Workshops

Intro to Photojournalism Workshop Feb. 21

2012-02-07T01:08:27Z

Photographs are an important part of storytelling and can often tell a story on their own. After a brief workshop hiatus, our first Sacramento Press workshop for 2012 will be on photojournalism. (The Journalism Open workshop wasn't a typical workshop for us.)

John Hernandez will teach an introductory photojournalism workshop from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the Sacramento Press office called "Introduction to Photojournalism."

Hernandez is a Sacramento-based photographer. He has professional experience in wedding, portrait and social documentary photography as well as various multimedia platforms, including audio slideshows. He has freelanced for ABS-CBN, a Filipino American news channel, and interned at The Sacramento Press. He has a journalism degree and Asian American studies minor from San Francisco State University.

He will discuss photojournalism – what it is and what it isn’t. Hernandez will also talk about equipment, tips for shooting and demonstrate how to make an audio slideshow.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Sacramento Valley Station station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges, and we cannot cover the cost of parking.

To RSVP, email workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an email to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you here!

Video Storytelling Tips and Shortcuts Workshop Sept. 22

2011-09-07T21:17:19Z

Thank you to everyone who attended Jeffrey Callison's workshop on "The Art and Craft of Interviewing" last month. If you missed the workshop, you can read the recap and watch the video here.

The Sacramento Press has another first-time workshop presenter for September: KXTV News10 Reporter George Warren.

Multimedia journalist Andrew Nixon taught a workshop in July titled "Intro to Video Storytelling;" we'll resume the topic of video storytelling with Warren's workshop: "Video Storytelling Tips and Shortcuts."

The workshop will be from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at The Sacramento Press office.

Warren will discuss how to produce memorable stories with minimum time and effort. Warren will go over how to do more (interviewing, shooting and editing videos) with less - a staff of one.

Warren just celebrated his 30th anniversary as an Emmy-winning reporter/multimedia journalist with KXTV News10.

He started in the business by shooting his own stories in a small market (on 16mm film!) and in recent years has come full circle - working by himself once again.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

To RSVP, email workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an email to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you here!

The Art and Craft of Interviewing with Jeffrey Callison Aug. 9

2011-07-25T18:27:39Z

The Sacramento Press is excited to announce that Jeffrey Callison will be teaching a workshop at our office in August.

Interviewing is part of the foundation of journalism. It’s how reporters get a lot of their information, including the personal angles and anecdotes that make stories come alive.

But how do you conduct a successful interview?

There are some simple rules, but you also must know when and how to break them.

Jeffrey Callison has interviewed many thousands of people over the years – both as host of Capital Public Radio’s daily program “Insight” and as a reporter. On Tuesday, Aug. 9, from 6:30 - 8 p.m., he’ll discuss “The Art and Craft of Interviewing” in a workshop at the Sacramento Press.

Callison was born in Scotland. He majored in English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and studied improvisational theater at L'Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris.

He moved to California in 1989 and started his radio journalism career at public radio station KUSP in Santa Cruz. He joined Capital Public Radio in 1996 as a classical announcer, but soon returned to radio news as a reporter and local "All Things Considered" host. He became KXJZ's news director in 2000, and he was named the first host of “Insight” in 2004.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

To RSVP, email workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an email to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you here!

Intro to Video Storytelling Workshop July 27

2011-07-18T22:13:19Z

We had a great turnout for our sports writing workshop earlier this month. Thanks to Sam Amick and those who attended. To read the workshop recap, click here.

Video is an important part of storytelling that can be difficult to incorporate without the right equipment and editing knowledge. Andrew Nixon will teach a video workshop from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 27 at the Sacramento Press office called "Introduction to Video Storytelling."

Nixon is a Sacramento-based multimedia journalist. He has professional experience in photojournalism, as well as various multimedia platforms, including motion graphics, web platforms, and video journalism. He has freelanced for Patch.com and interned at the Sacramento News & Review. He also worked as a staff photographer for Gold Country Media.

He will discuss the capture and editing of footage to create compelling video stories. The workshop will be geared more toward Mac compatible programs, but he can answer questions about other equipment and editing software.

In August, Capital Public Radio's Jeffrey Callison will teach a workshop called "The Art and Craft of Interviewing." A separate email invitation will be sent for that workshop later this month.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

This workshop is filling up fast and will probably have a waiting list. To RSVP, email workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an email to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you here!

Sam Amick to teach Sports Writing Workshop July 12

2011-06-29T08:48:50Z

Thanks to those of you who came to our Bias in Journalism workshop earlier this month. If you missed it, you can read the recap here.

For July, we are excited to announce a new workshop presenter – Sam Amick.

With the Sacramento River Cats season well under way, the Sacramento Capitals tennis team starting in July and the buzz building for the next Sacramento Kings basketball season – there will be plenty of sports stories to be covered on The Sacramento Press and on blogs, etc.

Amick will teach a workshop on sports writing at the Sacramento Press office from 6:30 - 8 p.m. July 12.

Amick is currently an NBA columnist for Sports Illustrated at SI.com.

He received his degree in journalism from Sacramento State in 2000. He began working in The Sacramento Bee's sports department on a part-time basis during his final two years of school, then returned after a short internship at The Record in Stockton during the summer of 2000.

He became a full-time member of the writing staff in 2002 and covered everything from high school sports, college sports, pro baseball and pro football before turning his attention to the NBA in 2004.

He was the beat writer for the Kings from 2005-2010 before taking a national job covering the league at AOL FanHouse and eventually landing at SI.com.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here – one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

To RSVP for this workshop, email workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an email to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Sac Press Tools and Tricks workshop May 26

2011-05-13T23:28:51Z

Thanks to those of you who attended our review writing panel Thursday with Rachel Leibrock, Carla Meyer and Nick Miller. Read the workshop recap here.

We will have another workshop this month titled, "Sac Press Tools and Tricks." Geoff Samek, vice president of product for The Sacramento Press, will highlight some of the newer and lesser-known features of the website.

Samek will also give a quick overview of important web technologies that come in handy in the current media world. He will answer any questions you may have about the site and its functionality and features.

The workshop will be from 6:30 - 8 p.m. May 26 at our office.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here – one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Review writing panel May 12 with Rachel Leibrock, Carla Meyer and Nick Miller

2011-05-04T05:45:12Z

With Concerts in the Park kicking off Friday and the California Music Circus season around the corner, there will be lots of opportunities to review shows, both indoors and outdoors.

Looking to share your great or not-so-great experiences with others? The Sacramento Press will hold a panel on review writing at our office from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Thursday, May 12. Three panelists will teach you the do’s and don’ts of review writing and share some of their own experiences.

This is a great opportunity to ask the pros how they review concerts, theater, comedy and other performances.

The three panelists are Rachel Leibrock, Carla Meyer and Nick Miller.

Leibrock writes about arts and culture for the Sacramento News & Review. She also teaches journalism at Sacramento City College and previously worked at The Sacramento Bee as an arts and entertainment writer. You can find some of her work at thursdayafternoongirls.wordpress.com and www.writegrrrl.com.

Meyer is an entertainment writer at The Sacramento Bee. She was The Bee's movie critic from 2005-2009. Carla came to The Bee from the San Francisco Chronicle, where she wrote film reviews and features and co-wrote "Stein & Meyer: Movie Insider," a twice-weekly column about film and the film industry. Meyer also once worked as an assignment editor for the datebook and sports sections of The Chronicle.

Miller edits Sacramento News & Review's news and arts sections and writes a weekly column on the local music scene. He got his start as a distribution driver and is now associate editor.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here – one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Interviewing Techniques workshop April 7

2011-04-04T21:48:26Z

Thanks to those of you who came to the "Writing about Wine and Spirits" workshop in March. Read the recap here.

We have two journalism workshops planned for April.

Clare Noonan will teach a workshop on interviewing techniques at The Sacramento Press office from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, April 7.

Noonan has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky. She currently edits 11 East Bay Patch.com sites. She worked at The Modesto Bee for more than 20 years as a reporter for business, news, feature and sports while also copy editing. She also worked as assistant news editor and assistant city editor in charge of the Crime and Safety beat during her time at The Bee. She has been a copy editor for The Sacramento Press.

Noonan has taught other workshops for The Sacramento Press, including "Research and Fact-checking," and "Improve Your Writing with Self Editing."

The workshop will focus on conducting a successful interview, including how to prepare, techniques for putting people at ease and getting them to talk to you, and how to end the interview on a high note.

"Intro to Journalism" is the title of our second workshop in April. Doug Herndon will teach the workshop which will also be held at The Sacramento Press office from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.

Herndon was an English and journalism professor at Sacramento City College and adviser to the college's newspaper, The Express. He has been a professional writer for more than 15 years and has worked for Sacramento Magazine, The Sacramento News & Review and The Sacramento Bee.

A separate invitation will be sent later for the "Intro to Journalism" workshop.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

To RSVP for this workshop, email workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an email to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Writing about Wine and Spirits workshop March 24

2011-03-17T17:56:51Z

The Sacramento Press will be hosting a new workshop for the month of March. We are excited to have our first "Writing about Wine and Spirits" workshop, taught by Rick Kushman.

The workshop will be at the Sacramento Press office from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Thursday, March 24.

Kushman will discuss techniques for writing about wine and touch on how to write about spirits and beer. The primary focus of the workshop will be wine. He will also discuss terms and phrases to avoid when writing about wine or food.

Kushman is an award-winning journalist and former columnist for The Sacramento Bee, where he spent two decades. For the last five years he wrote about wine, food and life in Northern California. His writing has appeared in publications ranging from Time Magazine to Sommelier Journal and Daily Variety.

He is a founder of the new California Wine Marketing Group, a unique business that teaches wineries, wine groups, restaurants and others how to market and talk about wine in real English sentences, not winespeak. He believes that anyone who makes wine too complicated or too scary should be sentenced to drinking low-carb beer.

Kushman earned his Certified Wine Professional credential from the Culinary Institute of America and teaches culinary journalism at the Art Institute of California.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

To RSVP for this workshop, e-mail workshops@sacramentopress.com. Space is limited to 20 people. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an e-mail to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Opinion Writing Workshop Feb. 24

2011-02-21T06:17:12Z

The next workshop hosted by The Sacramento Press will be on opinion writing. It will be held at our office from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Feb. 24.

Sacramento Press Editor in Chief David Watts Barton will discuss the importance of backing up your opinion, doing reporting and keeping your column focused.

Barton worked at The Sacramento Bee from 1985-2007. He was the pop music critic until 1994 and in addition to writing reviews, he wrote weekly columns called Poplife and The Beat.

As editor in chief of The Sacramento Press, Barton writes editorials on a regular basis.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2.00 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

To RSVP for this workshop, e-mail workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an e-mail to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Upcoming workshop: Write Smarter Feb. 16

2011-02-07T22:38:42Z

We have two new workshops scheduled for the month of February.

The first is scheduled from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Feb. 16 at The Sacramento Press office.

JT Long will teach this workshop, titled "Write Smarter."

Long is an independent journalist and SEO copywriter for publications such as Engineering News-Record, Comstock's Magazine and PublicCEO. She creates communities by telling stories.

Long will discuss how to get the most out of your stories so you can use them in different publications. She will cover how to improve your interviewing skills, so you can gather enough information for multiple stories, how to come up with targeted leads and other tips that will benefit freelancers.

Sacramento Press Editor in Chief David Watts Barton will teach a workshop on opinion writing from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Feb. 24. More information on this workshop will be available later this month.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $2.00 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

To RSVP for either workshop, e-mail workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an e-mail to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Sac Press Journalism Open workshop Jan. 12

2011-01-10T20:23:34Z

The Sacramento Press Journalism Open is well underway and we're very pleased to see new bylines popping up on our site because of the contest.

The contest ends at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 31, so make sure you've posted all of your entries and tagged them open2011 by that deadline.

First place wins $700, second place $500, and there are many other cash prizes, including prizes for best photos.

For those of you who have questions about the contest, we will host a workshop Wednesday, Jan. 12 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. at our office. We will be happy to give advice and suggestions on how to develop your story ideas.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $1.50 per half hour, and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

To RSVP, send an e-mail to workshops@sacramentopress.com.

For the complete rules of the contest, click here.

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you at the workshop!

Research and Fact-Checking Workshop Nov. 16

2010-11-04T21:38:16Z

We're very excited for Max Whittaker's photojournalism talk Tuesday, Nov. 9. The RSVP list is full, and we've set up a waiting list.

The last workshop The Sacramento Press will be holding for this year will be Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Clare Noonan will teach a workshop on research and fact-checking at The Sacramento Press office.

The credibility of a writer rests on the research and facts put forth in his or her stories. Journalists are held to the highest accountability when it comes to the accuracy of their information. Fact-checking is a very valuable skill to possess, and Noonan will discuss methods for verifying your research and double-checking the facts in your stories.

Noonan has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky. She worked at The Modesto Bee for more than 20 years as a reporter for business, news, feature and sports while also copy editing. She also worked as assistant news editor and assistant city editor in charge of the Crime and Safety beat during her time at The Bee. She has been a copy editor for The Sacramento Press.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Please RSVP by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com. Space will be limited to 40 people. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an e-mail to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Due to the high number of attendees at recent workshops, we will reserve chairs for those who have RSVP'd. Those who show up without RSVP'ing will have to wait until the workshop starts to be seated to make sure that all of those who have RSVP'd are guaranteed a spot.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Review Writing workshop will be on Ustream, guest list is full

2010-10-13T21:38:31Z

Tonight's Review Writing workshop will be live streamed, and we encourage you to tune in from 6:45 - 8 p.m.

Sacramento Press Editor in Chief David Watts Barton will teach the basics of reviewing concerts, theater and other performances.

We are not accepting anymore RSVPs at this point. We are at full capacity for attendees.

If you have RSVP'd but it's more convenient for you to watch the live stream, we encourage you to do so.

The Ustream video will be pasted in this article later today. It will go live when the workshop starts.

Free live streaming by Ustream

Writing for Readers Workshop Oct. 6

2010-09-27T20:48:37Z

It's hard to believe it but Oct. 15 marks the second anniversary for The Sacramento Press. We have two great workshops lined up for the month of October that we hope you can attend.

Lede writing is something all journalists struggle with on a regular basis, and our workshop on Oct. 6 will address that process.

Dianne Heimer will teach lede writing and story structure at our "Writing for Readers" workshop. The goal is to help you write in a way that keeps people reading your articles from start to finish. It will be at The Sacramento Press office, from 6:30-8 p.m.

Heimer graduated with a BA in English from San Diego State and an MA in English/journalism from Sacramento State.

She is a freelance magazine writer and worked previously as associate editor for Sacramento Magazine. Heimer also taught English and journalism at Modesto Junior College for three years.

For the past 17 years, she has been a professor of English and journalism at Sacramento City College, where she has served twice as journalism department chair and advises the online college newspaper.

The workshop will be interactive. You can bring articles if you'd like to ask specific questions about your own writing.

The second workshop, on Oct. 13, will teach how to write reviews of shows, concerts and performances. We will send out another invitation for this workshop when it gets closer.

Badges will be awarded to participants for attending the workshop. To become a verified community contributor, please bring a government-issued ID.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

Please RSVP by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an e-mail to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Sports Writing Workshop Aug. 25 6:30 - 8 p.m.

2010-08-18T22:36:42Z

It's not too late to attend the "Journalism Ethics" workshop tonight. It's at our newly remodeled Sacramento Press office, from 6:30-8 p.m.

Molly Dugan, an assistant professor of journalism and communication studies at California State University, Sacramento, will teach the workshop.

Our second workshop for the month will hopefully transform sports fans into sports writers. Jimmy Spencer, founding editor of PublicCEO.com, will lead the "Sports Writing" workshop Aug. 25 from 6:30-8 p.m.

Spencer has a B.A. in journalism from California State University, Sacramento. He has worked for The Sacramento Bee, NBC Sports, and the Sacramento River Cats. Spencer coaches high school basketball in the Sacramento area and writes for NBA.com.

Attendees will learn about professionalism and ethics in sports writing, how to get the best quotes, how to come up with a lede and keys to getting published. All sports writing-related questions are welcome at this interactive workshop.

Badges will be awarded to participants for each workshop they attend. Writers who show up can also become verified community contributors.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107, in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

July 21 Improve Your Writing with Self Editing Workshop

2010-07-12T23:35:10Z

The Sacramento Press office is almost done with its remodel. Our first workshop in the new space will be Wednesday, July 21, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. It is titled "Improve Your Writing with Self Editing."

The workshop will teach writers how to remove unnecessary words that clutter writing and create more concise writing that is easier for readers to understand.

Clare Noonan will teach the interactive workshop.

Noonan has worked for The Sacramento Press since September, where she edits copy and designs pages.

Attending this workshop will give you the opportunity to become a verified community contributor and receive a badge.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $1.50 per half hour and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take the light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

RSVP by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com. If you RSVP and decide later not to attend, please send us an e-mail to notify us that you will not be coming so we can have an accurate head count

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

'Paying for Content' panel to be aired on Access Sacramento

2010-07-02T22:51:13Z

In case you missed the June 22 Paying for Content panel put on by The Sacramento Bee and The Sacramento Press, you will have the chance to see it on Access Sacramento, Channel 17 at the following dates and times:

Sunday, July 4 at 10 p.m. (and repeated Monday at 2 p.m.)
Sunday, July 11 at 5 p.m. (and repeated Monday at 9 a.m.)

To read the recap, written by Agnus-Dei Farrant, click here.

June 30 Camera Phone Photography Workshop

2010-06-21T17:52:39Z

When reporters don't have a camera with them they often resort to using their cell phones to take pictures. It can be hard to take good pictures with cell phones and the topic of our next workshop will address how to take better pictures by using phone applications and different settings.

The Camera Phone Photography Workshop will be June 30, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Urban Hive. It will be taught by Anthony Bento.

Bento has a B.A in film and digital media from UC Santa Cruz, where he photographed and reported on the 2004 presidential campaign and other political events. He has also worked as a product photographer in New York City and here in Sacramento as a freelance photojournalist for Sacramento News & Review, and as a community contributor to the Sacramento Press.

Bring your phone so we can look at the various settings and applications available for taking photos. In addition to discussing camera phones, Bento will go over the basics of general photography, including the rule of thirds, confidence and lighting. He will answer any of your individual questions about photography or cameras/phones.

If you're only interested in hearing about the camera phone portion, you can show up at 7:15 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m.

The Urban Hive is located at 1931 H St.

We have a panel scheduled for Tuesday, June 22. Information for the Paying for Content Panel can be found here.

Pleasw RSVP for either event by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com.

Paying for Content Panel June 22, 6 - 8 p.m.

2010-06-03T17:29:20Z

The Sacramento Press and The Sacramento Bee are co-sponsoring a panel on June 22, titled "Paying for Content." The panel will be at the Bee Headquarters on the third floor, 2100 Q St., from 6 to 8 p.m.

We have six panelists lined up:

Tim Foster is the editor of Midtown Monthly and has been active in the Sacramento arts and music scene for over 20 years. His professional publishing experience began at the California Journal magazine in 1996 and he has worked in nearly every aspect of publishing since.

Tom Negrete, managing editor for the online edition and production at The Sacramento Bee, has been a newspaper editor since 1989. He has worked at The Bee since 1994, as an assistant city editor overseeing local education and county government coverage, sports editor and assistant managing editor for business and sports. Negrete was named managing editor in 2008, and recently helped launch Sacramento Connect, a social media and linking network involving local blogs and websites using the latest web technologies. Before coming to The Bee, Negrete was assistant to the national editor at The New York Times.

Mike O'Brien is co-publisher and owner of Sacramento Magazines Corporation, which publishes SACRAMENTO, a monthly, subscription-based lifestyle magazine. The company also publishes Our Wedding magazine for Northern California brides-to-be twice each year, and does custom publishing for a variety of clients.

Geoff Samek is co-founder of Castle Press LLC, the company behind The Sacramento Press, where he is also head of the product team. Samek's background is in technology, with four years experience doing development and project management for high-profile companies, including Live Nation Inc., the world's largest concert promoter and a huge online event ticket seller. He holds a B.S. degree in computer science from the University of California, San Diego.

Michael Sanford is Vice President for Content Creation of KVIE; he joined KVIE in 2003. Sanford is an accomplished award-winning producer of television news and programming whose previous experience includes managing the West Coast reporting team and producing television segments for "Business Now," a half-hour program on major national commercial markets; reporting and producing for the News Travel Network; and producing segments for CNN, Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. Sanford has won several Tellys for his work at KVIE and was part of the Emmy Award-winning team of "America's Heartland," KVIE's national public television series now in its sixth season. He oversees all production content for KVIE.

Ron Trujillo is the editor of the Sacramento Business Journal. He oversees news operations of the weekly newspaper. He was previously business editor of The Press-Enterprise, a 190,000-circulation daily newspaper in Riverside. He also served as business editor of The Fresno Bee, Central California's largest newspaper. His business section was honored by the Society of American Business Editors & Writers in 2004. He was also a business reporter for USA TODAY in the Money section.

JT Long will moderate the panel. Long is an independent journalist and SEO copywriter for publications such as Engineering News-Record, Comstock's Magazine and PublicCEO. She creates communities by telling stories.

The panel will focus on paywalls and the relationship between the consumer and the news organization. There will be prepared questions, but the majority of the time will be set aside for audience questions.

We expect a large turnout for this panel. You can RSVP by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com.

May 26 Interviewing Techniques Workshop

2010-05-26T03:43:49Z

We would like to invite you to our second workshop of the month - an interviewing techniques workshop at The Sacramento Press office from 6:30 - 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26.

The interview is one of the most important parts of a story. Which questions to ask, how much time you'll need and whether to take notes or use a tape recorder are all key to conducting a successful interview and writing a compelling story.

We are happy to have Doug Herndon teach the workshop. Herndon is an English and journalism professor at Sacramento City College and adviser to the college's newspaper, The Express.

He has been a professional writer for more than 15 years and has worked for Sacramento Magazine, The Sacramento News & Review and The Sacramento Bee.

Come learn the skills and preparations necessary for different scenarios - e-mail interviews, phone interviews and face-to-face interviews. Bring any questions you may have about interviewing or journalism.

Attending this workshop will give you the opportunity to become a verified community contributor and receive the Interviewing Techniques Workshop badge.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left, and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $1.50 per half hour and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

RSVP by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

May 19 Sac Press Tools and Tricks workshop - See Sacramento Press behind the scenes

2010-05-17T18:59:26Z

Have you ever wondered how the Sacramento Press functions technically or editorially? Do you want to know how many views our site gets on a daily, monthly or yearly basis? Our Sac Press Tools and Tricks workshop will answer those questions and any others you might have Wednesday, May 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Sacramento Press office.

Geoff Samek, one of the co-founders of The Sacramento Press, will go over many of the newer site features and discuss ways of utilizing these tools to your advantage so you are spending less time trying to figure out how to post articles, comment or other actions.

Samek will share statistics on the number of page views the site gets, when readership peaks, and he will also cover computer basics that will come in handy. Colleen Belcher, managing editor of The Sacramento Press, will be at the workshop to discuss how the editorial side of The Sacramento Press works.

The goal of the workshop is to make using the site easier and give attendees a better idea of all of the tools available and how the newspaper functions from both the technical and editorial sides.

We have a second event this month on May 26. Doug Herndon will teach a workshop titled Interviewing Techniques. Herndon is an English and journalism professor at Sacramento City College and adviser to the college's newspaper, The Express.

He has been a professional writer for more than 15 years and has worked for Sacramento magazine, The Sacramento News & Review and The Sacramento Bee.

Attending either of these events will allow you to become a verified community contributor. You will also receive a workshop badge for attending.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks.

If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left, and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.

RSVP by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com.

Freelance writers panel photo essay April 26

2010-04-28T20:04:12Z

Here are some photos of the panel from Monday night at the Sutter Square Galleria. The Sacramento Press and the UC Davis Extension Center collaborated to present "Making it as a Writer: How to Succeed in Challenging Times."

More than 30 people showed up to hear insights from panelists JT Long, Sacramento-based freelance journalist; Peter Grandbois, published author and California State University, Sacramento, creative writing professor; Cinamon Vann, a freelance writer and editor specializing in environmental topics; Kate Washington, contributing writer for Sactown magazine and a freelance food and travel writer; Jennifer Basye Sander, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published and founder of Write By The Lake Retreats.

Janna Marlies Santoro, Sacramento writer, professor and editor, moderated the panel, asking questions about how each panelist defined success as a writer, what strategies they use for accomplishing success and what challenges the panelists have faced recently due to the economic down turn and how they managed them.

The audience was able to ask questions ranging from what a typical day was like to how much money they charge per word or per project.

The Sacramento Press has another panel planned for June so stay tuned for more information.

Research and Fact-Checking workshop March 23

2010-03-15T19:54:45Z

We have a free journalism workshop scheduled later this month.

Dianne Heimer will lead our first Research and Fact-Checking workshop on Tuesday, March 23, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Heimer is a journalism professor at Sac City College and advises the college's newspaper, The Express.

Doing research for articles seems daunting, but we'll show you that it isn't difficult and that the added credibility and depth are worth the time and effort.

Heimer will discuss appropriate sources and will go over how to confirm the accuracy of the facts in your story. She'll also discuss the trustworthiness of the Internet as a source.

Food and drinks will be served at 6:30 p.m., with the workshop at 6:45. Our office is at 431 I Street, Suite 107, in the Amtrak station.
If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left and you'll see our Sac Press sign.

We recommend you park on the street, bike, or take light rail, as parking in the Amtrak lot costs $1.50 per 20 minutes. We do not cover the cost of parking, but if you take light rail, we will provide two passes when you get here, good for the round trip.

RSVP by e-mailing workshops@sacramentopress.com.

For more information, call 916-443-5403.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Feb. 17 Intro to Journalism workshop

2010-02-09T23:13:05Z

It's very exciting to see the number of our community contributors continue to grow. We now have close to 800. With so many new writers, we want to make sure we offer you the tools and resources to improve your writing and help you feel more confident posting on our site.

We've held many journalism-related workshops in 2009 ranging from Interviewing Techniques, Bias in Media, Journalism Ethics, among others.

We're happy to announce another Intro to Journalism workshop this month, scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 17 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Brandon Darnell will be teaching the workshop. He is a freelance writer and editor, and he currently copy edits for The Sacramento Press.

Darnell graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 2007 with a degree in journalism, where he worked as a reporter, copy editor and Copy Chief of the student newspaper, The State Hornet. Darnell worked as a reporter for the Lincoln News Messenger for a year, covering everything from city government and the economic crisis to feature articles before moving to Paris, France, to research a novel he is currently writing.

This workshop is perfect for those of you without a journalistic background. We encourage you to write on our site, but some basic guidance from a workshop such as this one may help get the pen to paper or in our case, fingers to keyboard.

Attending this workshop will also earn you a badge for "Intro to Journalism workshop" on our site. You will have the opportunity to be verified as a community contributor as well.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks. If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.

Please RSVP by emailing workshops@sacramentopress.com.

If you have any trouble finding our office, please call 916-443-5403.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Jan. 25 workshop: Media discussion with co-founders of Sacramento Press

2010-01-20T20:15:30Z

The second workshop we have scheduled for January is a media discussion with the co-founders of Sacramento Press, Ben Ilfeld and Geoff Samek.

This workshop will give you the opportunity to meet the co-founders of Sacramento Press, hear them discuss the future of media in their eyes, and ask them any questions you may have about the site, online news, etc.

The workshop will be at the Sacramento Press office on Monday, Jan. 25 from 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Please RSVP by emailing workshops@sacramentopress.com.

If you have any trouble finding our office, please call 916-443-5403.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Intermediate Google workshop Dec. 15

2009-12-10T19:10:49Z

Thanks to all of you who came to the Media Panel at the Urban Hive Wednesday night!

We have another engaging event scheduled for next week. Jeff Marmins, who taught our last Facebook workshop, will be leading the Google event titled, "Get Google in your Social Media Mix." Jeff is the creator of Social Media Path and partnership director of Social Media Club Sacramento.

The event will be at the Sacramento Press office Dec. 15 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Jeff will discuss how to condense all of the social media sites you post to into one application on Google, successfully use RSS feeds and answer your specific questions.

This workshop is designed for intermediate Google users. If you'd like a beginner workshop, please email journalism@sacramentopress.com and if there are enough people, we can put together a separate beginner workshop.

Please RSVP by emailing journalism@sacramentopress.com.

If you have any trouble finding our office, you can give us a call at (916) 443-5403.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there.

Media Panel Dec. 9 at The Urban Hive

2009-12-03T19:42:54Z

Many of you have asked about workshops and events being posted on our site in addition to the email invitations. Here is some information about our planned December events.

We've organized a media panel Dec. 9. and a Google workshop Dec. 15.

The media panel is a collaboration between the folks at the Urban Hive and The Sacramento Press. It will be held at the Urban Hive, Dec. 9 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The panel features representatives from each type of news outlet and will focus on the changes each has had to make over the past few years with technology, the economy and social media. Each panel member will also be asked where they see the future of journalism is headed. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask their own questions during the panel as well.

The panel will consist of:

Jen Picard is the Senior Producer of Insight on Capitol Public Radio. Picard has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Humboldt State University. She's worked as a features copy editor and entertainment editor at the Appeal-Democrat newspaper in Marysville. Picard has been with Insight since July 2006 and has served as Senior Producer since January 2007. Picard lives in Sacramento with her photojournalist husband Max and her neurotic cat Smokey.

Nick Miller is arts editor at SN&R, Sacramento's alt-weekly magazine, where he assigns thousands of stories each year--send those pitches, stat! He's been in journalism for eight years. In his spare time, he enjoys sitting around in a Snuggie with his pug, Leroy, and watching NBA.

Anne Shulock is a reporter for Sactown magazine. After interning for Sactown in college, she joined the staff as an editorial assistant in 2008. She graduated from Pomona College in Southern California with a degree in Media Studies, focusing on art and film. In college, she spent a summer interning in the fashion department of CosmoGIRL! in New York City, where she mostly organized piles of earrings and skinny jeans and decided she didn't want to work in fashion.

Jon Schuller helped launch Sactown magazine in 2006 after graduating UC Davis with degrees in Spanish and English. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the office, he's also writes, researches, fact-checks and copy edits content for publication. Recently, he's helped research and develop an action plan for the magazine's upcoming digital presence and hopes to expand the brand's presence in social media. He also assists with the advertising team. And orders Post-It notes.

David Watts Barton, editor in chief of The Sacramento Press. Barton has been in local media his entire life. From teenage work in independent publications like Rock 'n' Roll News and Tower Pulse! Through his nearly 25 years at The Sacramento Bee, where he was the paper's first Pop Music Critic, Barton has made his living exploring and reporting on different aspects of his hometown's culture. For the last year, Barton has entered the world of online news, helping to shape and guide The Sacramento Press, first as Managing Editor, and more recently as Editor-in-Chief.

KCRA will also be a part of the panel. The representative is still being decided.

Food and drinks will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the workshop will begin at 7 p.m.

The Urban Hive is located at 1931 H Street in Sacramento.

Please RSVP by emailing journalism@sacramentopress.com, so we know how many people to expect.

We'll post something later this month with more information on the Google workshop.

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you at the Urban Hive!

Facebook workshop tonight

2009-11-18T19:54:10Z

When: Wednesday, Nov. 18 2009 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Where: The Sacramento Press office, 431 I Street, Suite 107 Sacramento, CA 95814

What: Facebook workshop, taught by Jeff Marmins, creator of Social Media Path. He will go over privacy settings and how to keep your personal and work lives separate on Facebook. He will also be answering any questions you may have.

How: To RSVP for tonight, email journalism@sacramentopress.com. Space is limited, we only have a few spots left.

If you have any questions, you can call us at 916-443-5403.

Writing has never been so rewarding

2009-10-12T03:40:09Z

October is almost half over and we've only gotten16 stories submitted for the Journalism Open.

We have roughly 15 prizes to give out, and we'd love to have a lot more content to judge for our writing contest.

That being said, we don't want you overestimating the time and effort you need to put into writing an article for the Sacramento Press. We offer free copy editing, so don't put off writing for the chance to win $500, a trip to Squaw Valley, and other prizes because you think your article needs to be Pulitzer-Prize worthy.

We're having a workshop Tuesday, Oct. 13 to answer all of your questions about The Sacramento Press Journalism Open.

If you've been hesitant to enter or just heard about the contest from a friend, co-worker or from this article, this is the perfect opportunity to quell your misgivings.

We're here to motivate, encourage and root you on as you write your first, second or thousandth article for this contest.

The Journalism Open only runs through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 31, which leaves a little over two weeks for you to write your story or stories.

To see the complete rules and prizes, visit www.sacramentopress.com/open.

Clear your Tuesday night schedule and come eat and socialize and prepare your A-game for the contest.

What: The Sacramento Press Journalism Open workshop

When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Where: The Sacramento Press office 431 I Street, Suite 107 Sacramento, CA 95814

Why: Because you want to win cash prizes, a portrait by the Wall Street Journal artist, a trip to Squaw Valley and bragging rights.

Make sure you email your RSVP to journalism@sacramentopress.com.

Sac Press June 30 Interviewing Techniques workshop

2009-07-01T03:27:35Z

The Sacramento Press office was buzzing with questions at the Interviewing Techniques workshop on Tuesday, June 30.

Holly Heyser, Faculty Adviser for The State Hornet and Professional Journalist in Residence at Sac State, went over the key steps to a good interview.

About 12 people showed up and learned a lot about one another, firsthand accounts of what it's like to be a historian, what it's like to be a part of a television show and what it was like to offer aide to New Orleans residents as a part of FEMA.

The Sacramento Press holds regular journalism workshops each month on various topics.

To sign up for the e-mail list and receive invitations to future workshops, please e-mail journalism@sacramentopress.com

Interviewing Techniques workshop April 15

2009-04-14T21:10:50Z

For those of you who missed our first Interviewing Techniques workshop, given by Sactown Magazine's Senior Editor, Martin Kuz, we'll be having another one on Wednesday, April 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Molly Dugan, an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication Studies at Sacramento State, will discuss how to tailor your interviews toward articles that you would be writing for Sacramento Press. Attendees will learn the art of interviewing and the types of articles that work best for our site.

We'll serve food at 6:30 p.m. and the workshop will start at 6:45 p.m.

Our office is located at 431 I Street, Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as the Starbucks. If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $1.50 per half hour and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here -- one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

Please RSVP by e-mailing colleen@sacramentopress.com.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!