back to Methodology
08: Jan 2013
Raffaela Lepanto /
This workshop felt like an amazing gift, in every possible way much more than what I had hoped and expected.
It’s hard to tell in a few lines how energizing it is to have a first-hand experience of working with you guys, because the passion, the values, the enthusiasm that you convey in your “open lessons” are truly hard to find.
I loved the way the workshop has been specifically tailored to the needs of the participants, not just giving each of us the space and the time to ask in detail all our questions but also giving us practical suggestions and tips for our different roles and jobs.
Also, meeting all of you, each with a specific expertise and perspective, has been extremely precious; the amount of information, tools, and practical “hands on” expertise that this workshop offers is mindblowing, the equivalent of a University Master’s advanced learning with the extra bonus of a super relaxed, friendly and very familiar environment.
I had fun. I learned a lot. I felt moved, challenged, questioned, excited, overwhelmed by the amount of work I still have to do, hopeful, eager to learn more.
Most of all, I think I found what I was looking for; I looked back at the real meaning of my job, and found out that real quality, commitment and ethic are REALLY all we need to keep being inspired and to inspire others.
A warm and big thank you, with the hope to see you soon again.
Marnie Samuelson /
Methodology Workshop doesn’t seem like the right title for this workshop. Maybe something more like, MediaStorm – the Big View. Brian lays out the arc of MediaStorm: the start up, growth, and their considerably large ambitions. If you are thinking of starting a media company, there’s plenty to learn from MediaStorm’s trajectory.
The greatest part of this workshop is that there is no central project driving the week. That means there is time for everything else. That includes looking at MediaStorm stories, listening to Brian break them down, decision by decision. Seeing rough cuts of stories in progress and listening to the MediaStorm team critiquing themselves. Both were very useful.
Brian hammered home some of the basics of the MediaStorm experience. For example:1. It’s not enough to take a picture. You need to give your subjects a voice. 2. The only path is quality. 3. You can’t do this alone. Collaboration is the heart of the game. 4. Every shooting decision in the field is intentional. Every edit decision is intentional. The list goes on.
I am taking home other lessons, that perhaps were not so explicitly laid out, lessons which are extremely valuable. One example would be shooting in sequences. Not just shooting the conventional four cinematic shots (wide, medium, close up and extreme close up) from each camera position. But shooting for continuity, shooting to guide the viewer’s eye from shot to shot and through the scene.
I think there is still a lot of room for this workshop to grow and customize itself to the particular concerns of the group of participants. One version for people wanting to start a relatively large and sophisticated company, a different version for people who are shooters and want to get better at storytelling and see themselves working in a more modest framework, and so forth.
As a hands on shooter and producer, I would have liked more time talking with Rick Gershon about shooting, more time with Eric Maierson in the edit suite talking about story structure and workflow (both were terrific).
All in all, the week at MediaStorm offers more than enough to think about and learn from in the months ahead. I feel very fortunate for this experience.
Thanks Brian and MediaStorm.
Tetsuro Takehana /
I went to the the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop trying to learn from the best. After spending five days with Brian and his staff, I received great knowledge that supported them making inspirational stories. Thank you and your staff for a fabulous experience. I really enjoyed every bit of it.
07: Dec 2012
Andre Hermann /
How often do you hear a student say, “This class is amazing! I learned so much today, and there’s still X number of days left.” Yes, I was mumbling these words as I left the MediaStorm office after the first day of the Methodology Workshop. This 5-day class would cover a wealth of information that would supply me with an arsenal of new skills, ideas for new stories, and procedures to inspire my students while helping to grow strong, entrepreneurial-minded storytellers. Brian Storm’s plan was to dissect his business and explain all of the different moving parts, with surprising transparency that help make this one-of-a-kind production company work, and thrive. And he did. After the first day I was so inspired and charged my brain was spinning with new ideas and thoughts of how I would translate this new information to the AAU documentary photography track.
I originally attended this workshop with the goal of learning how to better organize and manage a multimedia storytelling program, and further develop AAU’s curriculum in the documentary track. I left with so much more:
1. A deeper knowledge of storytelling that would change the very fabric of how, and what I teach my students.
2. Understanding the value of building a strong team who share the same goals and passions as it relates to teaching and the visual storytelling ecosystem.
3. The importance of collaboration across multiple platforms and departments, and finally,
4. Reassurance knowing that a number of my current practices in the classroom are in-line with MediaStorm’s.
Across 5-days I was given a new view on building and optimizing a perfect work flow, the different skill sets involved in telling a strong, effective story. I was introduced to the world of interactive graphics, distribution models (how to get your work seen,) and how to utilize social media to tell stories. Finally, Brian broke down the MediaStorm business model. We discussed different funding methods, how much time and money is really involved in the production of a story, and finally the art of collaboration from bringing teams of people together to multiple departments to tell your subject’s story in a way that is effective on many levels.
Brian Storm exclusively taught the workshop. Each topic that was covered daily, Brian had a member from his team come in and lecture about what they do, and how they do it at MediaStorm, followed by Q&A sessions. We heard from the operations & social media manager, the programmer, developer, editors & producers, and business development. This was very refreshing and inspiring to hear from this tight knit group of people who feel so passionately about what they do each day to help produce amazing pieces of reportage covering such important topics.
Kari Kuukka /
I was very pleased and fortunate to attend the December 2012 workshop with MediaStorm. It had been a dream for a long time - but unfortunately the dates (there’s only three of these workshops annually) had been inconvenient until now.
My daily work consists of photography, video, editing, multimedia, teaching and consulting... and I felt I needed somehow a broad overview of what is essential and what is not. Not to learn the verticals - but to focus on the bigger picture. And I think MediaStorm has made a right choice in NOT teaching multimedia 101 but focus on the higher end and on the methodology/production side of multimedia.
I had two things in my mind prior to coming to New York: First, I wanted to learn from the best of the best in multimedia business which are the core elements needed in multimedia, how to learn and teach them. How to apply that knowledge to curriculum design for a university (under- and post grad.)
Secondly, I wanted to learn as much as possible I could in this brief time to take back home to my own team - to take our competence and efforts to the next level. Especially how to create organizational structure which would be stimulating and focus on qualtity. Be financially viable. So that we could finally start talking about professional multimedia production also in Finland (or “North Pole”, as I usually refer to it).
And I got just that - and then some more. A lot more. For five days I don’t think there was a moment when I was not concentrating. Eight hours a day, brief breaks to eat and get a quick coffee in between. 100% focused all the time. Really, really intensive. Lectures, seeing/evaluating/breaking part multimedia pieces, talking with the team, etc.
What really impressed me was the ethos/dedication/commitment of the whole team to this high quality storytelling and the work MediaStorm does. Not one detail was too small that it would not be discussed at length if needed. I understand perfectly what Brian means when he says that the story should be made so good that you just cannot make it any better. The whole team seems to live by that principle. Which at least partly explains the outstanding quality coming out of MediaStorm.
Our group was small (four) and thus our conversations got really interesting and intense. I don’t think there has been period in my professional life I can say I have learned as much in such a short time as I did during our week together. My sincerest thanks to everybody for making it happen.
Neil Osborne /
Brian Storm: “You’re either in the tribe, or not in the tribe.”Neil Ever Osborne: “In just a week with Brian Storm and the creative talent surrounding him, you feel like you have become part of their team, and gained a decade’s worth of knowledge in doing so.”
Brian Storm: “Our mission is to share those relatable elements that bind us all together – the human condition.”
NEO: “I’ve always known about MediaStorm’s projects, now I know what makes them tick.”
From Danny Wilcox Frazier’s Driftless documentary work: “Starving to death on an empty stomach”
NEO: “You leave the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop knowing characters are part of every story, but you learn it is their voices that really matter.” – NEO
Brian Storm: “You don’t really understand something until you teach it.”
NEO: “I think this statement should replace the misconception that those that can’t do, teach. In sharing their wisdom, I think the MediaStorm crew really hone their craft.”
Eric Maierson: “Omission is the act of creation.”
NEO: “After this week, I will approach editing from a completely different perspective.”
Rick Gershon: “You switch into athlete mode, playing the game.”
NEO: “As a past athlete myself, I can relate to Rick’s professional approach. He’s so practiced with the gear, he can focus more on the moments in front of him, and you see evidence of this in his documentary filmmaking.”
Brian Storm: “Build the ecosystem and make non-perishable stories.”
NEO: “Every character, every storyline, every issue matters. As storytellers, it is our collective efforts that scale our impact over time.”
Eric Maierson: “Finding the good stuff, i.e. information curation.”
NEO: “Just when you think you have all the neat and snazzy applications on your desktop, you spend an hour with Eric Maierson and your virtual world explodes; e.g. Alfred.”
Joe Fuller describing one of his animation ideas: “Swoosh, bang, zip, squeal.....”
NEO: “Look up the word onomatopoeia and you’ll understand the amazing Joe Fuller even more. Only he can describe in words how his animations come to be”.
Rick Gershon: “Our greatest luxury is time”
NEO: “I learned I need to take more time with my stories.”
Kim Pittaway /
It’s not news that journalism is at a crossroads. And if you’re a journalist, a manager of journalists or a teacher of aspiring journalists, odds are that you’re at a crossroads too, wondering what you need to do to equip yourself, your team or your students with the skills needed to travel the uncertain road ahead of us all. You may also be wondering how you can manage to take a week out of your packed schedule for a training program.
I asked myself the same questions. But after having spent a week with Brian Storm and the MediaStorm team, I have no doubt of the value of the five days I spent in Brooklyn.
• My passion for storytelling was renewed. Being immersed in MediaStorm’s work is inspiring—but deconstructing how they do what they do with Brian and his team reinforced what I do well in my own work, challenged me to improve in areas that aren’t my strengths, and gave me insights into a collaborative approach to storytelling that I am certain will transform my own work, as a journalist, an editor and a journalism professor.
• I came away with practical advice and plans, right down to workflow, step-by-step processes and practical strategies for creating stories efficiently and effectively. I’m a word person first—but understanding how the MediaStorm team works with multimedia elements is already changing the way I organize myself to tackle a print story, and will certainly make tackling multimedia projects more feasible.
• I got to sit in a room for a week with a whole bunch of incredibly smart and talented people. Never underestimate the value of letting your brain rub and spark against the grey matter of smart people. I’m pretty sure my IQ improved.
Like the other participants, I filled a notebook with quotes, insights and strategies. But most exciting of all were the plans those notes sparked. By Day 2, I was making margin notes on projects, changes to course plans, potential collaborators—and I know I will be mining those insights and developing those plans in the days and weeks ahead.
My week with Brian and the MediaStorm team didn’t give me a roadmap to the future of journalism. But it did recalibrate my compass, equip me with a backpack full of intellectual supplies, and introduce me to some incredible traveling companions—all of which makes this crossroads we’re facing seem exciting rather than daunting.
Yes, the Kool-Aid here is mighty refreshing. You should definitely enroll.
06: Aug 2012
Phyllis Jensen / Director of Photography and Video, Bates College Communications Office
A week with Brian Storm and his media priests transformed a mere fan into an acolyte. So here I am back at work, mere days out of the methodology experience, talking MediaStorm essentials to anyone who will listen. And I’m beginning to link five days of immersion to the coming year’s storytelling challenges. Brian’s personal vision, coupled with the diversity of his talented staff and focused workshop participants, yielded an unforgettable experience. Thank you for the tribal welcome.Nico Lypitkas / Independent FilmmakerLecturer at Zurich University of the ArtsOnline Entrepreneur
I came to the the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop looking to refine my skills as a storyteller and as a lecturer. What I received from Brian and his staff was great inspiration and highly compressed knowledge in audiovisual storytelling - combined with a unique commitment to quality and entrepreneurship. Together with the extraordinary spirit of collaboration, this workshop remains an indispensably and precious experience for me.Brandon Parigo / Documentary Filmmaker and Photographer
The knowledge I received when attending the MediaStorm Methodology workshop crept up on me. At first, it seemed simple. It stretched the range of ability from students who knew very little about multimedia to some with years of experience-- yet all were equally shook by the sheer mass of information given. I took it all in and when I got home, the knowledge slowly wrapped itself around the base of my workflow, and style, and squeezed it. From that point on, every time I go to make that shot, cut that footage, talk to that client, etc, there is a voice in the back of my head telling me how to do things better, more efficiently and with more meaning.That is the best type of knowledge. Knowledge that sticks with you, grows with and becomes a part of how you do everything. It is larger and more encompassing than the sum of its parts and I am sure I will be hearing that voice for years to come.
Bruce Thorson / Instructor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The MediaStorm methodology workshop is all about high-quality storytelling. I already had a certain level of proficiency with audio, video, still images and putting it together into a multimedia story. This workshop showed me how to take those skills to a higher level. I teach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the students will benefit from what I have learned. It will help them produce multimedia stories that will get them jobs; it also will help them become entrepreneurial photojournalists, who will know how to self-publish.
Brian Storm is brilliant and so is his staff. Together, they provided all the workshop participants with terrific information from leading with sound to developing a character, from connecting with an audience to developing a company, from story project specifics to workshops and training, from post production to editing by subtraction to client models and much more. But most importantly, as Storm says, it’s ultimately about how to be great every day. Anyone wanting to take his or her multimedia storytelling production to a higher level needs to attend this workshop.
05: June 2012
Carol Barnwell / Editor and Communication Director, Episcopal Diocese of Texas
We are all a people of story. Effectively recognizing and telling stories is critical to any profession, communicating history, dreams for the future. A week of methodology with Brian and his remarkable team has given me additional focus and renewed energy to improve how we share story across all platforms. MediaStorm's comprehensive, week-long Methodology workshop generated new ideas for future work and has inspired me to go deeper with our work in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Thank you all so much!
Phil Borges / Founder, Bridges to Understanding
Again thanks so much for a wonderful workshop! I've been producing multimedia for NGOs for the past six years and your Methodology Workshop has given me fresh ideas that will certainly improve my storytelling and workflow. You and MediaStorm are truly an inspiration and gift for those of us involved in social documentary work. We are all watching with anticipation your pioneering move with pay-for-story and the ingenious Media Player.
04: Jan 2012
Gina Gayle / Professor of Practice, University of Southern Mississippi
Being back in the classroom a full week and having had time to go over my notes and my week at MediaStorm allowed me to fully digest what I actually experienced.
When I was preparing for the workshop I am not sure I knew exactly what it was going to be like. I felt we would learn valuable information and get a look into how MedaStorm does the work that you do. There was no way that I could have imagined that you would literally open up and give us everything you did, so freely and graciously. I literally wrote in my notes the second day, that "he is giving us the keys to the kingdom…….this is his way of saving journalism." I am going to take those keys and pass them along to anyone who will use them wisely.
When I started teaching multimedia storytelling, I told my students that this is their chance to change journalism, re-create and mold it because there is so much possibility out there and people in the industry need and want direction. I am still on my MediaStorm Methodology Workshop High and it showed as I returned to my classes this week. As I told you, we use the MediaStorm projects as our homework, research and tutorials in my classes so the students were excited to see what I had brought back. My getting to go to this workshop was similar to a star studded event for them as well as for me. I will tell you this, when I came back to the classes I felt and saw an immediate shift in how I teach. My students also noticed it and are ready for the new journey. I know you wanted a quote from me but here are a few things from them: "It's nice to have a professor who is re-energized." "Teach me everything they taught you." and "Do they have a workshop for students, I want to go." They understand the importance of great storytelling and I am hoping some of them will go on to be just that.
Understanding the Methodology of how you work helps me to understand why you choose the projects you do, which in turn is allowing me to think about using multimedia storytelling across a multitude of businesses. I also teach Digital Storytelling for graduate Intergrated Marketing Communication students, who have said that thinking creatively or in a storytelling manner, makes them better at their advertising and PR campaigns. I have shared the MediaStorm site with them for reference and now it gives them a foundation to see what a project can be used for.
Another marvelous attribute of this workshop was being able to work, talk and brainstorm with my classmates for the week. I think we had such a diverse group that added to the ability to see how storytelling works across so many businesses and genres. As we all could feel our own minds ticking away we also got to see everyone's else's ideas manifest right there in the room. Each person in the workshop seemed to have the same awakenings and was excited to talk about the possibilities in their own line of work or even in their own country! That was amazing in itself. I have been wanting to come to a MediaStorm workshop for years however I feel this was the exact one I was meant to be in with the people I met during the week.
I think the most powerful and personal thing I will take away is how to use it for my personal projects. We talk "multimedia" and we think about it but now I have a firmer grasp on how to use it for projects and the wide reach that a great multimedia story can have. As still photographers, we were always relegated to a few images at most and now we can use multimedia to get exposure on platforms, websites or through business ventures that we were not privy to before. When I wrote you were giving us the keys to the kingdom I really meant it.
Thank you for all you do and showing us the way to do it.
Gordon Jung / Project Manager, Gestionnaire de projets
What can I say about MediaStorm?
"Awesome" comes to mind.
I first became aware of this up-and-coming firm about 4 years ago, and was immediately impressed with the care and quality of their story telling and production values. Then I was able to finally attend a workshop this year...
The time spent at the Methodology Workshop introduced me to many interesting views, experiences, and practicalities of molding content into something not only fluid and fair, but emotiionally compelling.
Think beyond the normal A-Z steps of running a program, or company, or process - Add the firm conviction of sharing and collaborative work, and you get a more intimate and restrospective approach to any type of content you have the opportunity to work with.
After attending a variety of conferences and courses over the years... the buzz, or high wears off rather quickly. What's the difference here? It feels like a steady fire that is fueling my conviction to bring back a "voice" to the content that I am working with.
Thanks to everyone I met at the workshop, and thanks to everyone at MediaStorm - I enjoyed my time with you. You've got freaky mad skills and talent.
Steve Lewis / Steve Lewis Films
I was hoping for some serious progress, and what I got was a quantum leap. It was an amazingly productive week.
Thank you and your crew for a fabulous experience. I really enjoyed the entire week. It was great to get to know you better as well. I am happy to always be a part of MediaStorm.
Joshua Smith / Vice President, International Guild of Visual Peacemakers
The Methodology Workshop will give you an intimate look into how Brian and his team have run this successful multimedia production company. They will walk you through every aspect of their business from pre-production, field reporting, licensing, through interactive application creation and multi-platform distribution. Brian discusses what it means to be a purpose-driven company rather than profit-driven, along with the challenge of striking a balance between feeding the soul and the pocketbook. The value of this workshop is not just in the information presented, but also in the relationships formed with the other amazing participants and staff. If you want to learn how to run a financially viable business, tell stories you feel need to be told, and connect with others that are passionate about storytelling, then you should attend this workshop.
Scott Toncray / Public Relations Specialist
Brian and his team took the needed time and had patience with a variety of backgrounds, expertise and personalities and yet we were able to feel as one connected class participating in an intensive learning workshop on his methodology for running MediaStorm. I can say that we were all stretched in the way we think about topics such as advocacy journalism and how multimedia can use the medium to promote change - global change - change that this world needs. And MediaStorm is cranking this change out - one story at a time.
Martin Zimper /
The Methodology Workshop shows all secrets behind MediaStorm's amazing multimedia projects. The whole team shares their experience and talks openly about right and wrong decisions they made. When I came back to my Zurich office I changed some steps in our multimedia training curriculum with a new emphasis on photojournalism. And I sent a member of my staff to the next MediaStorm Methodology Workshop - the money is a good investment. The most interesting part was to see the passion of the MediaStorm team and to become acquainted to Brian Storm—a sensitive American boy practicing humanity with multimedia tools and a master storyteller. He handles Aristotles story rules ("Poetics") perfectly in a multimedia world—even if he told me he should have listened to it better in school. 03: Aug 2011
Martin Herrera / Executive Director, Dokumental
The Methodology workshop is a unique and rare opportunity to deep dive into the inner workings of a successful multimedia production company. In a simple and extremely generous way, Brian shares the most intimate details of how to run the business. To add even more value to this mix, a significant amount of time is dedicated to reviewing and dissecting the most powerful stories created by Brian and his team, from pre-production preparation, to in the field production practices, to the post-production learnings that make their pieces some of the best out there. I was blown away by the sophistication and excellence MediaStorm puts in their products and into the workshop. Worth every minute and every dollar invested!
Ronald Hole / Visual journalist, storytell.in
This was a really inspiring meeting with skilled storytellers at the MediaStorm Methodology. As a long time television storyteller, this was frefreshing, and inspired me to challenge my own skills and goals I have for storytelling. MediaStorm makes high end multimedia productions with strong and engaging stories. I am very glad I had this opertunity. You meet and have a personal chat with the staff, and get to pick some of the best brains in the business. Thank you.
02: Jan 2011
Patty Caya / Digital Media Producer
I applied to the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop because I had attended a one day workshop with Brian Storm where I was so riveted by the content I didn’t want to leave my seat: not for lunch, not for the end of the day, not for a single minute as long as he was willing to keep teaching.
The Methodology Workshop is a chance to learn what goes into the secret sauce that makes a MediaStorm multimedia project taste so damn good.
This workshop is a chance to not just peek behind the curtain and catch a glimpse at what makes the organization tick, but a chance to have the curtain torn down and observe the work under a microscope. You will learn both the operational and creative processes that support the creation of some of the best cinematic narrative projects produced today. And the material will be presented with warmth, humor and a genuine interest in turning the tables to learn what you think about how they do what they do.
Brian and his team don’t hold anything back. They teach. They share. They listen. And they invite, or rather they insist that you take their process, apply it in your own business or educational environment and improve upon it. They want you to succeed because they believe by doing so, it will make them better as an organization and it will improve the industry overall.
MediaStorm is not just a company at the forefront of multimedia production; they are a company that is investing in the future of an industry through their own work and through workshops such as this.
If my experience is any indication, you will learn more than you expect. Your opinions and perspectives will be valued at every stage of the workshop. And you will end the week wishing you could stay a lot longer.
K. Matthew Dames / Executive Editor, Copycense
It is difficult to emphasize how important the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop (MMW) in January 2011 has been to my development as a creator, scholar, educator who is interested in using narrative to teach and inform others about the importance of copyright and other legal topics.
MMW is at once exhausting and invigorating: for five consecutive days, all the participants shared, thought, and deliberated extensively about how best to sustainably produce and distribute important, compelling, and timeless multimedia packages. We did this eight hours each day, and often for another hour or two after each session. We critiqued video; we considered business models; we shared insights on techniques; we reviewed technology and gear.
If it seems like there are few public specifics about what a typical MMW will be like, you're probably correct. I don't think there can be a "typical" MMW, for two basic reasons. First, participants' experiences, goals, and talents will vary in each iteration. My session's participant group included mostly visual professional (i.e. photographers, videographers); in contrast, I deal mostly with audio. Yet, I never felt out of place or diminished. In fact, we spent a lot of the Workshop talking the importance of great sound and how to get it. Different Workshops may have a different vibe.
Second, almost all the participants and staff members talked about a variety of projects or business initiatives that were in development, and therefore not publicly available. Confidential and controversial issues were discussed. As a result, there is a sort of "What happens at MMW stays at MMW" aspect to these sessions. Still, I sensed an incredible amount of trust between MediaStorm personnel and my fellow participants; this trust allowed everyone to benefit.
MMW demands a lot of time and energy, both from participants and MediaStorm personnel. You must commit to being invested. But I believe these investments were well worth it. At the end, I thought everyone suspected this session could be one of the most important sessions of our respective careers.
If you have any interest in producing and distributing timeless multimedia works that will impact others, you owe it to yourself to attend MMW. I give the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop my strongest unqualified recommendation. The entire MediaStorm family and all my fellow participants were overwhelmingly candid, giving, genuine, talented and professional. For that, I thank them again and express my deepest gratitude.
Gavin Frankel / Freelance Photographer
I learned so much during the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop, January 2011, that it has taken me a good week to digest it all. Well worth the tuition fees and traveling over from Paris. Everything said was so relevant to my work as a freelance photographer. My only wish was that I knew it all earlier! Not only was it an excellent overview of the development of multimedia storytelling, past, present, and future, but also an inside view to how a top end multimedia company works. I enjoyed the break down of their stories, listening to the group's questions and answers, hearing from all the staff one by one as they explained their craft. Everybody had something to offer and it was offered freely. Clear thinking, clear presentation. A very personal atmosphere where creativity and exchange were encouraged...and obviously flourished. It's sure that I will stay in contact with MediaStorm and the seven other participants of the workshop. I feel lucky to have had this experience, to have met everybody that I did, simple as that.
Alan Hill / Associate Lecturer/Queensland College of Art
That MediaStorm offer a methodology workshop speaks volumes about their thoughtful, intelligent approach to storytelling, and having completed it, it's now easy to see why they are the undisputed leaders in this field. Their passion for the stories they tell comes from the heart, but their relentless pursuit of the best way to bring each story to life is driven by an intellectual process of reflection and refinement that is all to rare in the media today.
To know and understand your methodology so well that you are able to successfully teach it to others means you have broken down every aspect of the process you are engaged with and have interrogated it to the fullest extent. Nothing is left to chance and it's got nothing to do with cameras, equipment or software packages. Which is not to say the workshop is not practical, it is. Precisely because MediaStorm are themselves so methodical (and incredibly generous) the workshop is full of practical advice, distilled down from their years of experience, that allows you to quickly and easily understand and see ways you can apply and/or modify it to your own context.
That is why I will be able to directly apply so much of what I learned at the Methodology Workshop in my own work, but also in my university teaching. Brian and the whole MediaStorm team are passionate, methodical and generous, so the opportunity to spend a week learning from them was a unique and inspiring experience I would highly recommend.
Elaine Hill / Online Art Director, Greenpeace International
I came away from the MediaStorm methodology workshop totally inspired and excited about the future of multimedia storytelling. The opportunity to spend a week with this team of extraordinary individuals at the top of their game and to see the nuts and bolts of production was beyond priceless. The effort that went into preparing the workshop - down to the group dynamics - was greatly appreciated.
It's so rare and special to walk into a work space where you could tell everyone loved being there, the enthusiasm person brought to us when talking about their work was totally infectious. Brian's own story and personal commitment to spreading the potential of multimedia is in itself is a testament to pushing boundaries, embracing innovation and proves that quality is still worth pursuing. I only hope I can take what I learned and use it in a way that brings value to the effort you put into the individuals in this workshop.
Gary Matoso / Gary Matoso Photography
The MediaStorm Methodology Workshop proved to be an invaluable source of information and inspiration. It was a nicely balanced mix of creative and technical skills and business strategy and was the perfect primer to help get my new media production venture off the ground.
I really loved the open agenda. Our workshop was comprised of a diverse group of attendees from business, journalism, photography, academic, and non-profit worlds. Each of us came in with a different set of expectations for what we hoped to achieve. From the start Brian took care to listen to our stories and tailored the sessions to cover everyone’s needs. I believe we all walked away with what we needed to move forward with our professional goals. I know I did.
The most valuable aspect of the workshop for me was learning how the MediaStorm team works. Getting an inside look at their approach to project organization and workflow was hugely helpful. We were able to integrate much of what I learned immediately into our own productions, which really helped us tighten up and standardize our process and workflow. As an added benefit, it was great to be around the MediaStorm team for a week. It was insightful just to watch how they worked and interacted on projects.
The other aspect of the Methodology Workshop that I appreciated was the exchange of ideas and expertise between the MediaStorm team and my fellow attendees. At times it felt more like a roundtable discussion than a classic teacher/student workshop. It was great to be around these smart people with various perspectives discussing strategies for the changing media landscape we’re all facing today. We had many enlightening conversations about the challenges we face but also the great opportunities that lie ahead.
And it was just plain fun. Good people, innovative thinking, and very practical advise. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Rebecca McInroy / Multimedia Manager KUT Radio Austin, Texas
It's hard to overstate the value of my experience learning from the talented, skilled and thoughtful team at MediaStorm. Over the course of five days, along with seven dynamic professionals from all walks of life, I was immersed in the method behind MediaStorm's seemingly magic madness.
They covered multimedia production and editing techniques; shared recommendations for the best tools and technology to use when producing multimedia; and mapped out their business model and social media strategy. The most incredible part of the workshop was hearing their personal stories drawn from years of field experience and advice applied to our own endeavors.
I found being part of this workshop not only instructive, but also empowering. If you're a creative, thoughtful person and are considering whether to sign up - DO IT! It's five days that will change your perspective on what's possible.
Scott Willson / Manager Photo/Video/New Media, The North Face
Usually when asked to develop a creative department from the ground up, you'd start with the basics...strategy, process and workflow, etc.
You'd then layer on all of the "cool" components...creative concepting and development, shooting, editing, production.
At least this is how it would work 'in theory'.
Those of us tasked with incorporating video and multimedia elements into an existing department are quickly learning that we're working with an inverted model: the great stories, ideas, assets and distribution channels may already be there...now, we need to build that foundation so we can effectively build and manage great multimedia content.
In 5 intensive days, Brian and his team at MediaStorm provide invaluable insight into the business of producing stellar multimedia stories. From the initial project request, through the development and production phase and ultimately distribution, you're immersed in their thought process. You gain a better understanding of the overall creative development process, as well as the nuts and bolts of production, workflow and distribution.
The close interaction with other participants enhances the learning. You walk away from the workshop with a lot of great ideas that can be implemented to build or strengthen a multimedia department. Equally important, you'll get validation on what you're already doing right.
01: July 2009
David Carlson / Executive Director, Center for Media Innovation
You can't put a price on something like the MediaStorm Methodology Workshop. Brian Storm and his team are open, insightful and provocative. They have been there and done what most of the rest of us have only thought about, and they are willing, even anxious, to share the knowledge they've gained.
Tavia Gilbert / Audio producer, director, narrator, writer
The methodology workshop has already proven to be a very wise investment of my time and resources. After 5 intensive days in a room with 5 leading figures in methodology and curriculum development, I could see clearly the tremendous potential that exists in this disruptive moment of communication. Less than two weeks since the conclusion of the workshop, I have already implemented effective changes in the way I approach my work as a creative artist and the leader of a small company.
I was inspired by the MediaStorm team's ability to harness rapidly changing technology and concepts, which has enabled them to narrow the gap between impulse and execution and focus their energies on producing extraordinary stories. MediaStorm's work is a testament to what happens when one combines craft and technology to remove obstacles between audience and exceptional experiences of the body, mind, and heart. MediaStorm's commitment to quality and purpose-driven work is powerful and inspirational.
Kim Komenich / Assistant Professor, San Jose State
The Mediastorm Methodology Workshop exposed me to the inner workings of one of the most celebrated multimedia houses in the history of the medium. I watched as MediaStorm multimedia producers and interactive designers created cutting-edge multi-platform multimedia in real-world environment where creativity, technology and economic survival meet.
My hypothesis about teaching all the skills necessary to do original, compelling multimedia were validated--the student needs to found their career on a core competency. There are processes that students need to understand and there are prosesses that students need to know, to know as well as a jazz musician knows their instrument.
The temptation is to try make multimedia students "jacks of all trades", but the MediaStorm experience shows that graduates who are "masters of one" seem to be getting the good jobs. Students with a rich portfolio and an original point of view will have an advantage over those who have "shown competency" in all of the multimedia disciplines.
In short, there are things to know and there are things to truly understand. The multimedia project should be thought of as a production, so we should be educating "producers" who are proficient to the point of originality and insight about their multimedia core storytelling competency (video, audio, stills, etc.), and knowledgeable enough about the other skills needed to be able to assemble the best team of interactive designers, video editors and coders, to get the job done.
For the multimedia teacher, the first day of class might best be compared to the first day of football camp or the first day of band camp. Who is a natural-born quarterback? Who aspires to play the trumpet? Once this is decided, the process of teaching music and football can begin.
As much as multimedia teachers don't want to believe it, there are natural-born coders and back-end people in other departments who need story content for their projects.
And that's what it's all about, really-- telling a story. The only people calling this "new media" are the teachers. Most of our students have grown up with digital photography. Some might have already shot and edited a short video. To add too much weight to the teaching of the technical aspects of multimedia, to the detriment of the fieldwork and storytelling, is the equivalent of spending a semester teaching a group of aspiring writers to be better typists.
The Mediastorm Methodology Workshop gave me the confidence to set these priorities:
--Find a student's core competency and light a fire.
--Encourage collaboration.
--If you are practicing true multimedia storytelling, the story will tell you, as producer, how it should be told and what the proportions of video, audio, stills, and interactive design will be.
--Encourage entrepreneurship. There will never be a time in your students' lives when it will be easier to crash on a friend's couch and eat Taco Bell while inventing the next breakthrough in multimedia storytelling.
What a week! Do it!
John Temple / Managing Editor, The Washington Post
The methodology workshop gave me time to stop and step into a different way of seeing journalism. I came away inspired by what's possible if we commit to a different way of thinking about stories.