Stories for the Ear Transport Listener Says KALW Audio Academy Student Who Aims to Be Literate in Radio
Students attending The KALW Audio Academy were asked to reflect on what they hope to achieve during the two semesters. Here is the seventh of those musings.
By Guest Blogger Liz Mak, KALW Audio Academy, Class of 2014
As a writer and multimedia producer, I’ve always been interested in different approaches to journalism and storytelling, whether through writing, visuals, or radio. And while I had always thought that my interest in multiple mediums was a pursuit that spread my resources too thin, I’ve come to understand that having a diversity of skills is my strength. With substantial experience in writing, and having attended a training program in multimedia, I’m excited to work with KALW to become just as literate in radio: that way, I’ll be better able to produce the stories I want to tell in the medium they’re best told.
Radio is much more immediate than writing and photography, and is better equipped to tell stories that can fully transport the listener. While I know how to produce work for the eye, I want to learn how to better produce work for the ear.
I’m eager, too, to further explore a more in-depth, documentary-style approach. I appreciate the time that KALW reporters are given to report their stories, to approach them creatively. Creative expression is important to me, and another reason I’m eager to work with KALW is that I know I’ll get a strong foundation in not only reporting for radio, but also editing for the medium as well. I feel that I’ll learn how to fully produce a piece on my own, from the first pitch to the final product.
On a practical level, I’m hoping to become a reporter and producer with skills that will make me competitive in the journalism/documentary fields. Working with KALW is not only a creative but also a practical pursuit — one that I hope will make me more employable in a market that requires a wide array of skills from reporters/producers.
Who’s Liz?
Liz Mak, center, listens during class with fellow classmates Jeremy Dalmas and Rhian Miller.
Liz Mak is a writer and multimedia producer interested in stories that focus on cultural identity. She got her start in journalism as an arts writer and editor for U.C. Berkeley’s The Daily Californian. Since then, she’s continued arts and news writing at KCBS Radio, NPR and NPR affiliate KQED. Recently, Liz completed a project exploring how a community of Western parents with adopted Chinese daughters connects with and preserves their Chinese culture. Liz graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in Rhetoric and earned a certificate in photography and multimedia from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.