Jamie Seh, the Sports Director of News 6 Orlando, spoke with Mr. Michael Damon’s sports media class on Monday. In her presentation, she demonstrated how she conducts her sports interviews.
“What I do is I interview people,” Jamie said to the class. “I get to know them, and then I put a story together about the person that I interviewed. This is part of the day-to-day [work] that I do.”
Various students agreed to be interviewed, and she had her camera set up and her microphone ready to give the volunteers the full experience. By conducting the interviews in front of their peers, the pressure was on — however, these students were clearly up to the challenge and handled the questions like pros.
She recapped the interviews and talked about her process of crafting a story, discussing the importance of asking good, nuanced questions and then turning that person’s answers into a story that viewers will find interesting. She then gave students the opportunity to conduct their own interviews, providing tips along the way while pointing out everyone’s strengths.
She ended her presentation by inspiring students to know their value, and then she opened the floor for students to ask questions, ranging from salary-related questions to questions about Jamie’s favorite interviews.
“I am very thankful to Jamie Seh for giving up part of her day to speak to the class,” said Mr. Damon, MVA’s Sports Information Manager. “The students got a chance to see and hear firsthand from a professional in the industry, and I think that while still in high school provides an invaluable experience. I believe the students got a lot out of it.”