About Cate Terwilliger

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TERWILLIGER, CATE is an associate professor at Northern Michigan University, where she teaches journalism. Before becoming an academic in 2004, Terwilliger was an award-winning print journalist for 20 years; her career included staff positions at The Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette, the Associated Press and The Denver Post. She shares in the 2000 Pulitzer Prize awarded to the Post for its coverage of the Columbine High School shootings, and was twice nominated for the Pulitzer in feature writing. For the last few years, she has worked at Northern to develop a multimedia journalism major, which will launch in Fall 2012. Her selection as a KDMC fellow marked the beginning of a year-long sabbatical, during which Terwilliger created multimedia journalism for The Denver Post, The Colorado Springs (Colo.) Independent and other publications. Terwilliger enjoys running, reading and raising hens, some of whom starred in her first attempt at an audio slideshow.

Stories

Digital media stories published elsewhere by Cate Terwilliger:

  • Resilience [edit]
    I did this piece in January 2012 for a minister friend who was putting together a sermon on the quality of resilience. She recruited congregants she knew had overcome serious difficulties, and we did the interviews together. The rest was up to me. I think the result is effective, though there are three people I would have omitted from the final video were that decision mine. In this instance, however, the minister's need to avoid hurt feelings was more important than the journalist's imperative of keeping the piece as tight and powerful as possible.
  • Miniature horse named Sprout aids hospital healing [edit]
    This project, created for The Denver Post, features a miniature therapy horse who does hospital rounds in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- a great multimedia storytelling opportunity. The package includes a video that incorporates still images, video and audio, built with Audacity and MovieMaker 6. That multimedia centerpiece is complemented by a substantial text story with multiple photographs, a version of which also ran in the paper edition of the Post. The package was picked up via syndication by The Christian Science Monitor, the Seattle Times and P-I and other publications.
  • Olympic disappointment [edit]
    Sugar Land, Texas siblings Steven, Mark and Diana Lopez made history when all made the 2008 U.S. Olympic taekwondo team, and then won medals. The trio’s attempt to repeat their feat unfolded at the final phase of the Olympic Trials on March 10 in Colorado Springs. Diana, 28, and Steven, 33, both won their bouts. Earlier in the day, Mark, 29, had beaten No. 1 seed Terrence “TJ” Jennings in sudden-death overtime; to make the team, he had to beat him again. Despite a good-luck kiss from his big brother, Mark’s Olympic dream ended with a scoring kick from Jennings with just 15 seconds left in their match, as his siblings – including coach Jean Lopez -- looked on.
  • A Day at Ringside [edit]
    The 2012 USA National Boxing Championships gave me a great opportunity to combine still images, audio and video in one package for the first time. I was just learning how to do sports photography, and boxing is particularly challenging. But I was nonetheless pleased with the outcome, as was The Denver Post, which published the piece in March 2012. It's a condensed chronicle of one bout; the Post provided context with a text block. I used MovieMaker 6 on Windows 7 to build the show, as my students will be working on PCs, with a lean software budget. The Post also used additional video and photos from me to accompany follow-up stories on the championships.
  • 2011 Veterans Day Parade [edit]
    I had intended to cover a November 2011 protest at the local Occupy encampment in a downtown Colorado Springs park, but organizers unwittingly scheduled the protest to coincide with the Veterans Day parade, a very big deal in our military community. Result: No protest. I created an audio slideshow of the parade instead.
  • The Faces Behind the Voices [edit]
    This audio slideshow features Sue Scott and Tim Russell, who provide most of the supporting characters' voices on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion." It combines high-quality audio from the show with not-so-high quality audio from telephone interviews. Additionally, I had to rely on photographs from Scott and the show's publicist, as I was unable to take my own. Nonetheless, the outcome is enjoyable and provides an intriguing window into the work of these versatile performers. The slideshow and an accompanying story I wrote served as The Colorado Springs Independent's paper/online preview of an October 2011 PHC performance in Colorado Springs, Colo. .

Writing

Content on this site written by Cate Terwilliger (includes contributory writing):

  • Projects

    • Kinetic Arts
    • Kinetic Arts Center hosts classes in circus arts and physical theater for amateurs and professionals alike. Open gym time is available for professionals who need a space to practice.