Spencer Gray

MY STORY:

• It’s all about the bread: the history and legacy of the Village Baker

MY BLOG:

For my enterprise story, I went through an entire process to develop an idea that would draw my audience in from the very start.

In the beginning, I started thinking too big. I wanted to do interviews with people I’d have no way of getting in contact with. So, I really had to narrow down my thoughts on something more obtainable.

For my story, my sources were very easy to obtain. The Village Baker is a family company, with my uncle being the CEO. For my other sources, I interviewed the managers of both the original location and a new location. My cousin was one of the managers so it was also easy to contact him.

They provided very good insight into what happens behind closed doors. Especially for my uncle, it was easy to see how things worked before they finally franchised the stores because he is the original owner. The manager of the Salt Lake store has also been with the company for years so he has also seen the growth before and after.

My focus was unclear at the beginning, so I started with the interview questions. When I started to develop these questions, I could see a direction that my story could head. I thought it would be fascinating to shed light on how the Village Baker has grown over 25 years running.

While I was writing, I would think back to documentaries I’ve watched or other profile pieces I’ve written, and tried to mimic that style of organization and professionalism. It made my process clear and easy to write after finishing an outline that organized my thoughts.

I want to know more about the Village Baker’s past before they opened. I know that my uncle had a partner who helped start this with him, but he eventually left. I want to know more about him and why he left.

I was surprised by how easy it was to get motivated by a story. Most writing I’ve done in college has always been dry and boring. But my enterprise story was one of the most exciting stories I’ve written.

ABOUT ME:

Spencer Gray, a student at the University of Utah, is heading into his junior year studying strategic communication. His passion for writing has branched to multiple sources including film and directing. Gray hopes to hold a creative team-oriented position after he is graduated from the U in 2020.