Registration is now open. Register HERE
 Hotel Henry | Your #NSNC19 Conference Schedule Thursday, June 20, 2019 12:15 p.m. NSNC Board Meeting, Hotel Henry, 3rd Floor, NSNC Hospitality Suite Optional Asylum Tours for those with advance registrations 3:00 p.m. tour: meet at Hotel Henry main entrance 4:00 p.m. tour: meet at Hotel Henry main entrance 6:00 p.m. Optional dinner at Cole’s on Elmwood: Meet at main entrance i Hotel Henry Urban, for group walk to restaurant 6:30 p.m. Optional Dinner Social at Cole’s Restaurant, 1104 Elmwood Drive, Buffalo $25/person (paid in advance), all-inclusive buffet. Friday, June 21, 2019 Bulger Communication Center (All educational programs will be held on campus at Buffalo State College, across the street from the Hotel Henry Urban) |
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| Note: Shuttle service from Hotel Henry Urban and the BSC Student Apartment Complex (STAC) to the Bulger Communication Center will be available. 7:30 a.m. - NSNC Registration, Buffalo State College, Bulger Communications Center, 2nd Floor Lecture Hall 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Buffet Breakfast served just outside of lecture hall (food and drinks can be taken to seats) 8:00 a.m. - Welcome remarks, NSNC President Chris Carosa |
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 | 8:15 a.m. - The Leadership of Columnists, Pam Sherman, Founder, ShermanEDGE Columnists are leaders and our work and business should reflect our leadership brands. Syndicated columnist Pam Sherman, founder of the ShermanEDGE ™ (Explore, Dream, Grow & Excite), a former attorney, actor, and now global coach and consultant, will kick off the conference with an inspiring and interactive session that will focus on leadership presence, storytelling, and branding to open the door to opportunities and possibilities. An enlightening and lighthearted session for all, with takeaways to help you grow and transform your presence and your career. |
 | 9:15 a.m. - The How-To of National Syndication, Lisa Glowinski for Content Now/GateHouse Media What does it take to get nationally syndicated and paid? Is syndication the holy grail as perceived? It is no longer enough to be an excellent writer, it’s about branding. What’s your niche elevator pitch? Lisa Glowinski, Director for More Content Now/GateHouse Media, shares how columnists with expanded platforms — podcasting, video blogging, YouTube, and other social media — attain national syndication. Get your questions answered during the Q&A time that follows the presentation. |
| 10:15 a.m. Break | |
 | 10:30 a.m. - Exceptional Video Columns, founder Ryan Lo and production assistant Taylor Nichols-Balk of Unlabeled Digital Media Video columns are hot, bringing new audiences to online publications. Learn how to create an easy and inexpensive opinion video, and pitch it as paid content to editors. Ryan Lo, founder of Unlabeled Digital Media, and Taylor Nichols-Balk, production assistant, will cover the basics of creating professional videos using a cell phone or consumer camera. Take away tips on correct lighting, what graphics work best, your performance, using a green screen, the best video length for various platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, and more. Most importantly, get the audio qualify right! It’s all here in one program. |
| 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. p.m. - BBQ Lunch provided just outside of building |
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 | 1:00 p.m. - Profitable Full-Time Authorship, Quit Your Day Job, Rebecca Regnier, author Within three years, Rebecca Regnier put her son through college and quit her TV journalist’s job by becoming a successful fiction author, all without an agent, a major publisher, a small press, or even a self-publishing service. Plan a series not a single book. A syndicated humor columnist and former Emmy Award-winning journalist, Regnier now makes serious money as a “cozy mystery writer” and will share resources, the how-to of finding a profitable genre, the Amazon algorithm, building an audience through newsletters, creating an inventory, managing cover designers, editors, and more. If you love to write, you, too, might have what it takes. |
 | 2:00 - Ebooks by Columnists: Parlay Your Body of Work Into Profit, Jim Azevedo, Marketing Director for Smashwords Would you rather use a self-publishing service for your book project? Get practical advice on ebook creation and best practices by indie authors. One of our most popular presenters in 2018, Jim Azevedo, marketing director for Smashwords, returns to dig deeper into the advantages of ebook self-publishing: a comparison of royalty rates (traditional v. self-published), how to maximize distribution, positive partnerships, building reader relationships prior to publication, tips on “pre-orders,” pricing strategies and much more. |
3:00 p.m. Board buses just outside of Bulger Communications Center to the Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin Martin House for tour, all attendees and companions welcome. http://martinhouse.org 5:00 p.m. Board buses back to the Hotel Henry Urban 5:30: Refreshments at Hotel Henry Urban, to be confirmed |
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 | Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, Keynote Speaker: John Avlon of CNN 7:00 p.m. - NSNC Dinner, Alumni House, BSC Campus Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, Keynote Speaker: John Avlon of CNN John is an author, columnist, and commentator. He is a senior political analyst and fill-in anchor at CNN, appearing on New Day every morning. From 2013 to 2018, he was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast, during which time the site’s traffic more than doubled to over one million readers a day while winning 17 journalism awards. He is the author of the books Independent Nation, Wingnuts, and Washington’s Farewell as well as co-editor of the acclaimed Deadline Artists journalism anthologies. Avlon served as chief speechwriter to New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and won the National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for best online column in 2012. Twitter: @JohnAvlon |
| Hospitality Suite, post-dinner social, 3rd floor, The Hotel Henry Urban Saturday, June 22, 2019 Bulger Communication Center, all programs Buffalo State College 7:30-9:00 a.m. - Buffet breakfast just outside of lecture hall (food and drinks can be taken to seats) |
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| Saturday, June 22, 2019 Bulger Communication Center, all programs Buffalo State College 7:30-9:00 a.m. - Buffet Breakfast, first floor lobby, lecture hall on 2nd Floor j(food and drinks can be taken to seats) |
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 | 8:15 a.m. WordPress: What’s New and Useful for You Learn how to showcase your best work. Mike Dang is the editor in chief of Longreads, which has been nominated for three National Magazine Awards and shared a Peabody Futures of Media Award for digital journalism. He's also an editor at WordPress.com and will share some tips on how to put together a beautiful website with Chrissie Pollock, Happiness Engineer with Automattic/WordPress. |
 | 9:00 a.m. - Getting Read, Noticed and Understood on Sensitive Topics, Mary Curtis, award-winning journalist with Roll Call Learn to take the heat and take charge when taking a stand on hot-button issues, such as politics, culture, gender, and race. Silence is a temptation, especially now when there is no such thing as a non-controversial topic. Mary Curtis, award-winning journalist and political columnist for Roll Call, will share how to add your voice - and perhaps change the narrative - to the never-ending debate on the issues that matter, while keeping your sanity and the worst of the critics at bay. Yes, there are tips and ways that may not get readers to agree, but may lead them to grudging respect. Bring an idea and be prepared to explain it, defend it, and get readers to care. |
 | 9.45 a.m. - How to Present Complicated Info to Readers, David Cay Johnston, founder, DCReport.org and Pulitzer Prize winner How does a columnist explain complicated systems to the everyday reader? How to use one’s forum for public service? How to present complicated statistics, financial numbers and other data? David Cay Johnston is a Pulitzer Prize winner, a leading expert in economics and tax issues, and one of journalism’s most exciting authors. The trick is not to bore the reader and to write to a higher mission. He said, “Think strategically, and your columns can shape public debate and people’s understanding of issues.” He will share strategies of his long-time success. |
 | 10:30 a.m. - How to Give a TED Talk, Dave Lieber, The Dallas Morning News Giving a TED talk cements credibility and promotes recognition as an expert. How does one start? Dave Lieber, Watchdog for the Dallas Morning News, author, and professional speaker, gave a TED talk and reaped a big increase in his paid speaking engagements and earned greater credibility with his readers, especially younger ones. A TED talk is attainable. Dave Lieber details the steps to take and how to make it work for you. |
| 11:45 a.m. - Luncheon, Lower Lobby, Bulger Communications Center | |
 Margaret Sullivan | 1:00 p.m. The Vital Role of a Columnist, Margaret Sullivan, media columnist for The Washington Post, former public editor of The New York Times, and former chief editor of The Buffalo News |
 | 1:45 p.m. - Emotional Self-Care for the Columnist/Blogger and How to Talk to Trauma Victims, Amanda Beam, columnist Covering stress and pain regularly takes its toll on a writer, whether it is the personal sharing of old wounds, covering tragedies, or the second-hand trauma of interviewing victims. Columnist Amanda Beam is trained in trauma-informed care as a legal advocate for the Center of Women and Families. As a survivor of childhood abuse, she will share advice on what to expect from people undergoing trauma or PTSD, and what a writer should do (or not do) when caring for themselves and others. |
 | 2:30 p.m. - Podcasting 101: Get a Paid Piece of the Pie, Cole and Victor Imperi By 2020, podcast annual revenue is projected to reach more than $650 million. You already produce unique, regular content — and getting a piece of the podcast pie is a lot easier than you think. In this one-hour seminar, Cole and Victor Imperi outline everything you need to know about the podcasting industry, technology, and format to move your content from page to earbud. The Imperis offer a true 360° perspective — they are podcast hosts, podcast producers, and have been featured as guests on major podcasts. |
 | 3:15 p.m. - Freelancers: Get Published and Paid Through Print and Online Newspapers, Judy Patrick, VP for editorial development for the New York Press Association Discover ways to get featured in major publications, both in print and online. Judy Patrick will talk about the changing freelance landscape and how those changes offer new opportunities for columnists. This session will include practical advice regarding editors, choosing column topics, social media promotion, filing copy, and getting paid. |
 | 2019 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award to Kathleen Parker of The Washington Post, and the annual NSNC Column Writing Contest Awards 6:00 p.m. - Reception, Alumni Center, Buffalo State College 7:00 p.m. - NSNC Awards Banquet, Alumni Center Kathleen Parker writes a twice-weekly column on politics and culture. In 2010, she received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for “her perceptive, often witty columns on an array of political and moral issues, gracefully sharing the experiences and values that lead her to unpredictable conclusions.” A Florida native, Parker started her column in 1987 when she was a staff writer for the Orlando Sentinel. She joined the Washington Post Writers Group in 2006. She is the author of “Save the Males: Why Men Matter, Why Women Should Care” (2008). Read her interview with NSNC Archivist Dave Astor HERE. |
| Hospitality Suite, post-dinner social, The Hotel Henry Urban, 3rd Floor Sunday, June 23, 2019 8:30 a.m. - NSNC membership meeting, location TBA Adjournment Questions? Email Suzette Standring: director@columnists.com |
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