Too often I find that no matter how I try to shape a story, or what I want to include, it forms organically and something good gets lost in the mix.

Shooting video is something I’m trying to make a routine part of going out on assignment, even if I’m just supposed to be taking photos or writing a short article.

And look Dave, more underpaid writing opportunities!

I wanted to survive on freelancing, even if it meant only eating rice and hot sauce and creating a permanent ass imprint on my couch.

That’s when I became a sweatshop worker.

In his gym shorts and Army shirt, Sinh Tho Nguyen appeared out of place in the front row of a veteran’s memorial ceremony. But, sitting among dozens of servicemen and veterans in uniform, with various buttons pinned neatly to their caps, Sinh was the guest of honor…

The Atlantic just came out with an epic piece of multimedia journalism. Nadya Labi profiles Gus Zamora, an ex-army ranger who hires himself out to go grab kids who were illegally snatched and taken out of the country by one parent. Nadya follows Gus down to Costa Rica to observe the “rekidnapping” of kid number 55 and is actually in the car the child is recovered. Nadya gets the audio of the rekidnapping and takes photos just moments after the reunion. Partially because of the story matter but …

Got some extra time? Like to write? I just heard about a few opportunities for all you bloggers out there, which could help you gain experience and exposure while you’re in between jobs, freelancing or trying to figure out what to do with yourself.
Change.org is hiring full-time bloggers to write about social causes from human rights to environmental issues to social entrepreneurship. Best of all, positions are paid and your posts would be viewed by over a million users. Check out the ad here.
MediaBistro also recently launched a user-generated blog …

I was recently interviewed by Tanja Aitamurto, a journalist and researcher from Finland who’s studying Spot.Us as a case study in new forms of journalism. For those of you unfamiliar, Spot.Us is a journalism startup pioneering “community-funded reporting” in the Bay Area. Basically, freelance journalists (or the organization) will pitch stories on the Spot.Us website and tap the public as well as news organizations for micro-donations to fund projects and pay reporters. Raising money through donations from the public is also known as “crowd funding,” and Spot.Us is experimenting with …

It’s NYC Fashion Week and I am putting in 10+ hour days of editing and shooting so please excuse my absence. On top of these commitments, I started my gig with Sundance Channel last week. I am essentially blogging for my boss, Patrick McMullan.  I go out once a week to some party and take in all the sights and talk to whoever he wants me to meet (last week that was Amerie and Taylor Hanson), all while he tells me his thoughts on the night. Yes, life could be …

It’s been a long time coming, but the investigation into school food that I’ve been working on, in collaboration with Spot.us and the Santa Cruz Weekly, was finally published yesterday–on newsprint, even! I must admit that it felt good to see my byline in black ink after about a year without being published in print. I’ll provide more background on my experience freelancing through Spot.us later today, but for now, check out the article online here.