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A podcast setting out to define what love feels like. Made by and for college students.

That�鶹��ý�s the opening pitch for DefLove, the new podcast by Abi Shorter �鶹��ý�24, an acting, film TV, voice-overs, and commercials (FTVC) major. As the host and founder, she�鶹��ý�s got her hands full�鶹��ý�but that�鶹��ý�s exactly how she likes it. �鶹��ý�I�鶹��ý�ve been itching to make something for months. I constantly have to be creating or I�鶹��ý�ll burst,�鶹��ý� she told us.

Initially, she had quite a few projects planned, but COVID-19 forced everything to a screeching halt. �鶹��ý�I�鶹��ý�m tired of grieving,�鶹��ý� Shorter said of the temporarily shelved works. She needed a new creative venture, and it was a talk with a friend that sparked her idea for the podcast. �鶹��ý�Neither of us really knew what love was,�鶹��ý� Shorter explained. �鶹��ý�I had my idea of it�鶹��ý�I was in love at the time actually�鶹��ý�but it�鶹��ý�s not the sort of thing you can receive confirmation on. It�鶹��ý�s somehow different from that crush feeling, but how do you know when you�鶹��ý�ve reached it? Can you?�鶹��ý�

From there, she planned to start the podcast off with two stories from her own personal experiences with love. The script turned into a �鶹��ý�forty-page monster�鶹��ý� in only a few nights. Talk about motivation! �鶹��ý�I took inspiration from the podcast Alice Isn�鶹��ý�t Dead with the narrator structure, mushed a few separate events together, and approached my roommates with the text,�鶹��ý� Shorter told us. (They�鶹��ý�re acting majors. Very helpful.) They recorded everything on their phones as voice memos, and after editing it all in one five-hour sitting�鶹��ý�geez!�鶹��ý�the podcast was ready to be launched. �鶹��ý�It truly is a passion project,�鶹��ý� she said.

It�鶹��ý�s that level of passion and dedication to the craft that truly elevates Shorter�鶹��ý�s work. But then, she�鶹��ý�s always been fueled by her creativity. �鶹��ý�I love telling stories in ways that hit someone in the face,�鶹��ý� Shorter told us. While she had plenty of experience in the theater, having put up a play she wrote herself, ultimately, she chose to pursue film instead. �鶹��ý�There�鶹��ý�s a humanity to acting for film because it�鶹��ý�s mimicking reality. I�鶹��ý�m fascinated in the real because that�鶹��ý�s where stories happen.�鶹��ý�

�鶹��ý�I love telling stories in ways that hit someone in the face,�鶹��ý� says Shorter.

She took her time choosing a college once she knew what she�鶹��ý�d be majoring in. It was a decision that happened fairly quickly thanks to her experience during the process. �鶹��ý�Other schools just emailed me to check my portal,�鶹��ý� Shorter told us. �鶹��ý�By the time their program head actually reached out to me, I�鶹��ý�d had a Zoom call with [Pace] FTVC students and realized it was where I wanted to be.�鶹��ý� She emphasized how �鶹��ý�chill�鶹��ý� everyone seemed even in those initial virtual meetups, which was another big selling point for her. �鶹��ý�I came from a program where the air in the room would change every time the program head walked in, so it�鶹��ý�s nice to feel like our instructors are actual people and not god-like entities in stiff button-downs.�鶹��ý�

So, what�鶹��ý�s next for the DefLove podcast? �鶹��ý�I don�鶹��ý�t really have an end goal in mind,�鶹��ý� she said. �鶹��ý�I just give my all to little projects like this because it�鶹��ý�s where I find my life. If the podcast makes even one person happy and believe in their ability to love just a bit more, then it will have achieved its purpose.�鶹��ý� We�鶹��ý�re excited to see where it goes from here! If you�鶹��ý�re interested in getting involved in DefLove, whether to share your own story or lend your voice acting talents, please email Shorter or .