26 Nov From Podcasts to Campus: Suburb Talks Visits CSUF
- Cal State Fullerton’s ASI Student Programming kicked off their new Titan Talks series featuring the popular podcast group Suburb Talks, attracting 900 RSVPs and 650 on the waitlist—surpassing past event attendance numbers.
- The event featured casual, interactive segments like a best friend challenge, TikTok dance-off, and a Q&A session where students sought advice from the podcasters, all of whom are Gen-Z and relatable to the CSUF student body.
- The success of Titan Talks signals a promising future for ASI’s programming, reflecting the growing influence of social media and podcasts in shaping student engagement and community-building at CSUF.
Tuesday, Nov.19, was just a regular day on the Cal State Fullerton campus. That is, if you aren’t a podcast-listening Gen-Zer who pays attention to Associated Students Inc. events on campus.
For these CSUF students, they waited through their class schedules for 7 p.m., when influencer and podcast group Suburb Talks would appear on campus. To host a more casual event than its Beyond the Conversation series, ASI Student Programming and Engagement department said they sought to bring a successful influencer as the first guest of their new “Titan Talks” series.
The result? A six-person podcaster group, all under the age of 24, with millions of Spotify and YouTube views that garnered ASI’s most popular event RSVPs to date at 900 RSVPs and 650 on the waitlist. With past programming events averaging 400-500 RSVP’s, Titan Talks is a new feat.
“Suburb Talks has been a name that has been proposed by our student programmers for a while now, so it was great to see the vision come to life finally,” said ASI Programming and Engagement Graduate Assistant Aundrea Nunez. “The event was so successful due to the audience that Suburb Talks targets. They have become progressively popular due to the Covid-19 pandemic, where Gen-Z media boomed. Suburb Talks podcast topics are heavily relatable to Gen-Z college students as they were college students themselves.”
Audience members laugh and record during the dance challenge at Titan Talks. / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
ASI’s programming events are free and accessible to all CSUF students to enrich their college experiences. For a commuter college culture like CSUF, students attend ASI events to take advantage of resources, establish community, and have a meeting hub to bond with college friends.
ASI programmers said they hope Titan Talks’ quick rise in popularity suggests a bright and promising future for the series.
Superheroes, Dance Moves, and Real Talk
Suburb Talk member and student in audience participating in the TikTok dance challenge. / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
The night’s events included segments that aimed to allow authentic and casual bonding moments for students and Suburb Talks members. The podcasters entered the Titan Student Union Pavilion full of excited CSUF students, some of whom had started lining up outside hours before the 7 p.m. start time. The cheering crowd held up their phones to record and immediately posted their experiences to their social media.
The six-member group walked out in full superhero-themed costumes, a tradition they have maintained on every episode of their podcast where they dress up according to different themes.
The night segments were divided into three categories: a best friend challenge, a TikTok dance challenge, and a Q&A segment where students could ask Suburb Talks for advice on real-life scenarios.
“It was really cool to see how most of the students interacted with the group. Seeing that interaction is a lot more different compared to more formal events like Beyond the Conversation where students listen to a moderator lead an interview,” said CSUF student and ASI videographer Matthew Manalo. “To see students within our demographic enjoy the interaction whether they were on stage or not was really fun.”
Bridging Virtual Friendships
The casual and interactive nature of the activities were designed to make the event an engaging and fun-filled time for students by allowing them to directly interact with the podcasters they got to know virtually throughout the pandemic.
Audience member and Suburb Talk member participate in the best friend challenge. / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
“The event really appealed to the audience in terms of age group and entertainment purposes. They have a wide fan base especially since one of them goes to our school,” said CSUF student and ASI social media assistant Zachary Del Rosario.
During the Q&A portion, students asked questions in a casual, friend-to-friend manner, ranging from deeper topics like romance and fake friends to lighter ones such as favorite food spots and costume preferences.
“I loved actually being able to see them because I’ve been watching them for a long time. Hearing their advice was helpful,” CSUF student and attendee Izzy Valencia said.
CSUF students came together at Titan Talks, bonding over shared and different reasons why Suburb Talks is important to them.
From Humble Beginnings to Internet Fame
Suburb Talk members pose for a picture before the Titan Talks event. / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
With origins in 2020, Suburb Talks is “just a group of best friends sitting down and talking about anything and everything from past childhood experiences to their own opinions on relationships.”
Four years later, aside from their newfound fame and list of influencer collaborations, a lot has stayed the same for the sextet. They meet every week to sit down and talk, banter, and offer opinions and advice.
The group, composed of Sage Guillen, 23, Nick Grajeda, 24, Maru Lee, 23, Devin Paul, 23 Cynthia Choi, 23 and fellow Titan Sean Williams,23, releases a new podcast episode every Tuesday.
Some past episodes include topics on feeling alone in your 20s, accepting love, hard life lessons, being in love, if going to college is worth it, and more. The group takes advantage of their close friendships and holiday seasons to comment on various timely and trendy topics, relaying the thoughts and life situations of many Gen-Zers today.
Where Friendship and Entertainment Meet
While they may seem like any other influencers, their “ages, relatable relationships, and relevant topics explored, make viewers feel like they are a part of the Suburb Talks friend group,” commented ASI Programming assistant Grace Cazares.
“Overall, I think they’re an excellent friend group; you can tell they’re very genuine,” Carzares said.
Suburb Talk members answer questions during the Q&A segment of the event. / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
Those who took part in the behind-the-scenes planning of Titan Talks also had positive things to say about the event.
“As they are a more silly, outgoing group, they provide great entertainment with their combined personalities,” said ASI Programming Coordinator Aundrea Nuñez. “I personally follow this group and find their content funny and relatable. It was a pleasure to work with Suburb Talks, and they have let us know that the group also had a blast!”
A New Era of ASI Programming
Audience members record and document the night on their phones. / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
As the night ended in a short hour, the promise of success for Suburb Talks and future ASI programming events remains.
With the rise of media like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and podcasts, Gen-Z has solidified a sense of connection through conversation, trends, and social media. As ASI plans programming that reflects this fast-paced, ever-changing culture, Titan Talks seeks to strengthen the Titan community while spotlighting the next internet sensation set to captivate Orange County and its eager community.
Interested in more ASI programming events? Check out the event calendar and Instagram page!