Devin Williams
Tell us about yourself:
Hello, I'm Devin Wiliams. I am enthusiastic about telling the stories of marginalized individuals. In a world where we are more technologically connected than any other time in human history, I earnestly believe this is the time to develop a lasting cultural, racial and societal empathy. Through audio and visual storytelling like podcasts, platforms like Tiktok and Twitter, we can achieve an unprecedented understanding of different people.
My first passion is narrated audio pieces and long-form discussions on everything from representation in mainstream media/entertainment to policy and legislation.
I can't possibly articulate how excited I am to learn from you and hope to have many future collaborations.
A piece of yours or project (in any medium) that you'd like to share.
What draws you to storytelling?
What draws me to storytelling is every story is different depending on the lens of the narrator. Personal perception determines heroes, villains, victims, saviors, problems, solutions, and lessons.
Any topic can be fascinating if you just put it under a lens that isn't typical or mainstream.
What excites you the most about being a New Voices Scholar?
Learning and developing my skills with professionals who are more experienced than me, but who also look like me. Have similar and completely different life experiences than me. I have learned so much and thought so much about what Journalism is and what it could be in the near future.
What’s playing on your radio/audio streaming service right now?
Focus: Black Oklahoman's "Battle for Greenwood ". It's a limited series chronicling the 100 year destruction of of Tulsa's Greenwood District.
What’s the most underrated tool (technical or not) that you use in your creative process?
Otter. AI transcription services. It has been a game changer in putting stories together for me.
What is something you want to see more of in the industry?
More solutions journalism and sticking with stories. Instead of moving to the next headline, or outrage. I want to track the developments of important stories and keep people engaged to inspire them to go out and work for a more equitable world.
Who/What are your radio/audio inspirations and why?
Brian Reed from Serial. He made this one podcast called S-Town. It's a testament to sticking with a story and not having such a rigid idea of what the story should be. The series starts of as a investigation into a potential murder. Then, as it progresses turns into this thoughtful biography of a eccentric person. It really is beautiful.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Just a thank you to everyone at AIR for giving me this opportunity.