From balancing jobs and classes to maintaining a social life while also creating content on a weekly basis, being a student content creator is not an easy task. Elijah Moore makes it seem easy on his podcast, “Spotlight with Elijah Moore,” established in Oct. 2022.
Moore, a senior at Iowa State, is in his last semester of undergraduate studies and his fifth semester of being a podcaster. He likes to combine his passion for psychology and philosophy with his love for people and says he tries to highlight the “really cool stuff” that’s going on campus.
“The whole point of the show is… the hidden people,” Moore said.
It started off as a small pursuit of interviewing people around campus to tell their stories. As time went on, Moore realized his real passion was for podcasting and how much time really went into creating content.
“If you really want to make it, you have to be thinking long term,” Moore said. “Quantity over quality, [even though] it seems counter intuitive.”
Moore has over 90 episodes posted on his page. From President Wendy Wintersteen or Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Toyia Younger, to professor celebrities like Steve Butler, Moore likes to believe he’s interviewed every well-known person on campus.
“[Moore] is always a joy,” Younger said. “We spoke about a variety of topics including my professional background and journey to Iowa State… we also spoke about my leadership style including leading with authenticity and transparency.”
Moore enjoys picking the brains of well-known people on campus and tries to find the why or how behind what makes them special.
“I’m trying to get what philosophers call prescriptive claims,” Moore said. “I want audience members to get something out of my show, and to learn about different perspectives on what people should do, believe or think. People have a lot of really cool experiences and I want to give them a platform to change the world.”
Prescriptive claims are describing what a person ought to do. Therefore, Moore interviews people to discover their varying perspectives and the intrinsic driving force of who they are.
Moore heard of Butler, a campus celebrity in the calculus department known for his legendary math tutorials.
“I went in expecting a very different thing,” Butler said. “There are so many more things I could have shared.”
Moore has a knack for getting these passionate people talking about their academic and career pursuits in life. Not only does he interview campus celebrities, but also club leaders and fellow students.
Jackson Haugh is a senior in political science and the president of the philosophy club. He guest starred on Moore’s show a few times discussing various political and philosophical topics.
“He’s a great host, pretty good at moderating a conversation,” Haugh said.
Thanks to the Digital Media Studio located in the basement of the Student Innovation Center, Moore is able to record, download and edit all of his podcasts at complete ease and convenience.
But it’s not all fun and games, Moore records up to five podcasts per week and is scheduling his posts weeks in advance in order to stay on track.
The driving force behind Moore’s continuation of the show is somewhat due to his curiosity and genuine interest for people, but also his dedication to the long term project.
“If you make 20 episodes, you are in the top 1% of podcasters,” Moore said. “You have to decide if it’s something that you want to be successful for the long term versus something that you will enjoy in the long term.”
Although he is a hard worker, Moore stands on his life motto of staying curious and always asking questions. His love for philosophy, people and deep conversation all shine bright through his show.
“You should always assume that somebody knows something that is worth hearing,” Moore said.
The podcast can be found on Spotify and YouTube at “Spotlight with Elijah Moore.” Contact Moore at elijah72@iastate.edu to apply as a participant or refer someone else.
