Workshops

Center For Documentary Studies Summer Audio Courses

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The Center for Documentary Studies offers fantastic audio courses each summer. See below for this year's line up. -Mia

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Spring is here and it’s time for the annual invitation to “summer audio camp for grownups,” our weeklong intensives here in Durham, NC. Since we started these courses more than decade ago, they’ve evolved along with the audio storytelling/podcasting landscape. But what makes them unusual has not changed: You come, you spend just 6-7 days, you learn, AND YOU MAKE. You come away with a produced piece/episode for your portfolio.

Here they are:

Hearing is Believing, July 10-16, for beginners (really: NO experience required) or those relatively new to the craft and wanting a solid grounding in the fundamentals — recording, shaping and scripting, assembling and mixing on Hindenburg. We set up a topic and interview(s) for you, and you make a piece during the week with a partner.

Making It Sing, August 1-6, for producers with experience (a little or a lot) and a challenging project to bring. You bring tape and workshop your piece with lots of individual and small-group attention along with teaching sessions about focus, structure, and being your own editor. 

Between those two on the calendar, our friends at Big Shed are again offering Digging In: An Artist’s Retreat, July 24-29, which brings together documentary makers and storytellers of all stripes (and all mediums) for a productive and rejuvenating week of digging deep and making meaningful progress on individual projects.

The fine producer and editor Shea Shackelford comes to help with Hearing is Believing and Making it Sing, and he and some Big Shed cohorts are your hosts for Digging In. Thrilled about our special guest teacher/presenter for Hearing is Believing: Tina Antolini, host and producer of the excellent podcast, Gravy.

To register or to read more about all these courses, and a few others offered by CDS in video, photo, and writing, go here:
http://tinyurl.com/nly355s

Any questions, write to cdscourses@duke.edu.

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Pitches

DETOUR Call for Pitches in NYC, LA, and Chicago, deadlines 4/15 and 4/30

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Detour is looking for producers to pitch audio tours in NYC, LA, and Chicago. Deadline for NYC & Chicago is April 15. For LA, it’s April 30. Details below!

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Detour, “the world’s coolest audio guides,” is coming to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. We’re hiring producers with experience in radio, television, and film to help us create immersive walks through these cities that show what makes them incredible. Great Detours are like documentary films that you walk around in, not just a travelogue or list of stops. Take a look at all the Detours we’ve made in San Francisco for a sense of what we mean.

We’ll produce 10 Detours in each city, each 45 – 60 minutes long, between now and October. We like working with people who can tackle 2 or 3 Detours per city, so feel free to submit several ideas! The places we are particularly interested in for each city are listed in terms of “must do” and “would do” on each city’s submission page. Everywhere on the list could be tackled in a variety of ways, so be imaginative and think in terms of stories and themes. You’re also welcome to pitch places & ideas that aren’t on the list. Just double check our guidelines before you do.  

How To Pitch:

  1. Read our guidelines.

  2. Send us your pitch through Submittable

Questions? Send to info@detour.com and we’ll get right back with you.

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Workshops

TRANSOM Story Workshop & Scholarship Applications Open, deadline May 27

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The amazing Transom has announced it's next Transom Story Workshop. Application deadline May 27. Scholarships available.

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* NEW TRANSOM STORY WORKSHOP: FALL 2016 Applications and Scholarships Open Now *

Nine Weeks. Full Time Radio Training. Cape Cod.

This will be our tenth Woods Hole Transom Story Workshop, a milestone. We're extending the session by one week (a recommendation from alumni), so the dates are now September 20-November 19th. General applications are now available, along with scholarship applications, at this link:
http://transom.org/2016/story-workshop-fall-2016-apply/

Rob Rosenthal will be the lead teacher for nine beginning producers. The class gets instruction from Transom staff, along with special guests. This Fall, we'll welcome Daniel Alarçon of Radio Ambulante, Nancy Updike of This American Life, and others who drop by. It's a great experience… for all of us. Applications are due by May 27th by midnight EDT. Here's a full FAQ:
http://transom.org/faq/#q11

With major support from This American Life and MailChimp, along with support from alumni, PRX, AIR, and other kind souls, we are able to offer a limited number of full and partial scholarships. Our intent is to make the Workshop a realistic option for people who have been unable to attend due to the cost–with a focus on diverse voices, people of color, and those who have been historically under-represented as makers of public media. Find out more (and donate, if you can!) right here:
http://transom.org/workshops/about/scholarship/

Drop over any time,

Jay Allison
Atlantic Public Media
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
www.transom.org
Twitter: @transom_org
FB: www.facebook.com/transom.org

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Gigs

UCB j-school seeks podcasting lecturer for the fall semester, deadline April 15

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Hey talented audio/podcasting folks! The UC Berkeley J-School (my alma mater) is looking for a lecturer to teach podcasting in the fall. Application deadline April 15. Details below. -mia
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The Graduate School of Journalism is recruiting a lecturer in the Radio /Audio program beginning Fall semester, August 2016.

J-212 – PODCASTING IN THE REAL WORLD (15 weeks)

Required Qualifications: Minimum of five years professional radio/podcasting experience.

Recommended Qualifications: Teaching experience at college level or higher. The ability to facilitate publishing student work on a professional outlet.

Course description: This course is designed to bring students, who are already familiar with basic radio/audio/reporting and production, to a new level of expertise and to learn the dos and don'ts of podcasting. Past instructors helped students create a podcast called "The Bell Curve." http://thebellcurvepodcast.tumblr.com/

The new instructor can either build on the existing structure or work with the students to create new podcasts. It's anticipated that students will produce a minimum of three episodes of a podcast during the semester. Students should receive instruction on the mechanics of setting up an RSS Feed and all parameters for creating and marketing a successful podcast.

Applications are due April 15, 2016.

TO APPLY:

To be considered, you need to formally apply for the position through the university's academic recruitment website.

aprecruit.berkeley.edu.

Enter the portal through "Applicants"

Enter "Journalism" in the search bar and our open lecturer recruitment should come up right away.

Upload your CV including a summary of teaching experience, broadly defined as:

  • Delivering instruction in a university or college classroom;
  • Providing mentoring in the field for which you are applying;
  • Editing the work of others in the field for which you are applying;
  • Guest lecturing in the field for which you are applying.

The statement of teaching needs to include the time you spent in each activity (i.e. “I led a week long workshop on radio in March 2012.”)

In your cover letter, please include a few sentences on what the course might look like if you were teaching.

You will be contacted if your experience is a match for what we need.

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Freelance Cafe West

UnionDocs Documentary Intensive programs, application deadline April 1

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And more fellowships!! These at UnionDocs. I'm a fan. Application deadline April 1.

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Applications are open for some cool opportunities at UnionDocs documentary center in Williamsburg. Deadline for the summer intensive program is April 1st!
  • CoLAB is a 10 month fellowship for multidisciplinary non-fiction focused on artist development and the creation of short projects working in a group.
  • SDI is a 5 week workshop for filmmakers with feature docs in early development that pushes projects towards full production on every axis, practical to creative.
I was in the CoLAB several years ago, and can't recommend it enough. I connected with some amazing people and collaborators as a result. It's the place to be to explore the cutting edge in nonfiction storytelling. They usually select groups of people with very diverse backgrounds in art and different types of media, so it's a unique place to explore intersections of radio, film, visual art, and storytelling forms of all types. 
Check 'em out! 

The Collaborative Studio is a 10-month program for a select group of 12-14 media artists from the US and abroad who come from different backgrounds and different levels of experience (photography, visual arts, radio, human rights, journalism and more traditional forms of documentary). The program offers a platform for exploring contemporary approaches to the documentary and non-fiction arts, and consists of weekly production meetings, seminars, masterclasses and critiques with visiting artists. The main goal is the development of a collection of original short creative documentaries on a shared theme.  

http://www.uniondocs.org/colab/


The UnionDocs Summer Documentary Intensive is a 5-week program for a select group of emerging filmmakers from the US and abroad. Based in one of NYC’s most exciting neighborhoods, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the program explores contemporary approaches to documentary film, offers a stronger understanding of the best practices and business of production, and helps to develop the foundation of your independent project. The program consists of screenings, seminar discussions, professional development sessions, critique, mentorship, many guest artist and industry professionals master classes and weekly visits to relevant sites around New York City. http://www.uniondocs.org/summer-documentary-intensive/

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Freelance Cafe West

US-Japan Journalism Fellowship in Japan, application deadline April 15

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Another exciting fellowship opportunity – travel to Japan! Deadline April 15.
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Apply for the 2016 US-Japan Journalism Fellowship in Japan 
Deadline: April 15, 2016
The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) is now accepting applications for its 2016 US-Japan Journalism Fellowship, which will provide four American journalists with the opportunity to visit Japan from June 18, 2016, for a 2~3 week program of group meetings and customized individual interviews and site visits. 
This competitive program exposes the participants to key leaders, policymakers, and innovators at the center of the policy debates shaping US-Japan relations, Japanese society, and the future of Asia. The program aims to develop a cadre of journalists who have a sophisticated understanding of the complex dynamics of US-Japan relations and, more broadly, the US role in Asia. 
Please feel free to circulate this information among your networks and encourage interested candidates to apply. You can visit our website for more information on the program, directions on how to apply, and the application form. Those interested in applying are encouraged to contact Ms. Kaede Kawauchi < kkawauchi@jcie.org or (212) 679-4130 > in advance. 


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Freelance Cafe West

Ida B. Wells Fellowship for investigative reporters of color, deadline April 18

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Exciting opportunity for journalists of color. Spread the word! Deadline April 18.
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The goal of the Ida B. Wells Fellowship is to promote diversity in journalism by helping to create a pipeline of investigative reporters of color. The one-year fellowship will provide four emerging reporters with the opportunity to complete their first substantial piece of investigative reporting. 
Here is a link for more information: 
www.theinvestigativefund.org/about/2219/ida_b._wells_fellowship. 

Application d

eadline

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 April 18, 2016.

The Ida B. Wells Fellowship will award each winner a $10,000 stipend plus funds to cover out-of-pocket reporting costs. The fellows will also receive extensive editorial feedback, legal counsel, research resources, assistance with story placement and publicity, training at the annual Investigative Reporters and Editors conference, and journalism mentoring.

Journalists of color are strongly encouraged to apply to the fellowship, as are other reporters who believe their presence would contribute substantially to diversifying investigative reporting in other ways.

The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute incubates and supports important investigative stories with the potential for social impact. By providing reporters with editorial guidance, institutional support, and financial support, The Investigative Fund has produced stories that have sparked federal indictments, lawsuits, Congressional investigations, legislation, and the resignation of public officials. Our investigations have appeared in a wide array of outlets, including NPR and PBS as well as The Nation, Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, Mother Jones, Newsweek, Cosmo, Slate, and GQ. Our stories have also won some of journalism’s top awards, including the Polk, the National Magazine Award, and the Emmy. 

And more from Poynter:

http://www.poynter.org/2016/the-new-ida-b-wells-fellowship-is-looking-for-investigative-reporters-of-color/403344/

The Nation Institute's Investigative Fund has launched an investigative fellowship for journalists of color. The one-year Ida B. Wells Fellowship will go to four journalists and offer $10,000 each, travel and reporting costs and the chance to work with an Investigative Fund editor.

The fellowship is named after Ida B. Wells, a Jim Crow era investigative journalist. The fellowship seeks to bring more reporters of color into investigative journalism and newsrooms, which continue to be largely white and male. (You can explore what those numbers look like here.)

The Ida B. Wells Fellowship addresses these imbalances by identifying promising reporters of color, and other reporters from diverse backgrounds, who could benefit from editorial support and mentorship and who have the potential to help diversify the field.

Applications are due by April 18.

In 2014, BuzzFeed created a fellowship with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism for investigative journalists of color. The first recipient, Melissa Segura, is now part of BuzzFeed's investigative team. Poynter has written about that team and about Fusion, which has built a diverse and young investigative team.


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Uncategorized

REMINDER – 2016-2017 KALW News Audio Academy application deadline March 31

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Hey folks. A bunch of posts coming your way. First, this reminder from KALW.


Only a few more days to apply for the 2016-2017 KALW 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 episode. 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 included: Al Letson, Glynn Washington, Roman Mars, Hansi Lo Wang, Susanne Reber, Daniel Alarcón, Marianne McCune, and Jason DeRose.

Selected participants will make a 9-month commitment from September 2016 to June 2017: 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 like, a short, original audio work that you craft for your application. Send it all to:

KALWapplications@gmail.com

Application deadline: March 31, 2016, 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.

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Pitches

Latino USA call for pitches

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Latino USA wants your pitches!! Please submit your pitches to www.latinousa.org/submit. Pitch meetings take place every Friday, and they try to get back to reporters early the following week. Good luck!

-mia



IN THE PIPELINE – AIR DATE 4/8/2016
Things that set people on a path, for better or worse. Story examples include the school-to-prison pipeline and the lack of a pipeline in the Catholic Church, where young Latinos who are undocumented can’t become part of the clergy.

MARIJUANA – AIR DATE 4/15/2016
As the nation inches slowly toward marijuana legalization, this show will look at the ways in which the drug itself, the drug market, and enforcement approaches like harsh sentencing and stop-and-frisk are affecting Latino communities. We also want to explore how legalizing the drug can both help and hurt communities of color. Who really stands to benefit from marijuana legalization, and who stands to lose? And what will happen to the people locked up for crimes that might no longer be crimes in the near future?

POLITICS (ongoing throughout the year)
We’re looking for many stories in the lead-up to the election, including pieces about first-time voters, demographic shifts, and places where voting laws could have a big impact on Latino turnout. We’d also like stories about local races that highlight issues at play in the larger election. 
We do NOT want stories that are just about the horse race or simply tell us that a non-profit group is trying to get out the vote. We’re looking for pieces that show the human side of the election, with interesting characters that reflect why people vote the way they do and what various campaign positions could mean for ordinary people. We’re especially looking for under-reported stories from the Midwest and the South. 
Possible angles:
First-generation Americans voting for the first time in a household where parents can’t vote; first time someone joins a get out the vote effort and/or joins activism in politics; first Latino candidate running in a local race where elected officials are mostly white. 
This is also the first time that two Latino candidates are in the running for president yet Cruz and Rubio face criticism about their “Latinidad.” We are looking for stories that address this, especially in their home states of Texas and Florida.
We want to explore how/if media coverage – both local and national – differs in Spanish media news outlets in the US like Univision and Telemundo.

MIGRATION IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT 
Latino USA often focuses on immigration to the US from Latin America, but this is just a piece of a larger global phenomenon. We’re looking for stories from all over the world that help explain how and why people are moving from one part of planet Earth to another – with a particular emphasis on how issues like war, climate change and the economy are all factors.

MONEY
Stories about all aspects of finance and making a living: minimum wage battles; banks that cater to Latinos; discrimination and redlining; and access to bank accounts and home loans for Latinos at different income levels.

FITTING IN
A large part of the immigrant experience is about learning to fit in. We’re looking for stories about assimilation and resisting assimilation, succeeding or failing at fitting in. Also stories about coming to the US, from either a personal or a news-driven angle.

PREGNANCY
Stories about pregnancy and reproductive health. For example: the effect of one’s culture on the experience or treatment of postpartum depression; pregnancy and birthing practices that complement a woman’s cultural practices and beliefs; different ideals and expectations of motherhood based on one’s own culture or upbringing.

BALANCING ACT
Stories about people in precarious situations or navigating conflicting pressures; being caught between two forces or two people; giving something up in order to gain something else.

GAGGED
When do you keep silent and when do you speak out? What is the cost of each? 
One example is a story we have in the pipeline about the Chilean band Los Prisioneros, which pushed the limits of censorship during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Now they’re considered iconic.

WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE
The experiences of women of color in the workforce, as they face a particular set of barriers that white women have the privilege of avoiding (racism, classism, colorism, not just sexism). 
Possible angles: ideals of “professionalism” imposed upon women of color, based on white standards of beauty and respectability; bosses who are women of color, including their challenges, their management style and how their subordinates treat them; the impact of workplace discrimination on women of color; and balancing a woman’s need to advocate for herself with the pressure of not wanting to be seen as a rabble-rouser.

TIPPING POINT
Stories about people, places, or events reaching the tipping point. Watershed moments that sparked change or created some kind of critical action, perhaps after simmering below the surface for some time.

SIBLINGS
Siblings living far apart, perhaps in separate countries; people who are brothers or sisters in spirit if not in blood. We’re open to all kinds of ideas on this one!

SILVER SCREEN
Stories about iconic Latino films; profiles of foreign filmmakers; images of Latinos in movies.

CRYING 
From soap opera memes to La Llorona (the crying woman), tears play an interesting role in Latino culture. We’ll dive into the cultural history and science of crying and try to answer the question: Do Latinos cry more? We are looking for personal stories about crying and other ideas the topic may spark. 

BOYS, MEN, FATHERHOOD, MACHISMO 
From how young boys are doing in school, to how Latino notions of masculinity affect different part of men’s lives – from dating to the workplace to fatherhood. Also, the intersections of sexuality and machismo and challenging old paradigms of masculinity. 

SOCCER/FUTBOL 
With the US hosting the Copa América Centenario this summer, we’re focusing on “the beautiful game” and the hold it has on the American continent – let alone the world. We’re looking for stories of rabid fandom, split allegiance, and the ways in which a love of soccer has changed people’s lives for better or worse. Also, soccer’s growing popularity in the US and what contributions our country’s growing Latino community has brought to the sport, and vice versa.

CARS 
Stories about Latinos and car culture. For example: the past and present of low riders, the consequences of being undocumented and ineligible for a driver's license, and life at a car dealership in New York. Bring us cool stories about cars!

BRAZIL 
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America and one of the world's biggest economies. But for nearly 400,000 Brazilian-Americans, there's a nagging question: Do we count as Latinos? For this episode, we’re seeking stories about Brazil and how Brazilians fit into the American tapestry. Personal narratives and pieces about identity, culture, politics and family histories are welcome. We're open to all kinds of pitches for this one, surprise us! 

COLLEGE 
Stories that show the experiences of Latinos on college campuses. 

THE CIA IN LATIN AMERICA 
For much of the latter 20th century, the US Central Intelligence Agency played an active role in Latin American politics, toppling governments and installing others at it saw fit. In this history show, we visit some of the most outlandish chapters in the CIA's Latin America histories, from explosive cigars to covert infiltration of the Cuban hip-hop scene. Pitch us one we haven't heard about yet, or a fresh angle about a famous one. 


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Gigs

Looking for Walking Tour Writers, various cities, starting NOW

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A friend is looking to hire a bunch of radio writers for a new walking tour app… he describes it as an open source Detour. It's mainly a writing gig but he's looking for folks who know how to write for voice. They're starting with 10 cities so check for your city below and pass this along to anyone you know in the other places. Feel free to reach out to david@listenup.audio with any questions.
-Mia

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Call for Walking Tour Proposals

ListenUp Audio, a spoken word producer based in Atlanta, is seeking pitches for original audio walking tours. These will be featured as part of a new, geo-located walking tour platform launching in the US in July (https://izi.travel/en). 

This is primarily a writing job, as recording and post will be done at the ListenUp studios. Though original audio interviews & actualities can easily be incorporated.

Job Description

We’re looking for people to write interesting, engaging, tourist-friendly walking tours. The tone should be highly conversational and casual (which is why we’re reaching out to the radio community). The goal is to make listeners feel like they’re walking with a friend. 

For this first round, we’re requesting proposals for “general” tours of the cities listed below. We will eventually be producing numerous types of tours for cities and sites across the United States. Keep in mind: these are not in-depth works of narrative journalism so much as simple, well-written, entertaining experiences. You will be given writer credit on the web site and in the tour itself. 

Writers will be required to build the tour route in the izi.TRAVEL CMS, which is pretty straightforward. Familiarity with Google maps is very helpful. 

Tour Requirements

  • High-interest tourist destinations.  
  • Approximately 12-20 points of interest, with an introductory story giving a theme and description of the tour. 
  • Walking time of less than 2 hours (1 – 1.5 is best)
  • Total word count of around 4000 – 5000 words (no more than 6000). Approximately 250 words/stop. 

Cities

  • NYC 
  • Philadelphia
  • Boston
  • Washington D.C.
  • Chicago
  • Houston
  • Dallas
  • New Orleans
  • Denver
  • Seattle

Compensation

$500 per tour

Schedule

We’ll begin immediately in order to have ten tours produced by the end of March, with another twenty by end of April. The first group of tours will need to be completed by March 21 with a rolling deadline for later tours. 

Submission Process

Please submit the following:

  • Resume
  • Link to relevant sample of your work
  • City from list
  • Tour outline(s) 
  • Brief description as to why you’re uniquely qualified to write this tour. 
  • Availability

Send the above to david@listenup.audio with “Tour Proposal” in the subject line.

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