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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.
I’m so grateful Chan took the extra time for this, and I think you’ll find it a worthy listen.
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Matt Pearl is the author of the Telling the Story blog and podcast. Feel free to comment below or e-mail Matt at matt@tellingthestoryblog.com. You can also follow Matt on Facebook and Twitter.