What’s Happening Behind the Scenes | Endowment Intern Shannon Simmons

Rockin Rags Creations

A lot of small steps are taken before a piece is anywhere near ready to be published, and that is what this week has been all about for me. During week four of my SCETV summer internship, I have been able to work on different tasks in the office that will help move the current stories we’re working on forward.

To start off the week, I sat in on an interview with Celia Kerr.  She is the daughter of Vicky Kerr, the retired Rock Hill doctor whom we interviewed a few weeks ago. I helped my intern advisor and SCETV producer Kaitlyn conduct the interview for a video project she is currently working on. Vicky Kerr was the first African American female physician to start her family practice here in Rock Hill, S.C. The interview with Celia Kerr went very well; she was much like her mother in that she had many stories to tell about her experiences growing up and then pursing her career. It was interesting to hear her interview, especially when she discussed her close relationship with her mother. Through the interview, we were able to get a different perspective that I think will make the story more complete.

After speaking with Celia Kerr, I was given the task to transcribe the interview, which is basically a fancy way of saying write out all of the things that were said. I’ve definitely learned that even though transcribing interviews is tedious, it helps a lot in the long run. Transcribing is something that I’ve never done before, but I think that it is a good step to add into my workflow.  

Next we went to meet with a local artist to interview her about the dolls she creates and sells at community festivals. I was able to ask questions during the interview and hold the boom mic to make sure the audio levels were correct.  This interview was fun because I got to see the many different types of dolls that the artist made by hand. 

All in all, this week has been very productive. In between interviewing and transcribing, I’ve been brainstorming new story ideas I want to take on. I’m happy to do the little tasks that go on behind the scenes because I know they will make the story stronger in the end.