Jill Ament joins TSM as new Managing Director of The Drag Audio

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Student Media is excited to announce that Jill Ament, an award-winning multimedia journalist, educator and University of Texas at Austin alumna, has been appointed as the new Managing Director of The Drag Audio Production House, the first and only audio production house on a university campus.

Ament brings extensive experience in broadcast journalism, public radio production and journalism education to The Drag. She most recently lectured at Texas State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. 

She has also served as a producer and reporter for Texas Standard, a public radio news program at UT Austin’s NPR affiliate, KUT 90.5. There, she learned about The Drag through their collaboration with KUT and was “impressed by the quality of work” they produced, she said.

“​​It just was one of those things that lodged in the back of my head at the time,” Ament said. “I was like, ‘Wow, that would be like a really great organization to be a part of someday.’”

To Ament, returning to lead at UT after completing her master’s degree at the University felt like coming home.

The Drag has grown significantly since its founding in 2019, with student-produced podcasts that charted on national platforms and demonstrated the capacity of student media to produce professional-level content. Student participants gain skills in reporting, editing, interviewing and producing content for audiences beyond the University community.

Her appointment signals a continued investment in experiential learning and professional development at the intersection of journalism, storytelling and digital media.

“We’re really grateful to past leaders at The Drag like Katey Psencik and Robert Quigley for building it into the powerhouse it is today,” said Will Parchman, Director of Texas Student Media. “We’re extremely excited for Jill to take the baton and lead The Drag into its next phase of growth.”

Ament looks forward to diving back into audio storytelling full time and is grateful for the opportunity to be a mentor for the next generation of journalists. As the media landscape continues to evolve, Ament wants the organization to stay ahead of the curve and explore new facets of storytelling, specifically vodcasting. 

Vodcasting, or video podcasting, is an emerging form of reporting that adds a visual element to traditional podcasts. Ament thinks this is the future of podcasting and wants The Drag to use this as an opportunity to engage more listeners. 

“I’m really excited to work with the students and help them fall in love with this medium like I did,” Ament said. “I know how important (mentorship) is, not only to success in a university environment, but professional success.”