Lauren Slome
Emmy-nominated Multi-platform Producer
Special projects
During my time at the University of Missouri and abroad, I worked in a wide variety of newsrooms. I've worked for an NPR affiliate station, designed information graphics for a newspaper and its digital site, and written and edited for Newsy. My emphasis in convergence reporting taught me that a story is often best told in more than one format. It gave me the vision to see how bridging those different formats can both draw in new viewers and help our existing viewers connect more with our work. And my time in those various newsrooms gave me the skills needed to execute that multi-platform content. I've tried my hand at a lot, and I've got my eye on even more. I'd like to expand my resume to include podcast work and documentary content. I'm a fast and furious learner, so let's do it.
Projects
Call for Change special
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This was the first special I produced at WRAL. It aired in the months after George Floyd's death, when our community itself was calling for change. We organized a musical telethon that combined the talents of local artists with their messages for change. From performances by Rissi Palmer to an interview with Renee Elyse Goldsberry who played Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, we gave the artistic community a megaphone to amplify their message, while taking our audience inside some of the most loved venues in our community, all closed for covid-19. This special pushed me to think outside the box as we juggled schedules, performances and the pandemic. Most important of all, Call for Change raised more than $192,000 for the United Way's Anti-Racism Community Fund, which was established to help untangle systemic racism in the Triangle.
Launching a new newscast
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About one year into my time at WBIR, I was given the opportunity to help shape and launch a new newscast for our FOX affiliate. The half hour show airs at 6:30 each night and features anchor John Becker. Our goal was to create a newscast that looked different and felt different. It runs up against three national broadcasts, so we wanted to be a source of local news for our viewers. But young, fun, fast. We never wanted to put our anchor behind the desk. We allowed more time for our talent's personality to shine through. And we did a lot of work with Tagboard and aggregating content trending specifically in East Tennessee.
Decision 2018​
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Elections? They're my passion. And when it comes to voting, I'm self-admittedly a bit of a nut. Because it's one of the times we get to use our megaphone for good. We can advocate for people to use their vote. That passion earned me the chance to coordinate and oversee WBIR's election coverage in May, August and November. I dug into sample ballots, traced story lines and important races, and prepared graphics to make our coverage shine. For Election Night, I helped coordinate impactful guests, fielded reporters, and produced two hours of live news as results poured in.
Online, the work started even before early voting began. On WBIR.com, I made sure our viewers had access to everything they needed. Information about registering to vote, about candidates, and about the larger national pictures. I wanted to make sure the viewers in our 10 largest counties had access to the 5 W's of their early vote, and everyone could get to their sample ballot. That's why I created an ultimate early voting guide for our digital team.
This article has molted and matured through three elections, so please bear with the many embeds.
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Smokies Stronger: The night that changed Sevier County
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November 28, 2016 was an unforgettable day in East Tennessee. I'd only been here five months, but already I'd fallen in love with the Smokies. And for a lot of our audience and our staff, this little area tucked away from the world has been home for decades, or life. So watching parts of it burn to the ground was unthinkable.
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A year later, it still wasn't easy to think about. But we'd gotten some answers, and found some hope. Our station went all in on telling those stories that week in 2017. I dove in online. In this longform piece, I wanted to paint a bigger picture of what happened that night, and in the days leading up to it. I interwove reports from the National Park Service with the phenomenal storytelling of our reporters in the weeks and months after the fire. And for the first time, I sat down with the staff that was working that night to share their experiences and struggles through the coverage. The result, was powerful. It also won 2nd place for the Best Digital Content in the East Tennessee Society for Professional Journalists Golden Press Card awards.
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