Mira Hovis (right) and Samantha Smith (center) interview Del. Hollis Lewis on the House of Delegates floor.
Our second show is now finished taping, and I can already see progress being made in the studio and in the field. The team is starting to get more warmed up to one another, and although there have been some faulty steps, the adaptations and growth everyone has been making are extraordinary to see.
This time, I had the amazing opportunity to travel down to Charleston, West Virginia, with our legislative reporter, Samantha Smith, and it was truly eye-opening for me. The people I met and the experience will be a memory I will hold onto for the rest of my life, as not only has it made me more confident in my abilities as a videographer, but also in who I am molding myself to be for the future.
Before Charleston, I was quiet and reserved both out in the field and when working with the team. How I helped my teammates was determined by how comfortable I was with everyone, and I would shake to my core with anxiety because I didn’t want to mess up. The weight of the world felt against me, and the only thing pushing me through it was that there were people who had asked me for help, and that has always been at the core of who I am: a support player. It caused me to make simple mistakes because I was only there for them, not because I was confident in my ability to help.
That all changed during our days in Charleston. I met Senators, Delegates, other journalists, videographers, Capitol workers, and ordinary people who were happy I was there because of who I have chosen to be. People I had never met before were excited that I had taken an interest in their work and lives. For the first time in over a decade, I felt like my life had intrinsic and nonnegotiable value. I felt like I had found what I had been searching for my whole life: connection. I was right where I needed to be, and the weight that was once on my shoulders has finally been lifted.
Mira shoots video of a delegate on a West Virginia MetroNews live stream ahead of an interview.
Not only did this impact my ability to help Sam shoot at the Capitol, but upon returning to Morgantown, my personality has begun to shine through to my teammates. I’m able to better work alongside my teammates because I have taken all the excitement of those in Charleston and turned it into my confidence. I can now talk and work with reporters to help come up with ideas and edit. I can help give notes on whether an anchor in the studio needs some feedback. I am no longer scared to make a mistake because that is how we grow.
And I saw that in the studio when we filmed show two. Our reporters' packages have room to grow, and our videography work can do with some improvement, but it was evident that there were major upgrades to our production.
After some rockiness in our first two takes, the energy on set was infectious, leaking through the screen in the control room, firing the technical crew up. The third take was a home run, and it’s clear to us that there are now only two ways our show gets even better: in the field and in the production room. We all know now what kind of energy it takes to put on a good show, but we need it badly when we are gathering our footage. The team is poised to hit their stride by show three, and I believe that the team is ready to seize the moment and make it their own.