nppa virtual video storytelling workshop

Finding the power of the big picture in the pandemic grind

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There’s a line I sometimes recite when I feel I’ve reached a professional roadblock.

It’s a punchline from an eighth-season episode of Seinfeld, where George Costanza is trying to spin his meager life triumphs amid countless failures into a grand success story.

“You know,” he says, “if you take everything I’ve accomplished in my entire life and condense it down into one day … it looks decent!”

When I watched two decades ago, I laughed with everyone else. We’re supposed to laugh at George. The line is meant to mock him.

But these days, it’s become somewhat of a mantra, a reminder of the power of the big picture. When I feel stagnant in my career, I reflect on what I’ve accomplished and discover a lengthier list than I realized. When I’m shooting a story and don’t feel like I’m capturing what I need, I aim to stay focused and remember I might feel differently by day’s end. In the moment, I often dwell on mistakes and failures. In the aggregate, I see a career that, condensed into a few paragraphs, looks decent.

And in 2020, when limitations and frustrations loomed over every day, I leaned on George’s line – or, at least, the optimism within it – to push through.

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Two days, two dozen speakers, roughly 200 journalists: a look back at the 2020 NPPA Virtual Video Storytelling Workshop

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We’re staring into uncertainty.

I think many of us feel unclear about our futures these days: what our jobs, our lives, and the world will look like even six months from now. I know I’ve grappled with my role constantly amid an extremely busy and daunting time in my personal and professional life.

Through it all, I’ve tried to find those windows and opportunities to make an impact – and to realize when those opportunities present themselves. Two months back, I thought I had found one. Journalism and storytelling workshops were getting cancelled or postponed, and I felt like I could use my background with workshops to produce a large-scale virtual one.

In short, I saw a need in our community, I felt confident I could step up and handle the workload, and I did my best to create a memorable experience for all.

Now, two months later, two days after the conclusion of the 2020 NPPA Virtual Video Storytelling Workshop, I’m so thankful I raised my hand. The workshop was a huge hit. It’s largely because of the absurdly talented line-up of presenters who agreed to take part, but it’s also largely because of the journalists, educators, and managers from across America (and one from Denmark!) who registered, asked necessary questions, and engaged with each other and the speakers despite not being in the same room.

It didn’t feel like just a workshop. It felt like a much-needed gathering and celebration of the journalism and storytelling community.

I say all this not to brag but to hopefully offer an example for any of you who feel overwhelmed right now. It’s OK to acknowledge the challenges of this uncertain time. It’s also important, amidst the uncertainty, to continually examine where you fit – and how you can use your voice and platform to make a meaningful impact. Each of us has that voice. Each of us can do great things with it.

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PODCAST EPISODE #77: Kainaz Amaria, visuals editor, Vox

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I think many of us are reckoning with our roles as journalists – and questioning some of the supposed set-in-stone practices of the profession.

We’re thinking more about representation, and we’re examining where we fall short as both individuals and outlets in covering the communities we serve.

I like to think I’ve been on a constant path of reckoning in this area for many years. I continue to evolve, and so does the world – and the world of journalism. I try to use this space – the blog and podcast – to bring discussion and conversation where it might not always exist.

I found a thoughtful conversation partner in Kainaz Amaria. She’s the visuals editor at Vox, and she’s the 2020 recipient of the NPPA’s John Long Ethics Award, given to “an individual who has, through his or her efforts, upheld, shaped, and promoted ethical behavior in all forms of visual journalism.” She works diligently to promote representation in both the stories she oversees and the journalism circles in which she runs.

Amaria is my guest on Episode 77 of the Telling the Story podcast.

She is also a speaker at the upcoming NPPA Virtual Video Storytelling Workshop, taking place August 7 & 8 online. I’m directing the workshop and am thrilled to bring on two dozen talented journalists to present about topics from COVID-19 to digital dominance. Amaria is one of three panelists speaking about representation in storytelling. Sign up now, and get ready to be inspired.

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PODCAST EPISODE #76: Chris Hansen, senior photojournalist, KUSA-TV

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For five months, the Telling the Story podcast has been delayed by current events – both external in the world (COVID-19) and internal in my life (the arrival of my second daughter!).

But it returns now – and with an all-star guest.

Chris Hansen is a senior photojournalist at KUSA-TV. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he was a standard-setter in finding beautiful, innovative, and thoughtful ways of shooting and editing stories. Since the pandemic – with numerous restrictions on where he can shoot video and how he can conduct interviews – Hansen has found new ways to persevere. Take this story, where he interviewed neighborhood residents on their front lawns with the help of their cell phones. Or this one, where he used the drone to capture and illustrate the emptiness of Denver’s streets during a stay-at-home order:

Hansen is my guest on Episode 76 of the Telling the Story podcast.

He is also a speaker at the upcoming NPPA Virtual Video Storytelling Workshop, taking place August 7 & 8 online. I’m directing the workshop and am thrilled to bring on two dozen talented journalists to present about topics from COVID-19 to digital dominance. Sign up now, and get ready to be inspired.

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It’s been an extraordinary, isolating year for journalists and storytellers. Here’s a chance to get together

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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.

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