Alumni Stories: Georgi Staykov From AUBG to Channel 4

The former president of AUBG Daily, Georgi Staykov, just arrived at one of his current workplaces, the studio of the podcast Channel 4. The bag full of Daily merch that he was carrying with him went to show that his membership at the newspaper from 2017 to 2021 always followed him. When asked why he decided to apply to the club, he answered:

“Because I wanted to write […] regardless of the type of article, whether it would be an explainer, a profile piece, an event story, or something investigative. I didn't know if it was going to be my thing. But I never had the desire to join another club except for Daily and AUBG Olympics.”

Georgi was accepted into the club as a reporter. He decided to dive into the deep with his first article about the antiracist movement of NFL players in 2016. It was “a gigantic topic with dozens of hours of research required,” but he immediately fell in love with the process. 

Georgi started writing less as the years passed. Instead, he helped others with articles. This led to his next role: President of AUBG Daily.

During his freshman and sophomore years, the former owl (as Daily members call themselves) did not have the ambition to take the lead of the club. However, during the first meeting of Fall 2019, he was suggested by the team to do so.

“Daily was something that got under my skin, to be honest. I never thought that I would be so passionate about it, and I realized how much it means to me in my third year when I became a president,” Georgi said.

When asked about a particular article that had stuck in his mind, he noted the one covering the flood in Panitza Library. This story, as were many others, was included in the Fall 2019 edition. Its release was not a smooth process. On the evening of putting the newspaper together, the editor-in-chief was not able to help. 

“We were sitting in a lobby at Skapto 1 and we had to pretty much do everything. So what you see here […] it's a lot of work for somebody that hasn't worked with design,” he recalled.

Thankfully, they found a way by asking for help from an experienced student outside of Daily. It was not only the design, however. The newspaper had to be printed, cut, and folded in order to be distributed at the ABF Cafe the next morning.  

A similar common effort was put in one of the next main events of  Daily - “A Glimpse into Media.” It happened in February 2020 when people were still allowed to gather. In March everything changed because the pandemic started. 

“In February the newspaper obviously wasn't ready but we had to have meetings online. It was weird for everybody because it was the first time something like this was happening," Georgi said.

Georgi compares the feeling of assembling the Fall 2019 newspaper to when he releases a really good episode of his podcast. He shares that, thanks to Daily, he can now build stories and episodes in a way their full potential can be unleashed.

Although he works as a project manager at a digital bank, he cannot leave his passion for storytelling and journalism behind. That is why he joined Channel 4 - a project by the 42 Foundation that started in 2019 with the financial help of the Active Citizens Fund. 

The pearl of the 42 Foundation’s crown, as Georgi calls it, was Forum Klyuch (The Key Forum). This motivational conference gives the audience inspiring lectures about examples of positive change in Bulgarian society. Channel 4 is one of the natural extensions of the forum, Georgi says.

The program aims to form skills in critical thinking, leadership, and digital activism in young people. That way they should be able to evolve as active citizens who know their rights and responsibilities in the world. Also, they will acquire another useful skill - how to create and grow their own podcast channels. About this, he claims it is not an easy job at all.

“It’s both a complex and a straightforward initiative. If you have a process to follow, it’s enjoyable but it demands proper preparation. An episode is much more than just the 40 minutes behind the mic and in front of the camera,” Georgi said.

He explains how important it is to first come up with a concept of the rubric and plan the content of the season. Then comes the choice of the right guests along with a lot of reading preparation.

The next step is the actual shooting, with taking care of the audio, video, and lighting, followed by spreading the content online.

During season 2, the Channel 4 team started dividing their episodes into four rubrics: Acticast for citizen activism, Ecocast for ecology, Criticast for critical thinking, and Culticast for culture. Apart from the typical podcast, the team produces vlogs on the spot covering specific topics. The podcasters also have the desire to exchange knowledge with creators who have similar values. Thus, the initiative “Network of Friends” was started.

Despite the fact that Channel 4 has different concepts and offers different challenges, Georgi claims that his time in Daily has prepared him for whatever hurdles lie ahead.

“One thing that both Daily and Channel 4 have in common is the way we sit down and discuss stories. I think having the team on the same page is utterly important if you want to build a strong team and produce cohesive content," he said.

The skill Georgi values a lot is that he learned how to motivate people to work on something they want to do in their free time. There are also things that he would have changed in his leadership.

“I had conversations with some people and we mutually decided to part ways in the club. But I think what I could have done probably better is to try to keep those people because they [...] just got carried away with side projects or different struggles in their personal lives. And I think maybe [...] it was within my powers to help those people,” he said.

While laughing, he defined his presidency as a “dictatorship.” 

“I took decisions on my own and I would still take those decisions on my own, because every single time I've done this, I've given arguments to the club why I think that should be that way,” Georgi explained.

As for the person who influenced him the most, he pointed out to every single member of Daily during his four years there and everybody he has interviewed. Precisely, the confidence you gain from “the unknown situations with unknown people” is the greatest benefit for reporters, according to the former owl.

When asked what Daily is to him, he referred to the Latin word “aliferous” - something that gives you wings. He also sent a special message to all the new owls:

“You know that tingling sensation of doubt that you feel in the pit of your stomach when you’re facing a challenge? Screw it. Fight through and pour your heart out.”