I just finished producing a 29-minute audio documentary. It’s the culmination of 18 years of collecting tape, engaging countless people on street corners, finding experts and asking one question: When was the last time you said, “Oh my God”?  It’s been a remarkable journey of personal discovery through interviews, editing, writing, sound design and mixing. My collaborations included a story editor, a local composer and an audio colleague for a final mix.

The story contains five “chapters” that probe the phrase’s use in everyday conversations, landing on a surprising ending. The piece’s uniqueness is found in how investigating one seemingly invisible yet ubiquitous phrase can become a catalyst for much larger considerations about how we live together in a world of differing views and convictions.

I just submitted the audio doc to the BEA Festival of the Arts, a large competition created by the Broadcast Education Association. I excited to receive feedback from peers!

Her bio begins like this…”Ibby Caputo is an award-winning journalist based in the United Kingdom. She has reported on U.S. prisoners in Iran for the public radio show The World, on executions in Arkansas for Slate and on the gender pay gap for NPR and Boston Globe Magazine…”

A connection I made during my time at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies, prompted a cold call email to Ibby in April of 2023. The experience of collaborating with her over the past 17 months has been transformative for me as a storyteller and person. I’ve become convinced about a lot things over these months, but one thing is for sure, no creative work happens without collaboration. If you want to make something, find someone to join you. Thank you, Ibby, for nurturing the vision I have carried for more than 18 years with this material. Thanks for helping me find the story in it. So grateful.

Discovering the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University in North Carolina has propelled my project into its next phase!  From July 9-22, 2017 I spent two weeks collaborating with documentarians and basking in the creative mentorship of John Biewen–award-winning audio producer and Audrey Quinn–independent producer, journalist, and instructor at NYU’s School of Journalism.

These intense and creative interactions have honed the next phase of my project.  Over the next 18 months, I’ll be tracking down interviews, sifting through transcriptions and crafting a long-form audio documentary.