Third Coast Pocket Conference

Here's a conversation about the essence of story. Any story. Through the lenses of radio, video, music and structure, Snap Judgment's Glynn Washington digs into the nitty-gritty of narrative, and explores what it means to impart meaning and inspiration over the air - especially if your method flies against current radio conventions. Recorded at the 2012 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When done well, investigative radio stories have the power to change the world. But it's not easy. All those documents, numbers and unnamed sources who don't want to go on tape make investigative stories seem like the least friendly radio stories on the planet. NPR's Laura Sullivan breaks down the critical pieces that make investigative radio stories an art form of their own, the structure that brings them to life and the moments that leave other forms of journalism in the dust. Recorded at the 2014 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At every Third Coast Conference we hear from producers and audio makers whose work inspires us. But what inspires them? In 2007, we got to hear a taste from seasoned producer Jay Allison, the co-founder of Transom.org and the Public Radio Exchange. In this session, Jay shared work that is full of play, experimentation and surprise — stories that keep the creative spark alive, even in an otherwise serious radio world. Ok, here’s Jay Allison with ‘In Praise of the Sandbox’. Recorded at the 2007 Third Coast Conference  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Imagine reporting in a culture that speaks a language your listeners don't understand, and covering issues your listeners don't totally care about - all in a country that doesn't even want you there in the first place. Add to this unforgiving news deadlines, and you've got the life of a foreign correspondent covering the Arab uprisings and their aftermath. In this session, NPR's Kelly McEvers shares her work and talks about how to tell memorable radio stories, despite limited resources on all fronts. Recorded at the 2012 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guess what? You can tell great stories on the news, too. In a good story, something happens. You care about the person it happens to. There are stakes, an arc. Hopefully some suspense. You know, like the stories you hear on the programs you love. But it's also possible to make news stories... great. Maybe you can't use mood music or fancy sound design. But you can report like you're making a documentary, even if it you have to do it in one day. In this session, Marianne McCune tells you how. Recorded at the 2014 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Drawing from radio and beyond, Jad Abumrad shares the stories, sounds, people and projects that have most inspired him over the years, and talked about some of the creative challenges he's faced (and embraced) along the way. Recorded at the 2012 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We need to talk about race - with humanity and humor. NPR's Code Switch project embraces the themes of race, ethnicity and culture that play out in our lives, but are often overlooked in our radio stories. Code Switch's Shereen Marisol Meraji shares her methods of looking at news stories through these lenses, and leads a spirited and frank conversation about how to tap into dialogues about race happening outside of public media. Recorded at the 2014 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Danish-based producer Tim Hinman, of the podcast Third Ear, finds inspiration for his exquisite sound design at the movies, and in this session he shares how it’s done. Hinman will use a ton of examples to take us through the entire production process, from recordings to final mixes, to demonstrate how to make sound a more dynamic storyteller in your work. What you’ll have, he says, is sound that is bigger, louder and prouder than ever before. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What separates a “good” program from a “great” program is often the clarity of its vision: what is the show and who is it trying to speak to? In this session, Audible’s Eric Nuzum shares the process he uses with creators to define their program idea and clarify how it’s different from anything else in the universe. He’ll use lots of examples to show how this process works and teach you how you can do it on your own and with collaborators. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s becoming more common for podcast producers to work with composers to create an original soundtrack. At this session, producer Michael May and composer/producer Nick DePrey share their techniques for bringing a piece to life with music and sound design. Learn how to conceptualize your perfect score and communicate it to a composer. And don’t miss their live demonstration where they’ll score a piece of tape volunteered by a Third Coast participant. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The world of podcasting has become a crowded one. With a bevy of competing styles and purviews, having a unique voice is an increasingly valuable commodity... both artistically and financially. But finding that voice is easier said than done, and requires a willingness to take risk. So how do we take real, calculated risk? In this session, Love + Radio's Nick van der Kolk will examine methods for taking chances, maintaining a sense of play, and experimenting toward new forms and new ideas.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For some people, making great radio is easy. Ben Calhoun has no idea what those people are talking about! For him, making radio is hard, beset by self-doubt -- and he finds it’s often easy to get stuck. As a former This American Life producer and Radiolab contributor, and WBEZ's current VP of content and programming, Ben’s had a chance to watch a lot of smart people beat back the forces of creative despair. In this session, he’ll share a few strategies he’s hatched, many he’s stolen, and pass on some concrete tools for un-slumping your situation. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Never underestimate the power of a finely crafted intimate narrative. These “small stories” of everyday life have the potential to bring listeners in close to reveal the complexities and ambiguities of the world around us. Celebrated author, filmmaker and radio journalist Alex Kotlowitz will share tips on finding compelling narratives, interviewing subjects to elicit unforgettable tape, and crafting a seemingly small story that speaks to something so much bigger. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A session about the joy and fear of pursuing stories without any idea of how they're going to succeed, or if they're going to succeed at all. Reply All’s PJ Vogt shares some tricks for making these kinds of off-the-map stories work. He’ll talk about how you gather tape for a story you don't yet have a map for, how to include your original sense of wonder and discovery in your final script, and how to take stories that feel ordinary and insist on them becoming more strange. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You’re sent to cover breaking news – a natural disaster or a large-scale accident or crime. You don’t have much time, or much warning. How do you bring back sound-rich, interesting tape, that makes listeners perk up their ears? The Northwest News Network’s Phyllis Fletcher manages breaking news coverage as an editor for reporters throughout the urban and rural Northwest. Phyllis walks us through a triage system she’s developed to partner with her reporters, and plays excellent examples of telling breaking news stories in sound. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can a documentary make you dance? Turn you on? Make you jump in fear? We get under the skin of documentary's visceral possibilities, exploring how we edit to impact the listener's body as much as their mind. Falling Tree Productions' Eleanor McDowall delves into audio erotica, unsettling horror and dynamic action sequences to examine the creative possibilities of playing with the physical impact of audio. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this session for editors - or anyone who wants to help someone else shape a story – Gimlet Media’s Jorge Just explores the delicate art of making good things better. Jorge walks you through various editorial processes (group edits, one-on-one edits, even walking edits), and plays samples from pieces at different stages of evolution to demonstrate the editor's role in how stories are conceived, developed, and sometimes killed. Learn techniques to help others make their very best work. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.Follow along with the slides from Jorge's session:https://goo.gl/iUqcUy  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A bonafide Third Coast tradition, this session pulls back the curtain on one of the most difficult and important skills every producer needs to master: how to pitch a story. AIR’s Pitch Panel puts producers directly in front of editors, selling their stories with a little help from hosts, WNYC’s Emily Botein and Katie Bishop. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A bonafide Third Coast tradition, this session pulls back the curtain on one of the most difficult and important skills every producer needs to master: how to pitch a story. AIR’s Pitch Panel puts producers directly in front of editors, selling their stories with a little help from hosts, WNYC’s Emily Botein and Katie Bishop. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Reveal producers Ike Sriskandarajah and Laura Starecheski will show you how they create gripping radio out of stacks of documents and endless columns of numbers. You don’t have to be an investigative reporter to come away from this session with some jewels of knowledge to set in your radio crown. You just have to be someone who’s ever stumbled across a shocking statistic, had your mind blown… and then struggled to turn it into a sound-rich radio story with characters and a narrative arc. Recorded at the 2016 Third Coast Conference.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.