2024 Emmy Award winner Matt Riedl ’15 was recently featured on an episode of “The Newman Bond,” the official podcast of Newman University.
Riedl began his career as a full-time journalist for The Wichita Eagle as a senior at Newman University but eventually transitioned to a videographer role with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington in Virginia. There, he won the Producer of the Year Award and was named a second-place finisher for the Cardinal John P. Foley Award with the Catholic Media Association in 2021. He has served as a multimedia journalist at the Catholic Diocese of Lansing in Michigan for nearly three years.
In the podcast episode, Riedl shares his professional journey in the world of storytelling as well as the process behind his video, “Portraits of the Call,” with the Diocese of Lansing. The video won an Emmy for its artful showcase and stories of multiple vocations: priestly life, consecrated life and married life.
A deep dive into storytelling basics
Riedl credits Newman University for the fundamental skills to adapt to any career.
“People have asked me, ‘Should I go to film school if I want to do what you do?’ I tell them I trained in the art of storytelling and communication. I tell them I think they should do journalism, frankly, because it teaches you to have empathy for people. Listening is so much more important than speaking. It teaches you to look in another person’s eyes and see their story — to try and put yourself in their shoes.”
Listening teaches you to look in another person’s eyes and see their story — to try and put yourself in their shoes.
Matt Riedl ’15
From the time Riedl was a child listening to his father’s stories of his days serving in the Army to present day, he has always had an appreciation for stories.
In Riedl’s words, “It’s been a gradual unfolding of interest. We are a story-based world, and no matter how different we may think we are, we’re all intrinsically very similar and we’re all God’s children.
“We all have different perspectives and viewpoints on the world, and storytelling helps us to break down those walls and realize that, ‘Hey, you’re not so different than I, and you have valuable insights.’”
Watch the full podcast episode on YouTube, or listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
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