It’s funny: when the year began, I hadn’t planned on attending any journalism or storytelling workshops.

This was abnormal for me. I’ve been a fixture on the workshop circuit – both as speaker and attendee – for years. But I knew my 2020 would be extremely busy. I was tabbed to head to Tokyo for 3 1/2 weeks to cover the Olympics. I had braced myself for several major projects during a presidential election year. And, above all, my wife was due in March with our second daughter.

But as the COVID-19 pandemic began to alter all of our lives, I noticed that the workshops I would have typically attended – or that I had attended in the past – were cancelling their 2020 editions.

This deeply saddened me. We are experiencing a pivotal year for our profession, facing challenges and opportunities in how we tell stories, and feeling an even greater burden to inform our communities amidst a swirl of confusion, misinformation, and noise. And we are mostly isolated in doing so – in our homes, removed from our coworkers, and without the usual opportunities for community and connection.

That’s why I decided to plan a storytelling workshop. And this one’s going to be huge.

I am proud to announce the NPPA Virtual Video Storytelling Workshop, taking place online on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8. The speaker list is full of superstars. The subject matter is both relevant and big-thinking.

We’ll talk about what it’s like to cover the COVID-19 pandemic – and how to continue to innovate and think creativity in doing so. We’ll discuss the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests that swept the nation, and we’ll do so with journalists who were immersed in the coverage. We’ll have a thoughtful conversation of representation in storytelling: how we represent (and potentially misrepresent) our communities with the images, interviews, and words we choose.

We’ll also feature numerous panels about straight-up storytelling. NPPA Reporter of the Year Boyd Huppert and will show stories with his KARE-TV teammate, NPPA Ernie Crisp Photographer of the Year and Editor of the Year Chad Nelson. Leaders from all three NPPA Stations of the Year – Anne Herbst (KUSA), Brad Wilson (WTVR), and Glen Biermann (KCCI) – will talk about building a culture of elite video storytelling. Some of the most talented solo video journalists, digital and newspaper video journalists, and social media standouts will showcase their work and answer audience questions.

And, for our Saturday keynote, Joseph Huerta and John Sharify will talk about their work on the emotional documentary Bob’s Choice, about a Seattle man who chose to “die with dignity.”

I am so grateful that each speaker agreed to be involved. I am also grateful that so many have also agreed to devote their time to one-on-one critiques, which are such an important staple of storytelling workshops.

A full list of speakers – and links to register – are available on the NPPA web site. We’ve kept prices extremely low but the quality extremely high. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better value – or a better way to feel informed and inspired as a video storyteller in 2020.

So sign up, spread the word, and get ready. Let’s get together, celebrate each other, and keep thinking big.

The Solo Video Journalist is available for purchase. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the publisher’s web site.

Matt Pearl is the author of the Telling the Story blog and podcast. Feel free to comment below or e-mail Matt at matt@tellingthestoryblog.com. You can also follow Matt on Facebook and Twitter.