Most people can recount the facts of their situation, but how do you get them to tell you an actual story? Interviewing for narrative calls for a slightly different set of interview muscles – from the kinds of questions you ask, to helping a source tap into details and emotion of moments long past.

At the 2019 Third Coast Conference, Karen Duffin of Planet Money broke down how to interview for narrative audio in very practical terms. She provided examples from her years of experience as an interviewer, and shared some tools she has used elicit more vivid, concrete, as-if-you-were-there stories.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you make the move from audio to film, without leaving audio behind?

At the 2019 Third Coast Conference, Jasmin Mara López (Silent Beauty) led a conversation about the journey from experienced audio producer to first-time filmmaker. She laid out the steps she took on this personal and professional journey, from the conceptual stage of a project to directing and producing a feature-length film, all while keeping your audio roots in mind.

Consider this an independent filmmaker's guide of sorts to starting out in film, plus what you can steal from the world of visual documentary to make audio even better.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know about reading between the lines, right? Well good sound design can make you dance between the lines. And when you’re talking about big, uncomfortable ideas — sound can be a super powerful tool to have on hand.

Suicide often reminds us of those four magic words: "just ask for help." But Honor Eastly knows it’s not that simple. She’s been there and back, and has the receipts to prove it — years of phone recordings and diary entries from the inside. From this mountain of source material, a podcast was born/emerged! That podcast: No Feeling Is Final.

In this session from the 2019 Third Coast Conference, Honor and executive producer Joel Werner broke down how they took Honor’s life and turned it into a super-creative & sound-rich six-part series. They shared audio diary tape, and discussed where/when to use it (and when/how to reconstruct scenes). They talked about the power of a first person perspective, negotiating between a compelling narrative and life’s utter messiness, trust, shared taste, and how a sense of humor can shine a light in the darkest places.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sex sells, sure, but who gets to cash in on it? How can journalists honestly and accurately cover sex workers without sensationalizing or further stigmatizing their work? And can the answers provide meaningful & challenging insights for audio producers specifically who make stories about communities they are not a part of?

At thee 2019 Third Coast Conference, Lina Misitzis (This American Life), producer of The Last Days of August and The Butterfly Effect , explained what steps she took to gain the trust of LA's porn industry, what she learned, and how this reporting continues to impact her approach to storytelling. She shared what she heard from pornographers themselves about mistakes documentarians have made while reporting on them in the past. And the writer Sydney Leathers joined Lina to talk about media coverage she received and how she wishes her own story had been covered differently.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve all heard the old adage: Everyone needs an editor. Whether you’re working in print, film, or narrative audio — you need someone to check for structure, make sure you’re meeting deadlines, and generally help get the story to the finish line. Jen Chien, who works as an editor at Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, compares it to being a midwife: Editors help people give birth to their projects and make sure they come to life.  

In this session from the 2019 Third Coast Conference, Jen Chien laid out what it takes to be a great editor, from the art of nurturing creativity in the people you work with to hands-on project management tips to keep the project moving. She also shared lessons from some of the top editors in the field on how to successfully guide producers through the process, without sacrificing rigor or craft.

Click here to view the accompanying slide visuals for this sessions.

Since this session was recorded, Jen Chien & Casey Miner have created an online survey to see who’s interested in trainings specifically for narrative audio editors.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The audio industry is changing -- and your role as a leader might well be changing with it. Making the transition from reporter to editor, from producer to executive producer, or from player to coach isn’t always easy. 

In this session from the 2019 Third Coast Conference, Steve Edwards (WBEZ) and Nishat Kurwa (Vox Media) shared their candid thoughts and experiences about the challenges of becoming leader, personally and professionally.

From leading a production team to starting your own podcast shop, they shared tips on how to make the transition successfully - while continuing to foster creativity, and staying connected to the craft. Together, they explained why the same skills that it takes to be a great audio producer are actually the foundations of becoming an outstanding leader, too.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does truth look like when everything around us seems to hold the strange gasps of fiction?

At the 2019 Third Coast Conference, this panel delved into a deep conversation about new methods of intertwining documentary, fiction & story to tell, dare we say it, even truer stories. It was hosted by 2019 Third Coast/RHDF Competition award-winner Neena Pathak, and featured award-winner Zoha Zokaei, Bellwether creator Sam Greenspan, and Arwen Nicks, creator of The Big One.

Click here to the subtitled version of Price of Secrecy by Zoha Zokaei.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it feel like when artists challenge conventional radio and allow their lived experiences to inform their work?

In their 2020 Third Coast Conference session, NK, Phoebe, Mara and Ari - the founding members of RADIO (R)EJECTS - employed Sara Ahmed’s term ‘sweaty concepts’ to explore first person narrative stories. Using feminist theory by women of color as a lens for listening, you’ll be part of a conversation that expands upon asking what artistic choices shape “experimental” radio? How and why does it make us sweat? Presented by RADIO (R)EJECTS, a collective based out of Chicago, LA, and New Orleans.

This session intentionally carved out space for POC, femmes, people with disabilities, trans peeps, and queers who want to talk about how, why and for whom we tell our stories.

• Ari Mejia's Soundcloud
• Mara Lazer's 2019 award-winning piece
• Bitchface Podcast

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez. Special thanks to Madeline Fox!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the 2019 Third Coast Conference, Johanna Zorn took the stage to share her experiences and her lifelong love of radio.

20 years ago, Johanna Zorn co-founded the Third Coast International Audio Festival with Julie Shapiro. Then last year, Johanna announced that she was moving on from Third Coast to new adventures. We invited Johanna to share her Favorite Things in the audio world as the closing speaker at the 2019 Third Coast Conference.

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The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Data has power but also serves power, which means it can be profoundly hard to navigate and understand.

At the same time, the difference between a good investigation and an exceptional one is bound up in data. So how can you use data to transform your reporting, deepen your narrative, and offer creative & entirely unexpected ways of storytelling. How can you use data as power?

At the 2019 Third Coast Conference, veteran data journalist David Eads ( The Chicago Reporter ) presented a session breaking open the uses and limits of data, illustrated with practical examples.

Click here to view the slides and visuals for this presentation.

Want to continue the conversation? Follow David Eads on Twitter (@eads) and sign up for Producer News to stay up to date on the latest from Third Coast.

The 2019 Third Coast Pocket Conference season was co-produced by Neroli Price and Isabel Vázquez.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.