Cape Cod Media Conference Showcases Creative Perspectives
by Jenna Schmidt
“It’s been a wonderful event. It went smoothly, everybody chipped in, all the students did a great job.” says Lisa Zinsius of the 2024 Cape Cod Media Conference.
Zinsius played a key role as the professor for 90.7 WKKL, 4Cs radio station, that helps to put on the conference held at the college. Panels of professionals and students in the media world came together to talk about balancing their creative passions and making a living.
One of the first breakout session panels featured The MainSheet editors, those moving on and coming in. The editors talked about relationships they’ve formed in the professional world and on campus. They all indicated that working on The MainSheet as reporters and editors has helped with their confidence and understanding of what it means to be a journalist. The goal of journalism when done correctly is to tell the reader the truth and inform the audience about important information. To the MainSheet editors, journalism is a noble profession.
MainSheet Editors Panel left to right: Tribekah Jordan, Olivia Appleton, Jessica Lynch, Amber Rivard and Tim Miller. (Jenna Schmidt)
One of panels for breakout session two also featured writers but this time on a professional scale. All three of the panelists have books published, thus experience in navigating the publishing world and balancing a more creative field of work with the reality of bills and multiple jobs outside of a college environment.
Ted Murphy took his love for writing and centered his entire career around it. Murphy has published many books across more than one genre but uses teaching to supplement his income. He teaches young writers in the summer and finds collaboration helps him in his creative writing for his books.
Amy Sanger is the author and illustrator for her children’s book series and is working on her first novel. She works in an unrelated field, healthcare, but dedicates time to connect with other authors and work on her writing in the mornings.
Jason Savio’s debut novel came out in 2022 and he has his master’s degree in journalism. For both of his careers he writes professionally but in very different styles.
Journalists must write in a specific style for professional publication in newspapers, but novels allow for more creativity in style and writing. Creatives often must balance the writing they are most passionate about with living in a world dominated by money. These panelists were able to shed light on the many ways they are about to do this.
The Writer’s Life panelists left to write: Amy Sanger, Jason Savio, Ted Murphy. (Jenna Schmidt)
The third breakout session featured one panel where critics focused on prioritizing your passion and making it as a freelance writer. Freelance critics either publish their reviews themselves on their own website or work with but not necessarily for a larger magazine or newspaper to publish their work. Freelance writers get paid per review and aren’t salaried positions, so freelancers have to hustle and often work other jobs. Some of the featured freelance critics hold another steady job in the media field such as editing for a newspaper or corresponding with larger networks. Others find steady income in other fields such as teaching or in Sarah Vincent’s case working as a lawyer. In this panel it was indicated that connections and maintaining relationships is very helpful in a field as connected as reviewing, but it’s just as much about what you do once you get into the room as it is about who you know.
Pursuing Your Passion: Making It as a Freelance Critic: Bill O’Neill, Amber Rivard, Allyson Johnson, Sarah Vincent, Tim Miller. (Jenna Schmidt)
After lunch students had the opportunity to present their work and learn about campus-run media outlets and places to get published.
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