I went to listen to Judy Smith or “The Real Olivia Pope” speak about her career in crisis management and about the hit TV show Scandal based on her life. Not only did she speak about the extremely interesting cases that she had personally worked on, but Smith also shared some invaluable advice for all storytellers.
One of the most important takeaways from Smith’s visit was her focus on the truth. When working with clients such as Michael Vick and President Clinton during their respective scandals, it would seem as though the truth would be the enemy, but she assured us it was not. Smith emphasized that the truth should come before all else, because if you don’t make it known, someone else will. I think this statement is proof of the strength of Smith’s ethics. Though doing PR for clients such as those mentioned above may seem unethical, Smith uses her job as an opportunity to provide second chances. Smith’s job is to get the truth told, and allow the public to see sincere regret from a client, not to spin lies. Her hope is that these mistakes will become examples of the consequences of dog fighting, for example, and the truth will bring issues to light that are not just confined to single cases.
Emphasis on the truth is something that should be attended to by all storytellers. The truth is the basis of all good stories, and what captivates an audience. If a story is not believable or relatable to an audience, the story has failed. How we connect to characters or situations is by seeing a part of ourselves or someone we know in them. Therefore, the value of the truth can be applied to all mediums of storytelling.
Another issue regarding storytelling that Smith raised was the importance of diversity, especially on TV. Before Kerry Washington starred as Olivia Pope, there were no black women in leading roles on network television. This lack of a presence is obviously not representative of our country. Therefore Scandal is not just an entertaining show, but also a venue to promote representation of black women in all forms of media.
Storytellers should keep in mind the “importance of being seen” which refers to the idea that when a certain race, gender, or sexual orientation is not portrayed in the media that group is seen as lesser. The importance of strong, independent, black female figures in the media is insurmountable because not only does the media reflect culture, it also sculpts culture. If black female characters are thought highly of in the media, our culture will then reflect that sentiment. Consequently, when Smith mentions diversity she is not doing so simply to promote equal representation in the media, but more importantly to promote social equality in our society as a whole.
Smith’s vast knowledge of media of all kinds and its effect on our society was exceptionally insightful. The values she both portrayed and spoke about are ones that should be embodied by all storytellers, regardless of their respective fields.