Telling The Story

Matt Pearl
Telling The Story

A look at how journalists -- and all of us -- reach the world

  1. 2021/05/12

    PODCAST EPISODE #85: Reshma Kirpalani, documentarian, “Inside the COVID Unit”

    Last spring, when so many of us were frightened and nervous at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world of journalism and the world as a whole felt chaotic and upended, Reshma Kirpalani leaned in. She cold-emailed a hospital group in south Florida to see if she could obtain access to its COVID unit, through videos shot by its employees. She received that access and embarked on a half-hour documentary ... that ultimately turned into five half-hours of an episodic series. She convinced her bosses at the Miami Herald and its parent company, McClatchy, to enable her to focus entirely on this project. And just as she was about to start putting it together, Kirpalani learned she had been laid off. McClatchy decided to eliminate Kirpalani's video team. For Kirpalani, it meant the end of not only regular paychecks but also the documentary she had poured nine months into producing. Or, at least, it would have meant the end ... if she hadn't fought to finish it. Kirpalani convinced her bosses to let her stay on for three more months. In that time, she produced an unforgettable and necessary document of the early stages of the pandemic - and how those grueling weeks impacted the lives of the health care workers who couldn't avoid it. The project, titled "Inside the COVID Unit," can now be seen on miamiherald.com. And it's riveting. I've watched - and produced - numerous stories on the pandemic, but few if any moved me like this series. It puts on full display the initial chaos of those early months, which weighs over every impossible decision faced by the health care workers profiled here. Kirpalani's commitment shows throughout. She captures moments that are equally brutal, frustrating, raw, and heartbreaking. She has an intuitive sense of narrative and context. More importantly, she does it all with extraordinary empathy - the quality that most enables this series to stand out. Kirpalani is my guest on Episode 85 of the Telling the Story podcast. When I listened back to this interview, I immediately wanted to hoist my camera and tell a meaningful story. I'm in awe of storytellers like Kirpalani who embrace their work with such devotion. It's what I seek in my own stories, and it's what I appreciate in the journalists I admire most. →

    51 分鐘
  2. 2021/04/07

    84: Emily Chan, restaurant owner, on being the subject of a story

    I've done 83 episodes of the Telling the Story podcast and, in the process, interviewed nearly as many talented storytellers and journalists. Episode 84 is different. This time, I interviewed someone on the other side of the camera - someone who was the subject on an in-depth story I produced late last fall. Her name is Emily Chan. She's the co-owner of JenChan's restaurant in Atlanta. I did a five-minute story about the restaurant last year, spotlighting hers to represent the challenges faced by so many in that industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. I spent six shoots in two weeks with Chan, and I was able to tell a compelling, all-encompassing story as a result. Last month I learned the story had won an NPPA Best of Photojournalism award for Hard Video Essay. When I posted about it on Facebook, Chan responded with a lengthy comment that included the following sentences: "This interview still haunts us...and not in a negative way; it simply captured our vulnerability - which is truly every small business owner's vulnerability during this past year. I went back and watched it last week and it was painful; it still is. We are still fighting week to week and we still see the light at the end of this tunnel. Thank you for sharing our story so thoughtfully and carefully." We shouldn't need reminders of how our stories impact those we interview, but this was a big one. I decided it could be a subject of further exploration. Chan is my guest on Episode 84 of the Telling the Story podcast. →

    34 分鐘
  3. 2020/10/01

    79: Tiffany Liou, WFAA-TV, on MMJing during a pandemic

    The "origin story" is a superhero movie staple: how one everyday individual discovered extraordinary powers and realized her or his destiny of defending the city, country, world, or galaxy. In the journalism world, Tiffany Liou has one of the most inspiring origin stories you'll hear. She didn't go in J-school. She took a job in marketing. But she felt a pull towards news. She picked up an internship at a local affiliate but never quit her day job. She did both, overnighting as an assignment editor on the other side of the Bay Area. Eventually, she left the West Coast for a producer/MMJ position in West Monroe, Louisiana. That's how she started. Now she's an accomplished storyteller at one of the top storytelling stations in the country, WFAA-TV in Dallas. Liou is my guest on Episode 79 of the Telling the Story podcast. In this episode, we discuss Liou's origins in the field, but we mostly dive into her life today: as a solo video journalist during a global pandemic. It's changed and challenged all of us. Liou's perspective is one many will understand. She is also one of 16 interviews for The Solo Video Journalist, 2nd Edition, my updated how-to book for MMJs that was just published and is available for purchase. I finished the book just before COVID-19 took over our lives, but its core techniques and lessons remain relevant and even critical in our current world. Being a solo video journalist means living in a continual state of adaptation, and this is no different. →

    36 分鐘
4.7
(滿分 5 顆星)
25 則評分

簡介

A look at how journalists -- and all of us -- reach the world

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