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So, Angie, wide anger Schwartz. Is that your name? Legal by. So it depends on what I'm doing half the time. I don't know what my name is. Oh, yes. We'LL go with that. It depends if I doing anything on air usually use and she riding her really well and use Angie Sports. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So you're a television reporter, producer, Emmy Award winner, mother and my cousin. And you're joining me here at the market, The market on March twenty third, two thousand nineteen.

I am interviewing you today because at family gatherings, when I see you, I always have a million questions that I want to ask you about all the things that you do. But we never really get enough time to get to them. So that's why I am glad we both made time today to do this. So thank you so much, Angie, for making this a priority. Well, thank you. I'm honored. It's very cool. Awesome. So was to start from the beginning here.

One of my earliest memories of you, Angie is working at video sensation theatres. One always. Yeah. One and only video blockbuster and high school was That was you, right? Yeah. How long did you work there? Um, probably two or three years in high school. Yeah, just make you know, after school job. I buried. So I worked at a couple different after school jobs. And in Vienna. It's kind of your choices hurt. Limited.

But I worked for John Bruner. It's insurance for a little while, and then and I could walk there from school. But then when a video sensations I had to have had a car, So is at least sixteen video. Say stations, Video sensation. Okay, Um interesting. And so you just pieced together this little high school work? Life? Yeah, amounts. So the craziest thing about working at videos, sensations and it's funny, too, because, like, my daughters won't even know what that is, right?

Because of Netflix and Hu Lu and everything else now. But the funny thing about working at a video sensations is we had a black book under the counter going. I know. And it was, you know, the X rated content in Vienna, Missouri. Yes, it was a black binder, and people would have to come and ask you to see the black binder, and you'd have to pull this. Yeah, it was quite embarrassing when people you knew right and I'm sixteen would have or the other embarrassing thing was part of the job was every night you had to call the people who had videos that were overdue, and some of them would be the overdue.

So, you know, you call a get someone's wife would be like, Do you have You can imagine the titles that will only get That's all I know this video just took our this interview. Just took a weird turn, but anyway, no, no, I You know what? It's funny because when I wrote that question, I was thinking that back in my head, I want video sensations. Had they did, it was quite embarrassing. Is a sixteen year old girl, right?

Well, it it made you confront a different world. Pretty so yeah, uh, just dealing with that. So Right. Um so Ah, you were a good student. High school too, right? Yeah, I think I probably you know, looking back at a school, I think I stressed out about things. Probably more than I needed. Tio. I don't know. I You're a good student, Tio. I just I was I felt like if I didn't get one hundred percent on everything that I was going toe knock it into college or something, I don't know.

I don't know. I was completely freaked out that if I did not ace everything that something terrible had happened, I don't know. It must be a winding your thing or something. But like, I talked to a lot of people in college, I just remember going to that time in college freshman year when you're talking to everyone about like, what was your high school like? You know, everyone is always saying, Oh, high school is easy, you know?

And they say, like, I got these names, you know, And I'm like, Well, anything less than a hundred percent. That is completely unacceptable. Right? So it's like that's when high school becomes hard. Because then it's so who pushed you two or where's that come from? I don't know. Well, if you had it to, I'd say somewhere on the Whiting Earth E, I think I don't know. I always felt like growing up for you, too.

It was like it was never a question of you go to college. It was just, you know what you would do in college? I guess so. Probably. I mean, I probably dad e guess. Let me mom push too. But I don't know. Dad always used to joke, you know, like I'd come home and I have always he'd be like, Well, maybe next year you'll do a little bit better. You know, he was a joke, but I kind of took it like, Oh, well, maybe I do need to do something right.

Like as a kid. You kind of like, Oh, it was his joke. But you're saying it wasn't completely explicit, like he he didn't. Ah, come and knock on your door and say, Angie, I saw this ninety eight paper here, and, uh, and we here at the Mark Whiting household. Only other presents now. No. And in fact, I think they probably were more on the end of life. Maybe you should chill out a little bit. Really? Yeah. I'm surprised, but I don't Yeah, I don't know who like why it was that intense.

It just And then I think to like once you once you do that like once. You in your mind, like once you said that you're going to get one hundred percent on everything or that at least in a that like you don't want that. I always felt like that was something. You know, that you don't want to get Leslie. You've set your standards, right? Your name saying it's like I've worked for three years and all the sum of my senior year I'm going to blows my class ring and scholarships and the speech and the stuff, right?

So I think that was part of it. I think like once you set a standard for yourself, then I don't think I wanted to fall below that I don't know. And I think I took myself a little too seriously looking back. I mean, it's something that you know. It's like, Well, I'm glad I got all those A's surely must think. Yes, I do wish I think I mean, so we're having her twentieth class reunion. It's actually twenty first.

We're a little bit behind today. They're grouping some classes together next weekend, and yeah, when I think back about high school, I just I think I was a little too serious. I kind of wish I had been a little bit serious about, like, being in everything and being, you know, like, one hundred percent on everything. You know, I sometimes I think maybe I could have chilled out a little bit so that we all those thoughts Yeah, get context.

So, life, I guess as you get older Yeah, actually, were, you know, a lot of organizations you were in a band for. It's a small town school thing. It's just like of course, you're an FBI. Weigh enough sea away or whatever they are everything. Everything. Well, that's the thing to write in a small town. Like if you didn't have everybody in every sport and band and inquire and plays and every you wouldn't have a TV right, you wouldn't have a place Way still didn't have a football team.

True, But you know what I'm saying? And then and then and then I think to like the faculty figured out who were the go getters and those were the people that you saw and everything, right? Right? Yeah. Yeah. So at what point did you want to be a journalist? And who or what sent you in that direction? So it's interesting. My senior year, I was trying to decide where to go to college, and I was I didn't really know what I wanted.

Todo will come back to the magic of editing here and Okay, We're back on line here with Angie and you, Right before we got off, we were talking about studying journalism in college. Oh, yeah. And what kind of brought that about right. So is my senior year. And I wasn't sure one what I want to do or to where I wanted to go. I was kind of a cross between wanting to either be in theatre because I really enjoy theater.

I loved all the things we did at Mary's. Are y get me? Were you the witch? Yeah. One production. What was that? That was survives. Okay, that was a witch. The wicked way. That was pretty memorable. In fact, I I always enjoyed that. You know, the thing about the stage, but it's just so fun because you could be crazy. Like whatever character you are allowed you to be that character. And it was just so fun, you know?

So I think you know, I was like, maybe I'll do theater. I will never forget. Mom and Dad took me to Slough in St Louis St Louis University, and we went and we visited the theater department and all they had all these people there that were getting ready to graduate. You know what? Their degree in theater. I'm talking, Teo. I'm and, um, like, Oh, so what you gonna do when you graduate? Like, Well, you know, we auditioned for a couple of rolls and a couple of different places, but, um, you know, if that pans out that last, like, you know, three months, six months, If not, then you know what?

I'm gonna usher. You know, I'm gonna waitress and I Mama, Dad still talk like the smile on my face, like fell, you know, because it I remember the moment like thinking to myself Oh, my gosh. These people just spent X amount of dollars on college because we had just gone and senior how much it was gonna cause a lot of money and they don't know if they have a full time job, you know, like and I remember thinking No, no, that that's not gonna work.

That's a lie. So I was pretty much that moment that I decided I don't think this theater things for me, but I really enjoy writing. And, um, you know, there is some theatrics. I don't know what some people might disagree But there's some theatrics in television production. Quite a bit, actually. It was their storytelling. And then, you know, just be on camera aspect. That's kind of performance. And so that Yeah, so that to me, was I was like, Oh, well, that's kind of a cool thing to do.

And so obviously, then from there, then I was like, Okay, that I definitely want to go to the University of Missouri because it has a strong journalism departments and and it turned out to be a really good fit. What, by the way, makes Mazouz journalism department so strong? It's the Missouri method. The Missouri through the Missouri method is that not only are you learning the craft, but that you are also practicing it in a really world situation.

So, for example, for broadcast you have Ko emu, which is a NBC affiliate television station. So most other schools they have like their college campus television station. But it's not an NBC affiliate station, and they actually so Ko Mu is the only station like that for universities because there's a rule put out that couldn't happen after Really? Okay, so that was you, like grandfather's something in basic.

Yeah, so it's It's one of the only me. Unless you were in college and got a job at the local television station, you wouldn't have that kind of experience. I mean, but at the same time, that's just broadcast journalism. So then for the newspaper, I mean, they have the Columbia, Missouri in they dio really newspaper. And then that's pushed out my students, right? Okay. I thought that was the town's newspaper.

Yeah, I mean, it is The town's labor is one of them. Just like him. Use the towns a TV station so that every sprinkle mean as when I was a junior. Yeah, when I was a junior, I was covering George Bush George W. Bush's inauguration from the capital. I was crazy when you went to Washington. Yeah, that's in saying I know I went to Washington D. C. And did a story. It was marching. Mazu was marching in the inaugural parade, and so that was the hook.

That's why I got to go. But I was doing live shots from the NBC studios Crazy, right? Yeah. They said it was just nuts, like they were. You know, the network anchors were Tom Brokaw. That's how I met Tom Brokaw. Tom. Tom Brokaw was in doing live shots and he came out the room that I was going in to do a live shot. He was like, Hello? Upto broke. Oh, cool. Please be cool. Be cool. Be cool. Yeah, while we were there to hum, uh, John Ashcraft that's right.

Yeah. John Ashcroft was being the Senate was interviewing, you know, he was going through all the hearings to be the attorney general at the time. And so we were that we was doing live shots on that just so happened that it was going on so that crazy it is crazy. And yeah, out of curiosity, why did Tom Brokaw go toma zoo to know? Because there are. There are Mizzou has a distinguished whole night yet, but he did not know, But I was twenty one years old.

Yeah, that is crazy. Yeah. I mean, I wonder what most people do because that's not for people graduate from other colleges. Like what do they? They just have to try harder to get that first job because they have zero literally zero experience. Well, are they end up in a lot smaller markets because you have to get your feet wet and then you have to figure out how to do the live shots. And I mean, you know, other colleges have the campus TV stations, and they're doing that there.

But I think there's just a bit more pressure when you know that it's the NBC affiliate in your broadcasting to for me. I was broadcasting to my hometown, right? E thing I better make make sure they're not completely blow this up. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing you on camera Mu. I mean, I was kind of young, but I think there was like, a blooper reel that went around the White House. Probably. Yeah, because there's so much pressure.

Don't get things done by that time or I don't know how it works. And I got more questions about that, but so real quick, just following your life up until a point. Right after that, you went to Springfield like immediately after, Yes, a graduated May. My first shot for my first day at Color ten in Springfield was like June fifth or something like the beginning of June. Thanks. So you have that lined up?

Yes, So I had that job before I graduated. I knew that's where I was going to be going, and yeah. Yeah. And I still have people occasionally, like, come up to me. If they're from Springfield, they're like, Are you really? Dance was so funny when I go back to Springfield to visit my aunt, who wasn't Springfield. Like people will still come out like, Where've you been? Have you been on vacation? It's been ten years.

It's been ten years. Yeah. You look about like, Oh, have you been on vacation? Like, Wow, that's a long vacation. Yeah, it's been sitting here. So you were there for quite a lot of them. I mean, jeez. Yes, it was. Oh, six, seven years. I was there for seven years and they moved to St Louis. Yeah, cool. So So how it is. Here's one thing I'm curious about being on a television set. So you were an anchor, right? Is that what the Terminus E started as a general assignment reporter?

Okay. So out in the field. Yeah. Okay. And then and I was like, I think it was Tuesday through Saturday, like two to ten. Thirty. Shift the evening shift. And then I got moved to Monday through Friday day side as general assignment reporter. And then I got moved to night sight again because I became the anchor for the Fox. So we had a Fox CBS combo in one TV station, so I would anchor the Fox nine PM, which was an hour show, and then it ten o'Clock.

I'd report for CBS my story. So do a story during the day anchor at night at nine. And when you say you do a store, you mean, like, be out in a field, right? And then anchor means like you're in the newsroom? Yeah, OK, yeah. Sorry. I am totally naive. I would I would kill to have, like, a just by eyeballs on the wall for Angie works in, like, two thousand six, just to see what, like a day in the life is. But so when you're anchoring specifically have always one another's, um they have the story and the transition that over the weatherman and bubble block.

And they have, like, a few seconds where people just started, you know, shooting this shit for lack of better words. And I was wondering how planned That is, uh, if at all. And if that's like a skill that everyone the news business has tohave like that Billy too. Okay, We need you to like the answer banter for ten seconds here. Like, yes. How works on that plan? No, because you never know how much time you're going to have How little or much time, right?

Right. So, no, it's not planned. Okay, but yeah, but sometimes they be like stretch stretch strikes. You have to just keep So there's people. There's people in the back. They're like holding up few cards or whatever. Either they're telling you on the floor, like behind the cameras. They'LL say strike. Although a lot of cameras there now, huh? You know, remote control operated. There are people behind him anymore.

Then there were, and they be telling us to stretch or, you know, you got it's called a knife. It's this little thing in your ear and they talk to you and they were like, you need to stretch, or they'll be like, wrap it up because we're going to commercial or whatever, Right? So, no, that was just All right. We're going to talk about the weather now or whatever. I mean to me that that's a skill that sounds hard to do.

I mean, and I think that's probably where being in theater and things, you know, like you got used to just think when you're on stage and someone forgot their lines like you had to figure out a way, Tio, right? Right. Yes, I think that was part of that. It never bothered me. The thing about TV for me is I never I never thought about how many people were on the other side of the camera. I always thought like, Oh, I'm talking Teo, you know my co host, my co anchor, Jerry here, whatever.

Like I was just talking to the weather guy, You know what I mean? Or sometimes I would think about I would be talking to mom and Dad because they watch every night. So I've been thinking about them from the day one. Or did you feel like a period where you're psyching yourself out just like falling apart all the time? You know what I mean? So is that just because that's a good it's like when people go on stage to perform instrument, they always imagine everyone in the audience just naked or something like that, Just like some bizarre.

Yeah, but is that something you just had from day one? Just that natural instinct to do depressurize the situation. I think it's interesting because I think if you got in your head and really started thinking about it, that's when I would freak out. Because if you got in your head be like, Oh my gosh, it's a really big story. I want to put this on my reel so that I can get a better job or whatever, like I gotta be perfect.

Then that's generally what would mess up. So it was usually better if I just, you know, if I go over, the story was about if I thought about them or if I thought about my mom and dad again. You know what I mean? Like that. I'm just telling them this story, whatever, like the more I got into my head and was like all is a big deal that would screw up that I would screw up or same with, like, reading a teleprompter the minute you thought read every word right.

Then you'd met because like you have to be in the moment when you're reading a telephone. Interesting. So you change the words around a little bit. I mean, sometimes you can't. But if you're if you're not like in the moment and you let your brain escape to somewhere else, that's when you screw up, right, Because you're okay. So we just have to be totally focused. Yeah, I just had to be zoned in. I feel like that's the way it is with a lot of things, right?

You let your brain wander. I mean, a lot of performance are I mean, like in my job as a programmer, if your brain wonders, you just lose a few seconds of productivity, right? You don't, like, lose your job? Well, I wouldn't lose my job, Wouldn't say, but I would definitely. That's that's what I would do. Bubble up. You know what I mean? Like, the words wouldn't come out of right of my mouth. I mean, reading a teleprompter, and I wouldn't read it right.

Right. Because I would be out of my head thinking about something else, right? That's that's interesting. Um, so you've been in the industry for quite a while? Um What's the television? Was the future of television broadcasting look like? So let me tell you. I mean, so I worked in Springfield. They moved to St Louis because I got married and started freelancing, which I love love. But there is a part of me that was like, Oh, gosh, miss news, I missed the so freelancing Isn't news like freelances is doing is producing content for just generally like he could be anything for a company, right?

Exactly. So I'm a freelance, right? That's what I do now freelance video producer. So that means that like, I might work for a production house doing a video for a bank or a hospital or a company Or I might work for. I do a lot of work with a CCTV, and we do stories, unlike its HCC media. Now we do stories on, like, arts and culture and like things that are happening in St Louis. So I mean, it's a mixed bag of whatever whoever needs my services, which I love.

It's great. But when I first moved to St Louis and I was doing it, there was still a part of me that was like, Oh, but I love journalism. I love you know that I could do a story, that the thing I loved about journalism the most was that I could do a story about something that was wrong, some injustice in our world and maybe the person who the stories about they couldn't get people's attention. I could so I could do a story about somebody who was being treated unfairly by a law by something, something somewhere.

And I could go interview those people and things would change like laws changed. And I'm saying like that is you highlighted that you gave a microphone, people could hear them final, right? Well, not like that. Like you wouldn't help people accountable who are supposed to be helping them. And that's what I That's what I loved about journalism. And and so when I moved to St Louis, I was like, Oh, gosh, I missed that.

Great. So, um, you know, after he'd been there a couple of years that you know, at that point when I moved to St Louis, all the TV stations were downsizing is kind of when the economy took a dive a little bit, so they're all downsizing, so nobody was hiring. So did this freelancing for awhile and then after is there a couple of years? The CBS affiliate in St Louis Campbell OBE. They the news director, knew me, and he was like, Hey, we need a freelance reporter General assignment reporter night sight.

So I started doing like three or four days is weak. They're, you know, just being there, general assignment reporter. And let me tell you after doing that, you know, the grass is always greener, right? Because I always wanted to work in St Louis because I was like, Oh, then you, you know, you made It's a bigger market, right? But it was all crime, and it was not what I anticipated. And I know the question was what the future of journalism is, and this is a long weight against the answer, but of, you know, it's it's it's that opened my eyes even that in the few years I had been out of journalism to be in that newsroom and see even then, like how much things were changing, You know so much is opinion any more, and that's what's really heartbreaking to me, because I was always taught, you know, that is a journalist.

You need to remain unbiased, like you need to just put the facts out there and let the public decide. And I'm I'm concerned because I don't I see a lot of bias in journalism these days. Really upset. I honestly don't watch the news very often. This is a person what you used to watch. I mean, my life hinged around the news, right? Right. I now I hardly watch it because it's very upsetting to me to watch how bias things have become.

Now I think that right now, though, journalism is needed now more than ever, right, because you need those truth seekers when there's so much misinformation out there on social media and places. So my hope is that there will still be the people coming out of journalism schools and things, you know, looking for truth and doing good investigative work. Skin, because I really feel there is that need for people to give people a voice and hold people accountable, and I think that there will always be a place for that.

But it's changing so much with social media. Yeah, nowadays it seems like it's the curator curator is I can pronounce that word, really. But the curator of content is now like popularity, a supposed to, and it comes with strengths and weaknesses, of course, but it's just like if something gets clicks than its journalism, it's true, you know, whereas before you know, some television producer with some Hippocratic oath of of good journalism would probably be like, you know, the decider of what content gets, what stories get written and produced.

And, yeah, it's totally change it. And that's how it's tough, right? Because you want. I mean, you still have to sell ads. You still have Teo. That's right, you're in the business of selling adds a sense. Well, even as a all televisions. But they have to be right. You still have to keep the lights on, right? So you want people. You still are trying to be the station that the most people watch. So if you have the content that the most people want than in theory over the station that most people wanna watch, However, sometimes that's not the good journalism.

Do not meet like just because people want to hear about the kardashians way, we should be doing so. Yeah, That's the struggle, and I my at my hope is that there will always be a place for, you know, the spotlight kind of stories like the Boston Globe does. Or, you know, like those investigative pieces that you know that we need that we need that institution. Teo. Hold people accountable. So, yeah, that was a part that I always loved about journalism.

Um, no, I like. That's funny because I have a couple questions following up from that discussion or from the original question, which is What's the future television television broadcast, like pretty much you've already answered them would like the truth in journalism, for example, and ah, all that holes. So here's another question to bring it down a bit. For now, what's wouldn't news and puns? E. I don't know what the sense of humor or this inside if you come from, but journalism just has so many puns, attention grabbing titles, you know they got.

And I'm embarrassed to say that I'm sure if you dug up some of my stories from like when I first I thought I was being creative, but like Oh my God, come on now, you know, they I look at it now like Oh my gosh, that's ridiculous. But yes, you're right. There's it's kind of dead joke level, right? I don't know if it's if it's just all everything looks like that in hindsight, but I mean, it still is like a predominant way to, like, big having attractive title, I guess.

I don't know. But there's there's a difference between being creative and being cheesy. I think so. Yeah. There's a fine line. Okay, Um what work assignment? Regardless of whether you were anchoring or you're covering a story or you were working for a company producing some video, what work assignment gave you the most potent life experience? Oh, wow. So I think, Well, I mean, there's so many. There's just just different phases of your life.

But the one that sticks out to me, probably the most, is probably the my favorite work experience I've ever had. And I think it was probably had the most affected me was probably when we went to Kenya, we were doing a piece for Monsanto, actually, which, you know is now there. But we went two months. If we went to Kenya because they had thiss it was called drought tolerant seed corn seed. And so it was interesting because we went tio these villages where people, I mean, they had to walk a mile to get tau water.

So the water water, Right? So I mean, these are people who are living in mud hut. You know, um and what they know that they would put their life's earnings into their crop, right? And then if there's a drought, they've lost everything like, not just they're they're they're food, but like and everything. I mean, maybe they sold their cow right to buy the seed for this crop, and now they don't have a cat right there.

So it was really interesting to see It's just, you know, that in this world where you know, I come home and I have pretty much anything I needed and whatever I don't need wood over. I don't have I can get fairly easily right. Everything's accessible here and then to see these kids. What happened on that trip was we were the family and they had several children. And in Kenya, school is free up until, like junior higher high school, I can't remember.

But then you it's still free. But you have to pay to take your exams. So and if you don't take the exams and you don't get to move up, afraid so. You know, all the families want their kids to keep going up and keep your being educated. So I have to figure out a way to pay for those exams. Well, this family didn't have money for all their kids to take their exams, and that's where they're hoping their crop would be successful so that they would have money for the kids to school.

This father comes up to me about halfway through our shoot, and he his English wasn't. He's Swahili was really spoke, so English wasn't great, But he was here. He said to me, It's like, Ew, You take my son with you And I thought he was joking. Was like, Oh, you're so buddy. Oh, you cute kids. Come on. And he you know, he's like, No, no, no. You take my son with you to the United States and you raise him. Wow!

And when he's big, strong man, you bring him back. But you raise him, you give him a good education and you know that he was tunnel like and this man fiercely left his children. You could tell like they were his world. But like that, he was willing Tio, say goodbye to his son for years so that he would have a better education. Better life, right? That was just I don't know. That trip was very eye opening, Teo, to make you feel very grateful for all that we have.

You know, it was it was very eye opening, right, And hopefully the product that the seed was ableto help. Hm. And be more have a more predictable life too. So, yeah, I mean, that was that. We talked to several people who had, you know, because of the seed, they had moved up One of those, a woman who had started growing across because she was tired of every time there's a drought not being it'll feed her children so she took it over her husband's a schoolteacher so she's like that's it I'm taking this into my heart as I am planet subsea and so yeah says she started planting this this crop and and then I got all these other mothers around her involved and they had basically this farming, you know, community where they were raising these crops and, you know, things were getting better for all of them.

So so did the company decide on that one particular area like you're going to talk to this family? Somehow it worked as we teamed up with another. It was a way. Emma was the name of the organization in Kenya, and it was like a a new organization that was finding families that could benefit from thesis EADS and different programs and things. Anyway, So we teamed up with them and they knew of, like, ten different families, and we kind of talked with them about the different families.

And then when we got to Kenya, we went and met kind of each of them and then from there, kind of figured out who would be the best for our story. So Bertha was name of this lady who had taken, you know, matters into her own hands to raise these crops for her family. She was the story. She was amazing, right? This strong, powerful woman who was, you know, strong willed. And this isn't a culture where the women, well, very strong and respected it was still an is the head of the house.

Right? Right. So for her to be like, No, we're going to do that. It was really again eye opening. It was again. The women women are not like how women here in the United States, right, that there is still a little bit of disparity and enrolls. I would say so. Yeah, it's very interesting. That is school. That's pretty eye opening. Yeah. And can you tell me how many countries have you been to know? So So I was fortunate.

I was doing work at that. So there's all freelance work, but, uh, I was in Kenya, was in Israel. I was in Brazil. That was freelance work. And then we did a travel show in Taiwan was to travel. Should show from Taiwan. Was that for a sec? No, it's first the mother organization. Yeah, I wouldn't really fortunate. And then, you know, when I was in college, I was in France and all those places, but like you're apart.

But with work, I've really gotten to see him. Amazing places of the world that I wouldn't have. I would have gone to Kenya, probably, or Israel or the part Brazil. I was in, actually, when you started being a television host in Springfield that you have it in your mind that you're going to like. Okay, I'm going to stop this reporter or this Ah, anchor stuff and travel the world. I know. But, you know, it's funny how life works, right?

Because I always loved traveling when I was in college, and I took an internship in font of below France because I wanted to travel. And so I had this internship for God. Remember that? Yes. I had an internship at this English speaking university in Seattle, which was in Fontainebleau, France, which is, like, thirty miles south of Paris. And so they paid. They paid for my way over, they paid for my housing.

And then they paid me for the internship. I got two weeksvacation. Jesus! All right, thats right. I mean, people will be people work unpaid internships with absolutely nothing amazing. And I was it was like an Internet reporters. Basically, we took it was a university. So we took all their case studies and, like road little synapses of them so that people would click on him and wanted by their case studies.

So I was trying to make, like, you know, I probably used too bad puns. Just sell those. But yeah, that's what I did there. But, I mean, I think I always I love traveling. I always wanted to see more, so yeah, by being a freelancer than I was able, I mean, opened up so many doors, right? It's like you get paid to go on vacation. We're less. But more specifically on that. That Kenyan trip. I just had a curiosity.

Like who wrote the questions that you asked people. So I will say, Like, when I was I was working for Fleischman Hillard. Then that's who Who is hired by Monsanto to produce this video. And so Fleischman is a large public relations company, So there were several layers there. But then there are several layers within Monsanto to silly walking, working with two large corporations to do this video. So, you know, while I wrote the questions, they went through several layers of people to make sure that they were appropriate.

Interesting. Okay, So you did get Teo kind of be the originator of the how the conversation would flow, sir, with people Yeah, And they were really good about that, too, because they realized that, like, you know, when you're there, when you know, comfort. You know, from interviewing people, conversation goes in different places, and sometimes you just have to keep asking the questions to get to the heart of the matter s O.

They allowed us to do that, which was great when we went back. There was a lot of eyes on the video and, you know, making sure the wording on the graphics and everything were right. Right? There was a message across because obviously, we were there for their purpose. Um, but yeah, they pretty much let us have control of the interviews. Just great. The best part of that interview. Oh, my gosh. So Bertha was there with her husband, and we interviewed them together, and then and the husband started taking credit for all of this.

Really? Yeah. For all of her agricultural, you know, successes that she had, like, he started taking credit for The funniest thing happened, like, so he's talking and her arms, she starts crossing her arms and giving him, like this death, Claire like. And it was I mean, the body language was great, right? She's all, like, arm cross. Like looking at him like I hear you. You know what I mean? So we just let him talk, And then he went to work the next day.

He had to go teach school the next day, which was really cool. We got to go with him and see a classroom, which was amazing, too. But so he went to work the next day. And so we interviewed Bertha by yourself. We interviewed birth of yourself. Then we got the real story, and she was very animated. And we knew it was a real story because we were there. We were watching her do the cracks. So I'm sure she didn't interrupt him.

Know again. That goes back to the culture, right? Like she and? And she was like, I'm just going to keep my mouth shut and not say anything. But then we were able to get the real story. How many hours of, like shooting do you? Oh, my God. That sounds like a one or a couple of minute video, I suppose. Or five or ten minutes a content. I think that was like a three four five hundred thirty five max minute video, and you know it pretty well, though.

No. Usually they need to be, like one or two for the Internet. It was a long video because I'm anyway, in terms of the ratio town like ours. Yeah. I mean, there's you leave so much on the cutting room floor, right? Making all situation. Yeah. I mean, for that video. Oh, God. Hours. And we we shot for, like, a week. We're there for ten days for three, four, five minute video, right? I mean, I mean, just, for example, of a story did this week, we shot three different days, so we probably had at least a couple hours of footage and that video that that story's like, three minutes long.

So yeah, now and news, it's different, right? Because you're on a much faster timeline, right? It's like it's like soap operas versus ah, things till they're twenty two episodes a year versus, like, todo month. Right, right, right, right. I mean, for news like you had to go, you have a like Look, we got to go out and have something on the news by five. So better get moving and you couldn't ask. You didn't sit down for a thirty minute interview, right?

Because you don't have time to go through it. So would be much faster right now at school. Eso in music and art This is touching moron, like the mechanics of just like, literally how you speak. Anyways, it'LL make more sense. Once I just asked a question. So why don't I just do that or talk about it here? Ah, In music and art, there's often an ideal that people chase after. For example, many male opera singers want to sound like Pavarotti.

Okay, um, this perfect, rich, blended, articulated tone. But in other genres, like Rock, there's a lot more variants because the emphasis is being Mohr on. Sounding different. Been like describing to this ideal so but with respect, like mainstream broadcast journalism. Ah, from the outside, at least it seems to me that it's definitely more like some ideal that, like everyone's Dr Strives for the cadence.

Ah, the inflections like, would you say that exists? Or am I thinking about this all wrong? Lee. No, I think that there are some in particular. There's some really good, uh, storytellers that I look to for inspiration, Um, but at the same time, I think that they're so the thing with video and production these days is you're trying to get people's attention, so you want to do something that's a little different, right?

Tate to get people's attention. But at the same time, they're still those key elements of storytelling that that pulls people in just inherently. So Those are the elements that you want to kind of always include. So that would be your Pavarotti Ella moments, right? Those air the you know that you want to have good sound. You wanna have a good story development, good characters. But then, like, you know, you might do something wonky herself.

They're kind of out of the box to get people's attention. So maybe you frame your interview, you know, with them looking the wrong way or, you know, do something creative in that aspect in the editing room. You could probably make great decisions. Too. True. Yeah, but like the shooting, that's that. Wow, that comes down to the photographer and you're talking to the photographer of making sure I've always been fortunate.

And then that I had I don't shoot my own stuff usually, and you're very often like a producer of right. So, like, you're not just asking questions or being on camera, you're you're in charge of like, producing the overall out Rick of the video, right? Yes, with a team of people. Write. Exactly. So that's where it comes down like talking with a photographer but beforehand and the editor afterward. To be like this is my vision or what?

Your vision. You know, they're super creative people, too. So trying to figure out what's the best wayto to make it different. Make it pop. Yeah. So you think about that all the time. Basically, Um and you've spent a lot of time talking in front of camera yourself. How has your style of presentation or technique evolved when you're specifically on the camera? Like thinking back to when you first started in Springfield, like have is Are you pretty much the same in terms of like the way you talk?

So I know. When I was in college, one of my professors, he was like, You sound like a cheerleader, like my voice too high. So I had to really work on, like, really lowering my voice. Yeah, because you don't want, like, you know, really what you had to work on. Like you've always had the technique to be able to do both because you're in theater. Yeah, but I think that especially if you get excited, you know.

But then the funny thing is, after I got out of news and I was working in, you know, just video production and things in St Louis. We like you sound too much like an anchor like this. Very like professional talk and right. And people start like, Oh, you're using your anchor voice, which was Pavarotti. Sort of thie ideal. Like this is how I supposed to say right was like, No, you need to just relax and, you know, talk like a normal person talks.

So I think that yeah, that's that was the thing that I found after I got out of news was, like, be normal, be relaxed. So, yeah, I took a little bit, Um what came natural to you? So you mentioned like, one thing that was a difficult or they had to change, um, the paying on the situation over the years. Ah, early on, it was sounding more like a news person. And then there was sounding more like yourself.

But what was one thing that you didn't have the change from day one that you just had, and it came naturally. If anything, um, I think that I've become a better interviewer over the years. But I think being the daughter of a person, I think I think we just are brought up with, like this. You want to know about people's? I never had problems going up to someone and talking to them because I mean, in news and in what I do now, like, you can't be afraid to just be like, Hey, do you mind if I ask you a few questions, you know, and start talking to him?

I never had problems with that. I think from when I worked in news to where I am now, like or, you know, are interviewing people like I never had problems like writers go sit down and talk like this isn't a big deal. And, you know, I think because they do a lot of interviews now with, like, authors and things and those air long form. And I'd love because it's just a conversation you get to learn. So it's like what we're doing now, right?

So, yeah, I don't think I ever And maybe that's just because of the way we were raised, you know? Yeah. I don't know. Sales people. I mean, you know, both of our dads. That's funny. What talkers? There's there's been talking and sales selling, though, because the selling aspect is only I do not have and do not any understand by that is that genetic affair. Okay, well, but yeah, Yeah, the idea. Yeah, just the ability to conversation.

Um, I don't know, Like I don't know how it is with you. I think you're a lot better at this than I am. But like when I make like I got, if I meet someone new, I got, like, six really good hours. Um, and granted a lot of people You don't ever talk six hours in your entire life with him, like six hours of focus discussion. I've got, like, six really good hours, but after that, it's hard for me to come up with something talk about and I often finally self repeating there like you've already asked me that ten times.

I'm like I got nothing. You're not good. I mean, that's the difference, right? Because, like when you're interviewing people you interview, play two minutes to thirty minutes, usually And what my dio and loose, So I mean, everybody has something fascinating to tell you. I agree with that. OK, yeah. So that's the thing. I mean, just that's what I do. I just talk to people. Do you ever feel like you're trying to, like, extract like, the little ten minute?

Exactly. Just like I got ten minutes to extract one good sentence from one brilliant symptoms. I know you're capable of D'Oh. Yes, Absolutely. I think that part of what we do because you want them to come off good. You went well, right? You want them to sound. You want them to see the piece and be like I look good right now. I don't want to see the piece you like. Oh, my God. I sound like an idiot. Right? So that's where I think that's That's, I think, the part that that I've honed over the years of, like, figure out how to pull out those best pieces of them.

Okay, Interesting. You mean like him editing or like on the spot? Like, what's going to get them to say Okay, Yeah, it's cool. Yes, and I think a lot of that because I was talking to someone the other day and they're like How do I honed my interview skills and I think that's just practicing, right, because, you know, it's funny when you start out, you got your list of questions when I started. I was like, Okay, I've gotta ask these five questions that must ask, Linda.

But the problem is, if you get really into it, your questions, then you're not listening, Teo. Yeah, right. You're worried about what you're gonna say and you're worrying about, like the order. And if you have to start being covered and yes, yeah, you're in your head, right? And so if you get out of your head and you just listen, a lot of times they say something and you're like, Well, what do you mean by that?

And that's when you get the good stuff, right? Right. So that's where I think I probably that's private skill that's been honed, probably the best, and has been the best and the most advantageous to my craft. Is that like being able to really listen, Bill? Oh, now we're onto something good, right? It wasn't my brilliant question. It's what you said. So, yeah, right in sensing when that moment comes right, exactly cool So we just got, like, fifteen more minutes here, if that's OK or less a little bit.

So, um, what's the most exhausting task? You know, I think it's going to sound funny, but like as much as I love these interviews like, it can be exhausting, like making solid eye contact for, like an hour for me at least. And Ah, and like, I feel exhausted after this, and I'm glad I did it. But, like it's, there's something exhausting about the process. But is there anything in your jobs and your being a producer or being an interviewer or, um, an anchor?

Whatever that one particular task that just it's exactly two exhausting? Yes, thanks. You exhausted? Yes, it's the logging. So it's the logging. You have the law. Yeah, we log, and it's exhausting and yet vital. So after I get all the video, the photographer will send me all the footage that he's shot and all the interviews, and we put that what's called a time code burn on it. So, you know, usually it's the time of day that was shot, and so what you do.

What I do is that go through and I type up everything that they said in the interview with those where to find, um in a video, the time code. So that's exhausting, right? Because it takes a lot of time. You're typing everything down, but I do that and I probably our little I'm probably a little crazy with how much I do it. But I I will do it completely, because when I'm writing a story, there might be something.

A lot of times I kind of have how I think this story is going to go in my head. But sometimes is your writing air like who? I really need a soundbite where you know he was talking about X, y and Z so you can go back to that log then and go through. And as I log, I usually put like in bold when they say something really good or it sounds nice or stars by it or whatever, and so that log sheet really helps me.

But it is tedious. That's a tedious task, and a lot place a lot. People will send off the interviews and have them logged by. I mean, you could your phone's right, Khun, type by sound, a lot of That's what I do with these Trent. These interviews. Honestly, I Yeah, I sent him off to a service just Amazon web services. And the transcription is not perfect by any means, but a cz faras like making a pretty decent representation of everything we talked about.

It's not exact. It does make mistakes for now. And that technology is improving, of course. Yeah, but ah, but it makes it easy to search back through, and everything is down to the microsecond. You know, I saw a lot of people do that. I still do it on my own Just because I want to hear you see a chance to kind of go over everything, Does it gets you thinking about things and I Because you forget things, right?

And and sometimes I'll hear them say something that I totally missed it. The interview. You know, maybe I was again into my head and my notes or something. So I still go back and and log, and it's tedious, I think. Important. Cool. Um, So you you had two children recently. What's your life like now? Your work Life balance. Oh, my God. I, uh That's something I struggle with. I think most parents probably dio you know, whenever you're at work, you want to be at home with your kids.

When you're home with your kids, you feel like you should be at work, so it's that it's tough. Fortunately, you know what I really enjoyed? What Ideo So that's less and less, Um, but it is. It's a struggle trying to figure it out. And, uh, you know, making sure I think the thing that I really had kind of have to remind myself is that wherever I am, I like to be there fully, you know? So if I'm with my girls to be their fully to not be thinking about, you know Oh, I need to be checking my phone for whatever or, you know, if I'm at work to be their fully to be thinking, you know, I still love my girls.

I'm still think about them but like to be their fault, like to give about a CZ much as I can, but not to be like checking the Internet or whatever, but to get my stuff done and to be focused, I think that's where I have two candidates check myself alive. When did you learn that skill or Yeah. What did you learn? That skill? I'm still learning it. But is it just because you had no other choice? Like, there's not enough hours in the day for me to, like, have a break in work and play like Papa shot with that?

And you know that basketball you have to have, You still have to have some downtime. Where I am right now is I mean, I'm not. I'm not. Five days a week right now. I've been doing two or three days a week, so those days have to be pretty focused because I'm kind of cramming in five. Teo, that's cool. So what is it? It's good, though. Because then I have my time with the girls. You know more time with them, so I just have Tio.

It's funny for me. The last time I have, the more I get accomplished times, right? So you can't like you and you're used to it from the journalism business. Like being a reporter early on, I'm sure where it's like this has we have literally three hours to put this on the air sort of thing. I need a deadline. I am tired. You two need at journalism school may be wired to be did need a dead light. So that those help with Because in my mind, I know that if I don't get this done today, it's going to put off till next week.

Like I got to get it done, you know, because other people are relying on what I do to get the story out. So, yeah, there's an accountability factor. Ah, what does Vienna mean to you? And do you ever think about living here again? Oh, my goodness. Yeah, well, it's funny. Uh, so what does the enemy to Vienna to be? Always be home. I mean, I It's funny because as an adult, when I talk about going home, I don't talk about going to my house, right.

Still talk about going to Vienna. Do you do that, Teo? Sort of. But I honestly feel like the house that we live in now, which is the house I've lived in since I was fourteen, is still not home. Like my home is out there on forty to, like, actually in you had an original home? Yeah, like winded. Well, how old were you when you switched sixteen? Yeah. Oh, you only get two years in that awesome house. Yeah. So when I think about home, it's funny when I dream about being when I think about being a kid, I don't think about the house that my parents live in right about.

Funny, like I dream about when I'm a kid. It's always in that other house. Yeah, I mean, because it literally was. But at the same time, like home. There is still something special about that. Probably. Yeah. When I think about home, though, I think about the house for Mom. Dad, live right, but yeah. So Vienna to me, is it's home. I mean, you feel so safe at home, right? So it's it's feeling safe in the country and everything, and, you know, it's funny.

When I was younger, I always thought, Gosh, how could I raise kids anywhere but Vienna? Right, Because that's what I know as my childhood was here and the same with my husband. I mean, John from here to write. So, like, we talked about that lot like how we're going to raise children in the city like That's weird. How are you know, they're not going to feel just run around on, you know, gravel roads and and play in the woods.

And, um so that's something we think about a lot. However, I mean, with what we do, if it would be hard toe live here and do what we dio probably impossible is pre pre tough. Um, be tough. Things would have changed quite a bit. So I don't know that what we do it thought be fostered here. But, um, yeah, if we think about that last night, that's why it's really important meeting to bring my girls here a lot.

Yeah, it's like you get away. It's nice. Yeah, because I want them to have, you know, Grandpa Whiting. You're always talks about, like, having that that country smarts, right? Like heaven, the there's a lot. There's a lot to growing up in the country and just having you know, that the book smarts and that's the lot. People here have book smarts to like having that common sense like people in the country just have a lot of common sense.

They d'Oh, you know, and I don't know if that's because you have raised in an environment where there's a lot of things that could kill you. Yeah, exactly. That's exactly the singing cows and on the tractors, right? You have to be aware of yourself a little bit more. I mean, there's obviously in the city there other things, you know, a different end of the spectrum. But, um so that's why I think it's important to bring him here and just to know where they're from to.

Yeah, Grandpa always says, it's like Vienna is a great place to be from, and you can still make your kid's from Vienna in a way, if you bring down enough or feel like they have a new identity here, well, I just have like to know that, you know, like our house. It's eyes on a not very big piece of land. It's surrounded by other homes, like you don't have a lot of land. You and I mean, like, you come here and like, you really feel a connection, too.

This planned. Yeah, because if you wanted to cross the fence and going what walk onto the neighbor's property like they're probably okay with it, right? Right. I don't know. There's just such a other everywhere we live. There's a sense of community, for sure. But here it's like it's a deeper sense of community. Like people. No, you, You You're all your family, for better or for worse, right? I know what you mean.

Ah, a couple more here. Ah, these air leak Wickers here quickies. You grew up in the eighties nineties? Which decade do you identify with more? Oh, So people say your child of the what would I say? Everything, I guess. Probably the eighties. I mean, I was born in eighty the very beginning of eight, nine days into the S o b like you nineties in two thousand's what you say nineties. Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, I think, Yeah.

So I think that when I think about growing up, I mean, think about it. But like, the music and then the shows like there are your eighties like everything you liked was an eighties. When you're home, you're cleaning. You put on a tease music. I don't know about that, but I mean, I think of a child of the eighties looking so I think of. You know, that's funny, though, about the rad T shirts and all that, um, you and I are both whiting.

Hers wasn't mean to be a white anger. Oh, gosh, that's an interesting question. I think, Um, I think probably the hard work ethic that we have probably comes. That's from Grandpa. I think I won. She worked to get the station going, and you know how much he's worked all the years. I think that's what I think. I think it's a hard work ethic. Um, and there's strong sense of family and, um, devotion to family, I think.

But probably the number one thing I think is, you know, no hill for a stepper, right? I'm more than a while. But I've heard it all my life, all right? Yes, I mean to me. And I didn't always wondered. Like what exactly does that mean? No Hill, First of this sweet grampa says Right. Writes it in every birthday card or used to at least, and I ate it to me. It's just, you know, keep your head down, keep step, and you know you can surmount anything just one step at a time.

And I think that sums up kind of what it means to you, That's what Yeah, reminds me of being in. Those have been going this workout place because I need someone yelling. I mean, if I'm going to actually understand and but they're always like anyone can do anything for ten seconds and it's just like Yeah, but I've been going for ten minutes like a non stop, like thiss ten seconds in that ten seconds. And then there's another thing that's like It's like it's but it's that mentality.

Eso Last question is, how do you deal with they permanence, especially the Internet and especially because you were in broadcasting where everything's live but also recorded and pretty much there forever. And you have to like it. You know, you have to deal with the words that you say here today. You would yield the words that you said when you were a cable immune, more or less and how you like. How do you deal with the permanence of of Ah, your actions, as the world becomes more like hasn't much larger memory.

What's interesting to write because everything could be searched and I have never really Googled my name to see what comes up. But I you know, there's a there's a lot of stuff out there from decades, right being on TV and things, you know, I don't I don't think about So it's interesting because you help you'll have a legacy of like your eat the stories that you've done and hopefully it's the good stuff that pops up but I think more about like what goes on I think more of about it in terms of like my daughters and like their safety and things like I think about that a lot because I do post photos and things with them and uh you know just wanting to make sure that they're safe because it's such an interesting dynamic of the way things change out there right um I know that's not the question you asked but that I think about that more like what I'm putting out there of them and would they be okay with it for me I think it's interesting to see what's out there and what I've done but fortunately I don't think there's anything that I've done that I feel embarrassed about like moses all of this yeah they can think I mean there's a couple of stories a little let's go silly but I don't think I've ever done anything.

No, I haven't done anything that I wouldn't still say. Yeah, I did that story and I asked and behind it. Yeah. There wasn't ever anything that I would be ashamed of doing on it. Here also, everything that you've done, all the words that you said, like, makes you You're completely okay and at peace with Yeah, I I think I don't think there's anything journalists don't have. Todo Joes don't have quite the scrutiny of like a politician, for example, but, um, it's still in interesting.

It's still don't you don't get angry like when you know I stuttered there or thiss small things like that. No, I mean, that's life. That's really I don't think people did. If I were perfect in every situation that I ve a robot, right? I guess so. But at the same time, like, I know a guy who I work with who recently just decided that he was going to have every single picture online that he found of himself taken down by, like going to the people last like, this is my image.

You can have that or whatever. And he only had a few out there, but it's just like there's as the Internet just it has so much more data and it's our data. It's our lives. They are life's data on. It's just everywhere. It's, um we I guess as a culture, I feel like we just have to be okay more with that being that I don't know, I think what's out there? I mean, yeah, if you pulled up something for twenty years ago when I was starting in the business, you know, I probably might be a little embarrassed, but, you know, I still want to find that I still want to find that Kayla mutate.

I swear I remember watching it at Grandpa's House like Christmas time. It's It's like a blooper reel. It's so good. I'm gonna really had some good bloopers, I think. But yeah, I think it would be funny to watch, but I don't think that I would be like, Oh my gosh, that was, you know, ethically wrong. Or you think you know, I don't feel like the important thing, like, yeah, the funny I'd have groovy hair Voice would sound funny, but does that mean that's just like pulling out of your book, right?

There on the yearbook committee. Who? I was not on that. You're You're taking those weighty courses to get Teo. Anyways, uh, Angie, thank you so much for joining me today. Making this a priority. Hi.