Ryan Stinson
The boredom of quarantine has been put to a creative use by five Abingdon High School students: Ryan Stinson, Calliope Koesters, Natalie Carter, Kiera Porter and Colin Graham. They began a podcast featuring movie and TV reviews called The Streaming Club on Spotify.
Stinson came up with the idea and contacted his friends.
“I wanted something to do in quarantine with my friends. I figured we all love watching movies, so let’s have an excuse to watch movies and also talk about them and see if it catches on,” Stinson says. “I’ve never really considered myself a film reviewer or critic at any point in my life, so I’m not entirely sure how this idea just happened upon me. It just came into my head one day and now here we are. I figured people like watching movies, and if we talk about movies and add some comedic value in there, we might have something that’s entertaining for people to listen to. I did not have much experience in making podcasts either, so it was a fun skill for me to learn how to produce and host a show from scratch.”
His friends thought this was an excellent idea and joined the project.
“We made a podcast because it was easier. We have a great app, and we’re all pretty technologically inclined, so making a podcast just seemed easiest,” Koesters says. “It was easier to make a podcast than a vlog,” says Porter.
Graham says, “We all are into the fine arts and film, so we just came up with the idea to express our interest in film by making a podcast reviewing movies and shows. Believe it or not, I was the maker of the Streaming Podcast logo. I have a love for graphic design, so when Ryan asked me to make a logo, I was super excited. We have seen quite a few movie reviews on YouTube or just write reviews on the Internet, so we wanted to just simply make a podcast talking about our opinions on the movies and shows we review.”
They talk about their personal watchlists and then review one movie or show in a book club format. A new podcast is available on Sundays.
They plan to continue their podcast once their lives return to normal. Stinson hopes to expand their current show and perhaps create spinoffs. The group sees Stinson as the leader of the group because it was his idea.
“We’re pretty much all at the same level,” Koesters says. “Ryan hosts the podcast and we’re all on the panel, so we are all pretty even with Ryan above us a bit. We all vote on movies equally and it’s a pretty democratic process actually.”
“We’ve all been friends for many years, so there’s not a lot of drama between any of us. But all of us are really just a cohesive panel who bring in our thoughts and ideas about a certain movie,” Stinson says.
The Streaming Club is comprised of sophomores at AHS who are all in the marching band together.
Koesters is the daughter of Nick and Carolyn Kosters. She says she is “mainly a theater kid and I’m in marching band on drumline. I read a lot of books, I do theater, I cook a little bit, I think I’m an artsy kid. I love to watch movies, but always just for entertainment, never for scrutinization. I’m not going to college for film or anything, but this is a really fun hobby with some of my best friends, so I’m enjoying it.”
Porter is the daughter is Amy Porter. She plays euphonium in the band is rejoining chorus in the next academic year.
Stinson has been involved in art, notably music, since he was young. “I’ve always loved to sing since I was a toddler, and it’s developed this passion for music that I have felt ever since. In addition to singing, I can play piano, guitar, and I am a percussionist in the AHS Marching, Jazz and Concert bands with many All County, District and Collegiate honors. I am also involved in the AHS spring musical, with my previous roles including Doody (“Grease School Edition”) and Ike Skidmore (“Oklahoma!”). I also now consider myself an amateur podcast producer, and I am working on many podcast projects including the Streaming Club.” He is the son of Chris and Dawn Stinson.
Graham is the son of Mark and Tonya Graham. “I’m a huge fan of film in general. I have so many opinions on movies and TV shows - both good and bad ones. I’ve always wanted to share my opinions, and this is a great way to do that.”
Carter is the daughter of Brady and Nicki Carter. She plays the French horn in AHS’s bands and participates in the school’s spring musicals.
To listen to these creative students’ podcast, visit Spotify and search for The Streaming Club.
