My MoJoCon Experience..... Part Two

My cool MoJoCon bag... Just the right size for MoJo kit!

 


Welcome back! 
This is part two of my blog about my MoJoCon experience, taking you through Day Two of the conference, the workshops I attended on Day Three and also showcasing some of the other interviews I did at MoJoCon. If you haven't had an opportunity to read Part One please do so, as it sets the scene for this next post. So in true MoJo style, grab yourself a coffee, read and listen to My MoJoCon Experience Part Two 😀






So... Day Two of MoJoCon was upon me and I was raring to go after the great first day. So much to do, so many people to meet so much to learn. As always, the morning started slow with a nice sociable coffee and small nibbles... Well ... for everyone else anyway! 
I was on MoJo duty!   I had an opportunity to meet Philip Bromwell of RTÉ to interview him on my arrival at the hotel. Philip is one of the MoJo gurus so I was was really delighted to get the opportunity to chat with him, and MoJos take their opportunities when and where they come- that is the advantage of being mobile!  In the interview we talked about how he became involved in mobile journalism. He also gave a rich insight into his most challenging and most enjoyable stories and  I broached the big question 'Where do you see journalism in 5 years time? As we finished our interview , I could feel the adrenaline running through my veins as Philip talked about ME (yes ME!) being at 'the cutting edge' - it reminded me what an opportunity I had being part of MoJoCon and set me up for the day. 
Listen to my interview with Philip below: 

The first session in the Inis Mór Ballroom was one that is close to my heart... or at least close to my phone anyway! Up for discussion was 'Snapchat Storytelling: Reaching the “Millennials”. Much to the annoyance of my parents I am a bit of a SnapChat affectionado so this session was going to give me an opportunity to see the potential of my current favourite social media tool for MoJo. The blurb for the session promised that it would  'help unravel the confusion and clearly explain what’s going on and why those hard to reach Millennials and Generation Z are so obsessed with it'. That's me they are talking about I thought to myself ... born in 2001 I am (as far as I know) a proud card-carrying member of Generation Z. Millennial I'm not so sure about ... I think that might just be the generation before me. The blurb also talks about us Generation Z-ers having 'an 8 second attention span, often scanning 5 screens at once'... Hmmmm.... not exactly a compliment, but it is true that our generation have access to a number of devices and often flit from one to the other. 

So... this was starting to make sense now... an 'in the moment' medium like SnapChat could have MoJo potential. This was a lively discussion,  and it was interesting to hear baout how hashtags can be used for curation and also how SnapChat stories are exactly that -a story, and MoJo is all about the story! 

There was also some discussion about Instagram, another of my favourite apps. Emma O' Farrell, founder of Bloggercon showed how Instagram is also a viable platform for connecting with Millennials. One important takeway...verifying the stories is just as important in these platforms as elsewhere in journalism. 

Time for coffee and this time I decided to have a browse around the stands and exhbitors who were showcasing and selling MoJo kit, and aspiring MoJo that I am, I needed to start thinking about building up my MoJo kit. The exhibitors were all keen to sell, but also happy to share their knowledge and demonstrate their products. There was a huge range of products on show, some particularly device-specific. After my perusing, I traded up in the sound world and purchased a dual-lapel mic, hoping that it would increase the sound quality of my interviews. Speaking of interviews after a quick coffee, it was onto my next 'scoop'.

 

Next up on the interview list was Matt Cooke, head of Google News Lab. Matt is very much involved in looking at how technology can support the work of the journalist- in particular focusing on the Google Applications and Tools that can help to verify stories and make them more interesting. He had lots to say about his work and it was fascinating to see how much information Google can provide to the journalist. As we had heard in a number of sessions, technology has huge potential to support MoJos. But there is an ongoing concern about verification and the challenge of  what NewsLab describe as 'maintaining trust and truth in media'. Matt's Google NewLab offer verification services to assist with this challenge.  Another interesting aspect of Google NewsLab is trends. Trends allow journalists to access unbiased sample of Google search data which gives an interesting window into key events such as elections etc. We can all sample Google Trends and a quick search gives you an insight into how useful this could be. A growing aspect of Google NewsLab is their Inclusive Storytelling which endeavours to give a platform to underrepresented groups... immediately reminding me of the mantra of MoJoCon.... it is about story! Listen below to Matt's interview with me


After my interview with Matt I discovered that the coffee was actually available all day so I topped up my intake whilst having a further browse. I was delighted to meet some fellow MoJoCon newbies, the Chargys gang who were showing off their clever 'one use charge top-up products'. A great idea sure to find favour not just with MoJos on the verge of breaking news with a dying battery but alos with use mere mortals who are in desperate need of phone charge. Great idea... I've mine stored carefully for my next power-out ! 

Anne Marie Tomchak's kind Tweet!

The next session was one I wanted to see because one of my MoJo icons Anne Marie Tomchak was part of the panel and I really admire here work. I was so pleased to get an interview with her (posted in my blog part one) and even more pleased that she was so encouraging of my work- I even made it onto her Twitter! This session was all about 'Women in Mojo: Why Aren't There More?' and certainly the panelists were good ambassadors. Anne Marie spoke about the need to turn the tide by getting more women into leadership in journalism and she spoke about how her journey to UK Editor of Mashable. Some of the figures in the research presented by Corinne Podger were shocking, but the one that stood out for me was the study that showed that black female TV reporters were the lowest paid in the US. Discrimination on the double ! 
MoJo makes journalism accessible for all- this was clear from the presentation made by Emma Meese who teaches journalism in Cardiff University. There were shades of our Youth Media Team and Pam O' Brien in her glowing pride as she showed two clips of her proteges' work and spoke of their determination to get an interview with the Welsh First Minister 😊 We in the YMT have been trained to be determined and to get our interview so it looks like all MoJo mentors have the same Mantra! 

Time for lunch, again in a trendy Bento Box (another new word for my vocab!) and time to breathe and take it all in. The world of Mojo is an exciting place and MoJoCon was definitely the place to be- I took time over lunch to reflect on the experience that I was having- it was a real example of learning on the job- and what a way to learn, interviewing some of the best in the business!  I also had to take some time to prep for my next interview-whether it is the Scout in me that knows to 'bí ullamh' or the budding MoJo keen for a story, definitely checking your questions and your kit is important, especially when the opportunity presents to interview award-winning documentary maker Bill Carter!

Bill Carter came to my attention when I was looking at some of U2's humanitarian work and I came across the film Miss Sarajevo which is a documentary that was made by Bill using a hand-held camera in Bosnia during the Yugoslav war and financially supported by Bono. It shows what life was like in Bosnia during the war, and even though I wasn't yet born at the time, it is surreal to imagine such war on this very continent a little over 20 years ago. Bill Carter lived amongst the Bosnians while making the file, giving viewers a first-hand experience of the conflict. For those that haven't seen it, the imagery is striking and it vividly tells the story of the impact of the conflict. And as Bill says, story is everything. I was privileged to get an interview with Bill- take a listen below.

Another thing that MoJos clearly do is take risks- feel the fear and do it anyway seems to be the way to go and sometimes what is needed to get the story. So... with that MoJo trait in mind I spotted Róisín Ní Thomain who I recognized from her work with the BT Young Scientist Competition. In a moment of madness I though ... what about an interview with Róisín trí Ghaeilge... something a little different. I clutched my notebook where I had prepped by questions for previous interviewees and began to write ceisteanna, with one eye on Róisín in case she escaped before I could ask for the interview. A quick call to my Mum's friend Róisín to quality assure my questions and before I knew it, I was sitting in the quiet restaurant recording my agallamh trí Ghaeilge. I had a false start but ever the pro, Róisín allowed me to restart and I heard all about her journey into MoJo, the challenges of working through Irish and her new documentary  Deirfiúracha Na hEolaíocht which you can check out on  RTÉ in Jul.
Éist leis an agallamh crógach thios :-) :



My heart was absolutely pounding after that interview- I have never interviewed anyone through Irish before and it was nerve wrecking- however, it was great to feel the sense of achievement, to have been out of my comfort zone but to have had the courage to approach Róisín and do the interview. I was so glad to see DYCIRL alumni Limerick lady Christine Costello and aspiring journalist after this interview - and delighted to tell her about my latest achievement. I had asked her for an interview during MoJoCon as she is currently building an impressive portfolio of  work, even though she is only sitting her Leaving Certificate this year. You can check our her work on https://christinecostello.contently.com and you can listen to our interview below:



As Day Two of MoJoCon drew to a close I posted my AudioBoom audio to the Youth Media Team site and also began writing the accompanying blog posts to give listeners an insight into the interview and what they could expect to hear. I also invested in some kit for my phone- a Joby system that would give steadier pictures, so already I had improved my audio and picture quality potential.
MC for MoJoCon was RTÉ's Karina Buckey who really did a great job over the two days. I had arranged to meet her after the final session on Friday evening and even though she had worked tirelessly for two days she still found the time to give me an interview so thanks Karina!
I was mindful of what Emma Meese  had said earlier in the day- 'people forgive poor pictures but no poor audio' but it was difficult to deal with the background noise as I was interviewing Karina with the MoJoCon buzz still in the air. Karina spoke of the opportunities that technology offers journalism and also about her interesting career path from biochemistry to mobile journalism. Karina has plenty of advice for me and you can listen to the interview below. I even got to take to the MoJoCon stage with her for a picture 😏



 Day Three was workshop-based, and what an array there was to chose from! Once again we were spoiled for choice, with an opportunity to learn from the very best in the business. Everyone was eager to learn, and learning is a key part of this work- the technology changes so quickly that I have no doubt that you have to keep on top of it! In the Women in Mojo session the day before they spoke about the importance of knowing how to use your 'kit'.
Using the analogy of having a Ferrari but not having a license to drive it… or as Emma Meese put it, having ‘all the gear and no idea’. The workshops provided an opportunity to learn EVERYTHING- there was Android and iOS workshops for MoJo, livestreaming, audio production, documentary making, MoJo for marketing (and that was just before lunch!) After lunch there was a photography workshop and Photowalk, a session on Google NewsLab, a podcasting workshop and a session on MoJo for radio.

I caught some of the MoJo android session in the morning and it struck me about the potential and power of my smartphone. MoJo for documentary making was fascinating and again underlined the importance of story and the key elements of storytelling – the characters, the location, the sounds and making sure you have a ‘hook’. I was hoping to go on the Photowalk, but it was clashing with Cian McCormack’s workshop on MoJo for radio so I opted to head to that session,. Cian again underlined the importance of the story in his work for radio so I guess aspiring MoJos need to upskill both in terms of story and technical skills

So as MoJoCon was drawing to a close there was one interview that had eluded me and one that I was determined to try and get. Glen Mulcahy is the founder of MoJoCon and was spoken of throughout the three days with reverence and awe. However, as the man in charge he was in demand and bagging this interview was definitely a challenge. However, Glen knows what is like to be starting out and true to the stories I had heard of him mentoring so many people, he made time for me. It was an honour to interview Glen (you can listen to the audio below) and again I want to thank him and RTÉ for the incredible opportunity to attend MoJoCon this year.





As my MoJoCon experience has now come to an end, there are some interesting observations for me personally looking back on the three days. Firstly, it isn't the end, it is just the beginning for me. I have been well and truly bitten by the Mojo bug and I am eager to learn more. There is so much to learn but so many opportunities to learn, and as MoJoCon proved, something that you can learn 'on the job'.
The top takeaway for me had to be about story ... everyone I spoke with talked about the importance of story. The best kit in the world won't make an engaging story and a good MoJo knows how to present a good story. I tried to take this into account when prepping my interview questions for MoJoCon and it is something that I will work more on going forward.
I was struck by the different career paths those in MoJo had traveled coming from a range of industries. This is worth bearing in mind for me as I move into 5th Year and try to envisage my future study and career path... there are lots of ways into MoJo and MoJo is a large and growing industry.