#NAHJ18 Track Leaders

“Cuida’o que por ahi viene los anormales.”

–Hector Lavoe

Music has always been a big part of my life and it has been such an influence that it is infused in nearly every project I do. Among my favorites are large ensemble bands that work together to create a big sound… especially the bands that are comprised of diverse musicians that bring different musical skills and personalities.

From the Wu Tang Clan to Parliament-Funkadelic, Café Tacuba to Ozomatli, Fela Kuti or James Brown and the musicians that played behind them, from La Sonora Dinamita to the Fania All-Stars. (This applies to the ensemble casts that come to perform theater, like those in Hamilton or In The Heights.)

I am inspired when a group of talented individuals come together to work toward one collective goal.

That same special collective energy is what is driving the NAHJ 2018 conference curriculum (formerly known as programming).

Inspired by these great bands, we are fortunate to have assembled our own All Stars, leaders in their industry, to develop the hands-on training in Miami. Track Leaders, as we call them, have each developed multiple sessions aimed at giving attendees real skills to have immediate impact on their careers and, therefore, the industry.

Think about it this way: When you attend NAHJ18, you are going back to school for modern-day training… but these professors are in the frontlines of our industry and know what skills are needed to be hired or promoted.

When you attend NAHJ18, you can take a single track, a couple tracks or even create your own custom curriculum. But when you come to Miami in July, get ready to work.

Yes, we’ll still have parties. It’s Miami after all.

But the reboot of our annual conference is aimed at giving you the skills that you need to advance your career – now.

The industry often says they “can’t find skilled journalists of color” when they are hiring or promoting. We all know that is bullshit.

And this conference is a direct response to that falsehood.

So, cuida’o journalism… que por ahi viene los anormales. Here comes a wave of “abnormal” journalists of color with the skills to elevate the quality of journalism.

Mi Gente, I am proud to announce the series of Tracks that will make this year’s curriculum.

TRACKS:

Audio, Broadcast TV/Screens, Coding, Core Digital skills, Data Journalism/Visualizations, Digital security, Freelancing, Innovación Digital (Spanish-language digital training), Leadership/Management, Community Engagement/Social Media, Video, Writing and 360/VR/Immersive.

We believe that regardless of where you are in your career or what your topic/beat is these the sessions that make up these Tracks have many things to offer you.

And allow me to introduce you to just some of the NAHJ18 All Stars that have worked hard to develop the curriculum:

And, in honor of the music that has influenced so many of us, we have created an NAHJ18 playlist made of tracks selected by our Track Leaders: #NAHJ18 Playlist