Giulyana Gamero ’26 (SUNY Geneseo/Mat Johnson)
When Giulyana Gamero ’26 first came to Geneseo from Rockford, Illinois, she hadn’t planned on spending four years cultivating a passion project like her audio drama, Sunflower Story Hour.
During a tour of the college radio station, 89.3 WGSU, Gamero, a communication major, learned how open-minded the station’s operations manager was to the potential for non-traditional programming—like a scripted radio show.
Gamero was inspired to pursue an idea that she had and take on a challenge “that breathes life into a more underground art scene.” This idea gave birth to Sunflower Story Hour, which Gamero describes as “an episodic, paranormal audio drama. Each season focuses on a different world, cast, and story with genres ranging from comedy and sci-fi to horror and fantasy.”
The welcoming, inclusive culture of WGSU made Gamero “feel a sense of belonging,” and the cast and crew of her show grew into a tight-knit group. “I was struggling to find a community on campus,” Gamero admits, “and thought that an audio drama could be a great way to channel my free time and yearning for creativity in a way I’d never tried before.”
When reflecting on being able to apply the things she learned in classes, Gamero says, “I’m so lucky to be surrounded by faculty who have given me the chance to prove myself.” In addition to her communication coursework, she took advantage of creative writing workshops offered by the English department and worked as a peer writing consultant at The Writing Center in Milne Library. Over the four seasons of her audio drama, Gamero is proud to have written all but two episodes, as well as serving as a producer, narrator, editor, social media manager, and director.
Having wrapped up the final season of Sunflower Story Hour prior to graduating, Gamero hopes to use the skills she’s learned through producing the show, as well as through her academic coursework, to pursue a career working in media—and she’s also open to other opportunities within the communications field. “I hope that I can be a part of a team or creative endeavor that allows for my leadership and collaborative skills to really shine,” she says. “Being able to create Sunflower Story Hour made me passionate about staying on campus, but, honestly, it really was the people along this journey who convinced me it was all worthwhile.”
Watch the video below to meet Giulyana and learn more about her experience at SUNY Geneseo.
Author
Mat Johnson
Multimedia Producer