Interviewing the interviewer and filmmaker: Victoria

1.-What motivated you to become an interviewer?

What motivated me to become an interviewer was from watching and reading interviews of some of my favorite stars over the years. I too wanted to give creative people a platform to share their stories. 

2.-How do you prepare before conducting an interview?

I typically look through the interviewee’s social media posts to get an idea of the type of work

they do, then I start writing up the questions.

3.-What skills do you consider essential for a good interviewer?

There are so many styles for how to conduct an interview, but the main essential skills every interviewer needs are: professionalism, being communicative, a willingness to research, and understanding the importance of grammar.

4.-How do you make the interviewee feel comfortable?

I personally feel keeping the interview questions specifically about the interviewee’s work and some fun rapid fire questions is a great way to make them feel comfortable. Staying away from personal questions and controversial questions is the best route to take.  

5.-What type of interview do you enjoy conducting most and why?

I enjoy conducting interviews with all creatives, but my favorite ones would have to be with visual artists because first and foremost, I’m a visual artist myself. 

6.-What has been the most challenging interview you’ve done?

In general, the most challenging interviews are the ones where I have to transcribe an audio file of the interviewee’s answers. Those always take me longer to publish, but in the end it’s worth it.

7.-How do you handle difficult or evasive answers?

Regardless of what the interviewee’s answer is, even if their answer is difficult or evasive I will publish what they say without edits. The most I will do is correct grammar. 

8.-How important is active listening in your work?

Active listening is very important in this job, because interviews are really just two people communicating so like any conversation, it is imperative to demonstrate active listening.

9.-How do you decide which questions to ask and in what order?

I organize my questions as if I’m writing a story. I always start with what inspired the interviewee to get into the line of work they’re in. I then go into their favorite project they’ve done. I feel it’s important to end all my interviews with advice they would give to my readers who may want to be in the same career along with sharing what they have coming up next. I always conclude the interview with fun rapid fire questions because since I was a kid, I always enjoyed those types of questions as a light way to get to know someone better.

10.-Have you ever had to improvise during an interview? 

Tell us about your experience.

Considering I always send the questions ahead of time, things pretty much go as planned, so there isn’t much improvising on my end. 

11.-What common mistakes should someone starting out as an interviewer avoid?

The key is to figure out the type of interviewer you want to be. Watch videos, read articles, and listen to podcasts of other interviewers and see which style works best for you. Do you want people who check out your interviews to be inspired, informed, or shocked?

12.-How do ethics and respect influence your work as an interviewer?

For me, ethics and respect are everything! I would watch interviews with some of my favorite stars growing up, and I would notice some interviewers would ask a question just to get a reaction out of the interviewee for the sake of a headline. When I started doing this at 18 years old, I always knew I never wanted to use my platform for that purpose. I want people who read my interviews to be informed and inspired. It is important to me for people who I interview to feel respected as a person and as an artist.

13.-What advice would you give to future interviewers?

My main piece of advice would be to stay true to who you are. Put yourself in your interviewee’s shoes. Before you ask any question, think about how you would answer it and how it would make you feel. 

14.-How do you see the future of interviews in the digital age?

Due to the digital age, there are many ways to be an interviewer now. I think it’s a wonderful thing! Plus you don’t always have to leave your house (Laughs) so that’s a plus for a lot of interviewers who may have busy schedules, are homebodies, or who are more introverted. The possibilities are truly endless!