Workshops & Panels
For our complete schedule, click here.
Also, check out our speaker bios page.
Friday Evening Panel 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
* "How Can Creators Make a Living When We Are Expected to Give Away Our Work for Free?"* This panel will feature a broad discussion of the biggest questions facing writers and other creators in this digital age. New technologies are doing amazing things in terms of allowing instantaneous communication between hundreds of millions of people around the globe. They are also inspiring more and more people to publish work of all kinds in all media for audiences large and small. But can people with the talent and drive to find an audience and sell their creative work still do so with a reasonable hope of supporting themselves ... and keeping control of the rights to their work? Is copyright relevant anymore, should new rights regimes replace it, or is there some kind of middle ground? Is all talk of creative rights outdated and antithetical to creative freedom? Will trades like journalism, book writing and documentary film making survive as is? Or change completely? Or even disappear? Will new developments like "citizen journalism" replace these traditional trades or augment them in some positive fashion? Are media corporations providing a public service by encouraging amateur creators to publish their work for free? Or are they simply exploiting amateurs and using them as a way to replace more expensive professionals? Panelists include Dan Kennedy (moderator) of Northeastern Univ. Journalism Dept., Zach Seward of Nieman Journalism Lab, Topper Carew, noted TV Producer and Writers Guild member, Lisa Williams of Placeblogger.com, Felicia M. Sullivan of Organizers' Collaborative, and Jason Pramas of the National Writers Union and Open Media Boston, plus welcome statements by Richard O'Bryant of the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute and Jeanne Harnois of the National Writers Union.
John O’Bryant African American Institute
40 Leon St. West Village F
Saturday Events
Morning Workshops 10:00-11:30 a.m.
*Creators on Creative Rights:* This roundtable will feature creators from various industries sharing their experiences with keeping control of rights to their work in a time when many employers expect people to sell all rights to their works in all media for low one-time payments./ Led by Roberto Mighty (new media producer and director of prime time programs and documentaries), David Goodman (Open Media Boston and I.B.I.S. Radio)/
Curry Student Center, Third Floor, Room 342
*Introduction to Virtual Worlds:* You've probably heard about virtual worlds like Second Life - online systems which allow millions of people to create online versions of themselves (called "avatars") and pursue all kinds of creative and mundane activities in a completely human-created environment with global reach. But did you know that writers are making money in virtual worlds? This workshop will provide a general introduction to Second Life via live demonstration of the system - followed by an online presentation on writing in virtual worlds. /Led by "Persia Bravin," the avatar of a noted UK-based journalist for major media outlets, Joyce Bettencourt (The Vesuvius Group and Global Kids), Lori Landay (Berklee College of Music Liberal Arts Dept.) and Gary Zabel (UMass Boston Philosophy Dept.). All participants are noted Second Life innovators./
Egan Research Center, Fourth Floor, Room 44o
*New Ways to Get Paid for Your Work: Micropayments, Microfinance and Crowdfunding.* Can you actually make enough money from $5 or $10 payments from your website's audience to actually make a living? Does getting sponsors to pay for your freelance work make good financial sense? This workshop will talk about the ups-and-downs of trying to fund your work through online micropayments, ads and donations. /Led by Jesse Kirdahy-Scalia (Open Media Boston)/
Egan Research Center, Third Floor, Room 34o
Saturday Lunch Talk 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
*The Road Less Traveled: Public Funding for Content Creation. This talk by noted documentary maker and community media expert Fred Johnson will address publicly funded media culture, and the potential of WPA-style programs for creators in the context of current discussions of "Public Media 2.0", and other possibilities now being considered in American academic and policy circles.
Egan Research Center, Fourth Floor, Room 44o
Afternoon Workshops 1:30-3:00 p.m.
*Mastering Social Media and the Internet: Tweeting, Blogging, and Friending Your Way to Online Marketing Success.* This workshop will give you a jargon-free introduction to one of social media's most important functions - helping you to market your work to the growing online audience using Facebook, Twitter and other social media services. /Led by Rob Watson, Massachusetts Cultural Council Social Media Communication Coordinator, and Jeanne Harnois of the National Writers Union)/
Curry Student Center, Third Floor, Room 342
*Is There a Future for Journalism as a Career?* Experienced journalists and those just entering the field - or considering going to school to learn to do so, see layoffs and newspaper/magazine closings and ask: are paid journalists opportunities out there, or should they switch to a field where there are jobs? /Led by Steve Simurda of the UMass Amherst Journalism Department./
John O'Bryant African American Institute, First Floor, Room 118
*Who Owns Your Work: an Intellectual Property Rights Primer*. Here's your chance to learn not only the basics of copyright but how to spot new clauses that are popping up in contracts that can diminish your control of the use of your writing and other creative works. /Led by Barbara Mende of the NWU Grievance and Contract Division./
John O'Bryant African American Institute, First Floor, Room 116
Concluding Discussion 3:15-5:15 p.m.
*Open Forum on a Potential Digital Rights Campaign.* Speakout and Brainstorm on how we make common cause to enhance our collective ability to improve our working conditions online and beyond./ Led by Larry Goldbetter, President of the National Writers Union./
Egan Research Center, Fourth Floor, Room 44o
