Aug. 28 conference focuses on freelance opportunities in D.C.
The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) conference being held Aug. 28 at the National Press Club offers an incredible opportunity to meet editors, bond with freelance colleagues, increase your skill-set and expand your network.
The event will take place in the NPC's ballroom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a cocktail party and networking reception 5 to 7 p.m. The full schedule and registration details are here. The conference is open to all, but ASJA and NPC members are eligible for a discount by using the code dc20npc.
For more information, contact Tam Harbert, Freelance Committee Chair, [email protected] Here's how Harbert views the upcoming event:
Seventeen years ago, I moved to D.C. as national editor of a magazine for technology company executives. My job was to cover Congress and the federal agencies, analyzing how public policy decisions were affecting the tech business. I described myself as a cross between a nerd and a wonk. It was specialized, difficult and fascinating work.
When I went freelance in 2005, I took whatever assignments I could get. My professional network was based in the tech centers of Boston and Silicon Valley. I got a steady flow of assignments from tech publications, but they had little to do with public policy. I often thought I should do more to market my skills to publications in the D.C. area, but never made the time to do so.
This month, my fellow freelancers and I have a golden opportunity to do just that at the D.C. conference of ASJA. As an ASJA member, I have attended their annual conference in New York for years, meeting new editors and fascinating fellow freelancers. Those relationships often lead to great professional opportunities. I’m also honored to be a long-time member of the NPC, which has represented the interests of journalists for over a century and become the place “where news happens.”
The D.C. conference combines the best of both great organizations, which is why I volunteered to chair it along with Emily Paulsen, co-president of ASJA’s D.C. chapter. The conference will open with a keynote by Newseum Chief Operating Officer Gene Policinski, a co-founder of USA Today, about the vital role of freelancers in today’s media.
There will be two concurrent tracks that include panel discussions on such topics as:
• Covering politics
• Keys to successful freelancing in D.C.
• Capitalizing on D.C.’s rich research resources to pitch and write better stories
• Tapping into opportunities that abound at D.C.-based trade associations and non-profits
If you’re there, come introduce yourself. I’ll be the nerdy wonk working the crowd.