The Podcast Host
A podcast setting out to define what love feels like. Made by and for college students.
Thatýs the opening pitch for DefLove, the new podcast by Abi Shorter ý24, an acting, film TV, voice-overs, and commercials (FTVC) major. As the host and founder, sheýs got her hands fullýbut thatýs exactly how she likes it. ýIýve been itching to make something for months. I constantly have to be creating or Iýll burst,ý she told us.
Initially, she had quite a few projects planned, but COVID-19 forced everything to a screeching halt. ýIým tired of grieving,ý Shorter said of the temporarily shelved works. She needed a new creative venture, and it was a talk with a friend that sparked her idea for the podcast. ýNeither of us really knew what love was,ý Shorter explained. ýI had my idea of itýI was in love at the time actuallyýbut itýs not the sort of thing you can receive confirmation on. Itýs somehow different from that crush feeling, but how do you know when youýve reached it? Can you?ý
From there, she planned to start the podcast off with two stories from her own personal experiences with love. The script turned into a ýforty-page monsterý in only a few nights. Talk about motivation! ýI took inspiration from the podcast Alice Isnýt Dead with the narrator structure, mushed a few separate events together, and approached my roommates with the text,ý Shorter told us. (Theyýre acting majors. Very helpful.) They recorded everything on their phones as voice memos, and after editing it all in one five-hour sittingýgeez!ýthe podcast was ready to be launched. ýIt truly is a passion project,ý she said.
Itýs that level of passion and dedication to the craft that truly elevates Shorterýs work. But then, sheýs always been fueled by her creativity. ýI love telling stories in ways that hit someone in the face,ý Shorter told us. While she had plenty of experience in the theater, having put up a play she wrote herself, ultimately, she chose to pursue film instead. ýThereýs a humanity to acting for film because itýs mimicking reality. Iým fascinated in the real because thatýs where stories happen.ý
ýI love telling stories in ways that hit someone in the face,ý says Shorter.
She took her time choosing a college once she knew what sheýd be majoring in. It was a decision that happened fairly quickly thanks to her experience during the process. ýOther schools just emailed me to check my portal,ý Shorter told us. ýBy the time their program head actually reached out to me, Iýd had a Zoom call with [Pace] FTVC students and realized it was where I wanted to be.ý She emphasized how ýchillý everyone seemed even in those initial virtual meetups, which was another big selling point for her. ýI came from a program where the air in the room would change every time the program head walked in, so itýs nice to feel like our instructors are actual people and not god-like entities in stiff button-downs.ý
So, whatýs next for the DefLove podcast? ýI donýt really have an end goal in mind,ý she said. ýI just give my all to little projects like this because itýs where I find my life. If the podcast makes even one person happy and believe in their ability to love just a bit more, then it will have achieved its purpose.ý Weýre excited to see where it goes from here! If youýre interested in getting involved in DefLove, whether to share your own story or lend your voice acting talents, please email Shorter or .