WCU student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will be hosting Freelance Workshop: How to Become a Freelancer with Hilary Niles, chair of the SPJ Freelance Community, and Meira Gebel recent graduate student who is a freelance writer, as guest speakers.
The event is from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 14 in Killian 219 and on Zoom. Students interested in attending need to RSVP by emailing the workshop host at tabradshaw1@catamount.wcu.edu to access Zoom link.
SPJ is the oldest professional organization for journalist in the United States and the freelance community within the organization is one of the most active communities providing support, networking and trainings for its members.
Hilary Niles has been leading the Freelance Community for the past few years. Niles will explain her expansive freelancer career, how to be a freelancer, and why freelance work is important, especially for college students in this workshop.
She has over 18 years of journalism experience of which 15 are in radio. She has worked on projects and stories that were published or aired on NPR, BBC and US News. That experience allows her to identify as multimedia reporter, researcher, independent data journalism consultant and investigative data journalist.
Gebel is a recent graduate with a master’s in science at Columbia Journalism School. She is a freelance writer specifically in the Pacific Northwest region. She will be discussing freelance journalism from a recent graduates perspective.
This event is in collaboration between SPJ at WCU and the Western Carolina Journalist, the student run-news website from the Communication Department.
“For students who want to explore the world of journalism, rather than committing to a singular source, freelancing can provide a sense of freedom and individuality,” said Sara Stanley, president of SPJ at WCU.
WCJ editor in chief, Tessa Bradshaw added that the event provides opportunity for WCU students to learn from a professional journalist, how to become a freelancer and start a successful career.
“From my experience with the topic of freelance journalism is that many people do not take it seriously,” said Bradshaw. “I think this is mainly because they do not know what it is or how to even get started. Knowing more about freelance work will allow for more open mindedness regarding this topic.”
For more information about the event and registration for the event, contact Tessa Bradshaw at tabradshaw1@catamount.wcu.edu .
