The pandemic was raging and 12-year-old Joel Crump realized a few things.
He lived in Virginia. He loved Broadway. And wanted to interview famous actors.
He also realized that, with Broadway shuttered, those actors had nothing to do, and they might want to talk. To him.
Crump figured it was time to start his journalism journey, but he had no access.
“I went nuts finding these people’s contact information,” Crump said. The idea was to do remote interviews, to create “Broadway Time” (at bwaytime.com), a space for all things Broadway.
One yes from a Newsie led to more
Crump’s first interview was with Ben Cook, of “Newsies” fame. Cook’s yes led to more yeses, helping Crump build his platform.
He said his goal for “Broadway Time” has been “theater accessibility and creating a platform for the youth and for everyone to learn about Broadway.”
“I never saw anyone that looked like me regularly interviewing on these red carpets,” he said. “There was never a kid interviewing on Broadway.”
Crump set his sights high.
“I went to my mom and I said, ‘Mom, I want to cover the Tony Awards,’” Crump said. “I emailed them and I called their press office every single day until they said yes,” he continued. By the end of eighth grade, he was on his first Tony’s red carpet.
Since then he has racked up get after impressive get: Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keanu Reeves, Angelina Jolie and more.
It’s all in the preparation
Getting the interviews is one thing. Preparing for them is another.
“They told me, ‘You have six minutes. You have to say your questions in advance and you have to stay on script,” he said. “There’s a lot of preparation.
“I do my preparation so many months in advance that by the time I interview them I feel like I know them,” he said. “They have no idea who I am, but I’m ready for that interview.”
Crump’s interviewing skills have only grown.
Getting on News12’s radar
“I used to ask everybody the same questions,” he said. “You have to learn to pivot. If they’re not picking up what you’re putting down, you have to keep moving.”
While covering the Tony Awards press day, he was standing next to a crew from News 12. His enthusiasm was clear and a producer saw potential. Soon, he was tapped to fill a need, getting paid to cover Broadway.
He is now Broadway’s youngest working journalist.
“(Joining News12) was kind of mind-blowing to me,” he said. “It’s a really great job because they have so much going on. I was able to just pick up what they had and run with it and I have a lot of creative control.”
A family that fed in his Broadway dream
Covering Broadway from Virginia wasn’t ideal and this is where Crump gives credit to his parents, who saw his dream and helped him realize it, pulling up stakes and moving to NYC.
“My parents moved here just because they saw that I have a passion,” he said. “I owe them the world.”
After covering five Broadway seasons, Crump starts college at Fordham University this fall, majoring in journalism with a minor in theater.
“I love to perform,” Crump said. “I love to sing, I love to act, I like to dance.”
Most 18-year-olds are on the receiving end of advice, but Crump is in a position to offer some of his own.
“Whatever you choose, you have to love it,” he said. “If you don’t love what you do, don’t do it.”
Did you know?
Joel Crump’s clip file includes stars of stage, screen and politics. Among them: Robert Downey Jr., Hillary Clinton, Alicia Keys, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kristin Chenoweth. He is Broadway correspondent for News12 and has been a special correspondent for EBONY and Fox 5. He hosts The Weekly Dose of Joel podcast, produced by the Broadway Podcast Network.
Khloe JeanBart is a senior at Park Slope Collegiate in Brooklyn.
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