As I mentioned last week, today I hope to cover an issue that we all internally deal with over what would be nice to do versus what we need to do. As one II reader put it, “If your passion is in multimedia documentary photography, but you find that it is wedding or stock photography that pays the bills (for the moment at least), what do you do? You want to build a portfolio that is representative of the work you would like to do more of, but at the same time your website needs to reflect some of the work that brings the money in.” So let’s see what others are doing about this dilemma!
Adam Westbrook, UK blogger, entrepreneur and media whiz, just released his annual media predictions in a quirky and inspirational video. Last year he made all 10 predictions himself, and this year I was honored to be a part of the fun and make one of the predictions. Check out the video and see if you agree with us – I’d love to hear what your number one prediction is for the year!
Are you a recent grad who is still looking for that perfect job? I know how you’re feeling: It took me three agonizing months post-graduation to land my first job at Roanoke.com. If your story is similar, this post is for you. Instead of complaining about the flailing market and lack of jobs, why not be like Melina Kolb and start your own company? Eight months ago Melina decided to create Tellit Multimedia, a video production studio that is based in Chicago, Illinois. Her entrepreneurial spirit inspires me and I hope her success story energizes you to consider starting your own venture as well.
I’m thrilled to announce that II recently turned three-years-old. Honestly, I never knew a personal blog about my passion for multimedia would turn into what it is today. Thank you so much for all of your support throughout the years by reading my posts, sharing them with others and engaging with me on and off the site. I am honored and grateful for each relationship I have formed from my blog and I look forward to future interactions with many more of you.
It is great timing to feature British blogger and multimedia entrepreneur Adam Westbrook as this week’s “Innovative Individual” since he is currently running an excellent series over at his blog on how people, and more specifically journalists, can get started blogging. Furthermore, he took his own advice from his latest e-book and recently launched a multimedia production company called studio .fu. I have highlighted Adam’s work several times here simply because I think extremely highly of him and his work. Thus, formally including him in this series was a must in my eyes!
English journalism blogger Adam Westbrook kindly gave me a sneak peak of his latest e-book that was released today and I was extremely impressed by both the creativity and depth he delivers about alternative business models for those within the journalism sector. Titled “Next Generation Journalist,” Adam details 10 viable revenue streams along with complementary interviews, case studies, and resources for further reading. If you are tired of the doom and gloom talk and ready to take action, I would highly recommend reading Adam’s book for an inspirational jump start.
I normally try not to regurgitate content on II that you can easily find in your Google Reader. However, it seems like this month has been FILLED with inspirational multimedia talks and high-quality blog posts. I just got back from another great talk by National Geographic photographer and Fulbright Scholar Geoffrey Hiller. While the majority of you can’t partake in the local talks at UNC, you can still take advantage of all of the digital inspiration floating around the Web lately. Here is my Top-10 list of must-reads from the month. Enjoy!
There is a great discussion going on over at Duckrabbit about Bombay Flying Club’s latest documentary, “Streetlight.” Issues over Flash, sound, video length, and black&white photo choice were brought up in relation to this piece. I think very highly of BFC producers Poul Madsen and Brent Foster, so I wanted to give my two cents.
Some of the most talented multimedia producers in our industry today actually started their careers as photographers. Photographers make up the majority of staffs at nearly every inspirational multimedia company – Media Storm, Bombay Flying Club, Talking Eyes Media, Weyo, and Story4, to name a few. Whether out of necessity or personal aspiration, these photographers have successfully made the transition to multimedia production and now use their still cameras as only one storytelling option. So why did they do it, how were they successful, and how can you follow their lead?
