Workshop Participants
Gary Matoso
Photographer
Born and raised in California, Gary Matoso began his career in a commercial photography studio in San Francisco. He later moved to Paris, France where he was based for 16 years and worked first as a photojournalist (represented by Contact Press Images) and later as an independent multimedia producer and creative director. As a photojournalist his work has been published in many US and international publications including: The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, People, Forbes, Fortune, Business Week, Smithsonian, AARP, Audubon, Liberation, Le Monde, and The Sunday Times of London.
In the mid-nineties Gary created a series of pioneering online documentary projects that experimented with new technologies and storytelling formats, most notably: The Russian Chronicles (sponsored by Kodak and Sprint), The Witness Online Documentary Series (commissioned by the UNHCR), and Too Much Time (hosted by Amnesty International). Those projects led to a series of commercial projects with companies like GAP, Johnson and Johnson and others. Gary continues to develop and work on a mix of photo, film and interactive projects and is launching a new creative agency / production company in early 2011.
Gary participated in the January 2011 MediaStorm Methodology Workshop. He had the following to say about his experience:
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.