Locomotion Media Group, LLC
  • Welcome
  • Motion Pictures
  • Motion Graphics
  • Education
    • AM&I 2015 >
      • AM&I 2015 FINAL VIDEOS
      • Welcome to Duke AM&I
      • Course schedule >
        • Week 1 (Aug 27) >
          • Class Notes - Week 1
        • Week 2 (Sept 3) >
          • Class Notes - Week 2
        • Week 3 (Sept 10) Edit Lab #1 >
          • Class Notes - Week 3
        • Week 4 (Sept 17) Guac Premiere #1 >
          • Class Notes - Week 4
          • Story #1: Food Entrepreneurs
        • Week 5 (Sept 24) >
          • Class Notes - Week 5
        • Week 6 (Oct 1) Edit Lab #2 >
          • Class Notes - Week 6
          • How to set up and light an interview.
        • Week 7 (Oct 8) Guac Premiere #2 >
          • Class Notes - Week 7
          • Story #2: Arts Entrepreneurs
        • Week 8 (Oct 15) >
          • Class Notes - Week 8
        • Week 9 (Oct 22) >
          • Class Notes - Week 9
        • Week 10 (Oct 29) Edit Lab #3 >
          • Class Notes - Week 10
        • Week 11 (Nov 5) >
          • Class Notes - Week 11
        • Week 12 (Nov 12) Guac Premiere #3 >
          • Class Notes - Week 12
          • Story #3: Entrepreneurs
        • Week 13 (Nov 19)
        • Week 14 (Nov 26) No class!
        • Week 15 (Dec 3)
    • AMP 2016 >
      • AMP 2016 Final Videos
      • Welcome to Duke AMP
      • Course Schedule >
        • Week 1 (Aug 30) Intro >
          • AMP Week 1 Class Notes
        • Week 2 (Sept 6) Production Lab and Pitch 101 >
          • AMP Week 2 Class Notes
        • Week 3 (Sept 13) Edit Lab #1, Story #1 Pitch >
          • AMP Week 3 Class Notes
        • Week 4 (Sept 20) >
          • AMP Week 4 Class Notes
        • Week 5 (Sept 27) Edit Lab #2, Story #1 Rough Cut >
          • AMP Week 5 Class Notes
        • Week 6 (Oct 4) Guac Premiere #1 >
          • AMP Week 6 Class Notes
          • Story #1
        • Week 7 (Oct 11) Fall Break
        • Week 8 (Oct 18) American Underground, Story #2 Pitch >
          • AMP Week 8 Class Notes
        • Week 9 (Oct 25)
        • Week 10 (Nov 1) Production Lab #2 >
          • AMP Week 10 Class Notes
        • Week 11 (Nov 8) Edit Lab #3, Story #2 Rough Cut >
          • AMP Week 11 Class Notes
        • Week 12 (Nov 15) Guac Premiere #2 >
          • AMP Week 12 Class Notes
        • Week 13 (Nov 22) Final Presentation Preparation >
          • AMP Week 13 Class Notes
        • Week 14 (Nov 29) >
          • AMP Week 14 Class Notes
        • Week 15 (Dec 6) Final Presentations
    • AMP 2017 >
      • AMP 2017 Final Videos
      • Welcome to Duke AMP 2017
      • COURSE SCHEDULE >
        • Week 1 (Aug 29) Intro
        • Week 2 (Sept 5) Production Lab and Pitch 101
        • Week 3 (Sept 12) Edit Lab #1, Story #1 Pitch
        • Week 4 (Sept 19) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 5 (Sept 26) Edit Lab #2, Story #1 Rough Cut
        • Week 6 (Oct 3) Guac Premiere #1
        • Week 7 (Oct 10) Fall Break
        • Week 8 (Oct 17 American Underground, Story #2 Pitch
        • Week 9 (Oct 24) Production Lab #2
        • Week 10 (Oct 31) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 11 (Nov 7) Edit Lab #3, Story #2 Rough Cut
        • Week 12 (Nov 14) Guac Premiere #2
        • Week 13 (Nov 21) Final Presentation Preparation
        • Week 14 (Nov 28)
        • Week 15 (Dec 5) Final Presentations
    • AMP 2019 >
      • Welcome to Duke AMP 2019
      • MORE INFO >
        • Before we begin...
        • Resources
        • Story Requirements
        • Story Roles and Responsibilities
        • Coffee Talks
      • COURSE SCHEDULE >
        • Week 1 (Wednesday Jan 9th) Intro
        • Week 2 (Monday Jan 14th) Production Lab and Pitch 101
        • Week 3 (Jan 21) NO CLASS MLK
        • Week 4 (Jan 28th) Edit Lab #1, Story #1 Pitch
        • Week 5 (Feb 4th) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 6 (Feb 11th) Edit Lab #2, Story #1 Rough Cut
        • Week 7 (Feb 18th) Guac Premiere #1
        • Week 8 (Feb 25th) American Underground, Story #2 Pitch
        • Week 9 (March 4th) Production Lab #2
        • Week 10 (March 11th) Spring Break
        • Week 11 (March 18th) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 12 (March 25th) Edit Lab #3, Story #2 Rough Cut
        • Week 13 (April 1st) Guac Premiere #2
        • Week 14 (April 8th) Final Presentation Preparation
        • Week 15 (April 15th) Making the Pitch
        • Week 16 (April 22nd) Final Presentations
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Class Notes: Week 11

Kim Bondy
o   From NOLA, lives in NYC – SVP of Documentaries, Programs, News Output
§  Started in television in NOLA while in college – did an internship, walked into newsroom and fell in love, pod of women typing and smoking cigarettes
o   Intrigued by women – what do they do? Other interns going with acres – intrigued by new talent. Kim was more intrigued by women running newsroom.
o   What does a producer do? Need to be bossy. Like to write – lots of blocking, staging, talents that you would have in theater. Organic fit – not a wanting journalist with a capital j. Passion is storytelling.
o   Did two internships back to back – if you are interested in a career in this field, you do an internship, two, or three – at least one of them will be in your very last semester – if there is a job opening, you have been there, you have an ID, chance to prove yourself and chance to see if it is fit for you.
o   Did second internship in last semester of university – started work there the week right after graduation, a couple weeks later. Been an ongoing philosophy as it relates to that thing. Went from NOLA to Lake Charles, Louisiana
§  Not used to working in a place so small – did first recording, did first field producing, pitched a story, go do the story, come back, write the piece, take the piece into edit. Knew immediately being an inside journalist as opposed to outside journalist.
§  Best track for inside is to be in the newsroom
o   28 year career – some interesting points
§  Went to Atlanta – wasn’t getting responses to cold calls
§  Went from market 77 to market #10 – went to Kelly Services and answering phone as temp
§  Basis – studying producer over shoulder – hadn’t said anything – assistant news producer – what do you really do?
·      Goes to office – sees long wall of resumes and resume reels – can you write? Take a writing test – hired as freelance writer, then as staff writer, then producer
§  In market 10 – producing noon news – production services going to Cayman Islands to build a news station – asked him for a job
·      Left a few months later and ended up building three television stations – two of which are still on the air
·      News director on Caribbean island – knew more than most people – didn’t have news production college – hired newspaper, radio, car salesmen to be weather guy – successful venture
§  From there, budding head on ceiling, wanted to go back to telling real stories – friend came to visit who was working Philly – market 4
·      I am probably insane – I am 27/28 – more room for me to do this – I had to leave the islands – set up with news director, flew up, hired on the spot
·      Got to Philly as managing editor – FOX was going to have football instead of CBS – meant affiliates were going to try and be FOX affiliates instead
·      Our station in Philly was going to swap – legendary station that many famous journalists had come through – thought work really hard and end up at network – low behold traded to NBC
o   Worked at 3 NBC stations – one person who understood NBC language – going to need all of these things, can you do it
§  One of them was to create a morning show – did cut-ins – didn’t have a local show – created this morning show 7 days a week
§  Dream: work on The Today Show – make mark there – I’m at a CBS station, how do I get there?
§  Today Show called and said you are coming now to Philly – can you help us? One of Senior Producers had chat with Kim and asked if would move to network – NBC News at Sunrise – taking fulltime job – needed to find own replacement – on overnight schedule but running a network television show that was successful – part of it was to work on Today Show
§  Running Weekend Today – best job she ever had – move into Senior Management – CNN trying to recruit her for many years – CNN VP for 5 years – NOLA house damaged during Katrina – felt compelled to be part of that story
·      Couldn’t continue to work with this happening
§  Designed seminar course to teach for free – to test drive idea of being a professor – taught two courses during working on MBA – class was built on Skype – Skype in all journalist friends who were working on stories
§  Long-form – moved to Washington – America Tonight – nightly long-form magazine show – great classic storytelling – one of proudest achievements in career – few months back in February
o   Indulged career goals – finding opportunities – did a ton of hard work – went into television story – used copy on the air – developed segments – understood a lot about production
o   MBA – helped understand budgets, business side of journalism to match it with creative side, more than that – interested in organizational development
§  Wanted more science applied to practical work – do lean on some of those exercises – management standpoint – see workflow issues from beginning
§  Getting MBA honed those sensibilities
o   The first thing you do as you get into management is understanding motivation – what drives them, what excites them, what drives them out the door
§  See things through character prism – fundamental goal of storytelling is empathy
o   Women and men that have figured out a work/life balance – you can have chunks of things – pick those chunks
§  When I quit my job at CNN, mom was on business in Las Vegas over Mother’s Day weekend – spend Mother’s Day together
o   Designed in course – pitch stories – every week – meet once a week – have a week to write two pitches, really fleshed out, character sketch, who would they want to talk to – things like that
§  Had to manage people older, learned a lot about how to not manage, and how to manage people very quickly
o   Goal-oriented combined with taking way – how do you see future and how do you think about what you are going to do next?
§  Want to move to Palm Springs – play tennis – watch whatever thing to curate and create in life
§  Studying – travel, drink wine, and have other people pay for it – studying wine while getting MBA – wine school is rigorous stretch – probably have to start all over again since so many years
·      Want to have more command over life – different stresses with own company – hustle and grind of generating business
§  Wants to teach, go back to university – teach at Pepperdine – live in Malibu, go up three days a week
o   Don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself for DEMAN weekend – be memorable but in the most respectable way, first person that comes up and breaks ice is the one that shines through on instances like that – be curious
§  If you have a list of people who are going to be there, do a little bit of research on them
§  Go in as an educated person – your opportunity to ask for what you want within reason
§  Relationships have to be organic 
§  This weekend is speed-dating – do your research and go in knowing the people being familiar with their work – dig a little deeper – ask if you can keep in touch and share your work
o   Hurricane Katrina – thoughts of Wendell Pierce, openness about emotions/family tragedy – were you there – Soledad is a genius interviewer
o   Adult Autism – Brandon who is autistic – what do you do with children when they become adults – functioning enough – want them to if feasible to live on their own – Brandon was living in San Diego/Santa Monica, California. Chris spent a couple days with Brandon and was in Brandon’s world. Saw how he lived – everyday he had a routine – go to peer, let Brandon tell story and told Mom’s side of story
o   Research before you walk into door, don’t go in with thoughts and perceptions of who the person is, good to know tidbits – read as much as you can, bonded well with Barry White
§  Lights kept moving – difficult technical set up – knew he loved astrology and knew he was Virgo – Soledad is a Virgo – killing time, things weren’t going well technically – started talking – got to know him
o   Be open to a surprise ending – may think character is a good person, may be an asshole – thinking a person is really tough – part of story, something in life that made them the way they are – do your homework, spend some time before you start rolling just chatting and getting to know them. Ask them as if you were raised right.

Drew Neisser
o   What’s the reason for your existence?
§  Purpose for Renegade – eradicate ad pollution
o   Really into Duke Union, Photographer for Newspaper, Favorite Part was running film series for FreeWater – marketing of movies
§  Screwed up applications to film school, got into advertising, been there ever since
o   Advertising vs marketing – marketing business is raising awareness about a product and everything that it ahs to do out there
o   Brands and personal brands – your story – really hard where everyone is creating content, statistics of blogging, have to be a very good storyteller, table stakes – lots of good storytellers, decide why (what is your purpose behind this and is it unique), cannot simply be fame and fortune – if you have purpose it will drive marketing decisions
o   Marketing can be a service and do something wonderful – doesn’t have to be just a message or ad
§  Michellin Guy – driving was new when Michellin – Michellin Guy – service – book to guy – marketing idea
§  Guinness – people run out of things to say at pub – Guinness Book of World Records
o   Renegade was owned by Dentsu and Panasonic
§  Started over in 2009
o   Scalability and traction – no agencies of record anymore – still aging sea of records – clients making headlines
o   When starting a career, talk about agency vs in-house marketing
§  Two different paths – if you like control, don’t go into agency business – agency is chaos, uncertain. Difference is that you get to work with incredible people every single moment
§  Client side – might find some – agency people are more fun – not the case with client side. Just depends
o   Had lunch today with friend that used work at Renegade – associate VP at Burt’s Bees – doing amazing – client side – controls all the levers – smart guy
§  As a result, able to actually show that we launched new product and increased sales
o   Recommends having a portfolio online – ones that get job out of school have a portfolio
§  Opportunity to do marketing campaign, make a blog, etc is greater – there is more time to do it
§  Having a portfolio – if you want to be in some aspect of storytelling, you better have stories. Written word, etc.
o   How small is too small to be in a portfolio – one is too few unless it is the greatest thing ever – quality is more important than quantity
§  4 good things that are really good
§  Lots of other people have many, many pieces
o   DEMAN weekend – talk to students and make yourself available – last thing you want to be is shy – three things you should look for – have CD evaluate it
§  Alums that are here want to play
·      Kristi – ends up with piles of cards – better for you to get my card/make alum tell you how to find them
o   Follow up and establish rappaport – don’t wait for a few days
o   Mutual connection is important – Amy introduces
o   DSLR Meet-Up Tomorrow – send note about that
·      Every single relationship that you can make now will blossom – rockstar story – Katy Perry brings 50 kids behind stage – building network now.
o   Don’t need to be on LinkedIn – nurture the network and nurture it powerfully – they are the ones that will help you and will be the ones to help you write the check to nurture your business

Kristi Jacobson

o   Studied sociology here in late 80s, early 90s
o   Turned out had qualities and characteristics that made her well suited to CDS and communications, film certificate program
o   Wasn’t her vibe – pursued things that interested her – drawn to criminology, Crime and Punishment, abnormal psychology – got more and more focused in interest into juvenile justice system while here and wound up pursuing thesis system that would guide her
§  Worked at Raleigh courthouse and shadowed juvenile court counselor – studied a problem that was meaningful problem that needed to be studied – didn’t get to choose topic – influx of juvenile sex offenders that were coming into system – didn’t know what to do with them
§  2 States in USA that understood link between victimization and offending – Oregon and Vermont – studied that they were identifying kids who were victims of sexual abuse before they became perpetrators – if child came into system as an offender, look at them as potential victims that need help
§  System is broken in 48 states – everyone should be outraged by that and I want to do something about that – Campus Oaks apartment writing thesis – cut and paste, but wanted to tell story very visually – cut pieces that people said to tell story – which what she now does
§  Had an “aha” moment and instead wanted to fix system by raising mass awareness – film was a powerful medium to do that – graduated never having an internship in the field
o   Came to NYC – got a job wherever she wants – unpaid internships – couple cable channels – vastly more opportunities now – but you didn’t spend last three summers at local affiliate – no room for you
§  As it turns out, everything happens for a reason – got a job at a small production company – 20/20 – Geraldo Rivera – broke news on HIV/AID – started his own production company to break those news – joined up
·      Main responsibilities: making coffee, picking up people’s paychecks, took on with great pride – talking to potential intern or employee – I do these things still – “I’m not doing that”
·      Embraced challenges and that’s how she moved along
o   There to Barbara Koppel – to documentary filmmaking on your own
§  Learned everything – absorbed – gave back as much as possibly could – first person up and last person home
§  Worked at a couple of different production companies
§  Worked at divison of network a couple times – not a great fit for her
§  Started to see what it was that she wanted to do – wanted to make own flms
§  Same guy that gave first job – Joe Levitt – through luck, faxing resume to Barbara Koppel’s office – two time award winning Oscar – ended up partnering with her – no room to hire her
·      Needed a supervising producer – had just worked on a show – recommended him and then he hired Kristi
§  Barbara became a mentor
o   Very important part of who someone is and what that person does
o   If it matters to you, you will go after it
o   Advice about how to get started different – wider net of opportunities – things you do are the same
§  Like being behind the camera, like being invisible, want to do good work and make good films that are about stories that need to be told – becoming more difficult to succeed without being visible herself
§  New film coming out – no Twitter account, no Facebook – trying to buck the system to see how far you can get
Next up: Week 12!
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©2015-2020 Locomotion Media Group, LLC
  • Welcome
  • Motion Pictures
  • Motion Graphics
  • Education
    • AM&I 2015 >
      • AM&I 2015 FINAL VIDEOS
      • Welcome to Duke AM&I
      • Course schedule >
        • Week 1 (Aug 27) >
          • Class Notes - Week 1
        • Week 2 (Sept 3) >
          • Class Notes - Week 2
        • Week 3 (Sept 10) Edit Lab #1 >
          • Class Notes - Week 3
        • Week 4 (Sept 17) Guac Premiere #1 >
          • Class Notes - Week 4
          • Story #1: Food Entrepreneurs
        • Week 5 (Sept 24) >
          • Class Notes - Week 5
        • Week 6 (Oct 1) Edit Lab #2 >
          • Class Notes - Week 6
          • How to set up and light an interview.
        • Week 7 (Oct 8) Guac Premiere #2 >
          • Class Notes - Week 7
          • Story #2: Arts Entrepreneurs
        • Week 8 (Oct 15) >
          • Class Notes - Week 8
        • Week 9 (Oct 22) >
          • Class Notes - Week 9
        • Week 10 (Oct 29) Edit Lab #3 >
          • Class Notes - Week 10
        • Week 11 (Nov 5) >
          • Class Notes - Week 11
        • Week 12 (Nov 12) Guac Premiere #3 >
          • Class Notes - Week 12
          • Story #3: Entrepreneurs
        • Week 13 (Nov 19)
        • Week 14 (Nov 26) No class!
        • Week 15 (Dec 3)
    • AMP 2016 >
      • AMP 2016 Final Videos
      • Welcome to Duke AMP
      • Course Schedule >
        • Week 1 (Aug 30) Intro >
          • AMP Week 1 Class Notes
        • Week 2 (Sept 6) Production Lab and Pitch 101 >
          • AMP Week 2 Class Notes
        • Week 3 (Sept 13) Edit Lab #1, Story #1 Pitch >
          • AMP Week 3 Class Notes
        • Week 4 (Sept 20) >
          • AMP Week 4 Class Notes
        • Week 5 (Sept 27) Edit Lab #2, Story #1 Rough Cut >
          • AMP Week 5 Class Notes
        • Week 6 (Oct 4) Guac Premiere #1 >
          • AMP Week 6 Class Notes
          • Story #1
        • Week 7 (Oct 11) Fall Break
        • Week 8 (Oct 18) American Underground, Story #2 Pitch >
          • AMP Week 8 Class Notes
        • Week 9 (Oct 25)
        • Week 10 (Nov 1) Production Lab #2 >
          • AMP Week 10 Class Notes
        • Week 11 (Nov 8) Edit Lab #3, Story #2 Rough Cut >
          • AMP Week 11 Class Notes
        • Week 12 (Nov 15) Guac Premiere #2 >
          • AMP Week 12 Class Notes
        • Week 13 (Nov 22) Final Presentation Preparation >
          • AMP Week 13 Class Notes
        • Week 14 (Nov 29) >
          • AMP Week 14 Class Notes
        • Week 15 (Dec 6) Final Presentations
    • AMP 2017 >
      • AMP 2017 Final Videos
      • Welcome to Duke AMP 2017
      • COURSE SCHEDULE >
        • Week 1 (Aug 29) Intro
        • Week 2 (Sept 5) Production Lab and Pitch 101
        • Week 3 (Sept 12) Edit Lab #1, Story #1 Pitch
        • Week 4 (Sept 19) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 5 (Sept 26) Edit Lab #2, Story #1 Rough Cut
        • Week 6 (Oct 3) Guac Premiere #1
        • Week 7 (Oct 10) Fall Break
        • Week 8 (Oct 17 American Underground, Story #2 Pitch
        • Week 9 (Oct 24) Production Lab #2
        • Week 10 (Oct 31) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 11 (Nov 7) Edit Lab #3, Story #2 Rough Cut
        • Week 12 (Nov 14) Guac Premiere #2
        • Week 13 (Nov 21) Final Presentation Preparation
        • Week 14 (Nov 28)
        • Week 15 (Dec 5) Final Presentations
    • AMP 2019 >
      • Welcome to Duke AMP 2019
      • MORE INFO >
        • Before we begin...
        • Resources
        • Story Requirements
        • Story Roles and Responsibilities
        • Coffee Talks
      • COURSE SCHEDULE >
        • Week 1 (Wednesday Jan 9th) Intro
        • Week 2 (Monday Jan 14th) Production Lab and Pitch 101
        • Week 3 (Jan 21) NO CLASS MLK
        • Week 4 (Jan 28th) Edit Lab #1, Story #1 Pitch
        • Week 5 (Feb 4th) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 6 (Feb 11th) Edit Lab #2, Story #1 Rough Cut
        • Week 7 (Feb 18th) Guac Premiere #1
        • Week 8 (Feb 25th) American Underground, Story #2 Pitch
        • Week 9 (March 4th) Production Lab #2
        • Week 10 (March 11th) Spring Break
        • Week 11 (March 18th) PRODUCTION WORKSHOP
        • Week 12 (March 25th) Edit Lab #3, Story #2 Rough Cut
        • Week 13 (April 1st) Guac Premiere #2
        • Week 14 (April 8th) Final Presentation Preparation
        • Week 15 (April 15th) Making the Pitch
        • Week 16 (April 22nd) Final Presentations