Who is Tolly Carr?

             If you’re from the Triad, the name Tolly Carr may ring a bell. Carr was born on October 2, 1974 in Raleigh, NC. Carr’s desire to become involved with broadcasting started at an early age. He was obsessed with news and learning about the world around him, but his heart was always set on sports.

        Carr studied sociology at Winston-Salem State University, with a minor in communications, applying his passion for sports at the campus radio station.

            During his junior year at WSSU he began working overnight shifts at 97.1 QMG. The hectic hours prepared Carr, giving him commercial broadcast experience. He stayed at QMG over five years, before giving up his full-time job to an entry-level job at WXII 12 News based in Winston-Salem, NC.

            Carr started at the bottom and worked his way up. He began working behind the camera as a production assistant. His dream of becoming a sports anchor was still alive, so he continually recorded news stories, shoving them under the directors’ door.

            In 2000, Carr was given the chance to report high school and college football games. He ran with the opportunity, making occasional appearances on air, while still working behind the scenes. The quality of Carr’s work improved drastically and with time, he inched his way into the weekend sports anchor position. 

            Reco Foushee recently spoke with Carr about his life, career goals and inspirations.

Foushee: What made you become interested in the journalism and communications field? Did anyone inspire you in particular?

Carr: “I used to watch the news a lot when I was a kid because we only had 3 channels growing up so it was inevitable that the news would come on everyday. I liked the sports segment of the newscast and I was a big fan of Tom Suiter from WRAL-TV in Raleigh,”

Carr said.

Foushee: I remember you saying how you got the job at WXII, even though the news station was looking for a female cast. Was there ever a time in your career where your ethnicity was a barrier in Corporate America?

Carr: “My ethnicity may have been a barrier at some point but, I've never been aware of it. My opinion has always been not to present myself as being black but, rather as human. When people see me they know I'm black, I don't have to convince or remind anyone of it. I always felt that if I really made a big deal out of being black it would become an issue. I've never felt like that was something that needed to be important when it came to my work and what I was all about. I'm sure someone along the line has had their opinion of me distorted by my skin color but that's their issue and not mine,” Carr said.

            At the peak of Carr’s career in 2007, his life took a drastic turn. On March 11, he was involved in a fatal car accident that resulted in the death of Casey Bokhoven, 26. Carr was driving while impaired with a blood alcohol level of 0.13, almost twice the legal limit. He was sentenced 25 months in prison for felony death by motor vehicle. Carr explained his activities while incarcerated. He wrote letters frequently to family, friends, and supporting viewers; he worked out and kept up with current events, reading newspapers and magazines. While serving his time, he lost touch with technology which was a set back in his career field, for the duration of his sentence he became knowledgeable of the technology that was released.

Foushee: After being released from prison in May 2009, have you ever met anyone who was inspired by your story or someone who was in a similar situation as yours?

Carr: “I've met people informally who have expressed that they are inspired by me because they were incarcerated as well. Not anyone who I can even remember by name at this point but obviously there are a lot of people in society who've been incarcerated before. More important to me there were people who used to write to me when I was incarcerated who had been previously incarcerated. Those letters were very motivational and inspirational to me. There are a couple of guys that I was locked up with that I keep in touch with. There's a brotherhood from the standpoint we know what one another has gone through and the challenges we face in our lives now,” Carr said.

            Currently, Carr is still working in his desired field while revamping from his past. He is now the creative director for Viewfinders Media, a partnership based out of Winston-Salem that includes advertising, public relations and creative media. “Saving graces was the work I put in behind the scenes,” says Carr, throughout his career prior to the accident, which allowed Carr to take advantage of the second chance he was given.

            “No matter how things are looking, he’ll find a way to make it work,” says Cameron Tatum, Carr’s younger brother. Tatum also stated how he admired how he came from the bottom and made his way to the top. With the love and support from his brother, he is still proud and with the 13-year age difference he views him as another father figure, pushing him to be a better athlete and student.

            Former classmate, Tapuwa Masango, described Carr as diverse, articulate, well-read, hardworking and portraying a wealth of knowledge. Both Masango and Tatum would agree that Carr would be further in his career if it weren’t for the accident. We asked Masango where did he see Carr in the future, “I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard a story about him owning his own TV or radio station, I can see him working for himself,” says Masango.

            After being released, Carr has engaged in a circuit of motivational speaking. He still indulges in his passion for reporting and broadcasting news. He enjoys his life after adversity, spending time with his wife, daughter and family.

Having asked Carr about advice he would give to aspiring journalists, he responded, “The best advice I could give someone is don't let anyone else outwork you. There are plenty of people in the world with more natural talent and there's not much you can do about that. You can however control your work ethic. I've never seen anyone work really hard and not achieve some level of result in his or her career. Other than that just be yourself and stay true to whom you are. Trying to be someone else will always result in second place at best. Also put yourself into a position so you can realize the things that you didn't even know that you don't know.”