Third Coast Pocket Conference

Performance art and audio journalism probably don’t seem like they have much overlap. But Multimedia-maker Sook-Yin Lee and audio artist Veronica Simmonds strongly disagree. In this session from the 2017 Third Coast Conference, the pair talked about the unconventional inspirations they used to create their podcast Sleepover for Canada’s CBC. From a seven-hour cinema provocation to a fly-on-the-wall documentary disappearing act, find out how time + space + face-to-face durational encounters with strangers = exceptional audio stories. You can watch the videos played during this conference session here: - Video 1: Sook-Yin Lee's sleep deprivation experiment - Video 2: Sátántangó - Video 3: Inside Warrendale These links are also available at ThirdCoastFestival.org  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Turning the mic on yourself is not easy. Baring your heart and soul for anyone to hear can be a bit terrifying. At the 2017 Third Coast Conference, reporter Sally Herships retraced the making of her story, 'As Many Leaves.' She walked through the process of creating her meditation on loss and explained how to keep your journalistic integrity while opening yourself up to the world. She was joined by Alan Hall of Falling Tree Productions, who commissioned Sally's piece. Together, they shared their approaches to crafting this narrative and the challenges they faced in making a personal tale resonate more broadly.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Madeleine Baran and Samara Freemark of APM Reports' In the Dark, love the intimacy of radio and the power it has to transport us into other people’s lives. But as producers of an investigative podcast, they think audio storytelling can do more. At the 2017 Third Coast Conference, they explained how to use the power of a good question to transform your reporting and writing, and how to turn slice-of-life stories into impactful investigative journalism.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

AIR’s Bitchin' Pitch Panel puts three people directly in front of a panel of editors, where they pitch their stories and everyone gets insight into the process. There to help the pitchers and moderate in 2017 was producer Leila Day, co-host of The Stoop podcast. This is the second of two Bitchin’ Pitchin’ sessions from the 2017 Third Coast Conference. In this session, the panel features Shereen Marisol Meraji of NPR’s podcast Code Switch, senior producer of original content at Audible Millie Jefferson, and Sruthi Pinnamaneni, senior reporter at Reply All.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

AIR’s Bitchin' Pitch Panel puts three pitchers directly in front of a panel of editors, where they sell their stories and everyone gets a little insight in to the process. There to help the pitchers and moderate in 2017 was producer Leila Day, co-host of The Stoop podcast. This first of two Bitchin’ Pitchin’ sessions we’ll be sharing on this podcast features Alicia Montgomery the Editorial Director of WAMU, Reveal’s Executive Director Kevin Sullivan and Pineapple Street Media co-founder Jenna Weiss Berman.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Great tracking is the difference between a piece that immediately moves you and one you immediately forget. It's an artwork that takes time to master, but you have to start somewhere. At the 2017 Third Coast Conference, More Perfect's Sean Rameswaram shared tips for finding your voice, with added advice from Anna Sale, Sam Sanders, Stephanie Foo, Mike Pesca and Kai Ryssdal. Sometimes the solution is mastering script-writing, but it can also involve abandoning your script altogether. At the end of the day, it's all about finding your own style.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There's an old saying in journalism that goes: "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." This American Life's Christopher Swetala is the fact-checker who calls her to ask, and then let's you know if it's true... or not. In this session from the 2017 Third Coast Conference, Christopher shares tips and lessons for triple-checking your own reporting and writing, and avoiding making mistakes.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In November 2016, the Third Coast Conference kicked off with a panel discussion called "Mudslide." It reflected on what journalists had gotten wrong during that year's presidential campaign, only three days after Donald Trump was elected to office. At the 2017 Third Coast Conference, Kai Wright (WNYC's United States of Anxiety) hosted a continuation of this discussion on year later. Joining him were panelists Eve Epstein (Marketplace), Al Letson (Reveal) and Leital Molad (Intercepted). Together they explored the questions facing the media one year into the new presidency. Note: You can hear the original panel discussion here on the Pocket Conference, episode "Mudslide: The Election of 2016" (Published Dec. 12, 2016).  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The year 2017 has been an unsettled time, both politically and culturally, and a lot of journalists are asking, "how exactly did we get... here?" In this session from the 2017 Third Coast Conference, Delaney Hall considered a range of stories that trace a line from the past to the present, using deeply reported context to understand the world around us. She drew on her experiences as a producer and editor with 99% Invisible - a show that regularly delves into the past - and highlighted work from other history-centric podcasts like Revisionist History Undone, and others. She also shared tips on how to frame and structure stories about the past, how to source archival material, how to interview and collaborate with historians, and how to bring dead characters and lost places to life in sound.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Daily podcast has brought rich sound production and narrative storytelling together with daily news and New York Times journalism. Lisa Tobin, executive producer of audio at The New York Times , discusses what the team learned from nine months of The Daily : defining the storyline, crafting a script without scripting, and making print journalists SOUND good. She will also run through some standard radio practices that her team learned -- and then unlearned in making the show. Help us keep delivering free session audio on the Pocket Conference by donating to Third Coast today! https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/ThirdCoast  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For the last two years, the Third Coast Conference has kicked off with Late Night Provocations: a series of short talks meant to challenge, ignite & inspire. Presenters - or provocateurs - come onstage to share one provocative idea in five minutes or less. The 2017 provocateurs were: Mia Lobel (Panoply), Martina Castro (Adonde Media), Tobin Low and Kathy Tu (WNYC's Nancy), Maureen McMurray (New Hampshire Public Radio), John Biewen (Seeing White), and Sarah Alvarez (Outlier Media). Plus a very special 'Halftime Rumble'... Note: Martina Castro's provocation is in English and Spanish. To see the subtitles for her bilingual talk, visit thirdcoastfestival.org  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From the first Third Coast Conference in 2001, this panel, moderated by Arizona-based producer Joan Schuman, asked the questions about the consequences of taking risks and approaching audio in unconventional ways. Joining Joan to answer these questions were radio legend Scott Carrier and Priya Ramu, formerly of the CBC program Outfront. This will be the last Pocket Conference episode for a few weeksut we will be back in early December and will return with sessions from the 2017 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When you don’t have the money to make your podcast idea a reality, one way to make your dream come true is through crowdfunding. At the 2012 Third Coast Conference, art program director Stephanie Pereira gave a primer on how to bring an audio-centric Kickstarter project to life. Joining her was Roman Mars of the podcast 99% Invisible, who shared lessons learned and insights gained while running his own (wildly successful) radio-supporting Kickstarter campaign earlier that year.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Strong local radio doesn't emerge from a moment of inspiration; it's the product of repetition, experimentation, even failure. It's about habit. At the 2010 Third Coast Conference, Dan Grech explored strategies for producing consistent, high-impact local radio, culled from his own experiences with WLRN's Under the Sun series. Does success mean getting stories heard nationally? Is local simply about geography? And how can you fit the habit of creativity into a too-busy day? Local producers Kenny Malone, Sylvia Gross and Alicia Zuckerman joined him to share tips from the trenches.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The best "real time" radio sounds live and spontaneous, but requires forethought and structure. This session from the 2007 Third Coast Conference focuses on how to do "stand up" in the field -- what works and what doesn't. With examples of many pitfalls and a few successes, longtime NPR correspondent Elizabeth Arnold shared what she's learned about the practical realities of putting yourself in your piece.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.