Apply Now for the January 2013 Methodology Workshop

Apply now to reserve your seat in our first workshop of 2013, the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop held January 14-18. About the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop Whether you are a creative leader, an educator, an entrepreneur looking to start your own media company, or a professional interested in learning how to build a foundation for timeless, impactful multimedia, the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop is the right opportunity for you. The workshop continues to inspire and challenge industry professionals through its rigorous sessions with MediaStorm staff. See what previous participants have said about their experiences. The Classroom The methodology workshop gave me time to stop and step into a different way of seeing journalism. I came away inspired by what's possible if we commit to a different way of thinking about stories. -John Temple, Managing Editor, The Washington Post The MediaStorm Methodology Workshop is a five-day intensive workshop held at MediaStorm’s studio in Brooklyn, NY. The…

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Worth Watching #100: Ira Glass’ Cuny Commencement Address

Highlights from Ira Glass' commencement speech. - Brian Storm Your goal should be able to make things that are memorable. You don't have to wait for someone to give you a job for you to start making something that you think would be good. Amuse yourself. If you fall into the right job it should be fun. Keep one moment in every story that is there just for you. Don't deprive your audience of the chance to like your story. A funny moment is rare in a serious news story. Getting those moments that are amusing to you personally into a story more accurately depicts the world. Finding a story idea is a job. Alex Blumberg gets two richly deserved references. Ira intends to eat something he shouldn't. Being a journalist is about having a relationship with luck. When stories are memorable it's because you harnessed your skills and then you got…

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New MediaStorm-ICRC Release: I Know Where I’m Going

We are pleased to release I Know Where I'm Going, our most recent client project produced with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The goal of this piece was to better inform North American law and policy audiences about the work of ICRC in a key operational context of growing interest to the military and foreign policy deciders the organization interacts with daily. Hussein Saleh, a uniquely positioned Yemeni ICRC staff member and the subject of the story, was hit by shrapnel from an airstrike shortly after the coverage was completed. His tragic death added an unwelcome dimension to the project, which also became a tribute and a record of his dedication to humanitarianism for his colleagues in Aden, for the organization as a whole and for his family in particular. Despite these difficult circumstances, I Know Where I'm Going remains part of a strategy to inform North American policymakers…

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Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation Offers New Documentary Award

The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for Documentary Photography & Film has added an award to its 2013 grant program to now include short-short documentary filmmaking. Their call for 2013 entries is now open for both documentary photography and film submissions. The foundation seeks outstanding entries focusing on the lives and populations ravaged by war, famine, disease, poverty, religious persecution, political oppression, forced migration and other human injustices. One winning submission in each category will be selected by a jury. The foundation awards a $5000 grant for the production or completion of a social documentary photography project, and a $5000 prize for a completed social documentary film. The top twelve entries will be exhibited in July 2013 during Les Rencontres d'Arles, the international photography festival in Arles, France. The grant winner will be selected and announced there by an international jury. 2013 entries must be received by March 31, 2013. Learn more and apply…

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MediaStorm Guide to Dictation with Apple Mountain Lion

Today's post was written by MediaStorm producer Eric Maierson. See his other recent tutorials here. I am a slow typer. I dread transcriptions, something we do at MediaStorm for every interview. Recently I discovered an alternative that's built right into Apple's Mountain Lion operating system: dictation. It’s quick, easy and most importantly, pretty darn accurate. To turn on dictation select the  > System Preferences... then choose Dictation & Speech. In the Dictation tab click the On radio button. Choose a shortcut key to trigger dictation. I use the suggested fn key on my MacBook Air. Finally, select your language. Transcribing To begin dictation open TextEdit or another text editor. Our application of choice is Barta Technologies’ $29.99 Transcrivia. (Built-in dictation does not work with Google Docs.) Then double click your trigger key. A microphone icon will appear. Dictate a sentence or two, then press your trigger key once again. The microphone…

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