2012 Freelance Conference – the Business of Freelancing
WIFI ACCESS: WIFI access in the centre is through the State Library of Victoria. When you open your internet browser the library’s homepage automatically appears, and you just need to sign in as a guest to use it for free.
PROGRAM: DAY 1 FRIDAY, MARCH 30
Location: Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.
| Time |
Session |
| 8:30am |
REGISTRATION |
| 8:45am – 2:30pm |
DIGITAL STILLS AND VIDEO – MAKING, MANAGING AND MARKETING YOUR IMAGES Photojournalist Rodney Dekker will demonstrate the art of capturing stills and video on a Digital SLR, and will take you outside for practical shooting exercises using your own camera. You will learn how the experts catalogue, archive and prepare images for the web, using Lightroom, Photoshop, Soundslides, Audacity and Carbon Copy Cloner, and hear how to pitch your images in a way that gets picture editors saying, Yes. |
| 2.30pm |
REGISTRATION |
| 3:00pm – 3:15pm |
WELCOME TO THE BUSINESS OF FREELANCING Chris Warren, federal secretary, Media Alliance |
| 3:15pm – 4:15pm |
GOOGLE TOOLS Google 101s for Journalists is a global program run to educate journalists about invaluable tips and tricks for the trade using Google tools. This session will investigate smarter ways of searching and offer tools which help with creating data visualisations. It will also include a section on how to leverage Google+. Kate Mason, Google Australia, communications and public affairs manager |
| 4:15pm – 4:50pm |
THE BUSINESS OF BLOGGING How do you build and sustain a captive audience for your blog or website and what tools are at your disposal to engage with these newly created online communities. Firsthand accounts of how to monetise your blog. Steve Sammartino, Start Up Blog |
| 4:50pm – 5:00pm |
INTERMISSION TO RELOCATE TO MATCH BAR 249 Little Lonsdale Street |
| 5:00pm – 5:15pm |
NETWORKING DRINKS |
| 5:15pm – 6:15pm |
PUTTING COMEDY IN YOUR NARRATIVE: TIM FERGUSON IN CONVERSATION WITH JASON CHATFIELD One of Australia’s most successful comedians Tim Ferguson will explain the principles of writing comedy. In this session you will learn how to write jokes, create funny stories, build comic characters, develop a sitcom and importantly, sell your sitcom to the TV networks. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them buy! Join Tim Ferguson and Jason Chatfield for a light hearted start to the evening’s networking drinks. Plus the announcement of the winner of the inaugural Freelancer of the Year Award. |
| 6:15pm – 7:00pm |
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO INAUGURAL FREELANCER OF THE YEAR AWARDS AND NETWORKING DRINKS With Chris Warren |
|
Close of Freelance Conference Day 1 |
PROGRAM: DAY 2 SATURDAY, MARCH 31
Location: Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.
Time
|
Stream One
|
Stream Two
|
| 8:30am |
REGISTRATION |
| 8.50am |
WELCOME FROM THE CHAIR |
| 9:00am – 9:30am |
Keynote: Margaret Simons – The future of freelancing – what’s ahead and how to plan for it. |
| 9:30am – 10:15am |
PANEL: NICHE WRITING – HOW TO SPECIALISE Learn how to turn a mouth watering dish, an exotic location or a flash motor in to an article no editor could refuse. Hear from our panel of foodies, travel and motoring writers and turn your passion in to a successful career. Robert Pepper (chair) Lee Mylne – Freelance Journalist and Author Ed Charles – Tomato |
| 10:15am – 11:15am |
GET YOUR MOJO WORKING Today’s freelance news reporter has to be multi-skilled and able to file into new mobile newsrooms while remaining on location to update breaking news. Mobile journalism (mojo) is a new technique perfect for freelance journalists. Mojo gives you the capability to record, edit, script and voice a video news item from your smartphone or digital device. Co-presenters: Martin Hirst – Associate Professor of Journalism at Deakin University Ivo Burum – Citizenmojo Blog |
| 11:15am |
Morning Tea |
| 11:30am – 12:15pm |
PANEL: THE SET-UP Anthony Caruana, Adam Turner and Sarah Stokely have written about just about every area in tech you can imagine. But they’ve also been freelancing for a long time and know a thing or two about using tech in their work. From mobile phones to the cloud, from PCs to tablets – they’ll be able to answer your tech questions Anthony Caruana (chair) – Freelance journalist Adam Turner – Freelance journalist Sarah Stokley – Freelance journalist |
PANEL: DEVELOPING APPS Developing apps is fast becoming a way of supplementing income for freelancers. However, with over half a million apps on the market in Australia alone competition is fierce. Hear from those who’ve succeeded and share their experiences. Learn how to pitch an idea, create the content, source images and market the resulting apps. Co-presenters: Narrelle Harris – Freelance journalist Danny Gorog – Outware Mobile |
| 12:15pm – 12:45pm |
MY SUPER Being responsible for your own super can be an onerous and complex process. Simplify your super and take the hassle out of managing your financial future. Colleen Sells – Media Super |
| 12:45pm – 1:45pm |
PANEL: ME INC. HOW TO AVOID BEING SUED AND GOING BROKE! You’ve got the creative down pat, but what about the nuts and bolts of running any successful business? Invoicing, tax, ABNs, goal setting, copyright, contracts and other legal issues. Experts in these fields will talk you through the latest developments and be available during lunch for one-on-one advice. Chaired by Bede Payne. Caroline Morgan – Copyright Agency Kate Haddock – Banki Haddock Fiora Colleen Sells – Media Super |
| 1:45pm – 2:15pm |
Lunch Experts from the preceding two panels will be available over lunch for one-on-one advice. |
Time
|
Stream One
|
Stream Two
|
| 2:15pm – |
M/C: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS |
M/C: BEHIND THE LENS |
| 3:00pm |
As a freelancer, you might be a great writer, photographer or designer. But is that enough to be a success? Anthony Caruana talks about what works for him and discusses some of the tools and technology he uses so that he can spend more time earning and less time on admin. Anthony Caruana – Freelance journalist |
Professional photojournalists are taking advantage of new tools to do some amazing things with their images. Learn how it’s done. Rodney Dekker – Rodney Dekker Photography |
| 3:00pm – |
PANEL: AUTHOR! AUTHOR! HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLER. |
| 4:00pm |
How do you choose an agent, read a contract and get your story from manuscript to masterpiece. This highly influential panel, all published authors, will steer you through the latest trends in book publishing and will include valuable information on the most recent developments in e-publishing. Don’t miss your chance to pitch your idea to the experts and get one step closer to being published. Russell Skelton (chair) – Freelance journalist and Author Jeff Sparrow -Overland Margaret Simons – Freelance journalist John Silvester – Author |
| 4:00pm |
Afternoon Tea |
| 4:15pm – |
PANEL: THE ART OF DOCUMENTARY MAKING |
M/C: DEVELOPING CONTENT FOR EBOOKS |
| 5:00pm |
How to work with broadcasters, funding bodies and/ or create an audience for your film outside traditional models. Tips on how documentary makers get their work seen widely, create social impact, and earn a living in the digital age. Learn how to ask the poignant questions and how to get the most from your talent. John Godfrey (chair) – Commissioning Editor of Documentaries, SBS Sue Maslin – Documentary Maker Steve Warne – Documentary Maker John Doggett-Williams – Freelance Documentary Maker |
The 21st century has presented plenty of challenges for freelance journalists, but has also provided opportunities. One new way of earning extra revenue from your expertise is via the creation of a non-fiction ebook, perhaps compiled from previously published material, for sale to such devices as the Kindle. In this session, Tim Richards, freelance travel writer and author of the travel ebook We Have Here the Homicide, explains how to publish your own ebook. Tim Richards – Freelance Journalist and Author |
| 5:00pm – 5:05pm |
CONFERENCE WRAP-UP AND CLOSE OF FREELANCE CONFERENCE DAY 2
|
| 5.05pm – 5.10pm |
INTRODUCTION TO SPEEDPITCHING SESSION Introduction by Sean Brogan, Director of Communications, Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance |
| 5:10pm – |
SPEED PITCHING: MEET THE EDITORS |
| 6:00pm |
Make those all important contacts with commissioning editors and pitch your story in record time! John Mangan -The Age Kelly Irving -Get Lost magazine Karen Graham – Mufti magazine Ronnie Scott – The Lifted Brow Patrick Pittman – The Dumbo Feather Cheryl Critchley – Herald Sun |
