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Melissa Harris-Perry: Hey, everybody. This is Melissa Harris-Perry, host of The Takeaway. Now, as we end our show this week on June 2nd, we've been showing appreciation and paying tribute to our production crew, our control team, our engineers, our interns, you, and some other folks.
It is truly a team that makes The Takeaway every day, and every single person plays a critical part. Sometimes, the work that folks are doing isn't on the on-air product. Instead, they're taking care of their teammates, keeping schedules and vacations and sick days in check. Organizing travel for me and for producers to talk with communities outside of our offices. Making sure subscriptions are covered and logistics are squared away.
Just all the jobs and tasks that are absolutely necessary to keeping a daily news operation, well, operational. For us, someone who is a critical part of that team, someone we simply couldn't do our jobs without, is our longtime executive assistant, David Gebel.
David Gebel: This is David.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Now, David is literally the kindest person you could even imagine. He's lived, it feels like sometimes, a lot of different lifetimes, which makes sense, since he's an actor, a pro on the silver screen. He has a magnificent voice with impeccable delivery.
David Gebel: The majority of human beings are not yet human beings at all, but simply machines for the creating of wealth for others.
Melissa Harris-Perry: His baking ingenuity is renowned in this industry, which, trust us, runs mostly on sweets and caffeine. A total mensch, always eager with a warm greeting, and an inquisitive mind. David makes you feel believed in, seen, listened to. He's a driving force of good morale for us, and he just always has been.
David Gebel: Last year, in the thick of the pandemic, I took myself on a little solo hiking trip weekend and spent a good amount of time also writing in my journal all the things I was grateful for. This year, I'm vaccinated. I'm comfortable traveling. I'll be joining friends for dinner, and I'm still going to write in my journal all the things I'm grateful for. One of them being I get to work at The Takeaway.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Beyond that, David was so much more than a logistical godsend. He was part of our pitch meetings and regularly contributed ideas and thoughts to other folks' segments, as well as some of his own.
David Gebel: I think we would take everyone on The Takeaway team, and we are a very diverse team, and have them each write down the definition of queer on a piece of paper and one by one read them. We would get wildly different answers. So, what does it mean?
Melissa Harris-Perry: He was a guest on the show many times speaking about his experiences in life, and often in a role when he was talking about very personal moments with younger folks, really imparting this wealth of knowledge we've all come to look to him for.
David Gebel: I'm still HIV-positive, but I can't pass it on to anyone, and that's a huge change and a great relief. The first decade or so was lots of unknowns, lots of medications, lots of changes. I still have to be sure I have health insurance, but I am grateful that I am here, I am healthy, I have a non-detectable viral load, which means I can't pass it on to anyone. All of that's terrific. It certainly hasn't gone away, but there are a whole bunch of us who lived through it and are here to tell the tale.
Melissa Harris-Perry: He voices many of our funders and our copy, and we've even used his perfect voice as a disclaimer more than a few times.
David Gebel: Today's episode of The Takeaway contains discussions of biology and physiology from across the animal kingdom and contains language that some audiences may find inappropriate for young listeners.
Melissa Harris-Perry: David Gebel is a wonderful man and an important voice on this show, let alone on the air. He has no doubt influenced how this show sounds and feels in his seven years with The Takeaway. He's influenced everyone on the crew in so many ways, and inspired us equally. He's a force for good in this world, and we love him dearly. We send all of our love and thanks to David Gebel, and we hope that you tip your hat to this crucial part of our team as we wrap things up here at The Takeaway. I'm Melissa Harris-Perry. Thanks for listening, and thank you, David.
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