MASTERCLASSES

Friday 25 June 2010

Journalists: Build your own job

Adam Westbook is a pioneering multimedia, entrepreneurial journalist. He’s brought together his thoughts on what the Next Generation Journalist will need to do to create a successful career and published an ebook with that title.
What  Adam has to say offers a great introduction and overview to being an entreprenurial journalist, and in building what he calls a portfolio career.
You can either listen to the full 20 minute interview with him or go to Clips, quotes and links below for the essential highlights

MMJ Masterclass 12a: How to Build your own Job from Andy Bull on Vimeo.

Clips, quotes and links

Clip 1: The Next Generation Journalist


The next generation journalist is going to have to think differently about their career. Adam says you need to work out how to build your life around your work
Yep, journalism is a lifestyle choice, and if you aren’t happy having it suffuse everything you do, it's probably not for you. But if you enjoy doing it enough that you don’t really make a distinction between work and not-work, then you’ll do well.
To do that you have to love what you are doing, and that’s another key component of Adam’s journalism philosophy

Clip 2: Developing a portfolio career


Instead of one full-time job, the modern-day journalist is likely to work at a combination of activities, some that pay (hopefully at least one that pays well), others that are done for free.
Adam's portfolio looks like this:
  • Teaching video journalism at Kingston University
  • Video journalist for agencies and sites online sites such as VJ Movement
  • Print journalism for clients including The Big Issue
  • Blogging
  • Selling information products, including e-books
For free:
For more on BUILDING YOUR OWN JOB, check out the full Masterclass at Multimedia Journalism: A Practical Guide

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