What We Do
Sparked is a podcast of West Virginia University Magazine that is all about the people who are changing Appalachia’s future for the better. We know you’ve heard about our challenges. But there’s more to the story. Reporting on the region every day for several years has shown us how the University’s people are setting off sparks that are changing the economy, jobs, education and perceptions of Appalachian culture.
Sparked is produced by Raymond Thompson Jr. and Diana Mazzella with web development by Austin Isinghood and design by Elizabeth Ford.
Who We Are
Raymond Thompson Jr.
Raymond is the lead photographer, videographer and multimedia editor for WVU Magazine, and co-producer of Sparked. He recently dragged several case of photographic equipment, a pen and a notebook to the West Coast to photograph and write a story about the endangered California condor. Before joining WVU Magazine he was a staff photojournalist outside Washington, D.C. When he is not podcasting, he can be found chasing his preschooler across the living room floor and developing film into the late hours of the evening.
Diana Mazzella
Diana is editor of WVU Magazine and co-producer of Sparked. Her stories for the magazine have included the discovery of fast radio bursts in outer space, how a journalist ended up helping to free more than 2,000 enslaved fishermen and how a veterinarian led the charge that saved hundreds of horses after Hurricane Katrina. Before starting at WVU in 2010, she was a newspaper reporter covering police and courts. She fell in love with audio as an intern putting together the daily news capsules for local NPR stations.