Freelance Cafe West

Summer Audio Camp, Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University

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The amazing Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University has a few openings for their summer bootcamp. There's a stipend available for AIR members. (Sign up!) Details below.

 
Hi all, 
It's June, time to firm up those summer plans. How about a "vacation" to radio bootcamp? CDS's week-long intensive audio courses, the intro class in July and the more advanced one in August, are filling steadily but have spaces available. Hard to believe but this is the tenth year of our "audio camps for grownups," meaning several hundred people have completed the courses — and a bunch of them are now radio makers of many stripes. Go here for course descriptions and registration (note also the Audio Retreat  offered by our good friends from Big Shed): 
The Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) is offering its members a $100 travel stipend to attend Hearing Is Believing I or Hearing is Believing II: Making it Sing. Five stipends for each course are available, first come, first served. So if you're not an AIR member, the stipend is one of many reasons to join.

To apply for the AIR stipend: https://airmedia.wufoo.com/<wbr>forms/q7x1k3/

NPR legend Alex Chadwick, now working with the environmental reporting project BURN, will be the guest presenter/teacher for the intro course in July, and the faculty for the more advanced August course includes Neenah Ellis (longtime NPR producer, now GM at WYSO) and Big Shed's Shea Shackelford. Think a radio-making course that is both rigorous and laidback with good company, great lunches, and rocking chairs on porches. You come out of either course with a finished piece. We make things as affordable as possible by finding local "friends of CDS" who'll rent you a room for much less than a hotel. 
Any questions, contact me or my colleague April Walton: awalton@duke.edu, 919-660-3670.
Cheers,
John


John Biewen 
Audio Program Director 
The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University

Durham, NC  27705 
Phone: 919-660-3667 

http://cds.aas.duke.edu/

http://realityradiobook.org

Freelance Cafe West

Documentary Makers – Apply for UnionDocs Collaborative 2012 in Brooklyn

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The UnionDocs Collaborative Studio (CoLAB) is a one-year program for a select group of 12 emerging media artists from the US and abroad. Based in one of NYC’s most exciting neighborhoods, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, UnionDocs offers a platform for exploring contemporary approaches to the documentary arts and a process for developing a collaborative project. The program consists of weekly production meetings, seminars, screenings and other public programs, along with regular masterclasses and critiques with visiting artists. Key benefits include:

– Dynamic interaction among a network of talented peers.

– Direct exchange with visiting artists and industry experts.

– A structured environment for research and experimentation.

– Mentoring on the production of original work and regular group critique.

– Exhibition opportunities for the year's collaborative project.

The CoLAB represents a new and alternative fellowship model, offering residency and visa support for six participants coming from abroad and an equal number of spots for local, non-resident participants. It is designed to be affordable and, although participants are asked to make the UDC their primary creative focus, the schedule does accommodate full-time or freelance work. Rather than applying with a project proposal or rough cut, all participants are selected on the basis of previous work and enter the program at square one, open to discovery and fresh connections. The CoLAB has presenting original work at premiere venues such as MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, the Harvard Film Archive, the Visible Evidence Conference, Camden International Film Festival, Hot Docs, and Direktorenhaus, Berlin, among other venues. We expect a very competitive group of applicants, representing some of the most exciting emerging talents in documentary.

http://www.uniondocs.org/uniondocs-collaborative/

#fellowships #nyc #documentary
Events, Freelance Cafe East

Radio Cabaret, June 9, 7:30pm, Brooklyn

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Another super cool event from the folks at Radio Cabaret. Details below.

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A couple months back we announced on this list that a group of us were experimenting with the medium of radio in performance.  In March, we had our first ever Radio Cabaret at Union Docs in New York.  I'm pleased to announce that we're back for more this Saturday, June 9th.
If you're as interested as we are in how to bring our radio work into other mediums, I encourage you to come check us out.
The last event sold out and we had to turn people away, so get 'em while they're hot!

RADIO CABARET

Saturday June 9th, 7:30-9:00pm
UNION DOCS 322, Union ave. Brooklyn NY

Radio Cabaret is a variety show featuring documentary audio based performances. We bring the traditions of public radio to the stage through storytelling, musical performance, visual animation, theater and live interviews. Stylistically similar to a variety show or radio magazine, performances range in topic but share a common reference to the art of radio broadcast.

This event is a living breathing hour of radio performed quarterly and hosted by our fabulous DMC (disembodied MC), Chris Berube.

Featuring: Contortionist Amazing Amy, Laura Hadden, Brendan McMullan, Michal Richardson, Alexis Powell, & Random Tape
for more info:
radiocabaret.org

Freelance Cafe East, Workshops

Transom Story Workshop Deadline – June 15th

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Transom has extended their deadline for the Transom Story Workshop this fall – new deadline June 15. Details below.
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A lot of people requested more time to complete their Transom Story Workshop application for the fall, so we've extended the deadline to: 11:59pm EST, June 15, 2012.


As you may already know, the Transom Story Workshop is an eight week training for beginning radio producers in Woods Hole, MA. Our next session is scheduled for October 1 – November 30, 2012. The class is taught by radio teaching legend, Rob Rosenthal along with lots of amazing guests. For this past Workshop some of our guests included: Transom Tool guy Jeff Towne, This American Life’s, Hillary Frank and Jonathan Menjivar, producer Scott Carrier, David Krasnow of Studio 360, Kitchen Sister Nikki Silva, independent producer Ari Daniel Shapiro, and John Barth of PRX. You'll get a piece edited by Jay Allison, vocal coaching from Viki Merrick, and support from the whole Transom team.  


Participants stay in wonderful old Cape Cod houses, with some rooms right on the water.  There are a couple of group meals each week, cooked by a famous local sea cook.  It's fun.  An amazing radio camp.  You can check Transom for reports from students who've attended, many of whom are now working in public media.


Students leave the Workshop with a portfolio of work, their own copy of Hindenburg editing software, a PRX membership, and AIR members who are accepted into the Workshop will receive a travel stipend.


You can find guidelines and the application all right here:


http://transom.org/?page_id=26554


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If you have any questions, please send them to info@transom.org

Freelance Cafe East, Gigs

Call for Pitches from America Abroad – Religious Minorities in the Mideast

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The latest call for pitches from A.C. at America Abroad. Details and contact info below.

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Hi all,

Thanks so much to all of the freelancers who rapidly (and enthusiastically!) answered my last call for pitches. The next America Abroad will focus on religious minorities in the Middle East.

We're looking for reports that can answer questions like to the following:

-What does the Arab Spring mean for Christians, Jews, and other religious minorities where new governments and constitutions are forming?

-What policies of tolerance and protections of minority rights(or lack thereof) exist in the Middle East?
-How do religious minorities fit into political systems where they are outnumbered?
-What is the societal role played by minority Muslim sects?
-What non-Abrahamic traditions exist in the Middle East, and where are they surviving/thriving? How do they fit into their society and its sociopolitical dynamics?

Of course, these are just examples. Feel free to think outside the box. We're looking for pieces around 8-10 minutes in length, with good potential for natural sound and a real opportunity to take our listeners to somewhere they might never otherwise go. We also want to make a serious examination of policy, government, and how religion fits into political questions.

The deadline for completed pieces will be June 29th, and we pay $125-$150 per minute, with higher rates dependent on a piece's quality, reporter experience, and contribution of multimedia (photos, social media participation, video, etc.)

Please get in touch off-list at acvaldez at americaabroadmedia dot org.

Thanks!
A.C.

Events, Freelance Cafe East

Upcoming at UnionDocs, Brooklyn

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The latest events from UnionDocs in Brooklyn. Details below!
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Saturday, June 16 at 7:30pm. $9 suggested donation.
 
New York-based documentary filmmaker Kathleen Foster will screen and discuss her films Afghan Women: A History of Struggle (2007) and 10 Years On, Afghanistan & Pakistan (2011). “Foster challenges viewers to examine how Afghan women have continually borne the dual costs of American imperial ambitions on the one side, and the barbarity of feudal warlords on the other.” — Prerana Reddy, Queens Museum of Art, New York.
 

Sunday, June 17 at 7:30pm. $9 suggested donation.
Post-Vietnam, Paul bought a trailer for his family to live in. Many bad winters (upstate, near Troy) made the mobile home unlivable, so he took matters into his own hands and started to build a house – around the trailer. He never made any blueprints. 30 years, 4 floors and 100 windows later, the house is almost done. A home movie documentary,Be Like An Ant spends some time in the house. Mike Plante in attendance for the discussion. His uncle Paul Plante, subject of "Be Like An Ant," will join via conference.

Coming up next weekend: 

Radio Cabaret – Summer Edition

Saturday, June 9 at 7:30pm. $9 suggested donation.

Radio Cabaret is a variety show where radio stories come to life before your eyes. Producers bring the traditions of public radio to the stage through storytelling, musical performance, visual animation, theater and live interviews. Performances range in topic but share a common reference to audio documentary. This hour unfolds like a living breathing radio magazine with a radio host (disembodied MC) and a variety of acts. This evening will feature the work of public radio journalists Brendan McMullan, Michal Richardson, Alexis Powell and Laura Hadden. Their performances will vary in length from five to fifteen minutes.

Coming up this weekend:

Nomadic Archive: Abraham Ravett presents the Works of Tom Joslin

Saturday, June 2th at 7:30pm. $9 suggested donation.


Abraham Ravett will screen and discuss two of Tom Joslin’s works:  Blackstar: Autobiography of a Close Friend from 1976, and the posthumously assembled work The Architecture of Mountains (2010). Ravett writes the following about the project: Before he left for LA in 1981 to pursue a career in Hollywood, documentry filmmaker Tom Joslin completed an innovated and to this day, historically significant film called Blackstar: Autobiography of a Close Friend (1976, 85 minutes, color, sound, 16mm). It was one of the first autobiographical, diary format films that addressed the issue of gay identity and coming out to one’s family. It’s a beautifully made film, formally inventive, and still resonates on many fronts.

 


If you could help us spread the word about these events in any of your publications, we would really appreciate it. If you do end up publishing something about the events, please let us know!

Thanks,

—
Neta Alexander
Associate Programmer
UNIONDOCS.ORG
322 Union Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
347.820.3213

Freelance Cafe East

Marketplace Ups Freelance Rates

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More good news about freelancer rates from AIR and APM's Marketplace. Hurray!!
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In January, we were pleased to share the news of an across the board rate increase by NPR for outside freelance and station-based contributors ( http://www.airmedia.org/PageInfo.php?PageID=19 ). June brings more good news.

American Public Media's Marketplace will significantly increase rates paid to outside contributors, effective immediately. They have also refined their tier-based payment system, originally developed and advocated by AIR in 2008 (see the announcement below).

This decision to increase rates comes after a period of fiscal austerity. Beginning in 2008, major programming outlets for freelancers such as APM’s Weekend America and NPR’s Day to Day, were canceled. Coupled with reduced acquisition budgets across the system, freelance producers have been particularly hard hit over the last several years. We believe this announcement is another indicator that a new chapter of opportunity and promise has opened for producers working across public media.

We are grateful to American Public Media Senior VP and General Manager Judy McAlpine and to Marketplace Executive Producer Deborah Clark and Editor John Haas for working to implement these changes. Their efforts are reflective of APM’s on-going commitment to freelance journalists and to AIR’s vibrant and growing network of more that 850 producers across 46 states and 20 countries worldwide. We are confident that this move will serve to strengthen public media journalism and the important service that we, together, provide to citizens throughout the United States and the world.

Sue Schardt, Executive Director
David Freedman, President

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For Immediate Release:  May 30, 2012

American Public Media's Marketplace will increase rates paid to outside contributors by 8% to 20% beginning immediately. The Marketplace program portfolio, which includes Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report, Marketplace Tech Report and Marketplace Money, serves nearly 10 million listeners each week. Marketplace also has adopted AIR’s tiered freelance journalist compensation structure, which bases compensation on three tiers pegged to the journalist’s level of experience, and the level of effort expended in producing a feature.

The new rates are posted at the AIRmedia website:
http://www.airmedia.org/PageInfo.php?PageID=737

John Haas, Editor
Marketplace
jhaas@marketplace.org
213-621-4659

Links:
NPR Rates Increase:  http://www.airmedia.org/PageInfo.php?PageID=19
Marketplace Rates Increase: http://www.airmedia.org/PageInfo.php?PageID=737
Join AIR: http://www.airmedia.org/signUp.php

Events, Freelance Cafe East

Occupy the Film Festival! September 15-16, New York City

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Submission deadline for Occupy the Film Festival is June 30. Details below.
-mia

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On the first anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, "Occupy the Film Festival" is bringing together the most compelling and innovative films of the movement for a weekend of screenings at Anthology Film Archives, the premiere independent cinema in downtown New York City. Festivities will include prominent guest speakers, an Occupy photography exhibit by award-winning photographers, an Occupy fashion show, and guerrilla projections by the famous Illuminator.

The festival is organized by a coalition of radical mediamakers and activists, with the support of many well-known alternative media groups around the city and country.

We are now inviting submissions via our website and would be very honored to receive yours by June 30, 2012:

http://occupythefilmfestival.com/

Please pass this message on far and wide. We'd like to reach all 99% filmmakers!

In solidarity,
Michelle Fawcett
occupythefilmfestival@gmail.com

Freelance Cafe East, Internships

SOTRU Call for Interns, application deadline June 5

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Hey folks. State of the Re:Union is looking for their next round of interns. It's about 10 hours/week, unpaid, but you can work from anywhere and learn with a great group of radio folks. Details below!
-mia
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State of the Re:Union (SOTRU) is a dynamic NPR show that combines hour-long radio documentary episodes with short videos, photography,

music and blog posts to reach audiences online and over the airwaves. For each episode, SOTRU travels to a different American city or town.
Our mission is to tell stories that bring American life into focus, examining the things that divide us as well as the ties that bind us together. We currently air on more than 200 stations across the U.S.

SOTRU currently has several openings for interns for our next production season, June 15 – September 30 (candidates are very welcome

to start earlier if available). Duties include transcribing interviews, story research, pre-interviewing, and podcast / multimedia
production. Interns are invited to listen in on editorial calls with our host, editor and radio producers as we shape each episode, story by story.

  • We have a new position available this summer for one person to intern with award-winning independent producer Lu Olkowski on a special hour-long episode that Lu summarizes this way: "This is a story about a pint-sized community in Appalachian Ohio whose residents appear to be white yet cling to the notion that they are, in fact, black." This would be an extraordinary opportunity to dig into American notions of race in a deep, considered way, and to get exposure to long-form documentary production.*

    To be considered for a SOTRU internship, you should have a strong creative background, solid writing skills and be able to take
    direction. Self-starters who value attention to detail have particularly enjoyed interning with us. Audio and video editing skills
    are very welcome. Our staff works remotely, and you can too; people anywhere in the U.S. can apply. This internship is unpaid, and we generally ask for about 10 hours a week, sometimes more during busy weeks.

    You can read more and listen to the show right on our website, www.stateofthereunion.com. If interested, please submit a cover letter and resume by June 5 to:

    internships(at)stateofthereunion(dot) com

    We will evaluate candidates on a rolling basis, so earlier applicants may snap up available positions. Thanks for reading and spread the word!

    • Freelance Cafe East, Gigs

    Audio Engineer Needed, NYC

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    Hey NYC audio folks – interesting opportunity for the right producer/engineer. Details below.
    -mia
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    I am a host moving from a prerecorded environment to a live show in New York City Metro. The show will air 9am – 11am M-F. I need to find a producer/audio engineer/BFF–who needs very little sleep (at least for the first month)–to be my right arm, left foot and, frankly, my spine.

    Please don't send me any attachments. I do not want anything fancy. All I want to know is the following: (1) What is your work history, (2) links to any audio/visual samples, and (3) the exact amount you would expect to make per a YEAR for the FIRST year of the show being on air. [Send items to: studio@urrepublic.com].

    For the corporate types, the professional job advert is below:

    Title: Audio Engineer/Creative Producer
    Hire Type: Full-Time or Part-Time (depending upon experience/knowledge)
    Hire Date: 21 June 2012
    Initial Contract Term: 26 June 2012 – 25 June 2013
    Work Days: M-F, occasional weekend/holiday work (extra days are paid extra)
    Work Time: 5:30AM – 12:30NOON (1st month will be longer days and late evenings)
    Base Pay Range: (TBD)
    Benefits/Perks: No-Benefits at this time
    Supervisor: Show Host

    Overview:

    New live broadcast show needs an audio engineer/producer: This person MUST have a good ear and be responsible for:

    General supervision of the broadcast clock, interns, guests and callers

    Development/supervision of show imaging and music
    Operations for the broadcast console, sound board/jingle palette
    Monitor of live audio/video stream
    Get/keep the show on the air on time every day
    Programming of breaks including adverts, social service announcements
    Other duties often related to the production of the show

    Preference will go to producers that: (a) posses solid and creative production/music/audio skills; (b) have some commercial radio experience; and (c) is funny.