I woke up this morning with a feeling that I’d like to play around with editing. My goal was to use only b-roll video footage and the sound bites from Troy and Charlie Ball, owners of Troy & Son Distillery. I think it turned out nicely and tells a succinct story of the Ball family’s decision to make commercial (and legal) moonshine and their vision for convincing Americans to drink a uniquely American distilled spirit.
It was really neat to produce a 30-minute TV show with videographer Alan Brown from Asheville a couple of weeks ago. I was trying to find a North Carolina link to Prohibition history. Yes, links are found – Pack’s Tavern comes to mind with its old, rusty, double iron doors that allowed access to an underground tunnel system where booze flowed during Prohibition. Pack’s Tavern is a new business, especially when you compare it to how old its host building is and the many businesses and activities it hosted. The crew that owns that place were great hosts and good sports to let us come in for a visit.
Last week’s reporting trip to Asheville was a great time and a chance to meet some really interesting people ahead of the big Ken Burns’ Documentary “Prohibition” being released. I met an ex-moonshine bootlegger who graciously gave me an interview. His name is Cookie Wood and he told me to “just ask the questions and I’ll answer them.”
Just as Mr. Wood and I finished our interview, in walked local Asheville historian, author and Asheville Citizen-Times correspondent Rob Neufeld to discuss Prohibition in Western North Carolina and Asheville.
These interviews are extended for webcasting but will part of a show I’m putting together for UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Now” program. The air date is Monday October 3rd, 2011 at 7:30pm just before Part 2 of the Burns documentary airs. It’s a local tie-in show to garner some NC “flavor” to Prohibition and bootleggin’. I’ve only got parts of the show edited but it’s shaping up nicely and “feels good” as a work-in-progress.
