National Press Photographers Association Video Workshop 2019

In the spring of 2019, I was lucky to attend the annual video workshop hosted by National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). This workshop brought together many diverse media professionals from areas across the country. For one week, these professionals can listen to keynote speakers on a variety of topics that will help them advance their media knowledge and skill set in the industry.

In addition to the keynote presentations, another portion of the week was dedicated to hands on group activities that were filming exercises that challenged us to think outside the box while working on a deadline each day. Truly a hands on, interactive experience that left me excited and wanting to produce better quality work when I returned to WVU.

 Telling Stories is Important

Telling stories is not just important but is the key to being successful in the media industry we live in today.

Throughout the week, the overall theme that almost every presenter brought up was that telling a good story was the most important element of creating really great work. Taking your time and planning out what you want to convey to your audience is crucial.

Each media professional that spoke provided unique perspectives and insight that ranged from freelance work with brands like Canon and Sony all the way to Emmy award winning documentaries/films.

By the end of the week, we learned that every detail, even something as small as a sound can add to a better overall story being told.

Meeting New Faces and Building Connections

Another important element of the workshop was the power of collaborative work. Being a student and being able to experience and network with many different types of professionals helped grow my perspective on the type of work that can be produced.

The WVU media students were specifically pair with Oklahoma media students, and we were able share ideas between colleges on how to improve the media learning experience.

To this day I remain in contact with many people, now friends, that I met during the week of the workshop. Friends and connections happen in the most unexpected places and truly helps in the growing of professional experience.