Below is from Annie Clyborne on our team
Today I walked into work as usual, sat down at my desk, prepared for a normal work day, and was then greeted by my boss who informed me that my co-worker, Anna, and I would be going behind the scenes of a television set in thirty minutes. Wow! That’ll wake you up in the morning. I gathered my things together, excited and ready to take on this surprising experience.
Anna and I drove to WSPA in downtown Greenville, found parking (Anna used her parallel parking skills) and made our way into the building, where we had to be let in by a worker. We walked in, strolled across what looked like part of a set for a live TV show, and said our “hellos.”
Once we sat down, I got to observe everything. In one corner of the room, there was a set that was made for the news with a counter and three chairs behind it with windows in the background showing off the lovely streets and buildings of downtown Greenville. In another corner of the room, there was a set that was cozier and had a coffee table with comfy chairs around it, as if it was ready for a morning talk show. In the middle of it all, there were wires and cables and all sorts of mechanical-looking objects and technology with people pressing buttons and making adjustments to deliver the best quality possible. There were tech people scurrying around making sure that everything was perfect and would work accordingly. There was a woman asking the individuals who were going to be on TV to rehearse countdowns in order to do a proper sound check. There were people fixing hair, makeup, changing outfits, and making the set look flawless. A little bit before it was time to air, the tech people placed microphones on those who were soon to be on TV.
Once it was go-time, the whole room got quiet. Words were being read off of the teleprompter and smiles were shown. It didn’t seem fake or altered, which I loved. The chaos of all of the preparation slowed down and came together to form a really awesome live television show. Being behind the scenes of it all gave me whole new appreciation for the art and talent that goes behind television work. I noticed so many small details that eventually all came together to make the perfect set.
