Media Talent 2.0 program

The majority culture of America has evolved, advanced by new and different media images and personalities. Community organizers have driven that message on the ground, and media personalities have recently used that authentic message to change hearts and minds across the country.

The Media Talent 2.0 program will cultivate a small number of the culture-changing organizers and will provide a platform for these "new organizers" to create progressive media messaging. These new media voices will be drawn from communities where progressive organizing is most active and voices in the media are underrepresented - young people, women, and racial/ethnic minority groups.

Three distinct qualities will define these future media personalities: persona, presence, and authenticity. Media appearances are performances. With a team of top professionals led by New York theatre director and media strategist/trainer Joel Silberman, Media Talent 2.0 will find, train, and promote new progressive media stars, teaching the tools and techniques used by professionals to create star presence. We will also teach branding and self-promotion, particularly as it relates to new media and organizing.

The criteria for entry into Media Talent 2.0 include:

• Talent - We are looking for people who have a natural affinity for public performance both on the platform and on camera. Some call it star-quality; in the film industry these are known as actors the camera loves.
• Strong personalities - Media stars are born, not made. They cannot be denied. Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly are strong personalities. We are looking for risk-taking, strong personalities.
• Media Ambition - Becoming a media star requires repeated appearances to build a personal brand. Those who are selected for this program must possess the need to be public personae and must commit the time to be on-camera whenever possible.
• Authenticity - Candidates for this program must have an underpinning of substance. We are looking for the next Van Jones or Ellen Malcolm. Our candidates will be talent grounded in authenticity.

The Application Process:

• The application process is now closed. If you have questions about the training, please contact Joel Silberman at joel at neworganizing dot com
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• The Training:

• Those chosen will be brought to DC in January (16th-19th) for a 3-day intensive on and off camera media training.
• Our trainees will have follow-up weekly calls where we continue to coach their next steps in career development.