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Former CBS Executive Producer Talks Impact Of Coronavirus On Media, Journalism

The first episode of Season 5 of The Rough Cut is live, directly from quarantine -- focusing on how the Coronavirus pandemic is changing the creative industry like never before. Storyhunter co-founder Alex Ragir will be speaking with the most innovative minds in media, content and video production -- with remote interviews from quarantine. On this episode, he speaks with Mosheh Oinounou, the former Executive Producer of CBS Evening News and 24-hour digital news network CBSN. Mosheh has been working with Conde Nast on developing shows for Quibi, and using his Instagram account (@mosheh) to provide aggregate real-time coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic on his Instagram Stories.

Alex and Mosheh talked about ways that the coronavirus pandemic is forcing us to evolve as journalists, covering news on Instagram Stories, the importance of quality journalism during this particular crisis and what aspiring journalists should do to set themselves up for a career like his.

On the go? Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you listen to your shows!

Great Big Story Tapped Into The Power of Freelancers To Tell A Different Kind of Coronavirus Story

Freelancers and Production Companies Are Ready To Work, Storyhunter Survey Shows

As part of our ongoing efforts to better understand the local dynamics affecting the freelance production industry during the pandemic, we sent a survey out to our entire active community on Storyhunter, more than 28,000 freelancers and production companies from every country on earth. In total, we received responses from nearly 1,000 freelance professionals from 120 countries. For the benefit of the video production industry, we''re publishing all of our data.

Click below to see the results of the survey.

Have You Read Our New Safety Guidelines?

Voting For The #CreativeUnderQuarantine Contest 
Is Now Open!

With everyone in the world wearing masks these days, isn't it nice to finally see a smile? We definitely think so. The young man sporting that happy faceis Sandro Lobo, and Brazil's leading expert in Laughter Yoga. Freelance video journalist Dirceu Neto saw a Call for Pitches from BBC Reel asking for stories that would fit their series Spiritual Awakening, which presents innovative techniques that help people deal with their emotions. If you''re curious or even skeptical about Laughter Yoga, you have to watch the video Dirceu shot for BBC Reel. You might just want to try it out! 

After you're done learning about this revolutionary style of yoga, check out the other videos that were selected to the July 2020 Storyhunter Staff Picks. You'll find stories of underrepresented populations, world-class motion graphics, cultural staples from the smallest corners of the world, and more.

Great Big Story Tapped Into The Power of Freelancers To Tell A Different Kind of Coronavirus Story

This pandemic has taken over our way of life, the media ecosystem included. When you turn on your television or open Twitter, there''s a good chance that you''ll be seeing some coverage of it, usually from a science or government angle. It''s not often, though, that we hear about the human experience of what''s happening. Great Big Story noticed that, and felt it was their duty to bring this sort of media to our screens. It was no easy task but after collaborating with eight freelancers in our community, they produced a short-documentary that showed that even though we''re in different areas of the world, we''re all experiencing the same pandemic and feeling the same way.

Click below to watch the video and get inside look at the work that went into this feel-good project, in this exclusive interview with Great Big Story Senior Producer, Beryl Shereshewsky.

Storyhunter Staff Picks: April 2020

If there's anything we've learned over the course of this pandemic, it's that we, as humans are resilient. Schools around the world are transitioning into remote learning, grocery store clerks continue to do their part, and freelancers are finding new ways to tell stories. We explore some of those ways here. The safety of our community is the most important thing to us right now, as we all are navigating video production in an unfamiliar world. That''s why we put together these guidelines for producing video during the pandemic. Take a look and let us know if you have any constructive feedback. This page will be updated constantly due to the unpredictable nature of our situation.

In this edition of the Storyhunter Staff Picks, you'll see a documentary with footage from eight freelance filmmakers from across the globe, some breathtaking drone footage from the city that usually never sleeps, and much more.

Four-Time Cannes Lions Winner On Remote Work, State of PR Industry During Pandemic

On the second episode of The Rough Cut's fifth season, Storyhunter Co-Founder Alex Ragir spoke with Jenna Young, executive creative director for Weber Shandwick New York and four-time Cannes Lions winner. Alex and Jenna talked about the state of the PR industry during the Coronavirus pandemic, how to safely manage video production teams, advice for young creatives who lost their jobs and how brands need to change their messaging to hit the right tone as the news cycle changes week by week during the Covid-19 outbreak.

On the go? Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you listen to your shows!

PWC's Creative Leader: How To Build "Virtual"
Advertising Agency, Manage Remote Teams

On this episode of The Rough Cut, Storyhunter co-founder Alex Ragir is joined by Jack Teuber, the Managing Director and Creative Leader for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Jack launched PWC's in-house agency in 2012 and established it as a "virtual agency", leading a creative team of 100 interactive, environmental, video, design, digital and account specialists across the US. Alex and Jack talked about how brands should establish their tone during the pandemic, how to effectively manage creatives while working remotely and the future of in-house agencies.

On the go? Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and anywhere else you listen to your shows.

Freelancers and Production Companies Are Ready To Work, Storyhunter Survey Shows

Over the last few years, President Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to journalists and the media in general as "the enemy of the people". This has likely manifested into a climate in which being a journalist in the United States is more dangerous than ever. Recently, the situation has become even more grim, with more than 500 attacks on members of the press occurring in the two months since George Floyd's murder. Linda Tirado is one of those 500 journalists who have unfortunately become part of the story they're trying to cover. On May 29th, she was out photographing the protest in Minneapolis when she was shot by a non-lethal from bullet, allegedly fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. Though her surgeries and her recovery have gone well, she''ll never regain vision in her left eye.

How to Negotiate Like Louis Bloom For the
Best Video Production Rates

As freelance video producers, you have to remember that you are actually business owners. While you may see yourself as a creator, artist or journalist, at the end of the day you have to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur in order to keep doing what you love. The first step is to know the value of your work. And then, if a client doesn't value your services correctly, then you have an imperative to educate them. This is the art of negotiation. 

Take Louis Bloom, Jake Gyllenhaal's character in Nightcrawler, for example. In this film, Gyllenhaal portrays a stringer who goes to extreme lengths to film breaking news stories. He approaches a local news station with exclusive footage of a story that has barely broken yet, which leads to a very memorable negotiation scene. The video producer knew the value of his work, and then masterfully negotiated to make sure he was paid handsomely for his services.

With an ongoing pandemic, an economic meltdown, protests occurring all over the world, and members of the press being assaulted at record-setting levels in the United States, it''s never been more important to make sure you''re being fairly compensated for your work. Click below to read our guide on negotiating video production rates, with some inspiration from Lou Bloom.

Save 15% On Your Raindance Film Festival Entry

On the fourth episode of The Rough Cut's fifth season, Storyhunter co-founder Alex Ragir is joined by Eric Korsh, President of Scout Productions, and former President of Mashable Studio. Scout Productions is the Emmy & Academy Award-winning production company that produced Queer Eye, The Fog of War, and many more shows and movies. Alex and Eric talked about how Scout Productions has transitioned to creating video during the pandemic, what themes should be embedded in the content we create, and how production companies can set themselves up to have their pitches green-lit.

On the go? Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you listen to your shows!

Play9 Co-Founder On Building A Content Studio With World's #2 Youtube Star

On this episode of The Rough Cut, Storyhunter co-founder Alex Ragir travels to Rio de Janeiro to speak with Jo?o Pedro Paes Leme, the co-founder of content studio and influencer marketing agency Play9 (filmed before the Coronavirus pandemic spread to Brazil or the US). Last year, Jo?o Pedro founded Play9 with Felipe Neto, the second-biggest YouTube star in the world. Play9 manages some of the biggest influencers in Brazil, like soccer icon Marta, influencer Bruna Gomez and Final Level, an online gaming hub. Alex and Jo?o Pedro discussed Joao's transition from director of sports journalism for media conglomerate Rede Globo to combining entertainment with e-commerce. They also talk about the rise of TikTok, and what it means to live in "The Age of Authenticity".

On the go? Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you listen to your shows!

Click below to watch some edited highlights of the conversation.

We've been talking with a lot of freelancers since COVID-19 began to spread. Our hearts go out to our whole community. We've all been affected by this in some way, but of course, have an obligation to continue our work. If you haven't seen our guidelines for working in this strange, new world, here are some guidelines for freelancing in the age of the coronavirus.

We spoke to one freelance filmmaker who has been dealing with COVID-19 since before it became a pandemic. This freelancer, who asked us to not reveal his identity, is a native of Wuhan, China. He's been confined to his apartment for over 50 days with his wife and his two year-old daughter, and hasn't been able to work since the city's lockdown went into effect.

Click below for an inside look at what life has been like in Wuhan, and what life could soon be like for freelancers everywhere.

During this pandemic, the dangers associated with video production have been well documented. Freelancers should be following our best practices for creating video while the coronavirus is still running rampant. For those who''ve been covering the Black Lives Matter protests it''s been difficult, if not impossible, to be socially distant. On top of that, with over 470 press freedom violations since late May, journalists are truly putting their safety on the line to report on this historic moment in U.S. history. 

Whether they''re lugging their cameras into the middle of a protest, filming delicious soups in a Colombian restaurant, or creating stellar motion graphics in their own homes, we appreciate the work that members of our freelance community do every day. We're happy to share Storyhunter's Staff Picks: June 2020.

In just the last month, the world has been flipped on its head by the pandemic. And just today we became aware of the sobering fact that over 100,000 people have lost their lives to the coronavirus. Despite that, freelancers have continued to produce while COVID-19 has intensified its stranglehold on our communities. Your dedication is inspiring. And to all freelancers who are simply unable to work because of local ordinances: please continue to stay safe, and know that there are a ton of resources out there to help you get through this impossible time.  

One resource, and opportunity for you to utilize your creative prowise from your own home is our #CreativeUnderQuarantine Contest. We want to know how you''re making it through your quarantine in the form of a video, photo series or whatever form of media you see fit. We''ll select three finalists, and the community will vote on which submission deserves the grand prize of $3,000! For more information, check out the contest page on our blog.

We''re also extremely excited to tell you all about a project that we''re working, that will document how this pandemic affects us all, and brings us together. It''ll be the first known film to include footage from every country on our planet. We are currently recruiting 10-15 amazing international producers to help us record some interviews on Zoom over the next couple of weeks. If you want to learn more about how you can get involved in this ambitious project, please reach out to jake@storyhunter.com.

Now, take some time to watch some of the best projects done by our community in March, in the most recent edition of the Storyhunter Staff Picks.