Multimedia Reporting Fall 2019

Category: Uncategorized

Artists Take a Stand to Go Green

Alexis Wanzell

 

Thirty years ago, Kathryn Garcia, commissioner at the NYC Department of Sanitation announced a series of recycling laws and regulations to the City of New York. In just 2016, Mayor of New York, Bill De Blasio, ambitiously pursued the goal of reducing commercial waste and emissions by ninety percent by 2030, further enforcing Garcia’s recycling regulations. Requirements of the law state that New York City residents must recycle all paper and plastic products handled by private recycling carter. Requirements that are not met to these standards are eligible for a fine of up to four hundred dollars.  

Celebrations commenced November 10th at Union Square Park as the NYC Department of Sanitation celebrated thirty years since the law’s enforcement. Though the city has taken a proactive role in enforcing laws that implement citizens to recycle, there is a way of work to go. Statistics today still show that New York City residents are only recycling 17% of their total recyclable waste products. The correlation goes to show that residents are still finding loops in the system that, in turn, are negatively affecting the environment in which we live.  

Though New York residents have failed to collectively go green under De Blasio’s enforcements, efforts may be increased if they were aware of the access, they have to products that are intentionally made with environmental consciousness. New York City artists have re-thought what it means to “go green” by taking recycled materials and creating art, accessories, sculptures, and even clothing. Artists such as Lin Evola-Smidt, Michelle Reader, and Julia Hillman have found innovative ways to turn recycled materials into one of a kind artistic pieces, ranging from sculptures to jewelry. Their innovative brand concepts are not only unique due to the products being produced entirely out of recycled items, but the brand itself is a step in the right direction toward a true change in New York City’s efforts to go green. 

One thing these artists share is their desire to inspire change through their art. Julia Hillman, founder of Popcycle, runs her brand driven by the goal of taking personally found recycled products and creating them into jewelry, clothing, and accessories. Hillman started her journey of environmental awareness while working at a vintage store in New York City where she realized how much stuff was being discarded of but never used. Her ambition to create Popcycle derived from her consciousness of the problem and creating a brand structured around creating new products entirely out of recycled items she collects on her own. Hillman states, “I think I’m part of the large movement. Um, there’s so many different aspects to changing our consciousness and changing how were dealing with this problem. Um, I’m just one little part of it. I mean sustainable materials of course are the future but even if we switch into everything being recycled there’s still so much around that we really need to mobilize.” 

Though New York City celebrates thirty years of recycling requirements, statistics have shown residents are not putting in the legwork. Though by increasing the exposure and awareness of up-and-coming recycled products that can be purchased locally, consciousness may shift due to the awareness of access as well as supporting local artists trying to make change one creation at a time. 

Final Video Project

 

Pole dance is normalized with the rising popularity of pole fitness

By Ayse Kelce

 

Pole fitness is becoming more popular each year with new studios opening all around the world. The obstacle for the trend to grow in the beginning was the controversy of pole dance being associated with stripping. Yet, with more pole dance and fitness studios determined to show the world that pole fitness is more than that, and highly physically challenging in fact; more people are intrigued to give it a chance.

“It [pole fitness] is definitely a lot more common now. People are a lot more open to it. It is not as big of a taboo anymore, and people are more understanding that it is a form of fitness. It requires take physical endurance and cardio,” said Ashley Fox, co-owner of Foxy Fitness & Pole.

Foxy Fitness & Pole is a black-owned pole studio that has been around since 2011. Fox started planning to turn her passion into a business while she was a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, with the encouragement of the other co-owner, Virgil Avery. 

At the age of 32, Fox now co-owns two Foxy Fitness & Pole studios in New York and New Jersey. She has been competing in national and international fitness pole competitions, and had won several titles including American Pole League Champion in 2019.

“When I started, a lot of people would ask about the exotic style, like it would be the focus; but now, they are more understanding of the competition aspect and fitness aspects of it,” Fox said about the progress of pole fitness.

Even in the history of her own studio, they did not accept male students up until 2019. With the rise of the pole fitness trend, the studio started having co-ed Sundays. Fox explained that in the beginning, they had to consider that the majority of the people who were interested in pole were women. “But now, we would love to help men grow in pole fitness as well,” she added.

Fox was also featured in Calvin Klein’s Performance Line campaign, while the famous model Bella Hadid was the face of the campaign. Fox admitted that the hardest part of the campaign was to perform with  the pole tricks with leggings since pole dance and fitness usually requires bare legs to stick and easily hold onto the pole. “It was such a great display of pole and the athletic aspects of it,” she said. 

As pole’s popularity rose, more productions started including pole dance and fitness. Some Foxy Fitness Pole’s instructors and students appeared in the Hustlers movie which had famous stars like Jennifer Lopez and Cardi B. They also performed on the concert stages with Snoop Dog, as a part of his tour in 2019. 

Around 200 to 300 students visit Fox’s studio monthly, increasing as more people feel comfortable with the idea of pole as a fitness. “It is not the most popular fitness out there right now, but it is getting there,” Fox said. 

Video Project

 

Language Tutoring: For International Students, a Second Home

Abdallah Alsallal majored in Japanese at La Guardia Community College before transferring to Queens College, with the goal of becoming a college instructor. After he graduated, he applied to work for the tutoring lab back at LAGCC. The interview, he said, was something he’d never forget.
“One of the questions [Lorna Feldman, who oversees tutoring lab] asked me was ‘Why do you want to be a tutor here?’ I said the tutoring lab is my second home.”

The modern language department is for tutoring students who studied a foreign language. Currently, Japanese is one of the popular languages that students register the most. Alsallal was very enjoy tutoring and puts all his efforts to work for students. In 2018, Alsallal successfully becomes an instructor.

“I felt like they had already prepared me to teach here. It was quite challenging for sure. Now I have been doing for a year. I’m very happy. This is my dream’s job come true.”

Alsallal made many friends here. He has special emotion because tutoring lab is not only a workplace but also like a home to him. In a tutoring lab, tutors have come from different countries. Europe, Asia, and South Africa. The various cultures consist of multiple languages that create a harmony environment and the feeling just like home.

Xhovana Robi is an Italian tutor. She is a senior tutor. She works here since she was a sophomore student. The tutoring lab is also her second home.
“I am an international student. At the beginning, it was hard to make friends. This place helps me a lot. I find so many good people and so much fun. We are a big family.”

For Xhovana, the teaching lab was improving her to gain more experience in teaching. To be an Italian teacher was her expecting job. Since she became a tutor and teaching lab for students. She realized the teacher is not an easy job. How to interact with students; how to make students pay attention to the class; how to be a good communicator then get what students thinking are need a lot of practical experiments to find the result. Last year, Xhovana graduated in LAGCC. She applied for Hunter College for a learning education major. During this semester, she spent whole-time work in the tutoring lab. As she said, this is a valuable experience that leads her to go on the right track. She perceives a tutoring lab as her part of life. Her friends and work are all here. She is happy to have a home in the U.S. This job is encouraging her to find herself; to complete her chase what she wants to be.

Sophia So has been working in a tutoring lab for two years.
“This is a big family.”

Sophia made a lot of friends here. She demonstrated in school that she can’t get time to make friends. Students go to class to class and the schedule is always changing. But here it is like staples place. Even if students come and go, still a family environment like a long-term relationship.

Everyone who studied and taught here loves tutoring lab. Whenever you go, this place is an international students’ home and it will always wait for them to stay.

 

Class Agenda: Wednesday, Dec. 4

Workshop

We’ll screen your rough cuts and give feedback on them as a class.

 

Discussion: The Business of Multimedia Journalism

Learning how to come up with a story, report that story, compose a photograph, mix sound, and shoot B-roll and then put it all together into a clear and cohesive story is only half the battle. Something that often gets left out in school is the practical side of how to make a career out of this. Sure, you might get a good internship while you’re still in school and then get hired and start working your way up. But there are a lot of different ways into the industry, and a lot of them involve taking a little bit of initiative. I’d venture to say that most journalists I know have freelanced at one point or another.

Freelancing can be a great gig, and it can also be terrifying when you’re first starting out. Here are a few common issues freelancers often run into:

What’s the deal with taxes? You still have to pay them. You’ll become very familiar with the 1099-MISC form. Keep your receipts so you can write off as many business-related expenses as possible: Equipment, plane tickets, etc.

How do you make sure you get paid in a timely manner? Send an invoice as soon as you file the story. I usually ask the person receiving it to confirm they’ve received it and to tell me when I should expect the money to arrive. If they don’t respond, follow up early and often. “Polite but incessant” is my motto.

How do you know how much money to ask for? It’s easy to undervalue your skills when you’re first starting out, but it’s worse to ask for too little money than to ask for too much. Some publications have set rates: a flat rate for a certain kind of story, or a day rate, or they’ll pay by the word. In other cases, there’s room for negotiation. If you’re not sure how much to ask for, consult your colleagues. Always try and get them to reimburse expenses.

I can’t use the school’s programs anymore. How much is it to buy Adobe Premiere and Lightroom and all that stuff? Not actually as bad as you might think, because you no longer even have the option to buy them outright; there’s a monthly subscription service to the Adobe Creative Suite that costs anywhere from $10 to $50 a month, depending on how many programs you need.

Do I need a website? YES. Showcasing your previous work is more important than any well-crafted resume. The importance of being able to refer an editor to a slick portfolio website cannot be overstated.

What kind of equipment should I invest in? When it comes to still cameras, if you’re on a small budget, I usually advise people to start with a pretty basic camera body and to invest in a few good lenses if you’re going to spend money somewhere. When it comes to video, it’s become kind of an arms race out there and DSLR cameras don’t always cut it anymore. Take a look at Storyhunter assignments to get a sense of what outlets are looking for:

“C300 or C100 strongly preferred—higher end DSLRs accepted”

“Need to have a C100 or equivalent and lav mics”

“A camera capable of shooting 1080p 24fps and 60 fps for slow motion, if possible 4k video and 120 fps for slow mo”

The good news is that if you don’t have five grand to drop on a camera and audio equipment tomorrow, you can rent gear from places like Adorama and KitSplit.

 

I just spent an insane amount of money on my new equipment. How do I protect it? Insure your stuff! Renter’s insurance can sometimes cover your gear, but there’s usually a pretty high deductible for theft etc. If you’re planning on working internationally, insurance tends to be quite expensive, especially if you’re working in areas considered “high-risk.” NPPA members get a discount through one company, but make sure to shop around.

Freelancing is lonely. How do I meet other people in the industry? Journalists tend to be a social bunch. It’s an industry where skills are obviously important but where you can also go pretty far on the strength of your personality and on who you know. You already have a huge advantage by virtue of the fact that you live in New York, one of the world’s biggest media hubs. Make yourself known to editors and colleagues by checking out industry events like these:

ScreenUp NYC 

Video Consortium (New York chapter)

The Bronx Documentary Center

The Half King (journalist bar in Chelsea, hosts photo series as well as other events)
https://www.halfkingphoto.com/

RISC Training (first aid training for freelancers who work in remote, sensitive, and conflict areas, often host events/panel discussions at the Brooklyn Brewery
risctraining.org

Resources

  • Photojournalism

The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA membership gets you certain benefits, including discounted camera insurance and press accreditation; follow them to find out about grants)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2233179993/

Photography/Multimedia Internships and Jobs (great place to find out about entry-level opportunities)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/608650785837641/

Photo Grant Opportunities (great place to learn about grants/competitions/exhibitions for emerging photojournalists) https://www.facebook.com/groups/205928780146/

Lightstalkers/N11 (for photojournalists)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/5235712822/

Photojournalism Now (blog focused on photojournalism and social documentary photography)
https://www.facebook.com/PhotojournalismNow/

Women Photograph (a resource for female* documentary and editorial photographers and the people who would like to hire them—GRANTS!)
https://www.womenphotograph.com/

Eddie Adams Workshop (a prestigious, game-changing, three-day workshop for emerging photographers in upstate NY that puts you in a room with some of the biggest names and top editors in the industry)
https://www.facebook.com/EddieAdamsWorkshop/

The New York Times Portfolio Review (free but competitive, puts you in a room with some of the top photo editors in the world for advice and critiques on your ongoing photo projects)
https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/…/applications-open-for-the…/

Photoville
http://photoville.com/

The International Festival of Photojournalism
http://www.visapourlimage.com/en

  • Audio Journalism

Third Coast Audio Festival
https://thirdcoastfestival.org/

Public Radio NYC Google group. Be warned, you’ll get a LOT of emails but it’s a great place to pick up transcription work and the occasional tape sync, which usually pays about $150 for a fairly easy recording gig: publicradionyc@googlegroups.com
(Let me know if you’d like me to add you.)

Radio Women Rule the World (for women in radio) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1514423228769048/

  • Video Journalism

Storyhunter (online brokerage where videojournalists and filmmakers can apply for assignments)
https://storyhunter.com

Global VJs
https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalvjs/

Binders Full of Video Journalists (for female VJ’s) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1006816089433804/

  • All Media

Vulture Club (for international journalists) https://www.facebook.com/groups/197918473577006/

The NVC (the non-Vulture Club, founded by people who were kicked out of Vulture Club—long story)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/439000736155194/

Freelancers Get Your Freak On (for freelancers who work in different media and are looking to collaborate) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021852794578554/

Journo Housing Exchange (for wandering journalists looking for short-term housing around the world) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639458896367607/

Journalism and Trauma (a place to discuss how we as journalists engage with trauma, from how to interview someone who has experienced it to how to cope with our own direct or indirect trauma)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/468146643386958/

Ladies Writing and Journalism (for female print journalists)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/159810750800770

Binder of International Reporters (for women who work internationally) https://www.facebook.com/groups/634887219990543/

Binders Full of Digital Journalists (for female journos who work in digital) https://www.facebook.com/groups/globalvjs/

Riot Grrrls Of Journalism (global group for women who work in all different media) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1698979077092920/

  • Formal Groups/Organizations

New York Association of Black Journalists (NYABJ) https://www.facebook.com/NYABJ/

(NABJ) National Association of Black Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/NABJOfficial/

South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA)
https://www.facebook.com/South.Asian.Journalists.Associati…/

Asian American Journalists Association
https://www.facebook.com/AAJAHQ/?ref=br_rs

National Association of Hispanic Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/NAHJFan/

Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA)
https://www.facebook.com/AMEJAGlobal

Association of Health Care Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/healthjournalists

Society of Environmental Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/SocietyOfEnvironmentalJournalists

Native American Journalists Association
https://www.facebook.com/NativeJournalists

The International Association of Religion Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/The-International-Association-of-R…

Association of Food Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/AFJeats

Overseas Press Club of America
https://www.facebook.com/opcofamerica/

Society of Professional Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/SocietyofProfessionalJournalists/

Committee to Protect Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/committeetoprotectjournalists/

Blink (resource where outlets can search for and hire freelancers)
https://blink.la/

  • Funding Opportunities

International Center for Journalists
https://www.facebook.com/icfj.org/

The International Reporting Project
https://www.facebook.com/internationalreportingproject/

The International Women’s Media Foundation
https://www.facebook.com/IWMFpage/

Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
https://www.facebook.com/Pulitzercenter/

Open Society Foundations
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/