Pizza: a fan favorite food amongst the teenage population. No matter where the pizza is sold, it’s bound to come in a box, but nowadays the term “pizza box” has a different meaning to the students of West. In fact, it’s a brand new student podcast by seniors Brady Block and Preston Munsch.

“The idea was born in Brady’s mind,” Munsch said. “He has always wanted to start a podcast, so we were in choir class one day, and we were off on our own, and we got to talking, and he told me a story about something that happened at work. He went ‘this would be a great story for a podcast’ and we kept on talking about it, and I went ‘how about tomorrow during seventh hour we record this and see what happens?’”

The impulsive decision to start the podcast isn’t where the spontaneity ends. Each episode is ad-libbed.

“We pretty much just go wherever,” Block said. “We don't really plan that much or we make a plan the day that we’re recording. We tend to just make it up as we go, which is fine most of the time.”

The novice podcasters attempted the style Block mentioned for the first episode, but it was quickly understood by Munsch that podcasts require some more thought in order to make the most of their chillaxed, comedy-driven conversations.

“For the first episode, we just let loose. We talked about anything that came to mind, because we wanted the first episode to have a natural flow to it, and not any sort of structure,” Munsch said. “We now know that a podcast needs structure to be a little more entertaining, but the first episode was meant to be like you’re a fly on the wall during our conversation.”

A common query about the podcast is what will happen to it once May 27 arrives, as both “Pizza” and “Box” are graduating this year and moving on to bigger and better things.

“We’re thinking right now that we’re going to try and see what we can do with Pizza Box,

or maybe try to organize something where we can do some sort of virtual thing,” Block said.

Munsch has higher hopes for the future of Pizza Box, and is focused on making the newest episodes even more entertaining than the last.

“For future episodes, we still have a long list of guests to get through. We love having those people on,” Munsch said. “We won’t give any spoilers, but we do have another guest in mind that has to do with music. More guests, more segments in terms of games, quizzes, or just a general topic to talk about that branches off, but more structure.”

Munsch attempts to centralize content to their peers. This is clear based on the interesting name, which advertises to teenagers quite well.

“So first we thought of PB & Jams, and we decided that, first of all, we didn’t think it was that clever,” Block said. “Also, Preston found out that there were several other podcasts with that name, and I think because we talk about food so much we went ‘Pizza Box sounds kind of funny’ and I'm a pizza person. It was just clever.”

Although Munsch is enthusiastic about the podcast, he is clear about his hopes for his own future after this journey through choir and drama and after they conclude their time together with Pizza Box. His choir classes and teachers are who inspire him to take chances like Pizza Box. He hopes to do the same someday.

“I’m not saying that trying new things is wrong or is bad for you, but if you can play on your strengths and give that [feeling] to someone else, that’s what I want to do,” he said. “ I wanna give possibly a future student the feeling that my past two choir teachers have given me.”

Munsch and Block’s peers admire their work and fully support them. Junior Ayiana Resop is one of their biggest supporters and was a guest on episode seven.

“I obviously knew beforehand how a podcast worked, but I just enjoyed seeing all the behind the scenes and hearing and seeing how they really got into the ‘Welcome back to Pizza Box,’” she said.

Junior Brody Wolff is an avid supporter as well and was featured in episode five.

“I was ecstatic when I got asked to be a guest on the podcast,” he said. “I had listened to every episode they had made at the time, and the opportunity to get in a room with them to make one of our own was something I couldn’t refuse.”

He thoroughly enjoyed his time on the podcast and had a blast discussing any topic that came to mind.

“My favorite part about recording the podcast was seeing everyone get riled up over trivial topics,” he said. “Something as simple as our favorite pizza place became the center of such passion and it was hilarious.”

When Munsch and Block first announced their podcast to their peers, most expressed intrigue, prompting many to start listening right away.

“From the moment I heard Preston’s enthusiasm regarding the podcast, I knew it was going to be very funny and lighthearted,” Wolff said. “Listening to it for the first time just confirmed my suspicions.”

The initial dynamic between Munsch and Block caught the attention of a majority of their listeners with their influence expanding all the way out across the seas. The combination of their personalities creates a perfect mix that keeps listeners engaged for the duration of their episodes.

“I’ve never once gotten a bad or gloomy vibe off of Preston. He just exudes positivity and is quite outgoing” Wolff said. “On the outside, Brady doesn’t seem nearly as outgoing, but once you get talking to him you’ll see that he’s hilarious and very friendly. Both of their personalities combine perfectly to create a relatable and entertaining podcast.”

Resop agrees that the differences between their personalities mesh together to build off one another.

“Preston's a leader with a lot of drive in him for sure, and I think that really takes him pretty far,” she said. “Brady is quiet but can pack a punch behind closed doors. He knows what he's doing; he knows what he's talking about.”

Since Pizza Box is so new, there are still some bumps that need to be worked out. Their listeners provide constructive criticism to help make the podcast better.

“They need better sound quality, they need to pick topics and really plan out what they're going to do beforehand and then go for it,” Resop said.

Friends and supporters of Pizza Box want to see them succeed and have fun with what they’re doing.

“My advice to Preston and Brady going forward with their podcast would be to stay true to themselves,” Wolff said. “They have crafted an incredibly unique identity thus far, and it is important to not lose that.”

By Paige Helfrich and Maggie Phillips

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 7

April 25th, 2022

Pizza Box serves up slices of media goodness to podcast connoisseurs