The pandemic has significantly altered our everyday lives and filled our feeds with the latest COVID-19 cases plaguing the world. Creative outlets can help people reduce stress and anxiety during these unprecedented times. I have personally found that listening to music or watching a TV show has helped me decompress as a producer who is constantly following the news.
The entertainment industry that provides these creative outlets has been greatly impacted by the pandemic. Artists around the world have no physical stage or venue to promote their work, so social media platforms have been essential.
The segment was originally inspired by Awo Jama, an Arts, Culture, and Entertainment desk editor at Annenberg Media. Jama reached out to me a few weeks ago about creating a segment where reporters chat with up and coming artists in L.A. and globally. I was immediately intrigued by her idea and wanted to integrate it into Annenberg TV News (ATVN).
Since ATVN serves the USC community, I thought it would be valuable to feature USC artists promoting their work and developing their craft in a virtual capacity. Featuring USC artists on the show not only gives them a chance to grow, but the segment also gives our viewers a new artist to check out each week to help them decompress.
The segment was originally titled “Pandemic Performers,” but after brainstorming segment names with Jama and my executive producer, Nisha Venkat, we landed on the name “Quarantine Creatives.” Even though the quarantine period in the United States is over, the pandemic still restricts our daily activities. Some artists that used to work in a studio are now confined to creating in their personal living spaces, which simulates the same isolation we all faced during the quarantine period. USC artists creating in their bedrooms have used Zoom rooms and virtual venues to adapt.
The first “Quarantine Creative” we featured is Sophia Dion, a USC singer in the Thornton School of Music. Dion has been promoting her music on her Instagram and TikTok accounts. She is one of many artists impacted by the pandemic, but she has discovered the light at the end of the tunnel. While singing in her bedroom is a big adjustment from live performances in Los Angeles, Dion explains in the segment that virtual venues allow more artists to promote their music without a label.
One of our anchors, Amanda Ani-Offiong, interviewed Dion about her new creative process and edited the segment. Amanda, Stacy (my faculty advisor), and I worked together to establish the structure of the segment. Since Sophia Dion is such a talented singer, we decided to open the segment with her performing. Amanda collected videos of Sophia singing both before and after the pandemic so that we could contrast live and virtual performances. Amanda brought my vision to life as she tackled the artistic challenges presented by the pandemic while showcasing Dion’s talent and perseverance.
I was extremely pleased with the final product, but there is always room to improve. Due to time constraints on the day of air, “Quarantine Creatives” did not have a graphic to represent the new segment. One of ATVN’s video editors, Colin Taylor, is a talented animator and he offered to help me create a logo to brand the segment. On Monday, we will implement Colin’s full-screen graphic to introduce the artist and capture viewers' attention.
I also plan to implement more sound and video in the show. I will tease the segment with audio in the preshow instead of just videos with the anchor’s voice over. I will also give the segment more time so that the viewer can hear or see more of the artists' work in the actual segment. Sophia Dion had such a wide vocal range and I think we could have incorporated more sound into the show to accurately portray her talent. In the future, I plan to incorporate more of the artists' work so our audience can take a break from our regularly scheduled programming and enjoy the artistic stylings of the featured artist.
“Quarantine Creatives” makes me wish I was a singer, but I think I’ll stick to singing in my car for now. Join us on Monday night to meet the next quarantine creative!