Members of NCRA’s Captioning Committee offer this peek into the variety of work assignments. Their stories share a beautiful thread: Every day can bring a different kind of opportunity for work and many new challenges — and that is exactly what makes their work so exciting and interesting.
A corporate event – where the show must go on
One thing I love about this career is the variety of events that I’ve had the opportunity to caption over the years. Within the last couple months, I captioned a corporate event where the company thanked and celebrated their employees for the contributions they make in transforming people’s lives. They set up a huge tent — with ceiling beams and several doors — in their parking lot. On my way there that early morning, I watched the lightning dance through the sky in the distance.
Shortly after I arrived at the site and got set up and tested, it started pouring. Pretty soon water started streaming through the equipment. The tech crew was calm and collected as they hurriedly picked up certain cables and tried to prevent the water from pooling. This was a first for me, but not for them! As they say, “The show must go on.” And it did! By showtime, there was no sign of all the “excitement” we had had earlier!
Angie Sundell, RDR, CRR, CRC — Hopkins, Minn.
There’s music at my fingertips
My last remote captioning job was providing captions for the movie “Jurassic Park” with John Williams’ live music score provided by the local philharmonic. For a year or so now, I have chosen to do mostly remote concerts/musicals or theater around my trial schedule as I am again also an official. Approaching 46 years as a stenographer, I started in broadcast captioning in 2002 and have enjoyed challenging and widely varied captioning assignments remotely and on-site across the United States
Kim Falgiani, RDR, CRR, CRC — Warren, Ohio
Ten years of graduations – through every kind of weather
I have had the privilege of providing captions for one specific university’s graduation every year since 2015 (ten years!) I have captioned keynote speeches – some with scripts, some without – on many subjects. In the beginning we were in an open-air metal pole tent on the running track, facing the stage. A few years later, we got an upgrade to an air-conditioned production truck. In recent years we’ve had a suite of rooms in the university outfitted with temporary production studios.
From classrooms to corporate events to city councils, every day is different — and that is exactly why captioners thrive.
Throughout the years I’ve learned a lot about how to deal with technical snafus, logistical issues, and having good enough notes to remember how we did what we did the year before. I’ve also learned to insist that I be included in technical rehearsal to ensure that the ceremony goes off without a hitch. There was one year, very early on, when we were on the running track where the weather was less than cooperative. We had rain, snow, blinding sun, and wind all within a two-hour ceremony! I’ve learned to never leave the house without fingerless gloves and a six-foot merino wool wrap. It’s always challenging, fun, and rewarding. It’s not a bad gig for a sometimes-sunny day in May!
Anna Cillo — Pittsburgh, Pa.
It’s about the impact I have
After years of realtime deposition reporting, I started also providing CART captioning, and currently my time is split pretty evenly between freelance deposition “jobs” and CART captioning “gigs,” as I refer to them. The CART captioning has been anything from meetings to college courses, court proceedings, trainings, seminars, webinars, town halls, continuing education courses, job interviews, medical encounters, convocations, graduations, weddings, funerals, court proceedings, concerts (which can be anything from national tours to local talent as well as musical performances that are part of an event), movies for live orchestral performances, Broadway shows, and local theatre productions. I enjoy the varied nature of these assignments and look forward to any challenges they might present, but the best part is knowing the impact my captions have on the community.
Denise Munguia, RDR, CRR, CRC — North Olmsted, Ohio
An international perspective
I began my career as a broadcast captioner in 2001 writing news, sports, entertainment, and more. But today I find myself captioning many international meetings, prepping over a hundred country names, being prepared to accurately identify them while also deciphering challenging accents. It makes me grateful for my early days of prepping for the Olympics and being exposed to a diversity of surnames and country names, so beneficial to my present role. It is fascinating how life moves in circles and experiences intertwine. As jobs evolve, one thing remains constant: I am grateful for the work I do, the people I serve, and the privilege of working from the comfort of my home.
Ellen Kerr, CRC — Hornell, N.Y.
From churches and city councils to legislatures and universities
I enjoy living in Iowa and remotely captioning in the U.S. and Canada. I provide CART captioning for students in many universities throughout the U.S. In addition to CART captioning, I enjoy captioning church services, meetings, town halls, city council meetings, and legislative meetings. My favorite type of captioning is captioning for students in university classes. They always thank me for helping them excel in their classes.
Cathy Penniston, RPR, CRI — Waukee, Iowa
Special thanks to the NCRA Captioning Committee for this glimpse into the wide world of captioning.
Chair
Kimberly Falgiani, RDR, CRR, CRC — Warren, Ohio
Members
Anna Cillo — Pittsburgh, Pa
Ellen Kerr, CRC — Hornell, N.Y.
Denise Munguia, RDR, CRR, CRC — North Olmsted, Ohio
Angela Sundell, RDR, CRR, CRC — Hopkins, Minn.
Board Liaison
Cathy Penniston, RPR, CRI — Waukee, Iowa
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