Lights, Camera Ancestors!
Do you ever wish you could share family history stories more powerfully? Maybe like they do with celebrities on the popular PBS television show, “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.”? The show captivates its guests with stirring stories about their ancestors. By the end of each episode, these famous visitors feel more profoundly connected to their heritage—just the kind of experience you may want for your cousins or children!
Recently, I spoke with two powerhouse members of the “Finding Your Roots” (FYR) team. Working from home through the coronavirus shutdown, they’re busy preparing for season seven. But here, they take some time to share behind-the-scenes strategies with you. You’ll see their strategies in action as more of your favorite celebrities learn about their roots this October, when the second half of season six airs on your local PBS station.
The FYR crew has two teams: genealogy research and production. In this article, we hear from a leading member of each team:
Lead Genealogist Nick Sheedy joined FYR during season two as an assistant to then-Chief Genealogist Johni Cerny. Cerny passed away 22 February 2020, and Sheedy stepped into her legendary shoes. He heads up the experts who provide foundational paper-trail research, and collaborates with the show’s genetic genealogist, CeCe Moore.
Senior Producer and showrunner Sabin Streeter works directly with Executive Producer and host Dr. Gates and oversees the entire editorial process—sometimes three to five episodes at a time. His team brings to life guests’ ancestral stories, captures the interview process, and weaves them together into must-watch television.
We’ve distilled tips from Sheedy and Streeter into 10 essential steps they follow. You’ll see pretty quickly that their success is due less to movie magic and more to methodology, determined digging and storytelling savvy—which you can do, too.
1 Begin with home sources.
“We start off with a
