If I had any doubt that AIR was worth the membership fee (which I didn't), I've been totally and thoroughly convinced. This rate guide and template agreement for podcasters is genius. Check it out. -Mia
http://airmedia.org/rateguideforpodcasts/
Category Archives: Uncategorized
FC members Get 50% Off Any CreativeLive Class and a Free eBook
Hey folks. I’ve been doing Freelance Cafe for a good long time and have been waiting/hoping for a like-minded group to collaborate with in some way. It’s finally happened!
CreativeLive offers FREE online classes if you can catch them live (I watched Alex Blumberg’s course a few months back – so good), and then charges what I would consider a pretty reasonable rate to watch individual classes On Demand any time after. They have more than 1000 classes at this point, many of which are relevant to public media. And they’re offering FC members a 50% discount for the next 48 hours. That’s a bit of a tight turn-around, but I’m hoping they’ll offer the same again soon.
You can also get a free copy of their eBook The Essential Guide to Launching a Freelance Career. Click here to download.
Here are a few classes that jumped out at me:
Personal Finance for Freelancers and Artists with Galia Gichon
Power Your Podcast with Storytelling with Alex Blumberg
Launch a Successful Podcast with Kris Gilbertson
Podcasting 101 with John Lee Dumas
Also:
Command the Fees You Deserve with Ilise Benun
Protect and Profit Your Intellectual Property with Rachel Rodgers
Copyright, Trademark, and Intellectual Property for Filmmakers with Rachel Rodgers
There are a bunch more too. Most of the classes run about $150 so you get them for $75 for the next two days. That’s something.
The discount code is FCEXCLUSIVE50OFF.
Go get it!-Mia
New America Media’s 2015 Equal Voice Journalism Fellowship and Scholarship, deadline June 7
New America Media is pleased to announce the 2015 Equal Voice
Journalism Fellowship and Scholarship
Journalism Fellowship and Scholarship
Funded by the Marguerite Casey Foundation, this offers a new opportunity for emerging and established journalists from ethnic and mainstream media who cover issues on poverty.
The fellowship aims to expand and increase the public’s understanding of poverty in the United States. Nearly 50 million Americans are struggling at or below the poverty line. That means there are 50 million stories to be told from different perspectives.
Journalists can apply for an Equal Voice Journalism Fellowship and write at least one in-depth story or a series of stories that illustrate how language, culture and race influence public attitudes and policy about the poor.
Selected journalists will receive a stipend of $2,250, plus up to $1,000 in travel reimbursement. College-enrolled student journalists may also apply for the Equal Voice Scholarship, which offers $500 and up to $800 for travel.
Now think about the best medium in which to tell your story: video, audio, photography, text/print, graphics — or multimedia. Find an outlet that will agree to publish/distribute your story.
Applicants will need:
1. An essay articulating your project/idea
2. Resume/List of positions, accomplishments and awards
3. Letter of commitment from a publisher/editor or support letter from campus media
4. A letter of recommendation
5. Permanent links to work samples/recent content you have produced
Deadline to submit your application is June 7th. No applications submitted after June 13, 2015, will be considered. Click here to access the application form.
Marguerite Casey Foundation is dedicated to creating a movement of working families advocating on their own behalf for change. They strive to bring humility and hope to their work. Their actions are guided by the firm belief that significant positive change is not only possibly, but absolutely necessary.
For more information on the fellowship, please contact Anthony Advincula at
aadvincula@newamericamedia.org
Enrollment now open for the 2015-2016 KALW News Audio Academy – 2 WEEKS LEFT
From the fine folks at KALW:
There are 2 weeks left to apply for the KALW Audio Academy. Application guidelines here and below.
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Enrollment now open for the KALW Audio Academy
KALW is calling for applicants for our 9-month radio journalism training program based at KALWpublic radio, an NPR and BBC affiliate station in San Francisco. This program is designed to give you a professional audio production education, tuition-free.
We’re looking for creative thinkers who are great writers and storytellers with a passion for covering diverse communities and some knowledge of the Bay Area.
Audio Academy participants will be trained to produce feature reports for KALW’s award-winning daily news program Crosscurrents. Your voice and your work will be broadcast on KALW during your time in the Audio Academy.
Training will include:
Working closely with reporters on developing stories, producing original feature stories for broadcast, interviewing potential guests/sources, researching topics, fact-checking, script writing, recording sound for pieces in the field, and learning story structure, voicing, digital production, engineering, and sound design. You will be responsible for minor administrative and production duties. You will also pitch and produce an entire Crosscurrents show. The training will take place inside the collaborative and supportive community of the KALW newsroom. Our editors and engineers, along with other public media producers, will lead workshops on every aspect of production specifically for the Audio Academy. Previous featured speakers have been: Al Letson, Roman Mars, Hansi Lo Wang, Daniel Alarcón, Marianne McCune, and Jason DeRose (to name a few).
Selected participants will make a 9-month commitment (September 2015 to June 2016): minimum 20 hours per week (one eight-hour shift at our studios and another 12 hours working in the field). TheAcademy includes a two-week break in late December and two flexible vacation weeks. Enrollment in a college or university is not necessary to participate.
To apply please put together a cover letter, CV, any audio/writing samples, and (if you can) a short, original audio work that you craft as part of your application. Send it all to:
Application deadline: April 12, 2015, 11:59 PT
We look forward to meeting you!
KALW encourages a diverse pool of applicants from a variety of backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We value diversity.
Enrollment now open for the 2015-2016 KALW News Audio Academy
There's no better training ground than KALW. Go for this! Details HERE and below. Application deadline April 12.
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Enrollment now open for the KALW News Audio Academy
KALW is calling for applicants for our 9-month radio journalism training program based at KALW public radio, an NPR and BBC affiliate station in San Francisco. This program is designed to give you a professional audio production education, tuition-free.
We’re looking for creative thinkers who are great writers and storytellers with a passion for covering diverse communities and some knowledge of the Bay Area.
Audio Academy participants will be trained to produce feature reports for KALW’s award-winning daily news program Crosscurrents. Your voice and your work will be broadcast on KALW during your time in the Audio Academy.
Training will include:
Working closely with reporters on developing stories, producing original feature stories for broadcast, interviewing potential guests/sources, researching topics, fact-checking, script writing, recording sound for pieces in the field, and learning story structure, voicing, digital production, engineering, and sound design. You will be responsible for minor administrative and production duties. You will also pitch and produce an entire Crosscurrents show. The training will take place inside the collaborative and supportive community of the KALW newsroom. Our editors and engineers, along with other public media producers, will lead workshops on every aspect of production specifically for the Audio Academy. Previous featured speakers have been: Al Letson, Roman Mars, Hansi Lo Wang, Daniel Alarcón, Marianne McCune, and Jason DeRose (to name a few).
Selected participants will make a 9-month commitment (September 2015 to June 2016): minimum 20 hours per week (one eight-hour shift at our studios and another 12 hours working in the field). The Academy includes a two-week break in late December and two flexible vacation weeks. Enrollment in a college or university is not necessary to participate.
To apply please put together a cover letter, CV, any audio/writing samples, and (if you can) a short, original audio work that you craft as part of your application. Send it all to:
Application deadline: April 12, 2015, 11:59 PT
We look forward to meeting you!
KALW encourages a diverse pool of applicants from a variety of backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We value diversity.
http://kalw.org/post/enrollment-now-open-2015-2016-kalw-news-audio-academy
[conferences] upcoming SPJ conference April 17-18, San Francisco
Hey Bay Area folks – the SPJ Western Regional Conference is coming up April 17-18. Details below. Don't miss it! -Mia
Claim Your Audience: SPJ 2015 Western Regional Conference
One Month Left to Buy Early Bird Tickets
Join a dynamic group of media professionals April 17-18 at the Society of Professional Journalists' 2015 Western Regional Conference in San Francisco.
Come to the Western Regional Conference for insights on navigating the ever-evolving media landscape. Hear how newsrooms are supplementing reporting with data visualization, podcasts and online video. Learn from freelancers who are carving lucrative niches by identifying their audiences. Glean tips on email encryption from savvy journalists who take on powerful interests — and who know how to protect their sources.
The conference will feature forward-thinking media entrepreneurs and tenacious investigative reporters leading intensive workshops on April 17, followed by a day of engaging, multi-track programming on April 18 at the Hotel Whitcomb. Throughout the weekend, conference goers will enjoy several social and networking events, as well as SPJ’s Mark of Excellence ceremony.
Please visit the conference website to find out more about discounted room rates at Hotel Whitcomb and to follow programming updates.
Book your tickets now to take advantage of our early-bird admission fees:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-spj-western-regional-conference-tickets-15660214122
Snap Judgment wants your love story!
From Snap!
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We'll be sending out a longer list with our upcoming themes soon, but for now Snap Judgment is accepting pitches with a quick turn around time for Valentines day. If anyone has an already produced piece or a live story that might fit our general format (plot driven narrative arch, twists and turns, surprising ending) send that along too please.
Below find some general instructions and inspiration about pitching to Snap. Please send any pitches or questions to me directly at adlerstein@snapjudgment.org.
Looking forward to reading your submissions,
Ana
Why Should I Pitch To Snap?
1) We pay well. $95/minute for your first three stories. $105/minute after that. We also give everyone a $250 kill fee. And our stories are long (see next line).
2) We give you time to tell your story. The average Snap piece is now 8-15 minutes. That means fewer editorial puppies being killed, and more time being spent on scoring and mixing each piece.
3) Your story stands a very good chance of making it to air very quickly. We have programming gaps for every single upcoming theme. That means if we like your pitch, we will not put it in a maybe pile for a year. Once it's produced (provided it's not killed), it will in all likelihood be on the air shortly.
4) You still own the story and can create your own director's cut. You can't sell something (say on PRX) that's too similar to what we did on the show, but you can always put your own version on your website or resume if you prefer. If you make a story that's substantially different, you can sell it to anyone after we air our version.
5) You can produce cool old stories with no pegs. See next section!
Where Can I Find Stories For Snap?
Most people think they need to "stumble upon" a small, intimate, underground story for Snap Judgment. This is simply not true. Great stories can come from a newsletter, periodical, magazine, press release, obscure TV program, non-fiction book or documentary. If you have found ANY story with strong narrative elements which hasn't gotten too much press in the past few years and hasn't yet been turned into a radio piece (and one of the characters turns out to be a capable talker) you should pitch us. Anytime you come across such a story, we are potentially interested.
How Do I Know The Story Is Right For Snap
1) Is the story not just a story, but a tale? In other words, does it have characters with wants and needs and hopes and fears, scenes that play out in a chronological order in which said characters make important decisions and discover new things, and some kind of central tension that gets resolved in an unexpected way over the course of a narrative arc? If so, then it’s a tale, and we’re interested.
2) Is the story cinematic? In other words, will it provide us with scenes rich enough in detail that the listener can see events playing out in their mind’s eye? Because we’re not interested in narratives in which things happen on an abstract level. We want the listener to be transported to a specific time and place.
3) Is there something new about it? Every Snap Judgment story needs to have an unexpected wrinkle, a new element, that makes the listener stop what they’re doing and pay attention. Sometimes the new thing is just the fact that you’ve discovered a great talker, but nine times out of ten it’s a unique premise or plot element. If we feel like we’ve heard this one before (maybe not this precise story, but something super similar) we’ll probably pass.
How Should I Structure My Pitch?
There's actually a really simple trick to this: Don’t pitch us a public radio story. Pitch us a MOVIE. A typical public radio pitch invariably describes what a story is broadly about, more often than not some kind of compelling concept; a movie pitch summarizes a sequence of events. Give us the enticing premise, introduce the compelling characters, then describe the thing that sets the story in motion, the rising stakes, the unexpected development, the third act twist, and the ending that somehow feels unexpected and inevitable at the same time. Okay, it doesn’t need all those things, but you get the idea. Anything that sounds like a movie (or a short film) will definitely get our attention. Because that’s what we do, we make cinematic stories that just happen to be audio-based — usually from a first person perspective. And if you can’t pitch your story as a sequence of events? Well, then, it probably wasn’t a Snap story in the first place.
upcoming grant/fellowship deadlines from AIR
If you've been on this list for awhile you know that I'm a big fan of AIR – The Association of Independents in Radio (which is now about a lot more than just radio.) The grant/fellowship deadlines listed below come from their monthly newsletter. You need to be an AIR member to get their Full list of upcoming deadlines (login required), but they have a public wiki of awards and fellowships that's available to everyone. Check it out! -Mia
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Upcoming Deadlines
NEH America's Media Makers production grants
Deadline: Jan. 14
Details: Awards that range from $100,000 to $800,000 for one- to three-year projects that "explore stories, ideas, and beliefs that deepen our understanding of our lives and our world."
Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard University
Deadline: Jan. 31
Details: A $60,000 stipend (plus tuition and fees, and housing and childcare allowances) for 12 American journalists to study tuition-free at Harvard for 10 months. Fellows and their partners have the run of Harvard, MIT, and Boston-area universities. Several specialized grants are available.
Knight-Wallace Fellowship at Michigan
Deadline: Feb. 1
Details: $70,000 stipend, plus all tuition and fees, for journalists in all disciplines, with international excursions over the 10-month, residential fellowship. Multiplatform training and a "backpack" of equipment supplied to help each fellow expand his or her craft.
outLoud call for submissions at Youth Radio, deadline Dec 16
Please pass this along to the young people in your life. A great opportunity for LBGT youth to get involved with a fantastic program. Details below.
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outLoud Radio – now at Youth Radio – wants to hear from you!
Holiday time can be super stressful, especially if you’re young and queer. How are you feeling this time of year? Are you in contact with your family? Do you go home for holidays or get together with extended family? Are you out to them? Are you planning to come out? What do you talk about together or what conversations do you avoid? Do you invite a significant other home? What comes up for you as a young LGBTQ person during this time of year?
outLoud Radio at Youth Radio is looking for your words and comments on this topic. Write or send a video (via YouTube) and we’ll post it on our website!
Here are the details:
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Email us (300 words or less) or send a video (2 minutes or less, published on YouTube so we can embed)
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Include your name and age (specify if you want your name published)
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Add a picture- maybe you with your family or another photo you’d like published with your piece (optional)
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Express yourself honestly, but please no cuss-words, hate speech, disrespectful language or anything else that might prevent us from posting your submission
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All submissions must be emailed to Youth Radio by Dec 16 to be considered for publication
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Specifically looking for submissions from people under the age of 25
To submit:
Send an email to outloud@youthradio.org
Make the subject: Holiday outLoud Submission
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you!
Call for Submissions (( RADIO CAMPFIRE )) Ann Arbor / Detroit, deadline Dec 31
Many of you know I don't often post opportunities for no money, but I believe so strongly in the power of these listening/social groups for support, networking, and collaboration. This one is in Michigan and sounds super fun. -Mia
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Radio Campfire is a new event series for creative audio stories. We gather round to listen, imagine and enjoy an evening of memorable radio documentaries, soundscapes and experimental sonic shorts.
Think relaxed, magical and intimate, like the campfire (minus the burnt marshmallows.)
We are now accepting submissions for our inaugural event, on January 16th at Literati Bookstore in downtown Ann Arbor. The theme is 'Name Game': audio works about names, introductions and icebreakers.
What we're looking for:
~ 3-10 minute pieces you might have related to our theme. (Surprise us!)
~ 1 minute audio super-shorts related to the theme. (A good excuse to get into the audio sandbox & make something new!)
Deadline: 11:59 pm on December 31, 2014
How to Submit: Send an mp3 to radiocampfire.submissions@gmail.com with your name, phone number, and a 1-3 sentence description about the piece. We will contact you by January 9th to let you know whether your work has been selected.
Radio Campfire is a labor of audio love. We can't compensate you financially, but selected works will be promoted through our press, social media outlets, and included on our online program archive.
Questions? Send an email to srowden@umich.edu
Radio Campfire is curated and hosted by a small group of radio producers and audio artists in Southeast Michigan. Radio Campfire Counselors include Renee Gross, Juliet Hinely, Kyle Norris, Stephanie Rowden, and Zak Rosen.
We’ll be alternating venues in Detroit and Ann Arbor, with events free and open to the public.
Hope to see you ’round the campfire.