Glynn Boyd has always been a dreamer. Since he was in 4th grade, he dreamed of meeting the people who shape politics and popular culture.
Now the Emmy award-winning journalist has interviewed such important people as Mother Theresa, Bill Clinton, Bill Crosby, Charles Barkley, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the last six Louisiana governors.
“I wanted to meet these people…and this particular profession awarded me the opportunity to do that,” Boyd said.
Boyd, a 1980 graduate of Hahnville High School, said he first became interested in journalism during his time at Mimosa Park Elementary School when his class held a mock news cast.
“From that point on, I knew that was what I wanted to do,” he said.
Now Boyd has worked as a television reporter for 25 years and has been at ABC26 in New Orleans for the past 15 years.
Boyd said that the community and school system in St. Charles Parish helped him to succeed.
“It was a good school system…my teachers were always nurturing and encouraging,” he said. “I grew up in a village. A neighbor was a real neighbor – today a lot of people don’t even know their neighbors. People stuck together here. I grew up in a great environment.”
Boyd said that journalism was also a big part of his childhood.
“Growing up in southeast Louisiana, news was a tradition…we all watched the news every day and I was always intrigued by it,” he said.
Boyd said that Garland Robinette, a journalist from Boutte, was a role model for him.
“I thought, if Garland can do this and is from here, I know I can do it as well,” he said.
Boyd graduated from Nicholls State University in 1984 with a degree in communications and entered into the telecommunications world during a time when he said there were very few African Americans in the profession.
After working throughout the southeast U.S., Boyd is glad to finally be near home.
His family still lives in Luling and Boutte and he attends the Mt. Airy Baptist Church in Boutte every Sunday. He also regularly attends sports games in the parish.
Troy Tupes, also a 1980 Hahnville graduate, works closely with Boyd as cameraman. Tupes, like Boyd, has stayed active in St. Charles Parish and can be seen running along the sidelines at many of the parish’s high school sports games with a camera in hand.
In addition to being closer to his family, Boyd said that the greater New Orleans area is a good place for his career.
“I like what I do. This is a fantastic place,” he said. “This is perhaps one of the top five news markets in the country.”
While he has interviewed many famous people and tragic events, he said that the high point of his career was covering the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV and the low point was covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
As for the future, Boyd said he does not see himself being a journalist forever.
He said that many people have urged him to go into politics, and that he will consider running for an office when his children are older. He also said he hopes to own a consulting business for marketing and public relations.
“I call myself a king maker because I’m always giving my friends advice on how to run their campaigns and things,” Boyd said.
Boyd said that he also hopes to be an anchor at some point before leaving journalism.
For children in St. Charles Parish who are interested in television reporting, Boyd offered some advice on the changing journalism market. Boyd said that television stations expect employees to know a lot more about technology these days.
“Salaries are changing and there’s more of a demand for video journalism now,” he said. “It’s not just standing in front of the camera talking – it’s more than that now. But if this is what you want to do, pursue it.
“Dream your dreams. I was a big dreamer. Dream your dreams and live them out.”
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