美国国家公共电台 NPR--Nkechi Okoro Carroll went from being an economist to overseeing 3 TV shows

Nkechi Okoro Carroll went from being an economist¹ to overseeing 3 TV shows

Transcript²

How did a Federal Reserve economist become a showrunner leading three TV series on The CW and NBC? Nkechi Okoro Carroll credits a strong work ethic³ and lots of preparation.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Nkechi Okoro Carroll occupies a rare space in the TV industry. She's a Black woman who is a showrunner for three different network television shows. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans spent time with her in Los Angeles to find out how she went from being an economist at the Federal Reserve to overseeing series like the CW's "All American."

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE⁴: When you walk into Nkechi Okoro Carroll's office, there's a wall above her computer where a framed message hangs - take a deep breath, and remember who the bleep you are. I can't say the actual word on the radio.

NKECHI OKORO CARROLL: I was having a very, very rough day. I saw it on Twitter, and I'd posted, oh, my gosh, this is what I need in my office. And literally⁵ one of my actors ran out, got one printed, framed and everything, and within an hour was like, here.

DEGGANS: It makes sense because so much of Carroll's success seems rooted in who she is - a child of Nigerian immigrants who fell in love with American TV shows like "Beverly Hills 90210" and "General Hospital." Now she's the showrunner, or top creative authority and manager, for three different shows - the CW's "All American," its spinoff, "All American: Homecoming," and a new fall drama on NBC, "Found." On "All American," Taye Diggs plays a high school football coach thinking of leaving California for another job when he's confronted by athlete Spencer James, played by Daniel Ezra.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ALL AMERICAN")

TAYE DIGGS: (As Billy Baker) There are other coaches.

DANIEL EZRA: (As Spencer James) How many times do I have to tell you? You are not just a coach. You're a father - the only one some of these kids will ever know.

DEGGANS: Fans know that the story for Diggs' character recently took a poignant⁶ turn. Carroll says the show depicts⁷ many different kinds of Black youth.

CARROLL: I just saw a real opportunity to make a show that I would have loved to watch growing up, a show that I'd be proud to sit down and watch with my kids, that also just put hope and dreams back in our community.

DEGGANS: In high school, Carroll loved both writing and economics. So while she was earning a master's degree in international economics from New York University, and later while working for the Federal Reserve, she would write and direct plays on the side.

CARROLL: I'd be at the trading desk by, like, 6:30, 7 in the morning, do the trades we were doing that day to stabilize⁸ the banking⁹ system, and then 6 p.m. I was out the door to whatever blackbox theater we were putting up, whatever play we were putting up.

DEGGANS: Later, she decided¹⁰ to learn TV, downloading scripts off the internet and working as an extra to watch productions. Then, after the 9/11 attacks, she dedicated¹¹ herself to becoming a TV writer.

CARROLL: 9/11 was a real wake-up call of tomorrow's not promised. You know, there was a significant portion of that day where my family was convinced they would never see me again because I was downtown. We were barricaded¹² under - literally under the Federal Reserve, where we keep the gold, when the towers started falling. And so - but it was one of those things where it's just like, OK, you're getting a second chance at life. What are you doing with it?

DEGGANS: Carroll moved to Los Angeles, where she met writer, show creator and actress Lena Waithe and writer-producer Erika Johnson. In 2014, they gathered Black women working in TV to network. And the group Black Women Who Brunch¹³ was born.

LENA WAITHE: I think we got the idea because we saw a post on Facebook about a bunch of Black men writers getting together, and we just were like, why don't we do that?

DEGGANS: That's Lena Waithe, who became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing in 2017 for an episode of Netflix's "Master Of None." The Black Women Who Brunch group began with about 12 people meeting at Carroll's house, and it's grown to several dozen women.

WAITHE: It really just sort of feels like a sisterhood that we didn't know could exist.

DEGGANS: These days, Carroll is juggling¹⁴ her duties on the "All American" series while filming "Found," a TV show about a Black woman who leads a team focused on finding missing people who are forgotten, often people of color. For Carroll, it's all about exploiting the rapid impact of TV.

CARROLL: But the thing I love the most about TV is the immediacy of it. If I have something I want to say about the world, I can put it in a script, and in six weeks it's on the air.

DEGGANS: Eric Deggans, NPR News.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

6 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

7 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

8 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

9 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

12 barricaded   

设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守

参考例句：

• The police barricaded the entrance. 警方在入口处设置了路障。
• The doors had been barricaded. 门都被堵住了。

13 brunch   

n.早午餐

参考例句：

• They eat much the same thing for brunch every day.每天早午餐他们总是吃同样的东西。
• What did you have for your brunch?你早午饭都吃些什么？

14 juggling   

n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was charged with some dishonest juggling with the accounts. 他被指控用欺骗手段窜改账目。
• The accountant went to prison for juggling his firm's accounts. 会计因涂改公司的帐目而入狱。