National Magazine Awards Foundation announces new initiatives
The National Magazine Awards Foundation announced a number of changes this week. The foundation is responsible for the National Magazine Awards, which celebrate their 40th anniversary this year.
In a press release yesterday, the foundation said that the changes are designed to “maintain and advance the NMAF’s 40-year status as the gold standard of creative excellence.”
Changes include refined awards categories, expanded digital publishing awards and an effort to recognize Canadian creators working internationally.
The NMAF also announced several new board members, including Derek Finkle, co-founder of Story Board and founder of the Canadian Writers Group, a literary agency that represents Canadian freelance writers.
More details about the changes to the National Magazine Awards are available on the Canadian Magazines blog.
Last fall, several large magazine publishers — including Rogers, St. Joseph Media and The Walrus — pulled away from the National Magazine Awards and announced their intention to start a new awards program.
News about that new program is expected later this week.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Sept 13-19
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Walrus fiction editor quits over magazine’s push for “family-friendly” stories [Globe and Mail]
- Anti-TPP day of action highlights threat to journalism [J-Source]
- Why Ian Gill thinks No News is Bad News [J-Source]
- When your recorder fails [J-Source]
- Magazines Canada is announcing new magazine awards program on Sept. 21 [Magazines Canada]
- A new award show for freelancers [Strategy Online]
- Inside Colour Code, the Globe and Mail’s new podcast [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- A Letter To The Editor Who Stopped Responding To My Emails [The Hairpin]
- 3 Signs It’s Time to Kill Your Blog [The Freelancer]
- Following a Story as It Unfurls [The Open Notebook]
- Overlooked outlets where freelancers can pitch their work [IJ Net]
Recently on Story Board:
- Toronto agency creates awards show for freelancers in advertising: A Toronto ad agency noticed that freelancers don’t get enough recognition within the advertising industry. So they decided to do something about it…
- Victoria freelancers: Register for our Perfect Pitch workshop: Victoria-area freelancers, CMG Freelance has a professional development opportunity coming your way next month. Every freelancer — whether new or experienced — can use some pitching practice…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
Toronto agency creates awards show for freelancers in advertising
A Toronto ad agency noticed that freelancers don’t get enough recognition within the advertising industry. So they decided to do something about it.
Co-op Advertising created the the FU Awards — “FU” stands for “Freelancers Unite” — to give people in the advertising world an opportunity to pay tribute to the exceptional freelancers they work with.
The agency released a video this week to publicize the awards show.
“It is a little bit cheeky and brash,” Co-op’s managing director Peter Brough said, when asked about the video during a phone call with Story Board this week.
“It’s a bit of an ‘FU’ to the old way of working and thinking,” he said.
The use of freelancers in the advertising industry, said Brough, has risen sharply over the past ten years.
“There’s a gap as far as how much freelancers add to the world of creative communications and how little they get recognized within that world,” he said.
Nominations are open to freelancers across the country who work in all areas of the advertising and communications industry — from writers, artists and designers to web developers and project managers.
The deadline for nominations is October 10th and the awards show will take place in Toronto in mid-November.
For more details, keep an eye on the Freelancers Unite website.
Victoria Freelancers: Register for our Perfect Pitch workshop
Victoria-area freelancers, CMG Freelance has a professional development opportunity coming your way next month. Every freelancer — whether new or experienced — can use some pitching practice. So join us for The Perfect Pitch, our day-long workshop on pitching.
It’s scheduled for October 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Fisgard Street Forum (845 Fisgard Street). You’ll learn how to hone your ideas and craft effective query letters to sell your stories.
The instructor is Don Genova, a 20-year award-winning veteran of freelance journalism and former food columnist for CBC Radio and Television. Don has been an instructor in Freelance Writing at UBC since 2002 and his students have gone on to become contributors to magazines such as the Georgia Straight, EAT Magazine, Edible Vancouver, and many others.
The workshop will be a combination of instruction and participation. Please bring a tablet or laptop and be prepared to do some writing.
Two top Victoria-area writers will join the workshop at the end of the day to meet with participants to provide feedback on their ideas.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Sept 7-12
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- Funding in-depth journalism in a time of scarcity [Medium]
- UBC gets $200,000 government grant for new Canadian journalism outlet [J-Source]
- The Globe and Mail offers voluntary buyouts in effort to ‘right size’ business [Globe and Mail]
- Freelancers’ Fall Checklist [Living Freelance]
- Fall at AMPA: Professional Development [AMPA]
- Four broadcasters who could succeed Peter Mansbridge [Globe and Mail]
- Can the Canadian magazine industry resolve the developing struggle over awards? [Canadian Magazines]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- Two Surefire Remedies for Creative Burnout You Need to Try [The Write Life]
- How to Write That Bestseller While Writing Other Things (and Having a Life) [The Freelancer]
- Plagiarism can wreck a writing career: How to avoid it [Freelancers Union]
- The Newspaper Association of America is dropping ‘paper’ from its name [Poynter]
- NYC Takes Steps to Protect Gig Economy Workers [Freelancers Union]
Recently on Story Board:
- Webinar for members — reporting on sexual violence in Canada: CMG Freelance and CWA Canada Associate Members are invited to a webinar exploring the challenges of reporting on sexual assault. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, September 22nd at 6 p.m. Eastern Time…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
Webinar for Members: Media Reporting on Sexual Violence in Canada
CMG Freelance and CWA Canada Associate Members are invited to a webinar exploring the challenges of reporting on sexual assault. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, September 22nd at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. It’s being presented by femifesto, a Toronto-based collective focused on sexual violence and consent. The webinar will use case studies to explore responsible reporting on sexual assault.
You can register to participate in the webinar right here. You’ll need your membership number to register. If you’re a CMG Freelance member but have not yet received your membership number, you can email freelance@cmg.ca for help.
And mark your calendars for another webinar coming on October 20th: BuzzFeed’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud will be presenting on the topic of “social media for journalists.” We’ll be posting more details about that webinar on Story Board soon.
If you’d like to participate in these professional development opportunities but you’re not yet a member, you can find out about signing up for a free CWA Canada Associate membership and about the cost and benefits of membership in CMG Freelance on the CMG Freelance website.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Aug 30-Sept 6
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- St. John’s Telegram blasts sexist ‘trolls’ after backlash over feminism article [J-Source]
- What would journalists do if they could do journalism school over? [J-Source]
- Application deadline extended for the NMAF 2016-2017 Administrative Internship [Magazine Awards]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- 12 essential self-taught journalism skills [Journalism.co.uk]
- The 5 Biggest Shocks of Moving From Staffer to Freelancer [The Freelancer]
- Surviving Freelancing: Tips From Industry Veterans [Medium]
- Telling visual stories: Photography tips for journalists [Journalism.co.uk]
- Vice sends memo in response to CJR freelancer report [Columbia Journalism Review]
- How to Keep Your Cool When You Land an Exciting Writing Job [The Write Life]
- More than two dozen freelance critics and reporters have been let go by the New York Times [Deadline]
- Vice shows how not to treat freelancers [Columbia Journalism Review]
- Micropayments won’t save journalism [Media Briefing]
- Confessions of a former procrastinator: 10 tips for becoming a Time Management Master [Freelancers Union]
- How to Market Yourself Without Selling Your Soul [The Freelancer]
- How to Negotiate: The Tip No One Tells Writers [The Write Life]
Recently on Story Board:
- Getting out of a spin and back on track: A few years ago my freelance business was in a shambles. Due to a combination of circumstances (two hip replacements, too many travel gigs, a prolonged bout of pneumonia, and a mountain of volunteer work) my income had taken a nosedive. I was derailed, and in a spin. So I hired a business coach, Ella McQuinn, to help me get back on track…
- CMG Freelance members — Get your own dedicated login to Lynda.com: Good news, CMG Freelance members: you’ve now got easier access to one of your union’s largest and most valuable professional development opportunities…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
Getting out of a spin and back on track
By Sandra Phinney
A few years ago my freelance business was in a shambles. Due to a combination of circumstances (two hip replacements, too many travel gigs, a prolonged bout of pneumonia, and a mountain of volunteer work) my income had taken a nosedive. I was derailed, and in a spin.
So I hired a business coach, Ella McQuinn, to help me get back on track. We met in person for two hours the first session; subsequent sessions were by phone. Before we met, Ella dished out some homework via email. She asked, “What do you want out of the coaching session—what would success look like? Imagine you at your greatest over the coming months. How would that look?”
I had to write down my responses and send them to her.
To get things started, Ella mapped out some specifics for me to think about, which included these prompts:
- ideal writing clients (existing and potential)
- ideal billing rates/revenue model, and target for each of the next three years
- describe a ‘great’ writing business for you, in detail
- what are your strengths—as a writer and a business owner
- what are the major obstacles in front of you right now (when you describe them, try to get to the root cause, not just the surface manifestations)
- what habits do you have that support a calm, joyful, peaceful you
- what habits hinder a calm, joyful, peaceful you
- who are your allies in your professional and personal life. How do they support you now, how could they support you more in the future
- what are the other important pieces in your life that you want to balance with your professional role
As I said, that was before we even met for the first session. Then, with the above in mind, she zeroed in on process. The focus was tight.
Read the rest of this post »
CMG Freelance members: Get your own dedicated login to Lynda.com
Good news, CMG Freelance members: you’ve now got easier access to one of your union’s largest and most valuable professional development opportunities.
The Canadian Media Guild announced this week that members can now get their own dedicated accounts to Lynda.com. The online service offers video training tutorials in creative fields like design, audio, music and photography, as well as business, leadership, marketing and more. This means easy, quick access to thousands of training videos anytime you want — no more two-week rotating schedule to get access to the site.
Email freelance@cmg.ca to request our CWA Canada local number. And then visit the CWA/NETT Academy website to request your individual Lynda.com login information.
Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer Aug 23-29
Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?
From Canada:
- If we want true images of events, we need to let photographers do their job [Globe and Mail]
- Exposing newsroom culture at the Toronto Star [J-Source]
- Limiting access for news photographers a ‘worrisome’ trend [CBC]
- Local journalism needs a boost [J-Source]
From The U.S. and beyond:
- 9 of the Best Books on Writing [The Write Life]
- Where should journalists draw the line on helping sources? [Denver Post] (via @journochat)
- 3 Awesome Twitter Tactics That’ll Help You Report Better Stories [The Freelancer]
- The 10 Stages of Pitch Rejection Grief [The Freelancer]
- Best Demonstrated Practices: Seasoned Writers Share Their Strategies for Success [The Write Life]
- Want to become a better writer? Follow these 7 steps, and look for new tools every day [Poynter]
- Making time for relaxation (even when you’re overworked) [Freelancers Union]
- Women journalists tell their stories of sexual harassment [Newsweek]
- How to Make Actual Money as a Travel Writer [The Freelancer]
Recently on Story Board:
- CBC advises freelancers on how to get paid in the event of a Canada Post labour dispute: The union representing Canada Post employees issued 72-hour strike notice yesterday. As a result, there may be a disruption in postal services across Canada starting early next week. The CBC has advised us on some options aimed at making sure freelance contributors who currently receive their paycheques in the mail can make alternate arrangements…
- Join the CMG at the CNE on Labour Day: Freelancers and other media workers are invited to join the Canadian Media Guild for a Labour Day parade in Toronto on Monday, September 5th.The parade starts at 9 a.m. at University and Queen Street West in Toronto and ends at the CNE where participants will get free admission to the fair. Family and friends welcome…
- Media interns: Share you experiences: Did you work a media internship this summer… or in the recent past? We’d like to hear about your experiences. Errol Salamon is a freelance writer and the work and labour editor of J-Source. For his next Story Board column, Errol is planning to explore media internships in Canada…
Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.
