My colleague Jaime Green has inspired and encouraged me in my pursuit of multimedia storytelling over the past several years.
Jaime does videos for work at the Eagle, but she also does them for fun, to document her life.
So when she suggested I do a video for the craziness that is Halloween on the street where I live, I took her up on it. Note: We have about 3,000 trick-or-treaters on our street every year. This year, neighbors counted 4,200. The entire block decorates. In Wichita, they call it Halloween Street. The tradition started long before we moved here, and when the house across the street sold to new owners last year, the purchase contract included a requirement that the Halloween decorations stay.
So far, the YouTube video has more views than most of the serious stuff I do for work. People have shared it to their Facebook friends and given great feedback.
What does this have to do with journalism? Well, one, it helps sharpens my skills. The more you do something, the better you get. And I found when I go back to work after something like this, I'm energized. When you can apply the skills you use at work into your personal life, work seems more fun.
Anyone remember when we used to write for fun?
Here's the Halloween video. I had fun doing it. Hope you enjoy it.
