Reporter Avery Shepard is funny, charming, and very, very smart. She also commands a room, has a big personality, and comes to the table with important questions for the politicians, celebrities, and other notable people she interviews. She’s right there up there with all the best local media personalities. So what makes Shepard stand out?
She’s only nine years old.
The Tiny TrailBlazer, as Shepard is known, started her career last year when she saw her dad watching YouTube.
“I watched my dad one day, and I said, ‘I wanna start a YouTube channel.’ He said, ‘Okay, I do this for a living, so I can help you. We started interviewing people, and this is what we do now,” Shepard tells (585) Kids.
Shepard interviews people around the area (and beyond), so that her viewers can learn more about who they are and what they do in the community. She has so far interviewed more than fifty people including David Koechner from The Office, Rochester mayor Malik Evans, and Efran Rameriz of Napoleon Dynamite fame.
In between Shepard’s reporting duties she goes to school and loves to play soccer. She has a little brother, a dog named Bear, and a cat named Pickles. When asked about what she likes best about the (585) area she says,“I like the zoo, I like going to Seabreeze, I like going to Darien Lake, I love all that stuff .” She goes on to sing the praises of local food as well. “I love to eat. The city has a lot of good restaurants. Voula’s is a great one. I love Radio Social; I get to see the person I interviewed [Triston Dunlap]— I love him so much.”
She relies on her mom and dad and says that they both support her in different ways.
“My mom [Lisa Shepard] supports me by giving me advice,” says Shepard. “She supports me by giving me good examples of what I should do and good tips, and by saying kind and nice stuff to me and making me feel more confident.”
Shepherd’s dad, Zechariah Shepard, not only runs her social media and films Tiny TrailBlazer content, he also gives her much needed emotional and family support. “I look up to him as a good example,” she says. “He’s shown me a lot. I trust my dad. He’s a big influence and example for me. I love exploring with my dad, and he’s just always been there when I needed him.”
When I ask Shepard who she would like to interview next she exclaims, “Cristiano Ronaldo is a soccer player, and I want to interview Josh Allen. Do you know who that is?”
Yes, Avery, we do know who Josh Allen is. This reporter has no doubt Ms. Shepard will indeed get that coveted interview with Mr. Allen one day.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE TINY TRAILBLAZER:
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite animal: Kittens
She likes to read and write
She loves clothes
She doesn’t like it when it is raining
Sometimes she likes the snow
She likes to bake cookies with her mom
Readers can find her on YouTube at @thetinytrailblazer and on Instagram @the_tiny_trailblazerr_. Shepard can also be found by searching “The Tiny TrailBlazer” on Facebook.
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