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Detroit video production teacher Rachel Simone grew up at WDIV

To best understand the work Rachel Simone did this summer at the Lloyd H. Diehl Boys & Girls Club and why it means so much to her, you need to know a little about Simone's backstory.

This backstory, several chapters of which date back to the late 1980s, takes place primarily in the city of Detroit and the greater Detroit area, and includes much of Simone's time as a child spent in the downtown studios of WDIV-TV, the workplace of her father, Randy Henry, a longtime Local 4 producer/director.

More:After 39 years at WDIV, Detroit native Randy Henry is looking forward to working with “Bricks”

Rachel Simone, far left, sits with her daughter Simone McCants, her father Randy Henry and her mother Carmen Henry on Nov. 24, 2021, the day before Thanksgiving. Rachel Simone says the lessons she learned as a child watching her parents at work, including holidays spent at the studios of WDIV-Local 4 in downtown Detroit, prepared her for her work today as a producer/director.

About a 20-minute drive from WDIV, in a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan building at 20500 Civic Center Drive in Southfield, young Simone could often be found watching her mother, Carmen Henry, train colleagues as a manager for the large health insurer.

Rachel Simone, bottom row, far right, is more than just a face in the crowd. She developed a passion for reading, writing and storytelling as a young elementary school student at Bates Academy in Detroit. And this summer, Simone, now a professional storyteller, shared her passion with Detroit teens at the Lloyd H. Diehl Boys & Girls Club.

And then there were the many days, weeks, months and years Simone spent as a student in northwest Detroit at Bates Academy—when the school was still located in Greenlawn—and at Renaissance High School (class of 2006), in classrooms that continually provided her with moments of joy and discovery, especially when Simone was given the opportunity to read, write and tell stories.

Combining all of these experiences, it's no surprise that Simone is excited and proud to teach the youth of Detroit the art of storytelling through video production training.

"I grew up at Channel 4," says Rachel Simone, who as a little girl often accompanied her father, Randy Henry, to the WDIV studios, where she watched production from the control room. Today, 36-year-old Simone has followed in her father's footsteps and is a professional producer/director. This summer, she shared her talents with Detroit youth at a place she knows well - the Lloyd H. Diehl Boys & Girls Club.

“I grew up at (WDIV) Channel 4; we literally slept up there,” recalls Simone, now 36, whose father worked a 3 a.m. to noon shift most days, which coincided with the support he provided for WDIV's morning news and other programs. “On weekends, half-school days, holidays and special days like elections, I was often at the station, spending time in the green room and control room, as well as in the studio area where the lottery broadcasts and the game shows (“Fame & Fortune” and “Megabucks Giveaway” hosted by Chuck Gaidica) were done.

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