Interview with Cailen Yiu, Host of Hamber’s CSPN Podcast

Photo Credit: Cailen Yiu via YouTube

Have you ever been scrolling through YouTube, looking for something entertaining with which to pass your time? Or maybe you have been an avid follower of all things Hamber, whether it be the athletic department’s Instagram or the yearbook’s TikTok. Whether you are simply bored of mainstream media, or are a #GriffinsNation fanatic, this podcast is for you. Or, well, at least it’s worth a quick watch.

The Griffins’ Nest presents a Q&A with Hamber’s very own Cailen Yiu (12): the creator, producer, director, cameraman, editor, and host of CSPN. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Where did you get the idea to start a Hamber Podcast?

Actually, it happened because it was the end of Statistics. I didn’t have anything to do, so I was like “okay, we’ll go downstairs and throw on some camping chairs and talk about random stuff.” I was doing this first for Midtown Showdown, and then after that, I just had the camera. I decided to turn it on, get some people on the podcast that I thought were interesting, and had fun.

What is the main goal of CSPN?

I think everybody likes to feel special. I think everybody likes to feel like they’re valued and that their stories are important. That’s what I hope to reach with CSPN; talk to people, and get a little bit into their personal life. Maybe one day they can be like “Oh, I was on this thing, and it was cool.”

Walk us through the process of making an episode.

First, I record the episode, which is 20 to 25 minutes long, depending on the episode. After that, I go on my laptop and sync the audio to the visual and put in a title screen. I don’t edit it after that, so if you watch a CSPN episode, it’s actually just one very long clip with no cuts. Basically, all I do is add the title text and pick a funny photo. It takes about an hour.

How do you come up with video ideas?

In the first episode, we talked about McDonald’s new items. We talked about McDonald's waffle fries and spicy nuggets. Recently, I’ve been coming into a common trend: talking about the upcoming Valentine’s Day. I talk about relationships and confirm the rumours. Are they true? Things like that are what I like to do on the podcast. 

Do you have any experience with this podcasting?

No, I’m just a guy who knows how to press a button on a camera and turn the focus ring on it. I mean, anyone can really do it. I run Hamber Highlights too, so I have that experience. But other than that, nothing I do is that special. I’m just having a good time, that’s it. 

Have you faced any complications with CSPN?

I actually had a lot of people wanting to be on the podcast, and it was kind of hard to decide who I really wanted to be there. There have been some episodes that had to be cut, because I just didn’t feel like they lived up to it. That was the most difficult part; the editing is pretty simple.

What do you see for CSPN’s future?

CSPN is trying to branch out. I know that episodes are quite long (20 to 25 minutes). My viewer retention is only five minutes, so if there is a video, people have probably only watched a quarter of it. I’ve been trying to start ‘CSPN On the Road’ on Instagram, in which we do short-form interviews (maybe one or two minutes). I’m trying to do that so people can get some quickly digestible content. That’s what the future for CSPN is looking like right now. 

Finally, the one big question: what does CSPN stand for?

CSPN stands for ‘Cailen Student Production Network’. Yes, that’s what it was. That’s what I found on Google the other day.

A message from Cailen to readers:

Follow me on all the CSPN platforms: @CSPN604 on YouTube, @CSPN604 on Instagram. 

If you ever want to be on the podcast — if you’re in a younger grade, if you’re in a different audience that you don’t think is getting enough representation, or if you have a cool story you want to talk about — I’m always down. Just hit me up, and we’ll see what happens.