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The 12th Annual Freelance Journalism Convention program is subject to change depending on speaker availability
Costings:
I am a financial member of the Alliance: $435
I am not a financial member of the Alliance: $495
Welcome drinks Wednesday, March 18 at Trunk
With guest speaker Bruce Guthrie
Dinner Thursday, March 19 at Café Italia
With guest speaker John Silvester
$65.00 per head
* Please RSVP to these events if you haven't already on: 1300 656 513
Weekend training sessions
Saturday March 21 & Sunday March 22
RMIT University
$50.00 per day for Alliance members
$100.00 per day for non members
* Please RSVP if you haven't already on: 1300 656 513
DAY ONE: THURSDAY MARCH 19
Plenary sessions: Main Auditorium
8.30
Registrations
9.00
Welcome
Chris Warren, federal secretary, Media Alliance
9:05
Freelancing the Future: Aussie context
Chris Warren, federal secretary, Media Alliance
Margaret Simons, freelance journalist and author
Chris and Margaret will discuss the future of journalism, how it is changing, with particular reference to how the changes will affect freelances. Clearly, with more full-time journalists taking redundancy, there may be more competition for freelance work. But savvy freelances who are tech-smart, and can specialise in niche areas, perhaps like hyper-local journalism or other topics, will find themselves in demand, especially if they can produce work not just for print but particularly online. And more importantly still, freelances will have to brand themselves smarter and develop social networking skills in order to maximize their exposure.
9.35
Keynote: Investigating the future of freelance
Mark Schapiro, editorial director, the Center for Investigative Reporting
Mark will talk about the opportunities for freelance journalists, particularly in the area of investigative journalism which has been under-funded by major media employers but, if pursued cleverly by freelancers will help improve their marketability.
10.10
Panel with Q&A
Guns for hire: freelancers are the future
Stephen Mayne, The Mayne Report (CHAIR)
Mark Schapiro, editorial director, the Center for Investigative Reporting
Margaret Simons, author, The Content Makers
This panel will examine how freelancers must adapt to the changing environment in order to take advantage of the opportunities presented by technology. Also, how freelancers are a likely roadmap for the future of journalism as roving funds for hire, ready to tackle subjects that big media groups overlook or cannot tackle.
11.05 Morning Tea
Plenary sessions: Main Auditorium
11.30
NUTS AND BOLTS: Your questions answered
Media law to tax and finance, business tips and using the Alliance: advice directed by your questions.
- Avoid being ripped-off
- Customising the model contract
- Negotiation tips
- Digital rights
Featuring:
Peter Bartlett, partner, Minter Ellison Lawyers
Danny Lustig, partner, Lowe Lippmann accountants
Karen Pitt, Copyright Agency Limited
Colleen Sells, Media Super
This is where freelancers – or those considering going freelance – get the chance to ask experts about important aspects of their job: what recourse do they have against non-payers? What about tax and copyright issues? What is the most efficient way to save for the future?
12:30 Lunch
Breakout workshops: three streams
1:30
Workshop 1A: Main Auditorium
Guerilla Freelancing: How to come out on top despite economic turmoil
Alison Aprhys, freelance writer and photographer
Suddenly there are a whole lot of new freelancers on the block and they all want to know the secrets to success. Alison will be taking you through the fundamentals – how to pitch stories and build relationships with commissioning editors, how to build one’s own brand, how to manage one’s time most efficiently.
Or
1:30
Workshop 1B: breakout room 1 (TBA)
I am the brand – Marketing for more advanced freelancers
Stephen Mayne, maynereport.com
Kevin Jones, OHS consultant and freelance writer
The accepted wisdom among those people paid to watch the industry change is that in the future a writer’s individual brand will become more important. But how do you build a brand without the support of a major media organisation? This session will help freelancers learn the basics of building networks using online tools such as a blog, or through social networking applications such as Facebook and Twitter.
Or
1:30
Workshop 1C: breakout room 2 (TBA)
Performance consultant: How to get more out of yourself
Kate James, director of Total Balance
When you are freelancing for a living, it’s a 24/7 occupation. Kate will be talking with people who want to know how to manage their time and resources more efficiently, how to achieve a better work-life balance. She’ll also be talking to people who have recently made the transition to freelance journalism and need to identify their key skills and build the confidence needed to flourish in a competitive world.
2.45 Afternoon Tea
Plenary sessions: Main Auditorium
3.14
On the road: Gear, gadgets and guts
Sophie McNeill (via satellite), freelance videojournalist and 2008 Young Australian Journalist of the Year
John Martinkus, freelance videojournalist
John Andersen, roaming journalist, the Townsville Bulletin
New advances in technology mean that journalists can take their show on the road – literally. The purpose of this session is for speakers to share their insights into getting and selling stories while working as a sole trader. They’ll be talking about the technology they prefer and giving tips on how to survive while going that extra mile for a killer yarn.
4.00
Break out workshops: three streams
Workshop 2A: Main Auditorium
Extreme filing
Courtney Crow, founder, explorergirls.com
John Martinkus, freelance videojournalist
Speakers reveal the most improbable places they have filed from and what sorts of gear and gadgets the budding freelancer needs before feeling well-equipped to take on a life on the road. They’ll be sharing their insights and fielding questions from freelancers with the urge to report from the ends of the earth.
Workshop 2B: breakout room 1 (TBA)
Sub-editing tips
Alison Cassar, The Age
Louise Robson, the Herald Sun
As we all know, a lot of subs can write but very few writers can sub. But still, nothing impresses an editor as much as clean copy – especially if you are a freelancer. Alison and Louise will be sharing their insights and tips about the most common bloopers and how to avoid them.
Workshop 2C: breakout room 2 (TBA)
Get paid to travel
Tim Richards, freelance travel writer including Lonely Planet
It’s the world’s best job. Here’s a chance to hear a few yarns about some of Tim’s favourite commissions: where did his ideas come from and how did he sell them? This audience will be keen to hear of some of the pitfalls awaiting the intrepid travel writer and how best to avoid them. He’ll also be talking about the do’s and don’ts of the travelling life.
5:00 End of day one
DAY TWO: FRIDAY MARCH 20
Plenary sessions: Main Auditorium
9.00
Keynote: on freelancing in Baghdad
Colin Freeman (via satellite), chief correspondent, UK’s Daily Telegraph
Colin joins us by satellite. Colin was a bored city hall reporter when he decided to up sticks and freelance in Baghdad. After some rudimentary “hostile environment training” in a local park at the hands of a reporter friend, Colin took himself off to Iraq shortly after Baghdad fell to US troops and started filing (getting shot in the backside along the way). Colin was released earlier this month from 40 days of captivity by Somali pirates. Colin is now chief correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, specialising in trouble spots.
9.40
Forum + Q&A
Weaving the threads: Drawing out characters and narrative
Craig Sherborne, freelance writer and author, Muck / Hoi Polloi
Kate Legge, journalist, The Australian
Colm McNaughton, Walkley-winning freelance radio documentary-maker
This is one of our more “literary” panels which aims is to share insights into the way in which journalists, in print, online or in radio and TV broadcasting can explore different narrative forms and convey characters. The speakers share some common ground but they’ll also share personal techniques and expertise.
11.00 Morning tea
Get practical: Workshops
11:30
Workshop 3A: Main Auditorium
Photography
Beginner stream - Alison Aprhys, freelance writer and photographer
As you know, today’s journalist is expected to carry a camera and file photos to go with that breathless prose. As a freelancer of many years, Alison is used to carrying a camera and integrating the taking of pictures into interview time. She’ll explain her working processes and what sort of equipment today’s freelancer should carry in case the spot news photo of the year goes begging.
Workshop 3B: Main Auditorium (TBA)
Advanced stream – Luis Ascui, freelance photographer
This session is for the more experienced of our freelance photo-journalists. You’ve mastered the art of the point and click, so Luis will take you a bit beyond the basics and give you his insights in how to plan a shoot, what equipment he prefers and some of the pitfalls awaiting the freelancer when it comes to nailing the next Walkley Award-winning shot. Luis will be pitching this at people who know what they are doing but may not have made a living out of it and need the help and encouragement to take the next career step.
Workshop 3C: breakout room 1 (TBA)
Make your copy sing: tips and tricks for sparkling copy
Gary Tippet, The Age
This is an advanced session on how to keep your copy fresh and surprising and how to avoid the nasty clichés which we all fall prey to at times. A lot of freelancers are starting out on their own for the first time and might welcome advice on how to produce really polished copy.
Workshop 3D: breakout room 3 (TBA)
Tutorial in online tools for reporting
Charles Wright, freelance technology blogger
Adam Turner, freelance technology journalist
There are so many new ways of telling stories online: tools and technology being developed almost daily make it easier for us to tell our stories more vividly and immediately and give us the chance to share with so many more people than in the old print age. This session will discuss those tools the speakers think are most useful to journalists: maps, slideshows audio/video and flash animation make stories really vivid, while the use of social networking tools such as Twitter and Facebook allow us to build networks of interested readers.
12:30 Lunch
Plenary sessions: Main Auditorium
1.30
Writers at the crossroads: Where journalism meets literature
Gideon Haigh, freelance writer, author and commentator
Matthew Ricketson, journalism professor, University of Canberra
Jeff Sparrow, freelance writer and author
What is literary journalism? How do you sustain narratives in the long form? Speakers will discuss storytelling techniques and insights into how to identify a story that has legs and run with it: developing character and using the techniques of the novelist to create work that is capable of fascinating and sustaining the reader’s attention.
3.00 Afternoon tea
Speed Pitching
3.30
Pick an editor, pitch an idea, and move on.
Each editor has a table; delegates queue up and one-by-one spend 5 minutes with an editor to make their pitch.
Please visit the speed pitching desk located in the foyer and fill out your name and nominate a time you’d like to pitch to an (or indeed all!) editor/s. Take a copy of the publication’s guidelines from the registration desk on Thursday to better prepare yourself and make the most of your five minutes.
Editors:
Lucy Beaumont, Metro
Terri Cowley, RM Williams OUTBACK magazine
Matthia Dempsey, Bookseller & Publisher magazine
Angus Holland, theage(melbourne)magazine
Robert Keeley, Australian Photography magazine
Katarina Kroslakova, limelight
Penny Modra, threethousand.com.au
Kate Rhodes, Artichoke magazine
Jo Spurling, Desktop magazine
*Please note: editors subject to change and availability
5:10 End of convention
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