Our Times
Episode One
Our Times is a news magazine program produced by the Video Magazine Storytelling class in the Journalism Department of Boston University. In the debut episode, Laney Broussard tells the story of how a single meal swipe can feed an often-overlooked community; Zoe Zekosgives a tour of the Museum of Bad Art, a museum that offers visitors a chance to learn about art, and challenges how we traditionally appreciate creative genius; Kiara Smith reports on a Pom Pom Dance Class in a local senior center that is good for the heart, both literally and figuratively; Pietro Rossini looks at the building of the first LGBTQ+ friendly senior housing facility in the U.S.; and Caitlin Kelley takes her camera to a museum displaying over 15,000 pieces of living art, the Arnold Arboretum.
Alanis ‘Laney’ Broussard
Swipes for Boston
With a focus on telling the stories of underrepresented demographics, Boston University junior Laney Broussard tells the story of how a single meal swipe can feed an often-overlooked community—the unhoused.
Documenting their work, she walks with a college student group called Swipes for Boston as they hand out nonperishable goods to people who call the streets of Boston their home.
Zoe Zekos
Resurrecting Rubbish: A Dive into the Museum of Bad Art
Zoe Zekos is currently a senior at Boston University completing a bachelor's degree in Journalism and a minor in Art History. She is interested in telling stories about passionate individuals or unconventional topics — focusing on the values and motivations that drive her subjects.
Zekos’ interests led her to the Museum of Bad Art. Interviewing Executive Director Louise Sacco and Curator Michael Frank, her story features the depth of this important collection.
As Zekos notes, “The museum offers visitors a chance to learn about art and challenges how we traditionally appreciate creative genius.”
Kiara Smith
Pom Dance Class
Journalism Graduate Student Kiara Smith reports in Episode 1 on a Pom Pom Dance Class in a local senior center that is good for the heart, both literally and figuratively. While at Boston University Kiara liked to focus on covering community-based stories specifically in communities of color. She hopes to be a reporter at a news station and move up to being a main anchor.
Pietro Rossini
The Pryde
As an Our Time Magazine reporter, Pietro Rossini, covered the story of the first LGBTQ+ friendly senior housing facility in the States that is based in Hyde Park, Boston. The reporter interviewed future residents, the management, and some of the volunteers working on the project.
Caitlyn Kelley
The Living Museum
With a focus primarily on print reporting, Our Times reporter Caitlyn Kelley carried her passion for longform storytelling into the world of longform video. Her story features the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and focuses on the intersection of history, environmentalism, and the beauty of a park that’s roughly a 40-minute train ride from South Station.
“It’s easy to get bogged down by the idea of what news is, especially as journalists,” Kelley said. “But I always like to keep in mind that something matters to somebody—and that’s good enough for me.”