Los Angelena on a Metro transit tour (HD version) from Corey Takahashi on Vimeo.

Date & Location: Friday, August 6, 2010 | 10am to Noon | The Los Angeles Times, 202 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA (RSVP required)

This is a session for local community organizations to learn how to pitch their stories to the media and how to get their news covered.

Meet with local and national journalists in print, broadcast and online media. How do these reporters, editors and producers choose stories to cover? What’s a pitch, and what should go into one? How do you pitch a local story to national media? How can you help journalists gain access to and understand diverse communities?

Learn from these journalists and hear first-hand how they make their news decisions. The workshop will include a one-hour panel discussion involving several journalists from Los Angeles and across the country. Then the session will move into small groups, with a journalist facilitating a conversation in each group. The session will wrap up with a final Q&A.

Space is limited so please RSVP by Thursday, July 15 at http://bit.ly/AAJA2010MediaAccess

PRESENTED BY THE ASIAN AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LOS ANGELES TIMES. SPONSORED BY UNION BANK

MODERATOR: Thomas Huang, Sunday & Enterprise Editor, The Dallas Morning News; Ethics & Diversity Fellow, The Poynter Institute

PANELISTS: Keith Woods, Vice President, National Public Radio; Jenny Hamel, Reporter/Anchor, San Diego 6 News; Elise Hu-Stiles, Online Reporter, The Texas Tribune; Gretchen Parker, Public Communications Manager, USC Annenberg; My-Thuan Tran, Reporter, Los Angeles Times; Victor Hernandez, Director of Coverage/ADJ Project Manager, CNN; Linda Takahashi, Freelance broadcast journalist

For more information: http://www.aaja.org/programs/convention2010losangeles/community2010/

or contact Tom Huang (tom.t.huang@gmail.com) or Joz Wang (jozjozjoz@gmail.com)

(NOTE: No shuttle service provided for this event from the AAJA Convention.)

Wrap up the convention in true Southern California style with a trip to Disneyland! Just $85 will get you transportation to and from the convention hotel to the theme park, plus admission. This is a fantastic group rate, which is only available if at least 50 people sign up. The regular admission rate alone is $72! So don’t wait! Those who RSVP will be asked to pre-pay for the trip, so as to ensure attendance. (The trip will be canceled if not enough people RSVP). RSVP email.snwong@gmail.com by Tuesday, July 6.

The Price Is Right | Tuesday, August (all day)

Be a part of the live studio audience at The Price Is Right. You’ll get to see Drew Carey and the girls up close and personal, AND possibly get the contestant call to “Come on down!” RSVP gelim@cbs.com by Tuesday, July 6.

Lucky Strikes Bowling | Thursday, August 5 (late evening)

No one goes to bed early in L.A. – and certainly not during convention week. Meet at the star-studded and famous Lucky Strikes bowling alley located within the hotel’s Hollywood and Highland complex at 10 pm, for a fun late night of bowling and networking! RSVP bryanchu8@gmail.com

The Huntington Gardens | Saturday, August 7 | 10A – 4P

The world-famous Huntington Gardens invites all AAJA convention attendees to experience paradise in the heart of Pasadena. From the enchanting Japanese garden to the recently added multi-million dollar Chinese garden to priceless artwork. RSVP gelim@cbs.com by Saturday, July 31.

We are looking for dynamic individuals that can be very hands-on and practical, not just theoretical.  So drop us a note with the name of the speaker, why you think the speaker would be a good fit for this year’s convention and if available, a link to their bio and contact information, and if possible some youtube video if available. Please submit panelists recommendation to feedback@aaja.org by Friday, May 7th

The topics they will be speaking on come from the ideas we asked you about earlier this year.

The State of Journalism

We’re examining where we are and what’s to come within the broadcast, print and Web world

• Online Journalism, Present and Future: Panelists describe storytelling methods, emerging technologies and digital skills for social media, data visualization and citizen journalism. What works — and what’s next.
• Broadcast Journalism, Present and Future: Change is transforming our TV and radio newsrooms. Panelists discuss the latest innovations and emerging technologies as means to enhancing storytelling.
• Print Journalism, Present and Future: Where is print heading? Which business models are working? Panelists lead a discussion on innovation, consolidation, experimentation and progression.

Career Crossroads

The current job market is dreary, but these sessions will help illuminate your way.

• Building Your Brand: Learn how to present yourself to best effect through tools both contemporary (blogs and social media) and traditional (your résumé and networking)
• Your Career, the Sequel: Seeking alternatives to traditional media companies? Explore freelancing or working abroad as options for your journalism second life.
• Survivors’ Island – Coping With Unemployment: A rundown on healthcare, unemployment benefits, severance packages, legal counsel, financial planning and retirement.
• Opportunities in Digital Journalism: You hopped on the DJ train early and never looked back. Now what? Learn about opportunities in our changing newsrooms, pitching yourself and staying competitive.
• Be Your Own Boss: Ever wonder whether you would be better off starting your own media business? Hear how from journalists who have proved it can be done.
• Platform Portability: Broadcast and print have skills that translate to the Web and vice versa. Learn how to market yourself and gain the tools you will need to master the medium.

Diversifying your coverage

Enhance your reporting repertoire with advice, tips and techniques from experts.

• A Hyphenated World: Journalists face challenges covering a diverse, multicultural landscape. How to counter prevalent stereotypes — with a focus on Asian Americans in Hollywood — and report with style and nuance.
• Diversity in New Media: The Internet offers a symphonic range of voices. Experts and experimenters alike talk tips, hurdles and highlights in making diversity work for you and your audience.
• In Search of Arab America: How conversant are you in covering the vital Arab American community? A discussion of trends, story ideas and potential.
• A View From the Right: Conservative pundits and activists seem to be everywhere. Is there diversity within the segment? We’ll discuss the growth of the right and best practices for objective coverage.

Practical skill upgrade

Arm yourself with a multi-level education to bolster your current career and future potential.

• Broadcast Meets Web: It sounds beautiful on the air and looks great on TV. We’ll show you how to make that same story or script sparkle online and draw in readers.
• Print Meets Airwaves: Great print copy doesn’t always translate smoothly onto air. Learn from expert editors and reporters how to craft effective scripts for video and audio.
• Beginning Interactive Narrative: Learn how to tap the tools of interactive storytelling, whether it’s writing short, as in creating video for the Web, or tackling longer-form nonlinear pieces.
• Intermediate Interactive Narrative: Planning is key to a successful interactive experience. Learn to prioritize, storyboard and chart how multimedia elements blend in order to use your time efficiently.
• Advanced Interactive Narrative: Your videos, graphics, databases and text are ready to go. Learn how to intertwine those elements and use social media to reach a broader audience.
• Audio for Print Journalists: Sounds, scenes, emotion, vocal tone — these are the key elements of a strong audio story. Learn how to rethink and rework your print story.
• Audio for Broadcast Journalists: Learn how natural sound can enhance even the shortest segment. Among the lessons: how to recut your broadcast piece for radio.
• Shooting Video: We’ll cover the basics in a hands-on workshop: what you need to know about cameras, shooting B-roll, light, framing and other fundamentals.
• Editing Video: Now that you’ve shot your video, what are you going to do with it? Learn tips from the pros in a hands-on workshop about editing broadcast and digital packages.

Digital know-how

There’s no question that the media market is increasingly digital. Let’s look at how far we’ve come and what’s in store.

• Beginning Social Media: Learn the basics of social media — mastering the lingo, assembling your basic tool kit and drawing on experts’ tricks of the trade.
• Intermediate Social Media: You’re grounded in the basics — so what’s over the horizon for journalists who want to stay ahead of the curve?
• Advanced Social Media: Explore how others have built tools on top of Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks to gather news and interact with audiences.
• SEO for Journalists: More than 80% of users click one of the top three results on any given Web search. We’ll discuss methods for boosting your standing in search queries.
• The All-Platform Journalist: Most of us are being asked to meet multiple deadlines for multiple platforms. Find out what skills and gear you need to create great packages for broadcast, online and mobile.
• Strengthening Investigative Journalism: The technology may evolve, but the value of local watchdog journalism persists. This workshop presents the latest innovations in delivering investigative pieces to digital readers.

Media Innovation

Let innovation in upstarts, trends and technology provide inspiration for current projects and future plans.

• Hyperlocal News: From small start-ups to legacy media players, it seems that everyone is going hyperlocal. A discussion of lessons learned and keys to success.
• Innovative Upstarts: Listen to the behind-the-scenes success stories of entrepreneurs and funders who have brought new media projects to market.
• Ten Essential Tech Trends: As journalists seek out stories — or new business models — technologists are developing tools for gathering and sharing content. Hear what’s next.
• Future of Mobile: Mobile technology means you no longer need a computer to publish text, photos and video. Find out how iPhones, iPads and Flip cams are affecting journalists and news consumers.
• Data Visualization: Many newsrooms are using databases in innovative ways. Hear from industry leaders about how to use data to enrich your storytelling and create effective visualizations.
• Media-Centric Design: Many media innovations have been created outside the journalism industry. Design industry leaders will tell us about hardware and storytelling methods that could eventually make it to the newsroom.

Event: 21st Annual Asian American Journalists Convention

When: August 4 to 7, 2010.

Where: Renaissance Hotel, 1755 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The annual Asian American Journalists Association returns to Los Angeles for the first time in 17 years August 4-7, 2010 at the Renaissance Hotel near the world-famous Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex. Our world-class program features panels and workshops to strengthen your skills in this dynamic field. Learn new technologies and techniques for investigative journalism, developing stories for multi-media platforms, covering ethnic communities and foreign coverage.

Some conference highlights:

Job recruiters from The Associated Press, CNN, The Detroit News, Eli Lilly and Company, Gannett Co., Inc, Gilead, Marketwire, The McClatchy Company, NBC News, The New York Times, NY Daily News, Social Imprints, USA TODAY, The Washington Post and more TBA.

Laura Ling, a correspondent for Current TV, who was detained in North Korea for 140 days and brought back to the U.S. by Bill Clinton. She has since become an advocate for imprisoned journalists around the world and trafficked women.

Ben Fong-Torres, a former senior editor and writer with Rolling Stone magazine, who was portrayed in Almost Famous, the 2000 film by Cameron Crowe. The Renaissance Media Man blazed trails both print and broadcast media during the revolutionary, counter-cultural civil rights-embattled 1960s.

AAJA’s founders and other Asian American media pioneers.

Free dinner cruise of the beautiful Long Beach Harbor, home of the historic Queen Mary. Transportation to and from the harbor included.

-Opening night reception

-Silent auction

-Gala banquet

-Networking mixers

-Field trips to Disneyland, The Price Is Right TV show, Huntington Gardens

Register online or download the convention registration book which includes travel information, convention highlights, national awards forms, and more.

Save 25% with early-bird registration. Pay only $225 (professional members) $100 (student members) if you sign up by April 16. Registration costs $300 (professional members) $150 (student members) thereafter. On-site registration costs $375 (professional members) $200 (student members). First 100 registrants to book their hotel by May 1 gets free wi-fi access in their rooms.