Maker Sessions

Dive into scores of talks, workshops, and audio manifestos offering wisdom on everything from production skills to journalistic ethics from the best audio producers and makers on the planet.


Marie Kondo Never Worked In Pro Tools

Building a radio story often means hours (Dozens? Hundreds?) of tape, reams of written notes, photos, links, and research... It is very easy to get lost in this mountain of material — unsure of what or even where your best stuff is.

  • 2024
  • 00

Midwifing The Story: The Art of Editing

We’ve all heard the old adage: Everyone needs an editor. Whether you’re working in print, film, or narrative audio — you need someone to check for structure, make sure you’re meeting deadlines, and generally help get the story to the finish line.

  • 2024
  • 01:28:39

Megaphone

How do documentary producers and artists address the most common issues in the news and shed new light on them?

  • 2003
  • 01:25:45

Mudslide: The Election of 2016

With the ink on the ballots still wet, Third Coast dives into the past year of political reporting. How were journalists most - and least - successful covering the presidential election and its voters? And: where do we go from here?

  • 2016
  • 01:26:31

The Mysterious Production

To mark ten amazing years of celebrating sound and story, we're closing out this year's Conference with something a little different - a special conversation about inspiration, collaboration, creativity, and storytelling that will leave your ears ringing... in a good way.

  • 2010
  • 01:25:31

Making Waves: The Impact of Radio

In times of crisis the impact of radio coverage on peoples' lives is easy to assess. But day in and day out, how does radio touch the communities or subjects it portrays, and the audience it reaches?

  • 2001
  • 01:09:04

Music

Music and sound bring layers of meaning to your work. Incorporating them most effectively starts with looking for the movement and metaphor in your materials. Using examples from her own features, Sherre DeLys presents different approaches to integrated sound design.

  • 2002
  • 01:12:12

The Music of Voices

Creative sound projects are increasingly blurring the lines between radio, audio documentary, sound art, and music.

  • 2003
  • 01:32:08

Mastering the Grill: Why Some Interviews Go Up in Smoke

Some respond to praise, others to badgering, some the frontal assault, others when you sneak up from behind. Brooke Gladstone offers a few interrogation tips (and some audio examples) on how to get your guests to crack and make them like it.

  • 2008
  • 01:20:33

Music: A Force for Good (and Sometimes Evil)

Radio makers have many techniques at their disposal for crafting each story they tell, including one in particular that gets used and abused more than any other: scoring.

  • 2005
  • 01:21:00

Making a Scene: The Use of Verite to Show, Not Tell, Your Story

A well-crafted scene, heard on the radio, opens a window onto a new world and allows the listener to fly right in. Claire Schoen explores the process of creating scenes -- showing real people living their lives -- for an audio documentary.

  • 2007
  • 01:34:06

Making Radio Against Most Odds

Imagine reporting in a culture that speaks a language your listeners don't understand, and covering issues your listeners don't totally care about - all in a country that doesn't even want you there in the first place.

  • 2012
  • 01:15:51