January 15, 2026
The rise of social media has greatly changed the way we consume news and information. On-demand Reels, podcasts, and streaming videos have largely replaced the traditional 30–60-minute studio produced news broadcasts that were once only available at certain times of day. When faced with the rapidly changing landscape of media and communication, Toni DeAztlan Smith, Director of the Brian Lamb School of Communication Digital Media Production Center, began to pivot the focus of the program to meet the needs of today’s information consumers. A conversation with Brian Lamb, the School of Communication’s namesake, led DeAztlan Smith to rethink the curriculum in the Digital Media Production Center. “Brian Lamb said to me ‘Everything is going live stream. Compact. YouTube.’ And then he pulled up a news program that he watches every day. He’s a journalist, but was formerly in network news, and he just has his own news show on YouTube that now has over a million followers. And that is where Brian Lamb gets his news.” DeAztlan Smith said.
When the ExEd Program Grant RFP came out, DeAztlan Smith knew this was her opportunity to make changes to meet today’s communication needs. DeAztlan Smith proposed creating live-streaming capsule studios as part of the Digital Media Production Center. These small studios allow students to learn and practice creating content for podcasting and social media. Students produce content for clients or build their own brand using the equipment in the new studio spaces. The spaces can be quickly reconfigured for video podcasts and live streaming. Courses slated to use the new capsule studios include Podcasting, Content Creation for Social Media, and Sports Podcasting.
The small studio focus of teaching media courses is a unique feature of Purdue’s program when comparing it to other mass communication and journalism programs in the state. “We had the option to either try and push for a new studio set up or we could go in a new direction, which is more likely the future. We have an edge in that regard as to what our program offers. To me, that kind of meets both the marketable side, but also being able to contend with other media programs at the collegiate level,” said DeAztlan Smith.
Students are gaining highly sought-after career skills through the refreshed curriculum. DeAztlan Smith said students are learning to “present information and create outreach content. We also focus on interviewing skills and script writing. What would surprise people is video production is the lowest skill on the list. Instead, we focus more on how to put together a visual story for different distribution outlets.” Additionally, as many creative-based careers are facing an increase in AI-generated written and video content leading to a competitive job market, the DMPC teaches students how to write in their own voices. Students are also learning how to carry on an interview in a fluid and conversational way. DeAztlan Smith said “we seek authenticity, because we know that podcast listeners and viewers are seeking that, seeking authentic and relatable content, and that tends to make the students naturally decide not to lean towards an AI-generated script. The students are learning to write for their own voices.”