On day one, driving down south to Pueblo, Colorado, I did know what to expect or what would unfold. When I met the subject of my story, Sister Nancy Crafton, we hit it off immediately. Her friendly and calm demeanor allowed our conversation flow effortlessly. The 55 minute interview flew by.
My mentor, Miguel, helped teach me how to set and tear down the mic, recorder and scene. This was my first time learning to use such sophisticated audio equipment, and although I can’t say I am an expert, I am now much more comfortable using these tools to make an audio story.
The next day, I learned in a virtual session how to use Adobe Audition. I enjoyed replaying the clips to use in my script and finding shortcuts to make the whole process easier. It was magic – a 55-minute interview was narrowed down to 13 minutes, then 6 minutes and a final 3 minutes and 40 seconds!
More virtual sessions ensued, covering various topics like storyboarding, working in a digital-first environment and data 101. Each session gave me new knowledge of what digital journalism looks and feels like. Afterward, I was able to apply it by testing my skills, cleaning up my transcript and creating my final audio script to align with my original story pitch.
I am proud to say, along with the help of my mentor and many teams at Colorado Public Radio, I have produced my very own non-narrated audio piece and multimedia story. “Serving Migrant Farmworkers Facing the Effects of Climate Change in Colorado with Compassion” required learning new knowledge and skills, patience, hours for content gathering, editing and production, as well as a stable internet connection.
