It's back! Our weekly Black Community Coverage Clinic returns this month! This free consultancy service provides marketing, communications and media support and guidance to Southampton's black community organisation leaders and representatives. The weekly drop-in first launched in 2020, running on the Zoom platform from 14th September to 14th December 2020. Leaders from the city's black … Continue reading Our Black Community Coverage Clinic is back, to amplify even more black voices!
Author: Our Version Media
Proud To Be is the theme of this year's Black History Month and we're running a Mobile Storytelling course with that theme! Our Version Media is Proud To Be a social enterprise equipping Southampton's black, ethnic and other under-represented communities with digital media and storytelling skills to tell their own, authentic stories. With the first Proud To Be … Continue reading Over 65s learn digital media skills to tell their stories using made-by-mobile videos
With lockdown over, we've moved our Mobile Storytelling to Showcase Social Impact workshops from online to in-house! Whether at our base at MAST Mayflower Studios or out in the community, it's great to be back connecting with people face-to-face! We ran our first in-person session at Northam Community Centre in August, for young people from Northam and … Continue reading Equipping Northam and Newtown’s youth with mobile storytelling skills to amplify their mission for social change
By Bill Shepherd Why, and in which situations, do you think it is better to film with a smartphone instead of a traditional camera? There is an old saying, the best camera is the one you always have with you. Journalists carry their smartphone all the time, which allows them to do three things: record … Continue reading Using your smartphone to record a news story
1. Use your social media channels Share your video on social media. This is a great way to let people know what your organisation is doing and how it is helping the community. Tweak captions per platform because, as well as word count restrictions, each might have different audiences. For example, your Twitter followers might … Continue reading 6 impactful ways to share your video online
1. Your motivation was wrong You wanted free promotion or advertising. You didn’t care about news. You just wanted a journalist to promote your project, service, product or event, otherwise known as a “puff piece”. Send one too many of those and you’ll end up on the “Spam” list! Next time, find a real story … Continue reading 7 reasons journalists don’t respond to your press release
1. Rethink your views about video Stop visualising making a flashy video. You've been busy serving your community, not working as a videographer. No-one, not even you, should expect you to create a top quality video. That fear will stop you from giving it a go and prevent you from telling your stories. So grab … Continue reading 10 steps to get you filming stories with your mobile
1. Know the value of video Video is a great way to showcase your social impact. Use it to capture how your organisation is addressing a social need, and how it is helping the community. Video can also let people know about the support available on their doorstep, and gain supporters for your project or … Continue reading 5 steps to simplify making a social impact video
1. Don't waste time writing a press release You're running a community event and you want to promote it. You send a press release and sit back waiting for your event to hit the news. Guess how many of their 1000s of viewers, listeners and readers will hear about your event? None. Zero. Why? Because … Continue reading 7 easy and effective ways to promote your community event
1. Amazing Being passionate about your project or service is great but, just because you say it’s “amazing” doesn’t mean it is. Using that word is lazy. Plus what’s “amazing” to you, may not be “amazing” to a journalist, or their audience. Instead, explain what it is you do that makes it “amazing.” Show it, … Continue reading 3 words to never use in your press release
Our Version Media 