Profile Story Prep

Coming up with profile stories is not an easy accomplishment. You need to make sure the person you decide to write about an interview is also someone people would like to read about.

Picking an interesting person is not such a hard task, but then you have to make sure the person you pick is available and actually wants to participate in an interview.

I first chose to interview House of Representatives member Bud Hulsey for my profile story. However, due to the recent pandemic he was unable to meet with me and had such a busy schedule that he decided that an interview over email would be best.

After emailing Bud my question I got no response. This goes back to finding an interviewee who is actually willing to participate.

Another hassle with writing profile stories is staying within your beat. My beat is politics, specifically law making, court decisions, and crime. Bud had fit my beat perfectly because he was a politician with a background in police and FBI work and he oversaw incarceration laws.

Finding another person to profile has become a little difficult especially with the recent self-quarantines most Americans are participating in.

After some thought I have decided to find a profile a little closer to home for myself. I plan to email Robin Hood, a member of the Scott County, Virginia Public School Board. He represents District 6, the district I come from.

Scott County is a very small area which means I should be able to get quick responses. I also have connections to Hood, as to be expected of people living in such small towns. This means I should also be able to easily find other that I can interview about Hood.

So far, the hardest part about writing a profile story is finding a person to write about. I believe once I actually get some responses and have some materials to write with, putting the story together will not be too difficult.