Could this 8-year-old from Rochester be the next big YouTube star?
In early September, 38-year-old Zach Shepard from Chili slid into the Democrat and Chronicle's Instagram inbox with a message.
"Hi, my daughter Avery has started this project interviewing people in different career fields," Shepard wrote. "She thought it would be really cool to interview a reporter/photographer."
Days later, I was in the D&C's main street office fielding questions from 8-year-old Avery Shepard, The Tiny Trailblazer.
Her feet don't reach the floor, and her cue cards are larger than her hands that hold them, but her questions hit like inquires from a seasoned reporter.
After our interview, amid a maze of cameras, tripods and wireless microphones, Zach Shepard and his daughter packed up the mini studio, the latter beaming after a flawless interview.
Dad took some still photos, shot b-roll, and flew a drone for aerial footage. Editing was next.
When the younger Shepard began letting me in on the post-production secrets, such as how long it takes to finish a piece of content, her father interrupted, asking her, "You're editing the videos?"
They break out into laughter. (That's very much his job.) Their bond is palpable as a family and a video production team.
Zach Shepard spends two to three days editing the content while Avery pops her head in the editing room now and then, giving her father notes and endless cups of coffee.
Is her channel the building block for a future career?
"Yeah, probably," she answered.
The Tiny Trailblazer origin story: How Zach and Avery Shepard got started
Cameras have been in Zach Shepard's life since he was 15 years old, practicing photography, later studying the medium at Monroe Community College, and eventually graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2009.
Now a corporate videographer and photographer at Howell Studios, Shepard travels a lot for work.
"Any second I'm home, I try to spend it with my kids," he said.
When Avery approached him with her desire to start a YouTube channel, he thought of the perfect idea to use their valuable time together.
"If you're going to start a YouTube channel, you're going to learn something from it," Zach Shepard told his daughter.
He created The Tiny Trailblazer channel in August.
After notching a half-dozen interviews, Avery started eagerly asking her father the same question: "Who am I interviewing this week?"
"It's the hardest part," Shepard said about keeping Avery's interview schedule busy. The duo aims to chat with people in the Rochester area who have interesting jobs at places the Shepard family likes to visit.
They usually get who they want because, like Zach Shepard says, "Who can say no to an 8-year-old?"
The Tiny Trailblazer: Who has Avery Shepard interviewed in Rochester?
Thus far, the father-daughter duo has published content with:
Dan Mason (general manager of the Rochester Red Wings)
Tony Colon (Melo Coffee and Kitchen)
Heather McAllister (Metal Works Creative)
Dan Sweeny (Swillburger)
Video at the Strong National Museum of Play and a talk with a helicopter pilot are on deck for the channel.
"I'm proud of myself," The Tiny Trailblazer said. " I get to meet new people, and it's fun."
On the way to each interview, Avery sits in the backseat while her father drives, practicing cue cards with questions they've developed. Avery said she gets nervous, but she overcomes that when the camera starts rolling.
The potential attention on the final product sometimes overwhelms the young content creator. "Once you put it on YouTube, literally anyone can see it," she said.
For Zach Shepard, monetizing their budding YouTube channel is undoubtedly tempting, but for now, it isn't about potential money or fame; it's about the laughter they share when the camera isn't rolling.
The Shepards say the best part of production days is the meals they share at Melo Coffee and Kitchen or at Swillburger after wrapping a hard day's work.
"If you could interview anyone in the world, who would it be?" Shepard asked his daughter.
"Josh Allen," she quickly replied. Her first question is locked and ready to go.
"How did you become a star?"
The Tiny Trailblazer: How can you watch Avery Shepard's interviews with notable people?
Avery is sharing her delightful interviews online.
You can keep up with Avery Shepard's interviews on YouTube and Instagram.
YouTube: @thetinytrailblazer
Instagram: @the_tiny_trailblazerr_
Legendary broadcaster: Why 13 WHAM anchor just set a Guinness World Record
Unique real estate: 'Mud house' in Penfield goes on the market. Take a peek inside
Contact Robert Bell at: rlbell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @byrobbell & Instagram: @byrobbell.
This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: YouTube channel Tiny Trailblazer stars 8-year-old Avery Shepard
