It's all about the pizza

Career Coaches Colleen Fitzpatrick (left) and Mary Ann Hogan, known around the Freedom Forum as "Thelma and Louise," noodle over their pizza story.

I had an ah-ha experience re writing and storytelling when Colleen and I did our SoundSlides story How to Make a Pizza:
Making a good story is like making a good pizza.
According to our pizza guy, you have to start with the best fresh ingredients (sort of like starting with a notebook or recorder full of the best fresh information.)
Then you slap the dough into shape to make a shell (sort of like finding a good story shell.)
Then you put just the right amount of topping, evenly distributed -- too little and you get a stupid pizza, too much, and you get a gooey one. (Sounds to me like choosing the right details in the right sequence without over or under doing it to avoid stupidity and goo.)
Then you stick the pizza in the oven to bake for just the right amount of time (kind of like letting your story sink in for a bit before sending it off, to make sure it’s done just right.)
So the next time you go to create a story, think:
It’s all about the pizza.


-- Mary Ann Hogan, Chips Quinn Career Coach

The secret to making great pizza

Empowerment is.......learning to tell stories in new ways.

Intrepid fellow Chips Quinn Coach Mary Ann Hogan and I made our first audio slideshow two days ago. (Yea!)

We sought out Adam Brown at the Mellow Mushroom pizza parlor in Nashville, Tenn., as the lunch crowd was about to hit. Adam tossed the dough as we snapped photos and rolled the recorder.

Click here to learn one of Adam's secrets to making great pizza.

-- Colleen Fitzpatrick, Chips Quinn Career Coach

A little light, please

Anthony Dimaano adjusts lighting for videotaping.

Seminar scenes

Jenny Espino chooses a story idea for audio and photos.

Anthony Dimaano switches from still camera to video camera.

Blanca Torres asks a question.

Working on video

Kevin Abourezk and Sal Hernandez

More SoundSlides Success

Voila! Several more teams have posted their SoundSlides projects:

Historic Belmont Church by Tonya Alanez and Maria St. Louis-Sanchez:
http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/Alanezsanchez/index.html


Hillsboro Village by Iliana Limon and Blanca Torres:
http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/Limonandtorresfinalproject/index.html

Sizzling summer by Jonathan Babalola and Martin Ricard:
http://www.freedomforum.org/diversity/final_projects/BabalolaRicardPart5/index.html

A little mandatory fun

The horse at the entrance of the Wildhorse Saloon.
Dave Mason peformed at the saloon on Aug. 15.

Here's some reassurance for anyone who would like to participate in the Freedom Forum's multimedia seminar but is worried about having a week of nothing but hard work.

There will be fun. Fun is mandatory.

On Wednesday, the group went to the famous Wildhorse Saloon for free food and free drinks. There was supposed to be dancing, but that was scrapped because a band was playing.


That wasn't a problem. The saloon also had free foosball, pool (the game) and darts. The performer, Dave Mason, wasn't too bad. The band even did a cover of one of the best songs ever written: Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here."



- Marquita Brown