Thursday Meetups (Block A / Block B)
#ThirdCoast19 attendees: check out the Thursday Meetups Interest Form, here!
What are Thursday Meetups?
Created to cultivate community, solidarity, collective brain-power, and resource-sharing, this new slate of Meetups will kick off programming at #ThirdCoast19. This year’s Thursday Meetups were conceived in collaboration with the 2019 Third Coast Community Advisory Group!
Led by a facilitator(s), Thursday Meetups do not have an "audience" and a "presenter." Instead, facilitators prepare structures & frameworks for thinking about tough questions; provide questions and resources to ignite conversation & focus on ways to build community at Third Coast. Meetups are an opportunity to get to know other attendees, share resources & knowledge, and spark ideas & questions to carry forward into the rest of the weekend.
Block A
1:30pm - 2:45pm
Breakout Session Rooms / exact locations tba
Audio Educators Meetup: Kickass practices for audio education
Today, there are so many of us are audio educators, which we became either by choice, obligation, or pure accident (which you know if you’ve ever experienced a friendly-conversation-turned-into-a-30-minute consultation). The fact is, WE are shaping what is possible on our public radio airwaves and on our favorite podcasts, especially in the realm of audio teaching, training & education.
Join Facilitators Veralyn Williams and Merk Nguyen to share best practices for becoming a kickass audio educator, the pros and cons of monetizing what we know, and strategies for letting the students become the teachers.
Facilitated by Veralyn Williams ( Radio Rookies , WNYC) & Merk Nguyen ( Adult ISH, YR Media/Radiotopia)
Queer Meetup: You're here, you're queer, you're making podcasts
This meetup is a chance to meet and get to know other queer audio makers. We'll talk about the rewards and challenges of making audio while queer, the kinds of work and representation we hope to see in the audio world in 2020. But mostly, we'll hang out and make life-long — or at the very least all-2019-Third-Coast-Conference-long — friends.
Facilitated by Sayre Quevedo ( The Daily )
No Coast Meetup: In the vast region in-between!
Do you live and work in that vast region between coasts? Are you telling local stories with national and global implications? Feeling a bit isolated sometimes? Meet up with others who share the challenges and joys of life and audio in the “No Coast,” the Heartland, Deep South, Great Plains, Southwest, and other often under-reported, seemingly far-flung places. Join Jocelyn Robinson for a conversation and exploration of survival strategies, tools for building community, and celebrating flyover country, its stories, and storytellers.
Facilitated by Jocelyn Robinson (Yellow Springs, Ohio-based independent producer)
International Meetup: What’s happening with sound design in audio storytelling around the globe?
From Latin America to Eastern Europe, to Australia, to South Africa, to the Middle East: we’re all coming together at Third Coast. And regardless of how long or short the flight was, you bring a unique perspective. But you also may share some of the same challenges and questions faced by producers from across the world. Chilean sound engineer Martín Cruz Farga will kick things off by live mixing a sound-rich story with a Latin American perspective. Then, we’ll tackle the question: What are we learning from each other? Are each of our unique approaches to sound design and narrative audio getting the attention that they deserve?!
Facilitated by Martín Cruz Farga ( Las Raras, Adonde Media)
Block B 3:30pm - 4:45pm Breakout Session Rooms / exact locations tba*
POC Meetup: Protect your magic
As producers of color in the audio industry, we often wear multiple hats. How do we continue working on diversifying on-air voices, while keeping folks from marginalized communities safe in spaces that historically have not seen the full range of their humanity — or made the space to do so? How do we tell stories of identity in ways that aren't performative? How can we shield ourselves from the burnout of constantly being called upon to address systemic issues we did not create? And crucially: how do we protect our own magic?
Facilitated by Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong (KUOW) & Morgan Givens ( Flyest Fables , 1A )
Mentorship Meetup
What is the value of a mentor? How do you do it, exactly? And when is it time to pick up the torch and go from mentee to mentor?
Facilitators Anjuli Sastry and Martina Castro have an intimate relationship with mentorship and the important role it plays in their professional lives. In this meetup, we will answer these questions by going through the nuts and bolts of how to build and maintain these career-changing relationships. Then we’ll actually split up into groups and… actually do it!
Facilitated by Anjuli Sastry ( It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders , NPR) and Martina Castro (Adonde Media)
New to Audio Meetup: A beginner's welcome
Welcoming first-time audio makers, emerging and early career makers, career changers, and anyone else who feels like they’re still learning how to navigate the audio world. (We also welcome educators or those who support emerging audio makers!) Together, we’ll express whats exciting, challenging, confusing, and joyful about being new to this work and to professional audio spaces like Third Coast. We’ll take stock of our “toolkits”—the things we bring from our previous life and work experiences, the many values that 'newbies' bring to audio. Then we'll ask: what knowledge, resources (technical, editorial, financial, etc), work experience and opportunities do we want to access? How can we get there? How can educators, mentors, and coworkers better support newcomers? We’ll talk about ways to manage imposter syndrome, build strong relationships across workplaces and roles, and seek out (or become) mentors as we take the next steps in our journeys. This meetup is a time to look at the existing audio career playbook and imagine how to subvert it through experimentation and peer collaboration.
Facilitated by Ariana Martinez (independent) and Andrea Gutierrez ( The Frame , KPCC)
BYOP (Build Your Own Production) Meetup: So you have a great pitch, now what?
Say you’re freelancing, or you’re starting at a brand-new audio department, or you’re part of a small independent team. You have a great pitch for a new show or series. A network, organization, or station is interested. Now what?
Join Facilitators Aliya Pabani & Gretta Cohn to share strategies to plan for a successful — and less stressful — production process. Together we’ll walk through concrete examples & sample projects, and talk about things like: What resources will you need? How much time will it take? How can you make sure you get paid and credited properly? How do you set boundaries with clients? What are some red flags you should look out for? Plus, we’ll talk about budgeting for all the things you didn’t know you needed - especially if you are working independently, alone, or on a small team. Come with your scenarios and we’ll exchange ideas.
Facilitated by Aliya Pabani (Toronto-based independent producer) & Gretta Cohn (CEO & EP of Transmitter Media)