Get Better, Boyd Huppert of KARE 11 — We Need Your Storytelling

You've no doubt seen Boyd Huppert's work on KARE 11 television. Beautiful, well-told stories about the people and happenings of Minnesota and beyond.

I met Boyd Huppert back in 2007.

He was working on one of his "Land of 10,000 Stories" features about something near and dear to my heart -- KVSC Radio's Trivia Weekend.

My trivia team at the time -- "Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women" -- was one of the several teams Boyd and his crews covered in a long, elaborate and totally mind-blowing piece about the St. Cloud State radio station's 50-hour trivia marathon.

Boyd and his team of photojournalists literally embedded with trivia teams all weekend to capture an amazing portrayal of the contest and the people who take part in it each year.

Take a look -- we were all a lot younger back then. And we have lost some of our trivia comrades in the years since this first aired in 2007.

Since then, Boyd has continued to tell great, heart-touching stories about Minnesota and its people. Hundreds of stories. Many of them from right here in the St. Cloud area. Although none were likely as complicated or time-intensive as the KVSC Trivia story which ran around 5-1/2 minutes long -- an unheard story length in local TV news.

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So, what's so special about his features?

All of Boyd's stories have a soul to them. They tell a story with a style that's unmistakeably his -- a storyteller's narration punctuated with the newsmaker's comments. Short and choppy and punchy to create a pace. Or slow and quiet and with just enough words to let the gorgeous photography of his photojournalist colleagues to "breathe" and brightly shine.

I've seen many other feature reporters -- both in Minnesota and across the country -- who have no doubt been students of Boyd's style and pacing and economy of words in telling their own stories on television. After all, their "teacher" is a master at what he does -- telling great stories that tug at the heartstrings.

And that's why it's been upsetting to hear about Boyd's health battles with cancer. He's being treated for multiple myeloma -- and recently had a set-back which he shared with viewers.

You can see the whole KARE-11 piece on Boyd's health battle on the TV station's website.

What's maybe most amazing about Boyd is his passion for his craft. Despite his battle with cancer, he continues to work -- adding to his collection of stories in a land of many more than 10,000 of them.

Get better, Boyd. Minnesota needs you.