For Gavin Felix, covering the opening of the World’s Largest Time Capsule in July was a homecoming of sorts.
Felix, who graduated from Seward High in 2004, worked for the Johnsons in the video rental department at the House of Davisson when he was in school.
“I loved movies growing up,” he said. “It like seemed the best job I could have.”
That job led him to his career at Nebraska Public Media, where he works as a producer.
Felix attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film.
“I was able to learn all great ways to tell stories,” he said. “I lucked into an internship at NET Sports. It was another world of being able to tell stories.”
In addition, he did a feature on Garland poet Ted Kooser and his poetry, which was recorded live in Kearney. He was able to edit and do postproduction on that.
“They let me take a whack at editing,” he said.
In the sports department, Felix worked on the hour-long Husker highlights show. He also covered the Shrine Bowl and went to Chicago with the players. Felix said that helped him get his feet wet.
“You learn about how to approach a story, how to tell a story that’s compelling,” he said, adding that asking questions is key to that.
Felix started fulltime at Nebraska Public Media in 2011 as a producer and thought he would stay in the sports department, working on Nebraska volleyball coverage and the NSAA state championships.
“I’ve produced most of the championships over the years,” he said. “I did Big Red Wrap-Up for nine season from Bo (Pelini) to Scott (Frost).”
In addition to his sports duties, Felix produced long-form documentaries on concussions, a piece called “The Land Will Outlive Us All,” “Legends Beyond the Game” with Kevin Kugler and Tom Osborne and “The Last Ride” with John Cook and Larry Punteney.
When it comes to the documentaries, he said, there are many different aspects a producer has to be aware of, he described the job as a Swiss army knife.
“I do so much preparation and research. I’d rather be overly prepared,” he said. “Once you’re in the moment, you have a connection with the subject.”
The staff at Nebraska Public Media meets monthly to talk about story ideas and the status of existing projects. The time capsule was originally pitched during the pandemic, but they never got around to it then.
In July, when Trish and Harvey Johnson opened the pyramid, Felix said telling the story for Nebraska Stories was a no-brainer.
“It was an easy pitch,” he said. “There’s a good story behind it.”
As a Seward native, as well, Felix figured he’d be the one telling the story.
He was.
He and a crew were on site June 26 when the time capsule was opened, filming as the top pieces of the pyramid were removed and the contents revealed to sunlight for the first time in 50 years.
“To be part of that history that day, that was really exciting,” Felix said.
While opening the World’s Largest Time Capsule was the reason Felix was in Seward, returning to the House of Davisson was like stepping back in time for him.
“I can’t tell you how much of a time capsule it was for me,” he said of walking into the store.
When he came out to do some scouting before the drone shoot, he said, the VHS movie boxes were still on the shelves.
“It brought back a flood of memories for me,” he said. “It was a surreal moment to walk into.”
He had to check, though – was his top 10 list still there? To his surprise, it was. The top movie listed was “Batman” starring Michael Keaton. His not top 10 movies choices were also still posted. His five worst were all “Freddy Got Fingered” starring Tom Green, he said, laughing.
The piece about the time capsule will be more of a process story, he said. One question to consider was how in-depth to go. He came out in June with a drone for some overhead and interior shots, then came back for an interview with Trish Johnson. Johnson is the daughter of Harold Davisson, whose brainchild was the time capsule.
“I was able to pull on all the threads,” Felix said. “It was insightful. This is more about him and why did he do this.”
As he listened to Johnson talk about her father, providing details of his life and interests, he knew he was on the right track.
“It’s the story of the man behind the time capsule and all the little things he did,” Felix said. “He ran 100 miles per hour 24/7 until the end.”
He learned that Davisson hosted a radio show and copies of some of the shows were stored on the back seat of the 1975 Chevy Vega in the time capsule.
“Part of the fun was unearthing the gold I didn’t realize was there,” Felix said.
After the interview, Felix was back out for the opening and then again on July 4 to film the crowds and do some interviews that day. He also planned to talk to some of the people with items in the time capsule.
After collecting the video and sound, he writes the script, noting sound bites and the video to use. He said that helps the editors put together the first cut of the piece.
He reads through a transcript of the interviews done and listens again to what he thinks is good to make sure his original choices will work.
“I go in with a plan of what I think it will look like. That helps inform the questions I ask,” Felix said.
He hoped to edit the piece in September with its premiere in February as part of the next season of Nebraska Stories.
