin, it’s a derivative of ‘vox populi’ which is the voice of the people, which is an expression that you would hear very frequently. I figured that would be unique enough to set it apart,” Wegovox founder Brian Turnbaugh said.

Turnbaugh is a personal fan of podcasts and listens to them regularly.

“I listen to podcasts constantly, whether I’m just commuting into work or jogging or exercising, I love listening to people’s stories. I think we’re wired to want to listen to people. Before we were readers, before we watched television, we were sitting around a campfire listening to people. So I think podcasts reactivate that part of us,” Turnbaugh said.

The belief that listening to other people is something that humans are wired to lead to the creation of Wegovox.

“I thought it would be interesting to start talking to some of the students that we have here at the school because we have 2,000 different experiences, so why not start tapping into them? People have traveled to great places, met amazing people, and have done things that are very creative and artistic,” Turnbaugh said.

The first podcast featured senior Leslie Cortes, a member of Photography Club who has a large following on forms of social media.

Turnbaugh was first introduced to Cortes’ photography when Photography Club adviser David Jennings had club members show their work during a department meeting.

“I saw it and said ‘wow, this is someone who has got 22,000 followers at the time, so she must be doing something pretty interesting.’ So let’s find out about someone who has been able to attract a type of fanbase,” Turnbaugh said. “You don’t get that by chance, you get that because you are very dedicated to your craft, and I thought that interviewing her would be interesting to see that this is how a creative person thinks. It’s always inspiring to listen to people who can share how they approach their gifts in such a way.”

Episode 2, which came out on Feb. 21, includes an analysis of the NBA followed by Creative Writing Club members reciting and discussing some of their works.

The successes of the podcasts can be kept track of with the help of a view counter which also shows where viewers are coming in from.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see how it goes up,” Turnbaugh said.

Topics for podcasts have no limits and can range from discussions about movies and music to ghost stories.

Future podcasts that are already in consideration include students talking about politics and the Philosophy Club discussing various ideals.

“Really there’s just so many different types of stories that we can get out there and I think that a podcast is uniquely fitted for that,” Turnbaugh said.

While Turnbaugh is currently finding people to interview in a podcast himself based on teacher recommendations and his own observations, the intent is that students will start to come themselves.

“Obviously we ultimately want people to come to us, so I think that’s why it was hard to get going early on. I had to get the time to start to know some of the software, to get some of the equipment, and actually conduct the interview and put it together. Hopefully  students, if they like it, will want to start participating themselves,” Turnbaugh said.

While students can already come to Turnbaugh with ideas for podcasts, soon enough they will be able to join an official club.

“I had some preliminary meetings first semester, but as life goes, students started to get torn this way and that way and so did I,” Turnbaugh said. “It’s early on and I’m still learning how to promote it myself. What I’d like to do is have three or four episodes under our belt, and then have more students go out there and make their own segments.”

Turnbaugh stressed the fact that recording a podcast is a very easy process that can even be conducted over a Chromebook.

All episodes can be found at wegovox.podbean.com, and any ideas for podcasts can be sent to [email protected].