Meet the PROS: Behind Interface Podcast

In celebration of Black History Month, we’re highlighting the achievements of our Black talent and changemakers across PROS. ✨

Driven by a vision to highlight diversity in tech and amplify Black voices, Interface, a passion turned podcast, was born. Powered by PROS Employee Resource Group EMPOWER, the Interface Crew celebrates its third season spotlighting the journeys and successes of Black technologists.

We sat down with the team to learn more about the crew behind the camera, their process, lessons learned, and insights gained from their guests.

Check out the podcast and follow the crew on Instagram.

Let’s get to the know the crew!

Jennifer Plummer, Executive Producer and Host
Matthew Negron, Product Manager and Host
Siara Barnes, Executive Producer and Host
Shanae Carlock, Marketing and Social Media Manager
Jasmine Peters, Social Media Coordinator
Sudhan Gowrish Chinnappan, Project Manager

Tell us more about how the team came together.

Jennifer served on the Steering Committee for EMPOWER’s external presence and recruiting team and wanted to find a way to increase PROS appeal to Black technologists. After pitching the idea to do a podcast, Siara reached out and was all-in on making this a reality. Matthew, who had recently joined PROS at the time, mentioned that he wanted to get more involved with ERGs and Siara immediately messaged him and asked if he would be interested in coming on as editor. He agreed and we were off to the races!

As we began to publish episodes, we realized that to engage our audience we needed some marketing assets, and Shanae was the first person to come to mind. She joined the team and created our brand guide as well as beautiful graphics for the show.

Sudhan joined us later to help get us organized and be our guiding light to make sure we were meeting our deadlines. Finally, Jasmine joined us to assist Shanae and coordinate with our internal marketing teams and manage our social media channels to help increase our audience engagement.

What inspired the initial idea to create a podcast?

The original idea was actually a webinar. However, we couldn’t think about one good topic so then we were thinking a series of webinars and then EUREKA! Let’s do a podcast! A podcast felt like the best way to continue this conversation and really highlight diversity in tech and amplify voices of successful Black technologists, what they do, and how building a career in tech is possible. The show vibes are ‘chatting with someone at a networking event or happy hour.’

What steps did you take to turn your idea into a reality, and how did you overcome obstacles?

First, we came together and mapped out what we were trying to achieve and what the show could look like. Once the framework was mapped out, we scouted for guests and scheduled our first recording! It was bumpy at first – none of us had been podcast hosts before but we knew we had to just jump in and start knowing we would continue to learn along the way. We also enlisted the help of HR from a cultural aspect; Marketing helped us ensure we stayed within PROS brand and presence out in the world; and finally Legal helped ensure we were protecting PROS and ourselves from any potential legal ramifications.

Overcoming obstacles really came down to communicating with each other and our advocates across PROS. Also, creating a safe space to give and receive feedback and pivoting quickly, if needed, is key.

Give us a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing an episode, and how you balance this with your day job.

Producing an episode is a team effort! We book our guest and schedule their recording. Then the co-hosts search for their Heat Check topic to share on the episode. We then create the broadcast link and send an info email out to our guest with instructions on how to join the recording. Once the recording is complete, we go into our post-production phase which includes editing the episode and creating a title, show notes and social media clips. Then the episode is reviewed by HR to ensure we are in compliance with the ‘PROS quality standard’ and then we publish and celebrate!

Balancing the podcast with our day jobs can sometimes be a challenge, but having a strong team dynamic and clearly defined roles and responsibilities has helped us be successful. We have each other’s backs when our day job demands more and a teammate needs additional support.

What is something that has surprised you working on this project?

How quickly we were able to get up and running after booking our first guest. We bought good quality microphones, did a test run then we recorded and published the first episode!

What impact have you seen from the success of this project? What are you most proud of?

Personally, we have learned so much from our guests that we have applied to real life. We’ve also built trust with PROS to allow us to create freely. We are most proud of this platform that has spotlighted 20 (and counting) Black technology professionals. Additionally, we’re proud of our consistency and dedication to continue to produce a high-quality show with the support of numerous individuals across PROS.

What do you believe are key elements to make a podcast successful?

The key elements to making a podcast successful are a good idea, teamwork, and letting the podcast evolve organically. If the mission of your podcast is something you are passionate about, you will find your audience.

Celebrate the milestones – big and small, get regular feedback and make refinements to continually make improvements. Don’t get stuck on perfection. Focus on what is working and build on those areas. We had an achievable first goal, record a few episodes, publish them and hopefully we’ll get a handful of listens. After the first 10 listens, we set another more challenging goal, and then another and then another.

What advice would you give to others who have innovative ideas they want to bring to life?

Our advice would be don’t wait – just jump in and try something. You will learn and refine as you go. Working on something creative is very rewarding and energizing.

How has the podcast evolved over time? What can people expect in Season 3?

We encourage everyone to listen to Season 1 Episode 1: Meet the Crew then listen to Season 3 Episode 1: Meet the Crew Part 2 to hear us discuss the podcast’s evolution. Actually, just listen to the all the episodes – yes, shameless plug!

In Season 3, expect more amazing conversations with amazingly talented Black technologists. We are super excited to announce our EMPOWER Executive Challenge to our listeners! Last summer, we asked the PROS Executive Leadership team to help us build our guest roster for season 3, and they came through with some great contacts! We will be highlighting these guests in a 4-episode series featuring their friends and colleagues, learning about their unique career journeys and their perspectives on growing Black talent in tech.

*****

Learn more about PROS culture on our careers page and become a part of our growing team by applying to our open roles. Follow #LifeatPROS on LinkedIn and Instagram for more stories from the bright minds powering PROS around the globe.