Innovative Journalists Series: Amy Sancetta

If you've picked up a newspaper or magazine in the past 25 years and read a story about a big sports or news event--Super Bowl, Olympics, 9/11--the copy was most likely accompanied by a photograph by Amy Sancetta.

For the past 25 years, Sancetta has been a staff photographer for the Associated Press. Her photographs--including the one above--have not only brought illumination to major events, but added the context only pictures can. She is a true photo-journalist, one of a kind.

We interviewed Sancetta as part of our 'Innovative Journalists' series, and here is an excerpt-

How did your career evolve on the track it is on today?
Hard work, good work, being a good teammate in every situation, and impressing the photographers that I encountered along the way. I’ve had three professional jobs in my like post-college. The first summer I interned as a photographer for the Mansfield News Journal. My second was as a staff photographer for the Columbus Dispatch for 2 years. And the last as a staff photographer for the Associated Press, a job I’ve held for the last 25 years. In each instance, someone or a number of someones, recommended me for the job. Both Mansfield and Columbus knew me and my work from the stringing I did at the AP while in college. When the photo editor at the AP in Philadelphia had an opening, he took resumes, but also polled his colleagues for their recommendations. A number of AP staffers recommended me, including some I had met while working for the Dispatch covering away Ohio State football games. The photo editor called me, I applied, and I got the job. Pretty neat. I felt like my good pictures, good teamwork, and willingness to do whatever was asked of me for the job led to my getting all three of those job.

How do you feel about the industry today? When did you notice a shift in consumer habits?
It’s a scary time in our industry today. The tough economy is wreaking havoc in the newspaper world. At the same time, there is a voracious appetite for content. I think this is one of those pivotal times in our industry, when we will see a major shift in how information is passed along to the consumer. More content is being asked for, it’s just the container that’s changing.

What innovations are necessary in order to keep journalism viable? Do you have a big idea?
I think the traditional high standards of journalism will be what in the end saves the business. There are so many ways to get news these days, but very few of them are credible. I think when all the flash and glitter, the cell phone videos and blogs are washed out, that the last man standing with be the voice of record. The voice that is reliable and credible and trustworthy. So rather than looking around for some flashy way to maintain readership or viewership, I think looking back at ways to maintain high standards will separate the winners from the losers in this fight.

What ideas are being applied today that excites you about the industry moving forward?
I love photographer driven video—what I like to call little mini movies, for the web. I’ve had the chance to delve into this brand of story telling, and it’s exciting. The ability to shoot video with a photographer’s eye, and then collect audio, either live from the scene or in the voice of the players in the story being told, and then weaving that all together. It’s the best of the traditional picture story, but coming to life with sound. I love it. I think they are highly watchable, and satisfy one of the things I think I can bring to the table—sharing what I see and hear with others who can’t be right there too.

How to Start Your Own ESPN

If you watch ESPN as much as I do--what is exactly on the other 300 channels anyway?--you understand the power of branding. ESPN is a content factory, a media behemoth that not only delivers news, it frames the daily dialogue about the news. It got me thinking- how can someone without the ESPN brand behind them have the same reach and market penetration? Just because you don't have millions of cable subscribers or PTI, doesn't mean you can't have an impact. Here are 3 quick steps journalists can take to develop their own ESPN brand:

1. Understand and Use Technology More journalism schools are finally catching about the importance of inserting technology into curriculum's. I am in grad school now just for this reason. The tech skills I learned at Michigan State in the early to mid-90's--how to shoot on a 3/4" camera--would be like giving your child an abacus to teach them how to count. Take an editing or web design class, subscribe to blogs like Tech Crunch. Read BreakingTweets. Don't be afraid of technology, embrace it.

2. Harness the power of Social Media OK, so you are on Facebook and maybe you are Twittering by now. But how are you using them both? There is a difference between being on both and actually getting value. Reach out to other journalists you like and offer to Tweet one of their articles. Join a Facebook page such as the In Denver Times and show support for their new business model. Giving before you receive is a lockstep creed in social media. Provide value first, then you will get it back. Many times over.

3. ABM- Always Be Marketing One of the things that makes ESPN so powerful is they have acquired "top of the mind awareness". When A-Rod admits to juicing, when T.O. pops off, where is our cable landing strip? ESPN, without blinking. This didn't happen overnight. They've been around for 30 years. Thanks to technology, you don't have to wait that long. When you publish content, be sure people know about it. Check out sites like RyanStephensMarketing.com and this one on how to virally market your content.

In today's media, your shelf life is no longer dependent on just your ability to be a good journalist. You must also think like an entrepreneur.

Mentorship=Success

In 1996, I was a first-time television reporter working in Augusta, Georgia. I had the basic skills I needed to acquire the job--I could write to video relatively well and thanks to really good face powder, in the looks department, I was passable on camera. What I didn't have was self-confidence, a product of being a rookie reporter. What I needed was experience. And I got it, thanks to a man named Byron Grandy.

Byron saw something in me no one else did. He threw me into situations where he knew I would be uncomfortable, just so I would gain the experience. Leaning how to fail is essential before you can appreciate success. Byron taught me how to fail forward, not backwards. They were lessons that can only come from a mentor.

As part of our weekly innovator series, we interviewed Grandy, currently General Manager of KMGH-TV, the ABC affiliate in Denver, CO. Here is a portion of the interview, the rest we will post later in the week.

What was your first job?

My first paying job was at KBTX-TV in Bryan, TX. I made just over 3 dollars an hour but loved every minute of it. I hounded the ND at the station for weeks, calling with story ideas and to let him know I was available to cover things for them in the neighboring town I was living. I think the ND just got tired of hearing from me and hired me. I appreciate what he did.

Who was a mentor for you in the business? What did they teach you?

All of my bosses have been mentors. I have learned much from all of these leaders. They have taught me the lesson of “to have real power is the ability to empower others.” You must understand you’re not going to do it alone so you must be involved with others. They have taught me the value of compassion in leadership. To make sure you are there for them in the tough times not just the good. I have learned the value of listening and collaboration.

How did your career evolve on the track it is on today?

Who knows. I was a TV weatherman in 1983 and now they let me run a TV station. I’m not sure there is a track. You just work hard each day, learn what you can and look for the job that you enjoy and are challenged in. I’ve always told people you can do whatever you want in this business. You just have to get going and keep your eyes open. After years as a reporter I wanted to have impact on more than just the story I was doing so I got in to managing newsrooms. After years of that, I liked the challenge of running a business so I set my sights on the GM job.


Byron is not only a mentor to many, he has a few innovative ideas on journalism moving forward, and we will share those with you in our next post.

Forward Thinking Journalism

Terrific chat yesterday sponsored by the Poynter Institute. Mark Briggs, who runs a consulting company and edits a blog answered questions related to the topic of entreprenueurial journalism.

Some of the highlights of the chat were the following-

*When asked about how combining the two concepts, Briggs said, "entreprenueurism is really about creating new products, new ideas and new businesses to capture some of the economic benefit from the vision and the hard work." Precisely. Those that are not only bold in their thinking, but also implement those bold ideas will be the victors. Expecting a significant financial reward should be part of this thinking.

*When asked how to make money in entrepreneurial journalism, Briggs said, "start your own media site, like a hyperlocal news blog, and attempt to make advertising revenue." He also mentions the importance of developing technology that can be used by other media companies. Monetizing blogs is a challenging task in a very noisy environment. The key to sustaining a business model is driving eyeballs to a site where you aggregate your content using technology- ebooks, audio, video. Information marketers call this "building a list" and it is what journalists will have to learn to sustain their business model.

It's not enough anymore to think like a writer. To be a well-fed journalist, you must also think like a marketer.

Innovative Journalists Series: Steve Foster

This week is the first of a series on innovative journalists. The idea is to publicize journalists who are pushing invention, injecting entrepreneuriship at a time when the industry is in dire need of new concepts. This week we publish an excerpt from a Q & A Innovative Journalists did with Steve Foster, former online sports editor of the now defunct Rocky Mountain News. Steve, along with dozens of his former collegues, are launching a new venture, which you can read about at length here in a terrific story by Poynter's Steve Myers.

I asked Steve about who his first mentor was, when he first noticed change in the industry and what innovations are needed to keep it relevant.

Who was a mentor for you in the business? What did they teach you?

John Temple, the editor and publisher of the Rocky Mountain News, has been key to my career. Without him, I would have not come back to the Rocky Mountain News and found myself at this odd nexus of closings and openings. He helped me understand how important it is to not get locked into doing one thing and to always be open to changing jobs, changing visions to match the work needed to be done.

How do you feel about the industry today? When did you notice a shift in consumer habits?

We’re at a crossroads. Journalism has been gradually, steadily slipping out of the hands of journalists and communities. More independent journalists are providing news, but while some of them are good and actually report new news, most are merely reacting to what others’ report. So the quality has been dropping, but more importantly, the connection to the community has been eroding along with it. We need to bring the community back to the coverage, stop reporting as if we’re talking down to the public, and listen and talk to our readers. As for when I noticed a change in customers habits: when I started reading news online for two hours in the morning before I picked up the newspaper from my doorstep.

What innovations are necessary in order to keep journalism viable?

It isn’t so much innovation that’s need as better application. People are getting their news in new ways, and doing so at a much faster rate then newsroom developers can keep up. The idea of a dedicated mobile site is a mystery to many newsrooms, yet a large number of page views come from mobile phones. Newsrooms need to keep up and apply the technology that their readers already want to use.

Innovative Thinker Series

Around the media universe, the dialogue for how to fix the journalism business model is growing. This is good, as the more conversation is pushed, the better the odds innovative ideas will be hatched.

From a New York University professor who is using his platform to encourage experimentation, to the over half-century Knight Foundation which awards innovative ideas, and if you read this article, there are many who are already designing new models.

Beginning this week, we will launch a series featuring those journalists that are on the front lines; creating, building, innovating.

If you have an idea for someone to be featured, drop the author a line.

Journapreneurship

A short definition of entrepreneurship is "the practice of starting new organizations or revitalizing mature organizations". Combining this dynamic with the practice of journalism and you have the potential for innovation.

At a recent seminar sponsored by the non-profit think tank Poynter Institute, journalists from all over engaged in dialogue blending this concept.

Mark Briggs, who attended the seminar, is an author and co-founder of Serra Media. Mark has a terrific blog with great content on the industry today and its future.

The big picture question is, in order for journalism to be viable moving forward, should it be positioned as a "new organization" in need of start up equity, or a "mature organiztion" that needs to be revitalized?

From Obliteration to Innovation

Anybody know who Mary Kay Ash is? She's the woman who founded Mary Kay cosmetics. Her model of independence spawned thousands of women around the world to start their own businesses. Ash once said, "For every failure there is an alternative way of action."

Some folks at the Rocky Mountain News have taken this to heart. After 150 years, the newspaper closed it's doors last week, a victim of today's failing newspaper business model. Hundreds are out of a job, adding to an already lengthy list of out-of-work journalists. But out of this shit storm another story has emerged.

One of the founders of the launch , Steve Foster, will be a featured essay in our book. These types of stories are what needs to be reported on in blogs such as these. We know the mainstream press doesn't care. Does anybody honestly want to listen to Wolf Blitzer pompously pontificate about how many more Americans are unemployed?

Innovation or Annihilation? I choose innovation.

Collective Brain Equity

A few weeks ago, there was a meeting of the minds regarding our industry here in Chicago. Borrowing a page from politics, it was a journalism version of a town hall meeting. Standing room only, with plenty of opinions and discussion about the state of journalism now and beyond.

A plethora of ideas were tossed around from non-profit partnerships to the Dow Jones model of subscription-based content. Whatever your personal viewpoints on how to monetize the business moving forward, I would encourage more of these town hall-style chats. There is something to be said for collective brain power, especially when the ambition is innovation.

Anyone else in other markets holding an event like this?

Interview excerpt with Dan Hickling

Some of you may know Dan Hickling, a well-regarded freelance writer who lives in Maine. Dan agreed to be interviewed for our book, and here is a portion of the interview here. I like Dan's attitude about the business...change is here and within lies opportunity.



Are the skill sets that made you successful the same today as they were when you were coming up?

Not sure what those skills are, other than being a decent judge of people. And I can ask a question or two. I work hard at my writing, and since I've never had a client refuse to use me again, I guess that has been sufficient. However, I am a man of faith, and probably enjoy the craft of sports writing more each day than the previous one, and people I deal with seem to pick up on that.

How do you feel about the industry today?

I feel we're on the verge of something uncharted. There is a thirst for information, and somehow, some way, it has to be quenched. Newspapers as that conduit are dying. But as old as I am (55), I am one to embrace change, and I want to be part of whatever is coming next. I see it as a challenge, but as an opportunity, too.

What innovations are necessary in order to keep journalism viable?

As long as our hearts, minds, and reservoir of courage can keep ahead of the technology, journalism will be viable.

Dan Hickling

WSJ sports section- already a fan

I read that Rupert Murdoch has beefed up the sports section at the Wall Street Journal. More issue-oriented, enterprise stories. I believe there is space in the marketplace for this. As the sports world continues to be driven by economics, journalism that documents this will be more in demand. Thoughts?