January Academy

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

This course will emphasize how to legally record a low or no budget production on your own or with a small team of people in a safe and productive manner within NYC. Whether you are an independent journalist trying to record a documentary, standup, podcast, or just wanting to learn more about managing your production equipment, students will gain valuable knowledge and insights that will allow them to make better use of their time and energy enabling them to create higher quality final production projects with less. (Maximum: 12)

Open to anyone who is interested in the topic, but students who have taken a video, photo, or audio production class or plan on taking a production class in the future will benefit the most.

---

An Introduction to Visual AI Tools with John Smock

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST  (Room 438)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

AI tools from Midjourney to D-ID (Canva) are rapidly changing the landscape of visual journalism. Where there is change there is also opportunity. This hands-on workshop will explore production tools for AI as well as the ethical implications for the journalism workplace. (Maximum: 12)

Students will need a laptop or lab computer.

---

Crash Course in NYC Climate Change with Rosemary Misdary

Thursday, Jan. 11, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. EST  (Room 430)

This crash course in NYC climate change will inform students of how the region is being affected by climate change and what are the local causes. Through interactive games, we will find out what our own individual impacts as well as finding climate change stories for every beat.

---

Portrait Photography, Lighting & Post-Production Editing with Jennifer S. Altman

Thursday, Jan. 11 – Friday, Jan. 12, 9:00 a.m. – 3 p.m. EST  (Room 330)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

This is a 2-part class:

Part 1 of this two-session class led by photojournalist Jennifer S. Altman, we will cover a brief history of portraiture through various photographic genres and discuss the elements of basic portrait techniques. Students will be introduced to lighting equipment through strobes, flashes and continuous light sources and learn how to use stands, backdrops, reflectors, gels, and essential accessories. We will address location scouting and how different lighting techniques are applied in practice. We will learn tips and tricks of professionals, such as making the subject feel comfortable and solving lighting problems. Participants will photograph each other in a studio session.

Part 2 is devoted to post-production photo editing skills and additional shooting techniques for portraiture utilizing other light sources. Students will photograph each other in class and on location. We will delve into portraiture in multimedia as well. Participants will identify and retouch up to three selected images with supervision from the instructors. The workshop will conclude with presentation and critique of participant work. (Maximum: 15)

Newmark J-School students can check out gear from the equipment room or bring their own gear. They must have their own computers already loaded with Adobe Photoshop and a sorting system (such as Adobe Bridge, iPhoto, or Photo Mechanic) to do hands-on editing.

---

Advanced Photoshop with John Smock

Thursday, Jan. 11, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST  (Room 444)

Photoshop is much more than just a tool for editing photographs. It is also a powerful design platform. This workshop will show you how to create compelling graphics that combine text, multiple images and other design elements to be used in multimedia stories and your portfolio site. The workshop assumes an introductory knowledge of Photoshop. (Maximum: 12)

Students will need a basic familiarity with Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop installed.

---

How to Develop and Run a Podcast with Mia Lobel

Friday, Jan. 12, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST  (Remote)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

You’ve come up with a brilliant podcast idea, and now you need to execute. How do you do it? Veteran audio producer Mia Lobel covers how to develop your idea into something you can make real, how to pull together a brilliant and efficient production team, and how to create a production plan that doesn’t break your budget or burn out your team. The class will be taught with a combination of lecture/presentation slides and hands-on exercises. (Maximum: 15)

---

GIFs and Animation for News with John Smock

Friday, Jan. 12, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST  (Room 444)

This workshop will cover using Adobe Photoshop as a design tool with a special focus on GIF animations. News organizations today are experimenting with media content that combines elements of still photography with graphic design, AI and video to tell stories in new and interesting ways. GIFs are a basic building block of this frontier. (Maximum: 12)

Students will need a basic familiarity with Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop installed.

---

How to Build a Compelling Serialized Podcast with Karen Shakerdge

Friday, Jan. 12, 2:00 – 4 p.m. EST  (Room 432)

Ideal for students pursuing narrative audio projects or interested in doing so.

---

Covering LGBT+ Issues with Wonbo Woo

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST  (Room 434)

In this workshop, we will discuss both practical and ethical considerations that journalists will face in covering the LGBTQ+ community. We’ll look at historical examples of media coverage, talk about pronoun usage, review terminology and AP/NYT/GLAAD style, as well as discussing best practices for interviewing minors, outing, respecting privacy and anonymity, and thinking about when additional sources are appropriate in stories. Note: This will be a participatory class — students should come ready to engage in discussions, and will be invited to submit examples, questions and additional topics that they’d like to cover in advance. Guest speakers may be brought in to help address some of these topics. (Maximum: 15)

---

Pro Tools: Back to the Basics with Chad Bernhard

Tuesday, Jan. 16, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST  (Room 440)

This class is ideal for students continuing on with radio classes who feel behind on basic audio mixing skills: problems with recording, basic Pro Tools use, organization. (Maximum: 15)

Students should bring their laptops with Pro Tools installed. Prerequisite: Pro Tools Orientation at J-School.

---

Wars, Elections, Strikes with Greg David

Tuesday, Jan. 16 – Wednesday, Jan. 17, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST  (Remote)

Every major story is an economic and business story. And that is especially true of three recent stories that have dominated the news: the wars in the Ukraine and the Mideast and the sudden crosscurrents stalling the Chinese economy, the 2024 presidential election, and the grassroots moves by workers to improve their lives especially by joining unions and striking. This two night call looks at the three issues, explains how business reporters cover the stories and gives you the tools to do the same.

---

Digital Security for Journalists: Protecting Our Sources, Our Stories, and Ourselves with Joel Simon, Davis Erin Anderson, Harlo Holmes, and Abigail LP

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 1:00 – 5 p.m. EST  (Room 442)

The internet can feel like magic. Without much friction, we can communicate with people all over the world and learn a lot about pretty much any subject. But, particularly for journalists, being able to do all of that comes with inherent vulnerabilities and threats to privacy and security. Join this session to learn ready-to-implement tools for boosting the security of your research, safer ways to communicate with sources, and tactics for securing the data in your life. By the end of our time together, you’ll be equipped to pursue your work with greater peace of mind and significantly enhance your ability to protect the people and things you care about. Following the session, there will be pizza and a screening of the film Endangered with a Q&A to follow with Co-Director Rachel Grady. (Maximum: 20)

---

Pro Tools 102: Advanced Mixing with Chad Bernhard

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST  (Room 440)

This class will cover two of the most important audio processing tools available to you in Pro Tools: compression and equalization. Students should feel very comfortable with Pro Tools and want to push their skill set forward. Basics will not be covered. (Maximum: 15)

Open to Newmark J-school students and alumni only. Must be proficient in Pro Tools. Students must bring a laptop with Pro Tools installed.

---

Intro to Video Editing in Adobe Premiere with Kayle Hope

Thursday, Jan. 18, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST  (Remote)

Brush up on your video editing skills in this workshop taught by Kayle Hope, ’14. This class will cover the basics of video editing in Adobe Premiere. Students will learn how to edit in premiere from setting up a project to organizing footage, selecting clips, editing sequences, working with stills and audio, applying motion to still images, exporting and mastering the overall video editing workflow. Kayle Hope is a video producer and editor based in Vermont. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS, Retro Report, and Quartz, among others. Kayle also teaches video storytelling and editing at the Newmark J-School. You can see Kayle’s work at www.kaylehope.com. (Maximum: 30)

Access to Adobe Premiere is required for this course.

---

Transferring ProTools Skills to Reaper with Chad Bernhard

Thursday, Jan. 18, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. EST  (Room 440)

Reaper is a powerful and low-cost alternative to Pro Tools that can, when set up properly, duplicate a great many functions of Pro Tools and in some ways exceed them. In this class, we will set up Reaper with some of my custom settings made especially for this class, translate the Pro Tools skills you have learned onto this new platform, and go over the basic principles of using Reaper for your editing and mixing. Prior to this class, I will send everyone files to install and some instructions to follow so we can make the most of our class time. (Maximum: 15)

Proficiency with Pro Tools required. This class is mainly aimed at third or fourth semester students leaving the program to give them a financial alternative to Pro Tools for their own freelance work.

---

Dissecting Broadcast Investigations with Walter Smith Randolph

Thursday, Jan. 18, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. EST  (Remote)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

In this course, we’ll take a deep dive into award-winning audio and visual broadcast investigations that have sparked change and made an impact. You’ll learn how these investigations came together, how documents and data were obtained and analyzed, and how you can do the same. This class will be taught by Walter Smith Randolph (class of 2010) who is the executive producer of investigations at CBS New York. Walter’s experience includes radio, television and podcast investigations. (Maximum: 16)

---

Covering Congress 101 with Michaela Ross

Friday, Jan. 19, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST  (Remote)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

Participants will walk away from this class with the ability to show up on Capitol Hill and hit the ground interviewing and reporting. The class will also present strategies for remote reporters and freelancers who work on any beat to enrich their stories through legislation and regulatory policy tracking. Michaela Ross is a 2015 graduate of the Newmark J-School and now a deputy editor at Bloomberg Government in Washington D.C.

---

Canon C100 Training with Nyier Abdou

Monday, Jan. 22, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST  (Room 432)

This course will train students to use the Canon c100 camera. This is the camera that all video classes at Newmark use in the 2nd and 3rd semesters. Students will learn the functions of the camera, how to hold and move with the camera and will get real world experience using camera on the streets. Finally, we will review their footage at the end of the day and import it into Adobe Premiere. Students taking this course will get a head start to any advanced video class in the second semester. (Maximum: 10)

---

Sound Design for Narrative Audio with Ariana Martinez

Friday, Jan. 19 & Monday, Jan. 22, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST  (Remote)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

This session will share ways to let sound communicate what an interview or narration alone cannot. We’ll explore some big-picture concepts for developing our distinct creative voices as sound designers, and some technical strategies for giving each thing we touch its own signature sound. We’ll cover the basic mechanics of sourcing and incorporating found sound and music, using our audio software’s built-in tools for manipulating audio, managing complex multi-track digital audio workstation sessions, and the practicalities of applying sound design to both traditional and experimental stories. (Maximum: 25)

Prerequisite: Working knowledge of a digital audio workstation (DAW), preferably ProTools, Reaper, or Adobe Audition.

---

Reporting on AI 101 with Jorteh Senah & Jackie Snow

Friday, Jan. 19, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. EST  (Remote)

AI is finding its way into every part of our lives. To report on the topic, reporters need to be able to cut through the hype. In this workshop, we will cover what AI is (and isn’t), dissect AI reporting to point out issues and strengths, and go through tips on how to find AI stories.

---

So You Have an Audience Development Job…. How To Do It? with Natalia Gutiérrez

Monday, Jan. 22, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EST  (Room 442)

Audience developers play a vital role in the newsroom. In this workshop we will explore the fundamental aspects of this role and key responsibilities. We’ll compile a practical list of strategies to track what matters to your team and organization. We’ll talk about how to foster profound connections with your audience and how to report about it.

---

Covering Protests Safely with Yamile Bucay and Joel Simon

Monday, Jan. 22, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST  (Room 444)

This practical half-day workshop offers journalism students essential skills for safely covering civil unrest. It will cover the basics of:

• Identity and profile
• Situational awareness
• Threat modeling and risk assessment
• Communications and check-in plans
• De-escalation tactics
• Psychological safety working in high-stress environments

The workshop offers hands-on guidance, including the opportunity for students to experience a simulated violent protest using VR headsets. Through group exercises and real-world scenarios, students be introduced to holistic security as a pillar of effective journalism in tumultuous breaking news environments. Yemile Bucay is a journalism risk expert working to promote a culture of safety in the profession to support a sustainable, resilient, and free press. She is a safety advisor to PEN America and was BuzzFeed’s Risk & Security Manager, where she oversaw security for BuzzFeed News and HuffPost. (Maximum: 10)

Students should bring a laptop or digital device. VR headsets will be provided.

---

Advanced Premiere with Kayle Hope

Monday, Jan. 22, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST  (Remote)

Learn some advanced video editing tools and techniques in this Adobe Premiere workshop taught by Kayle Hope, ’14. This class will introduce students to some advanced tools and techniques used in Adobe Premiere. We will look at improving audio, color correction, multi camera editing, nesting and working with multiple tracks, creating captions, and working with effects, keyframes and motion graphics templates. Basic understanding of editing in premiere is a prerequisite for this class. Kayle Hope is a video producer and editor based in Vermont. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS, Retro Report, and Quartz, among others. Kayle also teaches video storytelling and editing at the Newmark J-School. You can see Kayle’s work at www.kaylehope.com. (Maximum: 30)

Access to Adobe Premiere is required for this course.

---

Digital Forensics and Other Web-Based Sleuthing Methods with Lam Vo

Monday, Jan. 22, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST  (Room 430)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

Whether it’s investigating companies and individuals or whether it’s establishing basic facts about an event — the social web and online databases can offer a wide array of information for journalists to stitch together for their reporting. In this 2-hour workshop you will learn about basic open-source investigation techniques and learn how to navigate the social web for your reporting. (Maximum: 12)

---

So, You Want to Launch a Newsletter? with Ambreen Ali

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST  (Remote)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

This two-hour workshop will be a crash course on how to launch your own newsletter. We’ll start by covering the current landscape of journalism newsletter and what makes a strong topic for a newsletter, then discuss tools, best practices and revenue models.

---

Clearing Up the Mysteries of Freelancing with Tim Harper

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST  (Room 308)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

We should all be pitching and getting paid for stories we do at Newmark. And even if it’s not our first choice, at some point in our careers most of us will be doing some freelancing, full-time or part-time. Newmark writing coach Tim Harper, a longtime full-time freelancer who has helped hundreds of students get published and paid, will offer an overview and answer your questions — the more specific the better. Bring in pitches to be workshopped. (Maximum: 35)

---

Zero to 60: Writing More Quickly with Tim Harper

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST  (Room 308)

This class is at capacity and no longer accepting registrations.

We all want to write better — but we want to write faster, too, especially for spot news. Longtime writing coach Tim Harper, who has written several books, many magazine articles and hundreds of wire service and newspaper stories on deadline, offers some simple tips and a few exercises for helping become a faster and better writer — not only for short hard news stories but also for longer features when slow writing can hurt productivity and your career. Bring your laptop. (Maximum: 25)

---

New Tools in Adobe Premiere with Kayle Hope

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST  (Remote)

Dive into the latest updates and AI-powered tools in Adobe Premiere, taught by Kayle Hope, ’14. This workshop will focus on the newest AI-powered features in Premiere Pro 2024 including text based editing, speech to text, audio enhancement and color match. Basic understanding of editing in premiere is a prerequisite for this class. Kayle Hope is a video producer and editor based in Vermont. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CBS, Retro Report, and Quartz, among others. Kayle also teaches video storytelling and editing at the Newmark J-School. You can see Kayle’s work at www.kaylehope.com. (Maximum: 30)

Access to Adobe Premiere is required for this course.

---

Covering Cannabis with Alyson Martin

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST  (Remote)

Students will learn the basics of the cannabis beat, from shifting terminology to changing laws. They will learn best practices, common pitfalls, and how to find important story ideas — right here in New York City, and beyond. (Maximum: 20)