WE THE PEOPLE: Reflections on America’s 250th
Partners: New York Public Library
My Role: Field Producer | Editor | Production Manager
Year: 2026
Overview
As part of Declaring America: 1776 and Beyond, a major New York Public Library exhibition commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary, StoryCorps Studios partnered with NYPL to create WE THE PEOPLE: Reflections on America's 250th, an onsite storytelling experience. The project invited visitors to record a story and reflect on what America means today, creating a living archive of contemporary voices for future generations.
To introduce the public storytelling initiative, StoryCorps Studios also produced a series of documentary shorts featuring New Yorkers whose personal stories explore identity, belonging, and the many ways people experience America today.
My Role
I served as Field Producer and Story Editor for the documentary collection. I pre-interviewed participants, collaborated with the New York Public Library to identify conversation partners, developed custom interview guides, and served as the onsite producer for all nine featured recordings.
Following production, I selected six conversations for documentary adaptation, hired and managed the production team, story-edited producer cuts, and collaborated with the video producer to develop storyboards and refine the visual storytelling.
Selected Work
The documentary shorts below are featured together as part of the exhibition experience. Watch the complete exhibition film online or visit WE THE PEOPLE: Reflections on America's 250th at the New York Public Library through January 10, 2027.
Ella Mahoney, an Aquinnah Wampanoag artist, and Jeremy Dennis, a photographer from the Shinnecock Indian Nation, talk about how stories shape the way we understand American history.
Shaw-naé Dixon runs an acclaimed and beloved soul-food restaurant on Staten Island, where her ancestors were the first Black settlers to purchase property. She spoke with her friend Al Roker.
Mary Sol Apolinario came to the United Sates from the Philippines in 1997. Her 14-year-old son, Chris, a first-generation American, asks her what it’s like to be an immigrant today.