Week 4: Changing Perspectives

                The past couple weeks have been surreal. By virtue of persistence and a bit of luck, I came upon some incredible opportunities. Firstly, I was given a chance to do interview Big Sean, a popular rapper. Rewind a bit- he was coming to Detroit to do a charity event called "Principal for a Day" in which he is principal of a school with the best attendance rates from January to May. This, not only boosted attendance rates, but gave Sean Anderson (Big Sean), an opportunity to return to his roots for a day. I pitched this story to our producer who then passed it off to one of our reporters. Last minute, Jay, our producer, realized the reporter had to fill-in anchor for Karen Drew. Jay, knowing, I was well-briefed and passionate about the piece passed off the interview, then, to me. It was an incredible experience in which I learned an immense about myself as a reporter. Firstly, I was very comfortable filling the shoes of a reporter. I organized interviews, made connections with the right people, made sure my shots were set up in time, helped the photog with the live-backpack, didn't panic when things went, inevitably, haywire, and most of all, was nothing but professional even when the temptation of fan-girling over Big Sean seemed like it may have been a reality just a few days ago.

                The next week Anna Wintour visited the DIA for Bruce Webber’s exhibition. I attended this shoot with our video journalist, Michelle, and our style editor Jon Jordan. Again, being professional in every respect from what I was wearing to how I introduced myself to Ms. Wintour was the priority. The shoot was great and it was extremely rewarding to be able to help with the set-up, organization and coordination of the interview. Afterwards, as always, we were sure to get interviews with attendees, b-roll of the exhibition and a couple practice stand ups. Jon Jordan also cleared his schedule to sit down and write the piece with me on Monday which will air sometime this week.

Again, it all feels like a whirlwind that I can barely get down on paper fast enough. These two experiences, however, have showcased how lucky I am to be working with the people at Channel 4. It truly is an atmosphere where you get out as much as you put in. My hard work and extra hours at the station result in getting to be involved in these amazing experiences and that is something I am not at all taking for granted. Even more so, working with well-known personalities has taught me a lot about the interview-culture in broadcast journalism. It becomes so much easier to have a conversation on camera when you treat it as if it was any conversation you'd have with your best friend in your living room. Be natural, be nice and be genuinely interested. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have to hold!