Welcome to ASJA's webinars page dedicated to helping freelancers develop their skill set and broaden their professional horizons. Here you can find recorded sessions on a variety of topics that can help you at any stage of your career. Please check this page regularly for any new and upcoming sessions.
Develop and Enhance Your Writing Coaching Business
Thursday, March 18th, 1 - 2:30 PM ET
ASJA Members, $30, Public, $55
Space is limited
Have you thought about sharing your writing expertise with others through coaching? Then our next event is for you! Whether you are looking to launch a writing coaching business or learn new skills to bring more to your existing clients, freelance journalist and writing coach Rebecca L. Weber is available to guide you in our next mastermind session. The lesson will be tailored to the interests of the class.
Rebecca L. Weber is a freelance journalist and writing coach who has written for CNN, the New York Times, Dwell, Marie Claire, and many other publications. Rebecca hosts The Writing Coach Podcast and coaches writers in both private 1:1 and small group settings. Born and raised in Boston, she is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa. Visit her online at www.rebeccalweber.com.
How to Do a Tedx
Has giving a TEDx talk always been on your bucket list? Do you wonder how others speakers get to deliver one, two or even more TEDx talks throughout their careers? And you think you have what it takes to do the same? Then you can't miss our next event. We're bringing together an eclectic mix of experienced TEDx speakers as well as a TEDx events organizer to share the ins and outs of how to give a TEDx talk. From advice on how to land a TEDx talk to practical tips on how to structure and organize your talk.
*The panel wants to hear from YOU! Attendees are encouraged to prepare a TEDx pitch to be critiqued live in the session. Pitches will be submitted through the session chat.*
Damon Brown helps side hustlers, solopreneurs, and other non-traditional creatives bloom. A best-selling author, 2x startup founder, and 4x TED Speaker, Damon's latest title is Build From Now: How to Know Your Power, See Your Abundance & Nourish the World. Learn your strongest creative resources at www.buildfromnowquiz.com.
Dawn Reiss is a Chicago journalist who has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, TIME, The Atlantic, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune.com, Chicago Tribune, Shondaland and many others. She is a former Dallas Morning News and Tampa Bay Times staff writer. Find her on Instagram and Twitter @DawnReiss or DawnReiss.com
Arthur Zards has been producing the Midwest's largest ideas based event, TEDxNaperville, since 2009. His speakers have amassed over 25 million YouTube views and growing. He has coached and shaped the ideas of over 250 distinct speakers, from high school students to billionaires, astronauts to Olympic medalists, and even an entire marching band. When not helping speakers be their best, he helps organizations create virtual events and experiences.
Moderator: Kate Hanley is a bestselling ghostwriter, author of How to Be a Better Person, and host of the "How to Be a Better Person" podcast. Kate has a dream of giving a Tedx talk and will not hesitate to ask the questions that will help us all leave the panel ready to go write and deliver a killer talk.
Recording coming soon
Secrets of Book Publishing with Susan Shapiro: A Case Study
Are you a seasoned writer looking to publish your first book this year? Or perhaps you're an established author looking to fine-tune and improve on your future book launches? Then you're in the right place! Join us for our virtual session with the renowned Susan Shapiro where we'll discuss the launch of her new book "The Forgiveness Tour: How to Find the Perfect Apology" and how she went about the publishing process. From conceptualizing the idea and finding an agent all the way to marketing and book promotion post-publication. Don't miss out on an opportunity to take your writing career to the next level!
Susan Shapiro, an award-winning writing professor, freelances for the NY Times, NY Magazine, WSJ, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Elle, Oprah, Wired & New Yorker online. She's the bestselling author/co-author of 14 books her family hates like the writing guide The Byline Bible and new memoir The Forgiveness Tour (which an ASJA award helped her publish.) She teaches her popular "instant gratification takes too long" courses at The New School, NYU, Columbia University and in private online classes. Follow her on Twitter at @susanshapironet, Instagram at @Profsue123
ASJA Members, click here to access the recording
Non-members, click here to purchase the recording - $10
Coping with Pandemic Anxiety
It is normal in this totally abnormal time to at least sometimes feel like an emotional basket case. EVERY aspect of our lives feels upended from anxiety over our health and those of our loved ones to economic duress (worse than usual for freelancers!) to the limbo of not having an end date to this crisis.
Join, ASJA member, author and therapist, Sherry Amatenstein, to share feelings, learn strategies and essential dos and don’ts to help you weather this crisis.
ASJA Members, click here to access the recording
Non-members, click here to purchase the recording - $10
Freelancing and the Pandemic: Content Marketing
Freelance content marketing guru, Jennifer Goforth Gregory, along with content marketing experts, will talk about how to keep clients coming back for more, even during these difficult times. Get insight on how COVID-19 is impacting content marketing and how freelancers can proactively manage their content marketing businesses through these unprecedented times.
ASJA Members, click here to access the recording
Non-members, click here to purchase the recording - $10
Moderator: Jennifer Goforth Gregory
Speakers: Clare McDermott - Clare McDermott is the co-founder and head of research at Mantis Research, a marketing consultancy that helps brands publish and amplify original research. Before launching Mantis, she was the founding editor of Chief Content Officer magazine, the leading print magazine for content marketing executives. Clare also ran a content marketing consultancy called SoloPortfolio for over a decade; there she helped enterprise technology and consulting brands embrace a publishing mindset.
Nick Clunn — Nick Clunn is a senior editor in the Forbes Content Studio, which creates original content in partnership with Forbes advertisers. He specializes in multimedia work, collaborating with designers, artists and photographers to build webpages that best suit the story. Before becoming a branded content editor, Nick worked as a staff writer for daily newspapers and won several awards for investigative reporting. He lives in Jersey City with his wife and two children.
Jason Anthony — The Foundry at Meredith— formerly the content studios at Time Inc.—is the force behind some of the most dynamic titles in custom publishing. Jason Anthony has been an innovator in this creative division for 15 years, and is the currently the editor of Proto, an award-winning science magazine created for Massachusetts General Hospital. He can speak to how writers can break into custom publishing and the skills and topic expertise that editors are looking for today. He will also share examples of his work with CVS, the New York Stock Exchange, Caesars Entertainment and other industry leaders who lean heavily on well-reported, well-written journalism to connect with their audiences.
Pitching Our Stories and Ourselves in a Time of COVID-19
This virtual panel, with Jack El-Hai, Damon Brown, and Robin Henig, will discuss and take questions on different approaches to developing and pitching our stories and expertise in decidedly unusual times for freelance writers. The panelists will cover developing intriguing story ideas, proposing stories, and marketing ourselves when our usual methods of doing so may need tweaking.
ASJA Memberlick here to access the recording
Non-members, click here to purchase the recording - $10
DAMON BROWN helps side hustlers, solopreneurs, and other non-traditional creatives bloom. As a best-selling author, two-time startup founder, and three-time TED Speaker, Damon co-founded the popular platonic connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year, all while being the primary caretaker of his infant first son. He now guides others through his one-on-one coaching, Inc. Magazine column, and public speaking on platforms like TED. He also teaches speechwriting at the premier performing school Heroic Public Speaking. Damon’s latest book is Bring Your Worth: Level Up Your Creative Power, Value & Service in the World, the follow-up to his best-seller The Ultimate Bite-Sized Entrepreneur: 76 Ways to Boost Time, Focus & Productivity on Your Big Idea. He was the first Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the Toledo Library. Join his community at JoinDamon.me.
JACK EL-HAI, a past president of ASJA, is the author of many books (most recently The Lost Brothers: A Family’s Decades-Long Search). He has contributed to The Atlantic, GQ, Discover, Scientific American Mind, Wired, and many other publications, and is the writer and host of the true-crime podcast Long Lost.
ROBIN MARANTZ HENIG is a long-time freelance writer and author of nine books, most recently "Twentysomething" (co-authored with her daughter, Samantha Henig), "Pandora's Baby" (about early efforts at in vitro fertilization), and "The Monk in the Garden" (about Gregor Mendel and the founding of genetics). She is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine, where she is a contributing writer, as well as National Geographic, Scientific American, and others. She is also the proud recipient of ASJA's Career Achievement Award.