By Joseph J. O’Donnell
Photos by Daniel C. Harrell
ED- We are interviewing Michelle Gabriele -Harrell, Producer for both Radio and Television in Norfolk, Virginia.
ED- Michelle, Tell us something about yourself, your career, and the people that you work with.
MGH- My father worked over 40 years in the radio broadcasting industry. I went in the opposite direction and decided I liked the TV aspect of the broadcast world. Later, I ended up with the Best of both worlds. Fresh out of college after majoring in television and journalism, I landed my first job at one of the Greatest stations, the local PBS affiliate here in Norfolk, WHRO TV 15. I started out in Master Control, what I like to call the heartbeat of the station. Then I moved on to production and learned every aspect I could. I found the technical side fascinating, and challenging. I couldn’t get enough and the passion to create took over. I had the strong desire to take the visions that were in my mind and capture them through the lens of a camera or straight into a microphone in a recording studio. There are no words to describe when you put something together and see or hear it for the first time. The idea you once envisioned then becomes a full-blown reality. For me the “motivation” is when someone comes up to me and says that they were touched by my work, moved by it, or even spooked by it, then I receive the most gracious reward.