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Assembled here are a wide variety of portraits or profiles: ways to show the character and personality of the candidates themselves. These stories can often explore events in the candidates past to show how they formed their views on particular issues, or give examples of previous important decisions that can give us some idea of how they might make decisions in office. Sometimes they are just a glimpse into the ups and downs of life as a politician.
For convenience on the web, weve split this category into two groups, with short form including candidate stories that can be done in generally less than ten minutes, and long form consisting of excerpts from more extensive documentary programs. You may find, though, that elements of these categories are interchangable. For example, WNETs Campaign Confidential clip is considered long because it was taken from an hour-long show, but it could be adapted to a much briefer format.
LONG FORM [go to short form]
 Minnesotas Choice: Candid Candidates
Twin Cities Public Television  : Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota
air date » 30.Oct.00
clip run time » 5:56
In 2000, three men on the final ballot for one of Minnesotas U.S. Senate seat were described by reporter Mary Lahammer as three introverts running for a profoundly public position. She says, frankly, we were surprised by the confessions and revelations that came from the candidates themselves. In this clip, candidate Mark Dayton talks about alcohol abuse, spirituality, the family fortune, mental health, divorce, and more.
Lahammer shared a technical tip with us: she interviewed the candidates in a small, darkened room, with soft, focused light around them which obscured the camera. This cocoon might have helped them relax and share some remarkably candid conversation.
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The Long March of Newt Gingrich
air date » 16.Jan.96
Divorce run time » 7:06
Mission run time » 3:38
In this fascinating portrait, correspondent Peter Boyer and producer Stephen Talbot delve deep into Newt Gingrichs journey to become one of the countrys most powerful politicians. Two excerpts are presented here, centering on Gingrichs divorce from his first wife Jackie, and on his zeal to establish a shared GOP language for building a House majority. This documentary is an excellent example of building a compelling story about a complex character.
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Campaign Confidential
WNET New York, N.Y.
air date » 10.Sept.01
clip run time » 10:19
The 2001 New York mayoral primary had many contenders, and WNET/Thirteen wanted to show their viewers a portrait of The Men Who Would Be Mayor. The station hired independent producer John Alpert to follow the candidates on the campaign trail and into their homes over the course of several weeks, to create a picture of their public and private lives. The cinema verité style brings a feeling of honesty and freshness, and theres lots of humor to keep viewers tuned in.
Profile of a Candidate: Carolyn McCarthy
clip run time » 10:13
Independent producer Gini Sikes created this piece especially for our Orlando workshop, as an example of a candidate profile that looks for motivating forces that drive a person to run for office. Sikes paints a fascinating portrait of Carolyn McCarthy, who went from homemaker to gun control advocate to U.S. Representative. It should be noted that this piece was not developed for air, but rather to show interesting storytelling approaches to the candidate profile model (and if you think Ginis use of music is unusual, take a look at this excerpt from the Where Where You at 22? which she produced for MTV during the 2000 presidential campaign).
Vote for Me: Buddy Cianci
The Center for New American Media : New York, New York
air date » Oct.96
clip run time » 8:47
The process of campaigning unfolds in this two-part Emmy-award winning PBS show that follows a variety of candidates in their search for victory. We see the tricks of the trade, the insider strategies, but also the loneliness and frustration of the contenders who stand for public office.
[see also clips from Vote for Me: Lobbyists and Floor Vote]
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The Next Governor
Maine Public Broadcasting Bangor, Maine
clip run time » 5:56
Two gubernatorial candidates speak with uncommon frankness about the obstacles they have faced in life. This piece reaches beyond each persons conventional political history to show how and why each candidate believes in himself.
Frontlines The Choice Producers Guide
clip run time » 16:15
The award-winning PBS series Frontlines approach to candidate profiles has been commended by many, and represents an intriguing strategy worth considering for your own production. The Choice focuses on the two major-party presidential candidates, exploring their background for the answers to what has made these people into the citizens standing for office today? and what can their past tell us about how they will make decisions, and act on them, in the future? Former producers of The Choice Mike Sullivan, Sherry Jones, Thomas Lennon, and Helen Whitney met with PBS Democracy Project head Cynthia Fenneman for a teleconference workshop for local producers. In this clip they discuss the process of finding good interview subjects.
At Home With the Candidates
 Boston, Massachusetts
clip run time » 11:35
In addition to regular coverage of the issues in this 1998 gubernatorial campaign, WCVB paid a visit to the candidates homes for a more personal story. The piece was taped a week before the final debate, and broadcast the night before the election. Host Natalie Jacobson says these are not meant to be adversarial interviews, and explains that being off the campaign trail is an opportunity to ask different kinds of questions.
Ohio Governors Race
WVIZ Cleveland, Ohio
air date » 1998
clip run time » 2:36
This clip from a profile of Lee Fisher, a gubernatorial challenger in Ohios 1998 race, is graced by a unusually accessible subject. Fishers sister describes how Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were his early role models. Excerpts from Fishers childhood diary [Today is Abraham Lincolns birthday (my favorite president);] and anecdotes about his early run for class president build a rich background for this candidate.
The 30-Second Candidate
Wisconsin Public Television Madison, Wisconsin
air date » 6.Oct.98
clip run time » 6:36
From California to south Georgia to small-town elections in the Midwest, the 30-second TV spot now dominates American politics. Emmy award-winning The 30-Second Candidate explores the evolution of this political art form, its growth and some possible options for reform. It traces the history of the political TV ad, from its beginning during the 1952 presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower through the presidential campaign of 1996.
[go to website]
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