MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop

The MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop in the Santa Cruz Mountains is an intensive, hands-on experience in documentary filmmaking and interactive storytelling.

The primary goal of the workshop is to create an intimate, character-driven documentary with supporting interactive experiences powered by the MediaStorm Platform.

Participants will work directly with the MediaStorm team in the field, in the editing suite and via online sessions in a collaborative, educational environment.

This is a workshop for seasoned storytellers who have professional experience and are looking to further expand their storytelling capabilities. 

Participants will be working at a fast-paced and professional level, moving from story concept to a completed story.

The goal of the workshop is to collaborate with those who have expert skills in specific areas in order to create the best possible project.

Applicants must also be able to work with others in a collaborative, team-oriented environment, and be willing to fulfill an assigned role.

Enrollment is limited. Teams are small with 2-5 participants and one or two observers at most.

“I applied for MediaStorm wanting to round out my experience as a reporter, but what I gained was so much more. I was immersed into the world of filmmaking. This was an experience I'll never forget. Not only did I learn how to be a filmmaker, but I gained lifelong friends and was able to impact the life of our subject. All our lives were changed.”

— Marian Liu, Editor on Remember These Days

Participants will focus primarily on reporting or editing, but will collaborate extensively and learn aspects of each skill during the workshop. Specific roles for the workshop include:

Visual Storyteller: Cinematographer and/or Still Photographer

Workshop participants who gather original material in the field using still photography, audio and video. 

Audio Producer

Gather audio in the field in partnership with the visual storytellers.

Producer: Interview & Logistics

Workshop participants who interview the subject, organize the coverage logistics and are responsible for communicating with the subject.

Editor: Post Production

Workshop participants who assist MediaStorm editors in the post-production of a story. Editors will learn the MediaStorm post-production workflow methodology.

XR

Workshop participants who gather material in the field for distribution in immersive augmented and virtual reality experiences.

Motion Graphics

Workshop participants who create the motion graphics package including titles, credits and cinematic experiences.

Interactive Designer

Workshop participants who produce related interactive experiences using the MediaStorm Platform and/or custom code.

Observer

Workshop participants who have access to both the reporting and editing processes, but are not required to engage in hands-on work.

Documentarian

Workshop participants who will document the behind-the-scenes workshop experience and conduct participant interviews using stills and video for use in supplemental and educational features.

Tuition is $3,500.

The tuition fee covers pre planning meetings, a day of storytelling and toolset training, 7 days in person reporting and multiple online post production sessions.

The in-person portion of the workshop takes place in the Santa Cruz Mountains at MediaStorm’s headquarters in Los Gatos, CA.

Participants are responsible for their transportation, lodging and meals. If you are accepted and need to cancel, no refunds will be issued, but we will work with you to secure a spot in a future workshop.

The in-person portion of the workshop takes place in the Santa Cruz Mountains at MediaStorm’s headquarters in Los Gatos, CA.

Participants are responsible for their transportation, lodging and meals. If you are accepted and need to cancel, no refunds will be issued, but we will work with you to secure a spot in a future workshop.

Dates and Location

The Santa Cruz Mountain workshop will take place in person in Los Gatos, CA. Pre and post workshop experiences will take place via online video conference. 

Upcoming workshops:

• Sign up to be notified when new dates are announced.

Time

The pre and post virtual workshop sessions will start at 9am PST and end at 5pm PST with an hour for lunch. The in-person experiences in Los Gatos, CA will start early and end late.

Past participants have included a wide range of talented storytellers from all over the world.

“On the first day of the MediaStorm workshop I understood how much was lacking in my work, by the last day I understood how much was possible.” 

— Michele Asselin, Photography and Video on Close to Home

“After the workshop, there seems like there are no limitations. I am able to reach out to people and tell stories in a way I have never done before.” 

— Espen Rasmussen, Photography and Video on The Amazing Amy

“These were the seven days that shook my world. Working with MediaStorm was perhaps the most poignant and meaningful learning experience I have ever gained.” 

— Gabriela Bulisova, Photography and Video on Nine Digits

“I think I summed it up best to my friends when they asked me how the workshop went, "It took a few days out of my life, but it added many years to my career.”

— Benjamin Norman, Video, Audio and Additional Interviews on Mr. Blues

More than 100 storytellers have participated in the MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop. Here are just a few:

The MediaStorm staff is dedicated to the team for the entire in-person workshop, and instructs and directs during the pre-planning, story-gathering and post-production phases of the project.

This workshop is designed to replicate intense and sometimes difficult reporting and editing situations. You will likely learn to make significant changes in your existing methods, from rethinking and refining your audio/visual gathering techniques to streamlining your post-production workflow and organization. Along the way, you will learn how to incorporate all of these techniques into finding and crafting well-told, compelling stories. Specific areas of focus will include:

Narrative Storytelling

• Developing the best approach for creating effective documentary stories
• Pre-production planning, finding the story's focus and execution of those ideas and techniques

Reporting Approach

• Using the best tools to get the story
• When to use a still camera, when to use video
• How to ask questions and get to the heart of the story

Post Production

• Establishing a strong post-production environment
• Efficient editing techniques
• Advanced Adobe Premiere techniques

Teamwork

• Getting the most out of the collaborative process
• Common issues and how to resolve them

Past Participants reflections on what they learned:

“It was an amazing privilege to be a part of a professional experience that was dominated by a generosity of spirit the likes of which I have rarely experienced. Everyone worked together to make the story a success. There was no ego, no territory, just a desire to tell the best story possible.”

— Maria Finitzo, Interviews and Editing on Close to Home

“More than anything else the workshop reminded me that good team work is priceless. Each participant had different skills and when brought together under the leadership of the MediaStorm players, the result was exhilarating. Watching our project on the final night, the quote; "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," kept ringing in my ears.”

— Frederic Menou, Video and Photography on Remember These Days

“Not only was it a great chance to learn from the guys at MediaStorm but also from my teammates and fellow workshop participants. We had a diverse group and everyone brought different skills to the table. In the end, we have a product that I think we are all proud of and everyone went home with new skills. Also, it really is a lot of fun.”

— Galen Clarke, Interview, and Video and Photography on Remember These Days

“The workshop is hands-on and intense and was, for me, hugely rewarding. Not only did I gain new technical skills that I will now refine and use but l also came away with a renewed sense of wonder at the potential of documentary. The constant interaction and exchange with teammates made the workshop an unforgettable experience and one that has definitely changed the way I see.”

— Simon Schorno, Interview on Broken Lines

“The workshop delivered exactly what I need for my work as a multimedia editor: a solid foundation on which to build my organization's multimedia growth.”

— Melissa Pracht, Audio & Editing on The Art of Attraction

”At MediaStorm the story is always at the center of everything, and they really want to share all their secrets. Any technique applied to the piece, being about sequencing, about workflow or about building the narrative, always happened with explanation and open-minded discussions. It was intense, hard work and long nights. But also hilarious, mind-blowing and ecstatic. I had a blast!”

— Christian Als, Video on Voice

”I hadn't thought about story structure in such a rigorous way until this workshop. What I learned about editing and pacing will change the way I edit from now on.”

— Uma Sanghvi, Story on Hold Out

You will be assigned to a team before the workshop and will collaborate with MediaStorm to work out logistics and work to finalize a story idea before the workshop begins. Participants are encouraged to pitch their own story ideas. Participants need to be flexible as stories can change as happens in all real life reporting experiences.

Past Participants thoughts on the story selection process:

“In many ways, the experience started several weeks before we arrived. My team members and I spent quite a few nights searching for the best potential stories, subjects and issues. We contacted potential subjects directly, discussed with other team members what's doable and what aspects of the potential stories are the most promising. It was a fascinating experience that set this workshop apart from others.”

— Marcin Szczepanski, Video and Photography on The American-Made Benny 

“It was magnificent to rediscover that people let you enter their life and share their story with you. It was wonderful to know that you not only documented a story, but helped your subject change her life as well. You become part of that life-changing moment and part of a big family. How awesome is that?!”

— Laurentiu Diaconu-Colintineanu, Photography, audio and video on Exodus

“For me, the biggest take away from the MediaStorm Workshop was feeling a renewed charge to do my work better so the stories I am telling get the justice they deserve. To be entrusted with a story so personal, the responsibility was quite humbling. I left the workshop inspired and thankful that I am in a field where learning about other people's histories and perspectives is considered work - and also wishing I could be so productive every week of my life!”

— Leah Thompson, Photography, audio and video on Exodus

“The MediaStorm producers were extremely focused on helping our story become the best that it could be. They stressed that the story was not ours – it belonged to the subject.”

— Jillian Kitchener, Video and Photography, and Editor on Luv Shtick

The schedule is subject to change but overall breaks into three stages:

Stage 1: Online Pre Planning and Training

We will have several online meetings before the in person reporting session to discuss our approach and story ideas. We will also have a full day of training via online video conference to share best practices.

Stage 2: In Person in Los Gatos, CA

We will start by meeting on Friday night for dinner, story discussion, gear review and logistics lock down. We will begin reporting on Saturday and break into post production mid week.

Stage 3: Online Post Production

It is highly unlikely that we will have a finished project by the end of the in-person workshop. MediaStorm will work to complete the project and participants can join via online video conference for the post workshop editing sessions. Note that post production takes a significant amount of time and the more sessions you can join after the stage 2 in person reporting process the more you will learn.

Our goal is to create value for participants in addition to the training experience. To that end, we offer additional benefits including:

All participants receive a free one-year all access subscription to our online training and our Post-production Workflow, a battle tested approach that you can apply to future projects.

Past Participants thoughts on MediaStorm’s workflow:

“The intense passion, dedication and respect for the creative multimedia process at MediaStorm is inspiring and downright contagious! The hierarchy of the steps I’ll follow in my future projects and when re-editing past projects has permanently shifted, it’s been a workflow revolution. Thank you!”

— Lauren Hermele, Video and Photography, and Editor on A Hundred Different Ways

“From the first hour, I was immersed in the realm of storytelling. I learned how to find a visually-interesting story as well as interview techniques that encourage your subject to open-up. I learned MediaStorm’s editing workflow including how to build a narrative from the ground up. I learned photo editing techniques, b-roll selection, and tips and tricks to bring audio, visuals and narrative into a cohesive piece.

I came into this workshop feeling both excited and nervous, but have left with new friends, skills and the inspiration to develop that next story.”

— Jillian Kitchener, Video and Photography, and Editor on Luv Shtick

We will be reporting with an eye towards leveraging the power of the MediaStorm Platform. We will discuss the best way to report and package the story using film, slideshows, playlists, timelines and maps. Participants will get detailed training and an inside look at this innovative toolset.

MediaStorm has an established syndication model for our projects. It's possible that some of the projects created during the workshop will have value in the marketplace beyond the educational experience.

If we license a project, the revenue generated will be shared with 50% split between the workshop participants and 50% to MediaStorm.

Copyright to the original media assets created at the workshop will remain with the participants. MediaStorm maintains copyright to the completed project. The projects will be published on MediaStorm’s digital channels. The final cinematic and interactive product will be available for embed on your personal websites via the MediaStorm Platform Player embed code.

“I came to MediaStorm thinking that I needed to learn technical stuff - how to use microphones and DSLRs and software and whatever new gizmo just fell from the sky. 

I did learn a lot about those crucial tools, but the most important thing that happened during the week was that my love, and enthusiasm, for visual storytelling woke up and came out to play. I haven't been as excited about my work for years and years. 

It's hard to believe until you see it, but the MediaStorm team really does want us all to get better, to tell real stories, thrive, succeed, smile like we’re in love. I think our whole team did just that: fall in love with storytelling all over again.

The MediaStorm folks expected and celebrated going into our complicated world to discover real people with meaningful stories, tenderly gathered and truthfully told. They also expected us to work really hard - and they matched our efforts by working every bit as hard. And that's the other thing about this workshop: you learn how important it is to be an effective, respectful member of a team. It was incredible to work not only with the big heads at MediaStorm, but also with talented storytellers from other parts of our world. It's simply fun to work alongside people whose work is so good it makes the hair on the back of your neck dance with joy.

This workshop is the antidote to the dumb-it-down journalism taking over too much of our profession. MediaStorm convinced me that we have to master our new tools because doing so makes us better, more sophisticated, more robust conduits for stories that matter.”

— Torsten Kjellstrand, Photography and Video on The Amazing Amy

“I don't think I have ever learned so much, worked so hard, sweated, laughed, cried, had so little sleep and lived a couple of lifetimes in only one week.

As I am writing this, the tears are coming because it was such and intense and amazing experience and now it's over... we are definitely not the same people we were before this course and we will never be same after this experience.

The week tested me in ways I did not think were possible. I learned more than I could even fathom and my passion for telling stories has only jumped a 1000 fold.

Training with MediaStorm has been one of the most grueling and rewarding experiences. I met so many amazing people from all walks of life and learned how to tell stories on a whole new level. I am definitely not the same person I was when I started the course. I'm happy to report, I really like this new me.”

— Natasha Elkington, Photography, audio and video on Exodus

“I have not been this inspired about photography and photojournalism in almost ten years.

They share all of their cutting-edge awareness of how photography, audio, and video can work together, and you leave them feeling that you can take your work to a whole different level.

I'm already thinking of things differently, trying to stretch beyond simply assembling still pictures to tell a story, and wondering how video and audio narrative might breathe some life into projects of my own.

Audio and video aren't just adaptive tools for surviving on the internet; they really can add layers of meaning and power to what we've been doing all these years as still photographers.

The workshops are an act of generosity, really, as you get the sense that MediaStorm really wants to elevate all of our work, and take us along with them into the future of photojournalism.”

— Mary Beth Meehan, Photography and Video on Close to Home

”So, so glad I spent the week in this workshop! I think this was an incredible and invaluable experience. Intense in all the good ways. It forced me to flex new muscles and grow.

I am not satisfied with just the still photograph in many of the stories I do and have been longing to understand the other components to the story making process. It's beyond overwhelming, but I now see how it's doable and I actually feel comfortable (after this week) with video...which is huge for me.

Something just clicked over the week. 

Now all I am thinking about is multimedia and the possibilities of it in my work. I have so many ideas...so much in me. The week totally inspired this.

— Gillian Laub, Photography and Video, and Interviews on Take Care

”We are all facing a changing world. A world that is losing traditional journalism at a time when it may be needed more than ever before. The challenges facing any photographer, radio producer, print journalist or documentary makers are enormous. 

It was eye-opening to see the MediaStorm approach. Find the story. Keep yourself organized. Work your butt off. Be compassionate. See the humanity in all people. The story is key and every element added must have a purpose. 

MediaStorm is leading us into the next decade of journalism. These workshops and MediaStorm's commitment to sharing will ensure that we have producers ready to comment on our changing world, both its perils and its joys. Excellence, commitment, vision and hard work will never go out of style.”

— Steve Rowland, Audio, Additional Video, Audio and Stills, and Additional Music on A Tail of Identity

”Truly the best investment I have made this year. 

Taking this timeout to totally focus on multimedia, discuss and debate topics, receive advice on story structure, themes and totally focusing on bringing myself to the next level has already helped me in my day-to-day life as a freelancer. 

Learning from the MediaStorm team, I now truly appreciate the meaning of never accepting anything less than the highest standards either from others or myself. This opportunity is second to none.

I still see the course as a great investment, it has paid for itself – not just once, but many times over.”

— Morag Livingstone, Photography & Video on Beautiful Noise

”I work in radio but knew next to nothing about photography and video. No more! The MediaStorm workshop taught me how to take good pictures, and more importantly how to put it all together into one story. It was a chance to do the kind of work we so often wish we were doing: working without distractions, collaboratively with super talented people, all the while guided by dedicated, talented teachers.”

— Zachary Barr, Story, and Audio on Hold Out

“My love for visual storytelling was revived. This one week workshop was an incredible jolt to my system and I was reminded why I began a career in this field.

The team not only discussed their achievements but their failures as well. Showing us you learn a lot from your mistakes.

This is a company that truly loves to teach and wants everyone to improve. I learned such a great deal not only from my teachers but from my fellow participants as well. Everyone provided a unique point of view and brought their own skills to the team.”

— Claire Molloy, Cinematography on Coney Island Jay

What gear will I need to bring?

We will be providing high-end Macintosh computers for the post-production workstations. Participants are required to bring their own photography, audio and video equipment. You should also bring your computer.

Each participant should also bring an external hard drive with at least 4TB of free space so they can take their individual assets home with them.

How are participants chosen?

Participants will be chosen based on the information provided in their applications. We are looking for people who will benefit the most from the training . Existing examples of high caliber projects are the most important criteria for selection.

How will teams be paired?

Once participants are chosen, we will be in touch with each individual to discuss team structure.

Do I have to apply for a specific role?

Applicants must select their primary choice of role. If you would consider a second and third choice role, please indicate that on the application form.

Where will participants stay?

Participants are responsible for their own room and board. We will provide local hotel and neighborhood information to accepted participants. 

What if I need to cancel?

If you need to pull out of the workshop we’d like as much notice as possible. No refunds will be issued, but we will work with you to secure a spot in a future workshop.

Do you offer introductory workshops?

No. We feel there are already several terrific workshops offering introductory and intermediate instruction, so we are focusing exclusively on advanced training.

We do offer a One Day master classes and a more in depth Methodology master class.

Are there other workshops like this?

We think the MediaStorm Workshops are unique because of the small number of participants and the focus on advanced storytelling. With that said, there are a number of other great workshops to consider:

• The Kalish Workshop

• Missouri Photo Workshop

• Mountain Workshops

• Eddie Adams Workshop

• NPPA's Advanced Storytelling Workshop

• NPPA's NewsVideo Workshop

• Transom Workshops

• Berkeley Advanced Media Institute

• Maine Media Workshops

• DCTV

If you know other workshops that you think people should consider about please do share and we can add to this list.

“If you want to have a life-changing experience with the best multimedia professionals in the whole world, if you want to be terrified of going back to your job because you just discovered the most meaningful way to do journalism, if you want to learn more than in a week that you have, probably, in your entire career so far, then you'd better close this window and start completing the application form NOW!!!”

— Laurentiu Diaconu-Colintineanu, Photography, audio and video on Exodus