Sandy Cummings
- asherwisco
- Oct 31, 2023
- 2 min read
Sandy Cummings won her first Emmy in 2004, and another two would follow. Her most recent project is Space, Hope, and Charity, a documentary which she produced, directed, and wrote.
Space, Hope, and Charity follows the story of Charity Woodrum, an astrophysicist.
Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with Sandy Cummings. She was inspired to do this project after meeting with her friend at our local Looney Bean. Sandy's friend told her all about Charity's life and tragedies.
Sandy Cummings has told the stories of many different people. She has worked with people like Steve Irwin, searching for Australia's most venomous snake. Sandy even interviewed a convicted murderer. The workers of the jail left her locked in the room with only him and two chairs.
Yet, it is not the thrill of danger or fame that Sandy tells her stories for. She tells stories so that others can hear them, so that she can create an inspiring narrative from only the truth of the world.
Sandy began her path down this career in high school, being a part of the journalism elective. The first thing her class did was go to a criminal courthouse. They were told to sit in on separate cases. She attended the University of Southern California, and eventually went on to work at NBC News.
As one would expect, she did not begin a producer. Instead, Sandy scheduled camera crews, editors, and worked on budgets. She did the smaller, more monotonous jobs. But over time, she worked her way up the ladder. Sandy became the Senior West Coast Producer for Dateline NBC. Today, Sandy Cummings owns TV Storyteller, her own small business.
Many people and families let Sandy into their lives and told her their stories. This takes a good kind of person. In the short while I was able to talk to Sandy, this seemed apparent. I asked if it were ever awkward for her or those that she interviews to drop into their lives and follow them around. She explained that sometimes at the start it is, but it becomes normal in a short time. Sandy and her camera crews could be in a families home during the holidays filming, but they were not out of place. Instead, the family would set another place at the table for them.
"Getting to drop into another person's life and see
how they live. That is my favorite part of this job." - Sandy Cummings
The life that Sandy lives and the career she gets to fulfill is inspiring. While I do not personally want to create documentaries, I want to tell stories as Sandy does. To have the power to create a narrative which mirrors our lives, and to form it into entertainment for those who need it. Thank you, Sandy, for telling stories that need to be told, and showing me that I can tell them as well.
Comentários