MediaStorm One Day Master Class
The MediaStorm One Day Master Class provides a general, yet precise, overview of documentary video and multimedia storytelling approaches. MediaStorm founder Brian Storm will walk you through specific examples, and share his business experience, as well as proven tips to improve your interviewing, shooting and editing techniques.
Although this is not a hands-on workshop, active discussion is both encouraged and expected from all participants. Theory is backed up by real world examples using MediaStorm’s award winning work.
The One Day Master Class is designed for anyone interested in learning about the ins and outs of producing and distributing documentary video and multimedia content.
For a more in depth approach, we suggest taking the Methodology Master Classes, where the whole MediaStorm team offers individual presentations on different aspects of documentary video and multimedia creation, distribution and business models.
You can attend in person or via video conference.
Upcoming dates
These are the upcoming one day workshop dates:
Admissions & Fees
Tuition for selected participants $500.
Cancellation Policy: We don't offer refunds to the workshop, but should you need to cancel we will offer you a spot in a future workshop.
Apply Now
Time
The virtual workshops will start at 9am PST and end at 5pm PST with an hour for lunch.
Application
Interested applicants must fill out the online application. Once you submit the form, you will not be able to edit it. We strongly recommend copying the questions and working offline, and then pasting in your answers so that you don't lose any information.
Program
What You Will Learn
Narrative Storytelling
- Developing the best approach for creating effective multimedia stories
- Pre-production planning, finding the story's focus and execution of those ideas and techniques
Reporting Approach
- Using the best tools to get the story
- When to use a still camera, when to use audio and/or video
- How to ask questions and get to the heart of the story
Teamwork
- Getting the most out of the reporter/editor relationship
- Common issues and how to resolve them
Business Model
- Collaborating with clients
- Syndication models
- Distribution of projects across various platforms
Testimonials
Brian has been in the business for 30 years in big media industries and as the leader of an innovative media company. Being open to change to the business environment is the key to success in an ever changing media environment. I took the class to keep the spirit of life long learning and innovation alive and Brian delivered. He was open and generous with his thoughts and life lessons and demonstrated new tools that he is developing that are an excellent example of innovation in the media field. — Max Becherer, Washington DC
"This workshop left me feeling more confident, inspired and committed to storytelling with a deep sense of purpose. Brian is a phenomenal teacher and a generous one-- in addition to sharing his decades of experience in business, his personal perspective and practice in the craft of storytelling, he works to make each workshop participant feel that they belong and that their voice matters. I deeply appreciated Brian's unpacking of the journalistic ethos that informs all MediaStorm productions. Brian gets to the heart of why storytelling matters and why it is so important today-- powerful storytelling can change hearts and minds. In his words, if we can tell stories that show what binds us together and not what is tearing us apart, we can have an impact on the world around us. Prepare to walk away from this workshop with a robust set of tools for making work that matters, great insight into the mechanics of storytelling, a framework of ethical considerations to live and work by and some all-around valuable lessons on how to be a good human." — Indaia Whitcombe | Folklorist & Visual Storyteller
”Despite having twenty five years of storytelling experience, the information and insight I received from Brian with MediaStorm was invaluable. He was willing to share all his trade tips and secrets, with full transparency, to enable me to be the best storyteller I can be. From content creation to the importance of marketing your projects, what I learned from MediaStorm will help me take my business to places I didn't know how to reach.” — Doug Legore, 2000 NPPA Photographer of the Year and owner/operator of Doug Legore Media, LLC
“A workshop worth traveling 4,899 miles! Attending the One Day Master Class was an experience well worth traveling from Maui to Brooklyn. I set out to learn as much possible, refine my skills and gain insight to help me create better multimedia projects. Since my education at UNC-Chapel Hill, I have continued to learn and be inspired by MediaStorm projects produced throughout the years. I finally had the opportunity to learn from Brian Storm and his storytelling techniques. There was so much to take in during this crash course, including how to think about the editing process, engaging with your subject and what to look for in the field. Not all information was technical, however; there was also discussion on various topics brought up by the group, including why “creating stories you want to make” is so powerful and the importance of working with a team. I came back motivated and eager to apply what I learned. More importantly, I left with a sense of community. I enjoyed meeting all the talented people connected by the passion to create great stories. I was taken away by Brian’s sincere willingness to share his expertise to help each of us become better storytellers. This was a great occasion for networking, teambuilding and gaining an outlet for guidance and support. I feel better equipped to work on my current project knowing what I know now." — Selket Kaufman, Visual Communications Specialist, Pacific Whale Foundation
The time I spent in the MediaStorm Master Class flew by. I was nervous to sit behind my computer for an 8-hour zoom session, but Brian and the rest of the class made the environment welcoming and engaging. My favorite part of the class was the frame-by-frame breakdown of Driftless. Getting an inside look at the storytelling gave me pages full of notes to guide me in my next projects.” — Maya Bell, Photojournalism and Documentary Filmmaking Student at the Missouri School of Journalism
”The MediaStorm master class was one hell of a day. In one day, Brian shared MediaStorm’s stories, success, and innovation. It was exactly what I needed to turbocharge my creativity and reassess my freelance business venture. Brian’s master class has something for everybody who cares about quality storytelling: visual deconstruction, business pro tips, and new technology, to name a few. As a visual journalist and storyteller, I have worked with and studied under many MediaStorm disciples in the past decade. It was such a treat to learn from Brian himself and see how deeply the MediaStorm storytelling ethos has permeated the documentary storytelling industry; 25 years in and the message is more relevant than ever: Make the stories you want to be hired to make. I appreciated Brian’s candor and willingness to crack his business wide open and show all the nitty-gritty details of creating and sustaining a successful storytelling company. It was a wonderful opportunity to pause from my day-to-day, learn a lot, and be inspired. I feel recharged and ready to get back to work.” — Sarah Nathan
"I became a storyteller to change the world. It wasn’t until I got older, more mature, that I realized I’d become a storyteller to help people connect. I believe it’s in that connection that we truly change our world. That’s why I’m so impressed with the work MediaStorm does. On technical skills alone, the MediaStorm team can easily produce a beautiful film. What makes them so special—and I never got this until I took their workshop—is that they bring human connection into the process. They emphasize the power of emotion in a way you don’t often hear. They bring a level of grace and dignity to the work that results in the most elegant stories about humans. They have inspired me to no longer settle for mediocrity, but to elevate my storytelling in a way that honors the people I feature.” — Michelle Zelsman / Director, Marketing and Communications at National Breast Cancer Coalition
"Inspiring, insightful and informative. As a sucker for thoughtful and motivated visual storytelling, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Brian breaking down a film scene by scene. His instructions are very detail-oriented and effective, which will benefit both early-career journalists and seasoned professionals looking to add more storytelling techniques to their arsenal.” — Yutao Chen - Multimedia editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
"I was excited to learn how the new MediaStorm platform provides a cinematic, comprehensive, and substantive web package for NGOs, activists and foundations. It was refreshing to hear how Brian has rethought and rebuilt this distribution platform for storytellers and how he is reimagining the future of publication, installation, and sales. I left the class, buoyed by the fact that with MediaStorm forging the way, there will be more and better opportunities for visual storytellers to get their work out into the world and for that work to have much broader consequence.” — Karin Stellwagen - Visual Journalism and Documentary Film Faculty, Brooks Institute (ret.), Documentary Film Producer and Editor, Daughters of Femicide
”Brian Storm's one day master class was exactly what I needed at this point in my career. I am currently transitioning from a staff position at a newspaper to the world of an independent visual journalism. About six years ago, when my interest in video began, I had made good use of his online training videos and they greatly informed my best work since then. Having many questions regarding starting my new business I immediately looked to MediaStorm's training and made the investment. I'm so glad I did. The workshop was jam packed with pearls of hard earned wisdom that clearly took years to develop. I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from Brian's experience and put it into my own business right now. I came out of it feeling more firm about the good things in my business plan and having clear ideas on how to improve areas of my business plan that were lacking. Brian Storm is a rare resource that welcomes others to draw from him. We are lucky to have him available to us.” — Autumn Payne, Independent Visual Journalist
”Just want to tell you how much I enjoyed the workshop yesterday. For me it was off-the-charts great. I love the way you deconstruct the storytelling process. And the information about your business model was awesome. To do the kind of inspiring work you're doing and actually make money at it is nothing short of amazing.” — Barbara Kornreich / Independent Film Producer and Editor
"As a print photojournalist, I went into MediaStorm's workshop with a skeptical eye. Two days later both my notebook and my brain were filled with the new ideas and opportunities being offered by the medium of web-based visual journalism. Two months later, I am still processing what I learned. This stuff isn't the future. It is now. I am convinced there has never been a better time to be a visual journalist. And there may be no person better suited to show you the way into this new medium than Brian Storm.” — David Hobby / Staff Photojournalist at the Baltimore Sun, Founder of Strobist.com
MediaStorm Project Showcase
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This page recognizing Zora J Murff for ICP’s 2023 Infinity Award for Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism features a film about his life, a slideshow of his projects and extra clips of his thoughts about his work and motivation.
Sebastião Salgado says "a good picture, a fantastic picture, you do in a fraction of a second, but to arrive to do this picture, you must put your life in there."
Esther Horvath has sent questions to the universe and she has received answers. She found her calling to tell visual stories that show the full research story behind our climate data.
See photographer Acacia Johnson’s growth from her earliest explorations of Alaskan landscapes to a National Geographic cover for a documentary project among indigenous people of the Arctic.
Sir Don McCullin never intended to become a photographer. He found it hard to believe he’d ever escape the poverty of North London. But a spur of the moment photograph launched McCullin into a career spanning 50 years in photography.
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Writer Zadie Smith pays homage to photographer Deana Lawson in the artist’s first Monograph for Aperture.
As a formerly incarcerated person, Michael struggled for work, and found purpose in being a husband, father, and activist. But 7 years since his release from prison, the cost of Michael’s activism is evident.
Benny is a “certified” garbologist. He collects what others throw away. Benny is also at war with his family. Here is a man sharing a house with his wife but living as a stranger. This is a household on the edge.
Photographer Amber Bracken recognized something deeper than a protest was afoot when hundreds of tribes gathered at the Standing Rock reservation in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline.
How does the death of a child change a parent? How does the death of a parent change a child? How do these moments change us as we develop and grow further away from who we were as children?
Maurice Berger–cultural historian, and columnist for the New York Times’ Race Stories–has spent his career studying and teaching racial literacy through visual literacy.
Japan’s Disposable Workers examines the country’s employment crisis: from suicide caused by overworking, to temporary workers forced by economics to live in internet cafes, and the elderly who wander a town in search of shelter and food.
Karl Ove Knausgaard is the celebrated author of a massive six-volume autobiography. But Knausgaard remains confused by the attention. This is a portrait of a man who has achieved massive success yet still considers himself unworthy.
Michael Thomasson has devoted his life to video games. It’s been his passion and his obsession for more than three decades. He owns over 11,000 unique game titles for more than 100 different systems.
A film about Michael Christopher Brown for the 2017 ICP Infinity Awards.
The Long Night, a feature film by Tim Matsui and MediaStorm, gives voice and meaning to the crisis of minors who are forced and coerced into the American sex trade.
Jonathan Harris and Greg Hochmuth have a complicated relationship with the internet and have worked together to develop an artwork that explored some of the more difficult consequences of what it means to live with the internet.
In 1977, Robyn Davidson walked 1,700 miles across the Australian outback. National Geographic sent Rick Smolan to photograph her perilous journey—a trek that tested and transformed them, forming an immutable bond that continues to this day.
Once at the center of the U.S. economy, the family farm now drifts at its edges. In Iowa, old-time farmers try to hang on to their way of life, while their young push out to find their futures elsewhere. Driftless tells their stories.
The American family farm gives way to a subdivision - a critical cultural shift across the U.S. Common Ground is a 27-year document of this transition, through the Cagwins and the Grabenhofers, two families who love the same plot of land.
For Walter Backerman, seltzer is more than a drink. It’s the embodiment of his family. As a third generation seltzer man, he follows the same route as his grandfather. But after 90 years of business, Walter may be the last seltzer man.
Larry Fink has spent over 40 years photographing jazz musicians, wealthy manhattanites, his neighbors, fashion models, and the celebrity elite. His archive is a thoughtful collection of American history, and Fink’s experience of it.
LaToya Ruby Frazier’s body of work “The Notion of Family” examines the impact of the steel industry and the health care system on the community and her family. Collaborating with her mother and grandmother, she uses her family as a lens to view the past, present and future of the town.
Tomas Van Houtryve wants there to be a permanent visual record of the dawn of the drone age, the period in American history when America started outsourcing their military to flying robots. In order to create this record, Van Houtryve sent his own drone into American skies.
Evgenia Arbugaeva was born in the magical town of Tiksi, Russia. This barren, arctic landscape influenced Arbugaeva in almost every aspect of her dreamlike photography.
Surviving the Peace: Laos takes an intimate look at the impact of unexploded bombs left over from the Vietnam war in Laos and profiles the dangerous, yet life saving work, that MAG has undertaken in the country.
A family is determined to give their disabled son a whole and vital life. In the midst of a great burden, one small child – with a seemingly endless supply of love – is the blessing that holds a family together.
Inspired by the photographs of the Farm Security Administration growing up, Lynn Johnson has spent nearly 35 years as a photojournalist working for LIFE, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated and various foundations.
Resetting the Table takes a unique, personal look at the impact Starbucks’ Create Jobs for USA program has had on the American Mug & Stein pottery facility in East Liverpool, Ohio.
Hungry Horse captures the spirit of renewal, peace and serenity through stunning landscapes and intimate oral histories.
Using humor and a love of fantasy, "The Amazing Amy" Harlib connects with audiences through performing strenuous yoga-based contortion acts in New York City.
In many countries, girls as young as eight are forced into marriage by their families, culture and economic situation. This practice destroys their chance at education leading to tragic results.
Surreal and mysterious, North Korea was a black hole to outsiders wanting a glimpse of the country. That all changed in 2012, when AP photographer David Guttenfelder led the opening of the bureau's newest office inside the North Korea.
Virginia Gandee's brilliant red hair and dozen tattoos belie the reality of this 22-year-old's life. Inside her family's Staten Island trailer her caregiving goes far beyond the love she has for her daughter.
Based on 14 trips to Afghanistan between 1994 and 2010, A Darkness Visible: Afghanistan is the work of photojournalist Seamus Murphy. His work chronicles a people caught time and again in political turmoil, struggling to find their way.
In Rwanda, in 1994, Hutu militia committed a bloody genocide, murdering one million Tutsis. Many of the Tutsi women were spared, only to be held captive and repeatedly raped. Many became pregnant. Intended Consequences tells their stories.
To those who serve in the armed forces, what is the aftereffect of war? The Marlboro Marine is photographer Luis Sinco's portrait of Marine Corporal James Blake Miller, whom he met in Iraq. For Miller, coming home has been its own battle.
Zakouma National Park is one of the last places on earth where elephants still roam by the thousands. In a land where poachers will slaughter the huge animals for their tusks alone, it takes armed guards to keep them safe.
Kingsley's Crossing is the story of one man's dream to leave the poverty of life in Africa for the promised land of Europe. We walk in his shoes, as photojournalist Olivier Jobard accompanies Kingsley on his uncertain and perilous journey.
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