Her Campus: I’m Leana Lares with Her Campus, here with Jeff Toates, host of Toast With Toates from Aggie Athletics. Jeff, what is Toast with Toates about?
Jeff Toates: Toast With Toates is a student produced web series here through Aggie Athletics where I sit down with different Aggie Athletes in kind of somewhat bizarre locations and do these awkward interviews and we kind of work in some sketch type comedy. It’s weird. I encourage you to check it out!
HC: What was your initial inspiration to start Toast With Toates?
JT: We kind of brainstormed last year at 12th Man Productions what student content we could produce that was maybe a little bit different. One of the ideas that came out of that was this web series of somewhat awkward, comedic interviews with athletes called Toast With Toates.
HC: How did you come up with the name?
JT: Originally, the idea was eating breakfast with athletes, and call it Toast With Toates just because of the play on words of the last name. Then, it ended up being a unique timing element with the toaster on the table, so it really worked out.
HC: So you say there is a unique timing element with the toaster. How so?
JT: So we set up the intro of the interview putting toast in the toaster, and then we try and make it as if all the questions and answers are happening in the time that the toast cooks, and then the interview is over when it finishes.
HC: Take me through the day in the life of a Toast With Toates episode. How is it formulated, who helps, etcetera?
JT: First, finding the athlete and we try and find people who there is something unique about, something funny, or maybe just someone who has a unique personality that has been recommended to us. It’s all on a two-week time interval, and in that time we’re identifying which athlete we want to do, contacting them, scheduling them, writing a script, shooting, and editing. Two weeks sounds like a long time, but there’s a lot that happens in that time.
HC: You say you try to get athletes that are unique, so what are you looking for in an athlete that you choose?
JT: Our main ways we go about choosing them is generally through coaches, teammates, and then social media. Through those things we can kind of get a pretty good read on who’s the funniest, most interesting on a team.
HC: So who has been your favorite unique interview so far?
JT: The athlete that we’ve probably had the most fun with is Conner McQueen from football. We’ve really enjoyed – we’ve worked him into two different episodes, and it was a lot of fun both times.
HC: So what’s changed since the first time you shot an episode to now?
JT: The first couple we shot were just straight sit-down interviews, and that was it. And since – after a couple we began working more sketch-type stuff. We’ve kind of tried to work in more elements and try to keep it interesting in that way.
HC: What’s been your most popular, most watched video?
JT: Without a doubt, the Drew Kaser episode. That featured his Heisman campaign, and it went somewhat viral. It was a lot of fun.
HC: So for someone pursuing a career in video production and being on camera, would you say that’s the end goal—to go viral?
JT: It’s not necessarily to go viral. We’re just trying to create a solid body of work with all these. Not maybe just one really good one that got a lot of play.
HC: Do you plan on taking Toast with Toates with you after graduation?
JT: No, I think this is where it ends. I think there’s two episodes left, and that’s it. We’re trying to kind of go out with a bang with these last two episodes. We’ve got, hopefully, some big names, none that I can say right now. For updates, follow @Toates1 on Twitter.
HC: With Jeff Toates from Toates With Toates, I’m Leana Lares with Her Campus. See you next time.