The Storm & The Boats-Pandemic Stories from NJ

Today’s guest on Betsy Wurzel’s show is Jody Small, an Emmy Award-winning producer, filmmaker, director, writer, and storyteller. Jody is also the Executive Producer at Jody Small Productions.

Jody produced the central oral history piece at the New Jersey Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, NJ, and was the founding Director of Film & Video at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. In addition to her work in film, Jody has extensive experience in both radio and television.

In this insightful interview, we discuss Jody Small’s new documentary, The Storm & The Boats: A Pandemic Stories Project. The one-hour film captures the experiences of New Jersey residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving their stories for future generations. With over 25 hours of footage, this material will be archived at the Rutgers Oral History Archive.

Jody interviewed a diverse group of NJ residents in the spring of 2021, right from her basement, to document their experiences. The film includes stories from a police officer, an NJ mayor who underwent a “drive-by double mastectomy,” a bone marrow recipient facing further isolation, doctors and nurses grappling with mental health challenges, and a food shortage crisis in Bergen County.

Betsy discussed her deeply personal experience during the interview, particularly how she navigated the profound loss of her brother, Bradley, who passed away during the pandemic.

For more information and to attend a screening of this powerful documentary, follow Jody Small’s Facebook page, Jody Small Productions.

We are providing the audio interview with Betsy Wurzel and Jody Small on the journey of the interviews and the amazing documentary:  📌Click here to listen…