When men’s basketball team standouts Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell entered a podcast studio in Johnston Hall in December, they kicked off a unique collaboration.
For student journalists supporting the effort, the new K1 and Stewie Show provides audio production and co-hosting experience. For Jones and Mitchell, the podcast is an opportunity to share their perspectives as student-athletes, find their voices as public figures and build their personal brands.
Part of the NCAA landscape since 2021, Name Image Likeness (NIL) guidelines create a gateway for student-athletes to benefit professionally and financially from the value they create through sports. There’s now an NIL general manager at Marquette, Madison Dunker, Comm ’18, and an NIL store where students such as Aubrey Hamilton of the volleyball team market branded gear.
“My biggest aspiration is to just have fun with it and to learn new things about our guests.”
Stevie Mitchell
This podcast follows suit. When Jones showed interest in the idea, Dr. Patrick Johnson, Ed ’11, Grad ’13, director of student media in the Diederich College of Communication, saw educational value in it for a range of students and partnered with Dunker to make it possible.
With Hope Moses, executive director of the Wire, serving as co-host, the show focuses on relationships as much as basketball. The first episode featured teammate guests Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro opening up about their journeys beyond the spotlight. “My biggest aspiration is to just have fun with it and to learn new things about our guests,” says Mitchell, a third-year business major. “Kam is one of my best friends, so being able to do a podcast together is so awesome.”
Dunker adds. “The main NIL component is how these guys and the students on the project are growing their brands and professional skills for life beyond Marquette. They really want it to feel like you are in the room with them and hanging out when you listen to the show.”
Photos provided by the K1 and Stewie Show. The K1 and Stewie Show is hosted by student-athletes Stevie Mitchell, pictured in the lead photo to the left, and Kam Jones, with Hope Moses, communication student and executive director of the Marquette Wire.
