Visual Editors
Visual Editors, NFP was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2004.
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MattErickson23
MattE.
Joined: 16 Mar 2004
Posts: 772
Location: The Times of Northwest Indiana
Posted:
Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:52 am
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Soak up every session you can get to in every time slot, first and foremost.
There are many professionals who are at the workshop recruiting, even if they don't have booths or postings on the job board. And you never know what will happen down the road. The workshop is one giant party filled with newspaper geeks, plain and simple. And all of us just want more friends! So don't be shy, and introduce yourself to as many people as you can. Meet as many people as you can. Like a Sir Charles Apple, for example. I guarantee you introduce yourself to him, he's going to introduce you to every person who walks past! It's like some kind of crazy pyramid mail scheme. You introduce yourself to one or two people, chat with them for a while, and all of a sudden you start meeting bunches and bunches more people. It's all about networking.
Under 21 and not hanging out at the bars after the workshop day comes to an unofficial end? That's OK. This is a meeting of newspaper designers. There are plenty of people that run excellent fake ID businesses. Kidding, kidding.  Seriously, find a way to hang out with professionals after the sessions and you'll meet tons of people.
Over 21? Buy MattE a screwdriver and you've just made a friend for life. One screwdriver for MattE is the equivalent of four professional intros. It multiplies by two for the first six screwdrivers, but drinks seven, eight and nine mean only one accurate introduction for those three. And drink 10 means I'm slumped over in the corner.
Again, seriously, just hang out with people. Find your way into a group. Like I said, we're all just a bunch of geeks who want more friends. Meet a few people early on and the payoff will be instinctively meeting and getting introduced to a bunch more people the rest of the weekend.
_________________
SND Region 4 (Lakes) Director: Visit the online blog!
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WWLDD?: What Would Larry David Do?
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MattE: The Times NFL Insider columns |
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kriskinkade
Contributing editor
Joined: 29 Jun 2004
Posts: 121
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Posted:
Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:54 pm
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| MattErickson23 wrote:: |
There are many professionals who are at the workshop recruiting, even if they don't have booths or postings on the job board. And you never know what will happen down the road. The workshop is one giant party filled with newspaper geeks, plain and simple. And all of us just want more friends! |
A great icebreaker for introducing yourself to the SND names you've heard about and want to meet is to politely sneak a portfolio of your work under their noses and ask for a quick critique. Of course, you have to be a good study of designer names and have an eagle eye to read those darned name tags that make it hard to tell who people are without staring rudely at their chest. You can do it when they are getting their coffee in the lobby that morning, when they are packing their stuff away after a session, after desert is served at the luncheon, while they are wandering aimlessly around the exhibition hall looking for free swag to take back to their co-workers and while they are deciding whether to make a bid on that Mario Garcia book in the silent auction. Most of them would love the opportunity to meet new people and give their two cents about your work. Sure, some will say they don't have the time right then to do it, but most will then also offer you an alternative time to meet.
Another great place to meet new people is at the exhibitors’ booths. Those people are actually there looking for people to come up and talk to them. They are from some great newspapers and are great contacts.
Matt is right about the hotel bar being the gathering spot after the sessions have ended. If you've made solid contacts during the conference, it's usually pretty easy to pick up the conversation in the bar later. But it does help to make the contacts earlier in the day. By evening, many attendees have made their plans and just a little tougher to break the ice.
Good luck and I hope to see you there.
Oh, another good tip is to bring a spare bag for all the cool handouts, swag, newspapers to look at later, etc. You won't regret it.
_________________
An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out. -- Will Rogers |
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Lauren Hastings
Tiki Lounger
Joined: 26 Jul 2004
Posts: 8
Location: The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah
Posted:
Mon Aug 21, 2006 3:55 pm
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Ashley, be sure to go to the student workshop hosted before the convention actually begins. It's the only time when multiple professionals are focused solely on portfolio critiques and willing to give you their undivided attention. I can't tell you how much feedback I got from that session back in San Jose two years ago. When the convention actually begins, people get busy and it's hard to squeeze in more than a "Hello, I'm (insert name,) and I really love what you do at (insert newspaper)" and talking for two minutes before hurrying off to another session.
"Matt is right about the hotel bar being the gathering spot after the sessions have ended."
Haha, this makes me laugh. No wonder BYU never makes any connections! When our group went to San Jose, the five or so of us (all Mormons) were the only ones drinking bottled water at the Presidential Reception. We got a lot of crap about being the No. 1 "stone-cold sober" school in the country. BUT as I was searching for an elusive A&W root beer I saw someone drinking, our group ran into Charles Apple, who told me to contact Josh Awtry, who gave me my first full-time job. Crazy how these things work out. |
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