Q: What exactly do you do?
A: I find and clear archival materials for premium non-fiction and documentary film and TV series. I do the research, find the materials and make sure we are good to use them. Yes, it’s mostly footage, but it’s also photos, magazines, newspapers, written materials, clothing, ticket stubs, childhood yearbooks – anything that will help us color the stories in fun, exciting and unusual ways. I love the promise of a VHS tape from 1984. You never know what archival gem might be hiding on there.
Q: Do you work specifically at an archive or do you work on individual projects?
A: For several years, I worked at one specific archive, Reelin’ In The Years Productions. Now I work independently on projects that need a skilled archival producer.
Q: Isn’t Reelin’ In The Years only a music archive?
A: It was when I started there in 2002. While I worked there, it grew to include several great libraries with non-music interviews. Over in my personal timeline, I talk about some of those. The great thing about all the music and all the interviews in that archive is the depth of knowledge I have gained over the years researching it all.
Q: Depth of knowledge about what?
A: Generally, it’s music, film and television history and American culture. More specifically, I know a whole lot about pop music and television footage, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s. Sometimes that’s a very profitable skill and sometimes it’s just a really cool party trick.
Q: Clearly, you’re a huge Wham! fan. Did you work on the documentary WHAM! on Netflix?
A: No, I didn’t. The film is fantastic, and the archive is amazing! Go watch it!
Q: But you did work on The Greatest Night In Pop. That was a perfect fit for you, right?
A: Yes! 1980s, pop music, LA: so many of my favorite archival things.
Q: You work in music and TV. Will you work anywhere else?
A: Definitely! Podcasts, books, radio, magazines, social media, corporate spaces, education spaces, wide open spaces.
Q: What other archival work do you do?
A: I organize personal archives for both individuals and for companies. I know how to take that jumble of personal VHS tapes or stack of shoot tapes from the 1990s and organize them in a way that makes the material accessible for future projects and future generations.
Q: How does this work?
A: I work with both media archives (television, music, digital photographs) and tangible archives (papers, ephemera, hard copy photos.) I can create a searchable system that tells us what you have and what the content is. This includes metadata such as names, dates, places, interview topics and the other cool bits of info that make something special. I can advise and facilitate transfer of video material to updated formats and can oversee transcript creation and organization as integrated into the archive.
Q: Where are you based?
A: San Diego
Q: Do you work outside of San Diego?
A: Yes. I can work remotely. I work for clients all over the country and in the UK.
Q: Where did you go to college? I might remember you, but your name doesn’t sound familiar.
A: Syracuse University, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Class of 1997. You might remember me as Jackie Rubin.
Q: Wasn’t there a Clary at Newhouse at the same time?
A: Yes, that’s David Clary. I married him. He’s a pretty great guy.
Q: You have kids, right?
A: Sure do.
Q: Are they George Michael fans, too?
A: No and that’s okay. I am glad that they can identify his music and know that he’s very important to me, but I love that they’ve picked their own musicians to follow. So I wonder if they’ll feel about Khalid and Post Malone 30 years from now the way I feel about George.
Q: I heard once that Hanson kidnapped you from the Rock Hall. Is that true?
A Yes, it is. And I’m saving that story for the book.