|
Docublogging in Taylor By Leah Fillion New PBS series focuses on stories of Central Texas Most people in Taylor know how special this town is - the rich sense of history brings the community together in a way some larger towns seem to have forgotten. But for those who have never had the opportunity to visit Taylor, its close community and rich history may be lost on those that whiz by on Highway 79. Sean Cunningham, producer at KLRU-TV, said he always thought of Taylor as that small town just outside of Round Rock. Just a couple of visits have changed his mind. Now Cunningham and his partner at the Austin Public Broadcasting System have put together a documentary to share what they have learned about Taylor as part of a new show called “Docubloggers: Life in Central Texas.” Cunningham and Domenique Bellavia came up with the idea of Docublogging by combining the fast-paced world of the Internet with television. Docubloggers incorporates documentary filmmaking but goes beyond television allowing viewers from communities around Central Texas to submit their own story ideas. Viewers who have the itch to become filmmakers can also submit their own documentary. When the producers first developed community profile docublogs, Taylor was first on the list. Bellavia said she discovered Taylor while reading an online newspaper and stumbled on an ad for the Blackland Quilting Guild - from that moment on she was intrigued. Cunningham said looking back at the history of Taylor and how big and important it was in Williamson County and Central Texas before the 1970s was fascinating to him. Taylor just seemed like the right place to begin. “To know the history of Taylor and then to see how it is growing into this great community where you can still afford to buy a beautiful house and that businesses are really picking up - it's fascinating.” The producers began their documentary telling the story of Taylor through the eyes of local business owners. They wanted to find out what brought people to Taylor, how it's growing and what people think about it. Conner Lindsey, owner of Wooden Heart Antiques and Refinishing, had a chance to tell his story in front of the camera. Lindsey moved to Taylor five years ago from Wichita, Kan. when his wife accepted a job in Austin. Taylor was a little out of the way but they fell in love with the town, and Lindsey thought it would be a perfect place to run his business. His buisness (also his workshop and home) is in the old Swift building at 105 Vance St. and has all the charm and historic intrigue that seems to draw people to town. Lee Hendrickson, owner, and Jennifer Swantek, manager, of Austin Ornamental Inc. said they came to Taylor by accident. Swantek was on her way to somewhere else and stopped to ask for directions. “I got lost and stumbled across Taylor,” Swantek said. “I was trying to find 79 from 95, but I got lost on that loop and ended up coming into town. A nice woman, who I later realized was Shanta Kuhl, helped me out, and I guess Taylor just always stuck in my mind after that.” Cunningham and Bellavia both agreed that Taylor has something special and are excited to share the community's story with viewers. Taylor is the first of what they hope will be many more profiles of Central Texas, and it seems with the community involvement and input the producers will have a lot of success. Their pilot episode, which includes a documentary by an amateur filmmaker, was nominated for a Lonestar Emmy - the Lonestar chapter of the national Emmys. “It really is an honor that right out of the gate we were recognized as something that may be a little innovative, new and intriguing,” Cunningham said. The community journalism series will air at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on KLRU (broadcast 18, cable 9). The episode will include the economic development of Taylor, “Williamson County's newest boomtown.” Viewers can submit their story ideas to docubloggers@klru.org.
|
