Click here for dozens more Upod speaker sessions
〰️
Click here for dozens more Upod speaker sessions 〰️
April 2024 Speaker Sessions
April 2024 Speaker Sessions
(Think of it as freelance journalism school)
Nine sessions - $130 dollars
Any three sessions - $50
Individual sessions - $20
Zelle to 310 383-5555 (comes up as Ruth Kennison)
Venmo to david-hochman-1
PayPal to davidhochman@mac.com
Include your email and I will send the links
People, you can’t get this stuff anywhere else!
Cornelia Channing
Guest Essays Editor
New York Times
I’m so happy I randomly ran into Cornelia on horseback in Uruguay this year. She’s amazing and incredibly adept here at turning fragments and kernals into brilliant New York Times-worth opinion ideas. You’ll learn so much about what it takes to get one of these sterling bylines, and you’ll leave thinking, “Wow, I can’t wait to pitch this woman!” One hour. Ten stars!
Marques Harper
Features Editor
LA Times
Even with lots of layoffs, there are tons of freelance opportunities at the Los Angeles Times, and Marques is the guy to pitch. From neighborhood guides to the L.A. Affairs romance essays, he’s looking for smart, well-told stories and loves when writers make him laugh. So many pearls of wisdom in this engaging hour.
Allison Klein
Essays Editor
Washington Post
After covering crime at the Washington Post for 20 years, Allison switched to editing the Inspired Life column that features “surprising and unusual stories about humanity.” She details what it takes to get that coveted byline. One hour.
Starlight Williams
Editor @
NatGeo
Would that I could bottle the energy of this jubilant 50-minute session with NatGeo’s travel & mysteries editor. Starlight wants smart, unexpected pieces for the “new” NatGeo. Hidden histories, curious subcultures, nature and science, space and culture. She kinda does it all. This woman’s going places. 48 minutes.
John Gravois
Longform Editor
WIRED
If you want to write long, John’s your guy. He edits 5,000+-word features for the iconic tech-culture publication. From AI and Mars missions to true crime and nerd-god profiles, there’s a ton to pitch him. He also shares a priceless resource on structuring longform pieces, which you’ll get along with the video link. Great guy and a stupendous hour.
Alex Heard
Editor-in-Chief
OUTSIDE
Alex tops the masthead at Outside, where he’s worked for more than 20 years. With a sincere mission to bring marginalized voices into the historically white-dude pub, he’s eager for pitches beyond what you normally think of when you think of Outside. Indigenous culture pieces, BIPOC adventure and sports profiles, and great untold stories all around on climate change, gear, woodsy mysteries. What an amazing and surprising 45-min session.
Holly Millea
Podcasting
This one’s like an hour of standup comedy about media life and what it took to shift from magazines (Holly was an Elle columnist for 20 years) to creating a number-one podcast series called Three. The 10-part true-crime saga has a gripping tale behind-the-scenes, too, as Holly fought for fees and control and credit in ways that will change every future negotiation you have. Hilarious, useful and loaded with celebrity gossip.
Sarah Phair
Literary Agent
Sanford J. Greenburger Agency
Of the dozen or so agents who’ve spoken at Upod, Sarah might be the best yet at charting the process of book idea to book on the shelf. She’s super clear about how to query an agent, write a proposal, position yourself as a writer and connect with readers. One-stop agent shopping. Done and done. 40 minutes.
Ross Barkan
Substack,
NYT Mag
Someone please explain to me how Ross Barkan does as much as does. He’s got a booming Substack, he’s on the masthead at the New York Times Magazine, he writes a column for Crain’s, and he’s written two novels. He’s also one of the most generous speakers yet on helping freelancers strategize on making money in a super-challenging media world. This video alone is worth the price of the package. 55 minutes.
YOU WANT MORE? KEEP READING! WE’VE HAD DOZENS AND DOZENS OF SPEAKERS
October 2023 Package
Seven sessions for $100 dollars or $15 each.
Zelle to 310 383-5555 (comes up as Ruth Kennison)
Venmo to david-hochman-1
PayPal to davidhochman@mac.com
Include your email and I will send the links
Wilson Wong
NYT Styles Section
Everything you need to know about writing for The New York Times Styles desk—from the editor who wrote the pitch guide for the section. We go deep on what makes a Styles story, what the editors want more of/less of, and the “unicorn” stories Wong is hoping someone will pitch. He’s open to pitches from first-time writers, even student writers. Bonus section up front takes you through the guide itself. 1 hour. October 2023.
Monica Racic
Digital Director
The New Yorker
Monica is the kindly, generous, responsive editor you dream about finding at a place like The New Yorker. She’s so warm and open with her advice, you’ll feel like a mewing kitty at the Algonquin Round Table. What makes a great New Yorker piece now? What does it take to sell an idea to them? What’s the lowdown on their digital and multi-media projects? Monica answers it all in 45 minutes. October 2023
Bijal P. Trivedi
National Geographic
The senior science editor at NatGeo talks through the steps of pitching the world’s most famous yellow-bound pub. She’s super clear about the elements to include in a proposal, from the types of headlines they like to sound files you should suggest. Someone sold a story live at the session. Lots of freelancer possibilities for science, health, travel and culture stories as the magazine goes all-digital in 2024. One hour. October 2023
Sarah Khalil
Calligraph Agency
Literary agent Sarah Khalil is hungry for new authors, memoirs writers, journalists with book ideas, and marginalized writers with cross-cultural narratives. Big ideas, radical thought, propulsive writing are the cornerstones of her taste. She is also seeking select fiction in the same space. 45 minutes. October 2023
Bonnie Nadell
Hill Nadell Agency
As the agent for David Foster Wallace, Rebecca Solnit and Richard North Paterson, Bonnie knows more than most about the inner workings of book publishing. Based in Los Angeles, she is president of the Hill Nadell Literary Agency, repping non-fiction, including memoir, as well as fiction. She’s open to hearing your ideas and offering feedback to polish your proposals. Generous, thoughtful, direct, super helpful. 45 minutes. October 2023
Rachel Courtland
MIT Tech Review
First published in 1899, MIT Technology Review is considered the “technology bible” for business leaders, entrepreneurs, academics and other data nerds. The esteemed science and tech publication pays well, goes deep and can position you for a book contract. Rachel is the review’s commissioning editor and bought a story straight out of the live session. 40 minutes. October 2023
David Hochman
Upodder-in-Chief
I’ve been freelancing for 30 years and thought I’d share an hour packed with my “greatest Upod hits” about pitching, building contacts, breaking old habits, upping your pay rates, and stretching to your next level. This session from the October 2023 weekend covers my all-time favorite strategies for finding ideas, targeting publications, overcoming procrastination and pushing past fear. You’ll come away with several important #freelancer neologisms, including Soycats, Bridge to a Bridge, and Thumbslam! 1 hour. October 2023
Previous Upod Academy sessions
The Upod Talks
Eight speaker sessions from the June 2023 Upod weekend (that’s 7+ hours of editor and agent wisdom) are available here as a package only for $100, payable by Zelle (preferable) or Venmo. You can also buy sessions individually at $15 each.
It’s an extraordinary course in writing, publishing and living a happier, more fulfilled life as a freelancer.
For more than a decade, Upod has stayed afloat thanks to patronage from freelancers like you. Your support also funds the Upod Scholars program that provides free enrollment to a number of writers at each session who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color.
It takes many hours to book speakers and plan these workshops. Like most of you I am a one-person operation who does this for fun and also for my livelihood. If this work makes your own freelance life better, please support this endeavor. It makes all a difference.
Thank you and happy viewing!
Send payment of $100 for the eight-session pack via Zelle or Venmo to david-hochman-1 or 310-383-5555. Individual sessions are $15 but please specify in your order which ones you are ordering.
Jen Ortiz, The Cut
The Cut is New York Magazine’s spin on fashion, beauty, sex, politics and celebrity. Deputy editor Jen Ortiz spells out exactly what she wants in pitches, starting with the subject line, and going deep into the types of ideas she buys from freelancers. An hour of freelancer wisdom.
Rachel Miller
Editor-in-Chief
@ SELF
Condé Nast’s women’s wellness site covers healthy eating, recipes, beauty, skin-care, relations, trends, and more. From the top of the masthead, Miller gives straightforward advice on who and what to pitch at the publication. 46 minutes.
Lenika Cruz
Culture Editor
The Atlantic
Lenika Cruz assigns pieces for The Atlantic on pop culture, music, trends, TV, movies and various sensations you care deeply about. She realizes many writers aspire to The Atlantic and here she spells out the details on how to get that vaunted byline. 50+ minutes.
Mary Melton
Editor extraordinaire
A personal hero and mentor of mine, Mary was the longtime editor at Los Angeles Magazine and now edits for Alta Magazine and Godfrey Dadich (a content strategy firm founded by editors from Wired). This session contains multitudes of insights on time management, freelance success, pitching, and general happiness as a writer. Watch it, I tell you, watch it! 47 minutes
Amy Tannenbaum
Literary Agent
Jane Rotrosen Agency
A passionate author advocate with over 15 years of book industry experience, Amy specializes in fiction and here she shares tips on what she’s hoping to see when she opens a query from an author seeking representation. She’s happy to nurture you if you don't have a thousand credits or a billion followers. Great writing is what she’s after. A packed half hour session.
Jacob Brogan
Books Editor
Washington Post
Do you want to know how to publicize your book? How to become a book reviewer? How to write about your favorite authors or book trends? How to write about LGBTQI+ literature? How to write land a coveted Washington Post byline? Jacob is your guy—he’s so helpful and clear in laying out the landscape for pitching the Post, you almost can’t go wrong if you follow his guidelines. 54 minutes
Molly Friedrich
The Friedrich Agency
Having repped Frank McCourt, Sue Grafton, and Jane Smiley, Molly is one of the most successful agents of our time. Yet she’s more candid than almost any other guest we’ve had at Upod. Her direct, passionate and unsparing appraisal of the literary scene, circa 2023, is riveting and will be incredibly helpful to anyone preparing a manuscript or book proposal. 53 minutes of fascination about today’s publishing biz.
Zibby Owens
Publishing Influencer
Zibby Owens, "the most influential woman in NY publishing," is a publisher, author, bookstore owner, GMA book influencer and supporter-to-the-hilt of great writing. Her advice on publishing and writing was so useful I wanted her to stay all day. She reminded us that as writers we must "stay in the doc." Meaning: if you're working on something, particularly a longform or book-length project, open the document every day to keep the momentum going. One novelist she knows literally just opens the doc, even if she's not writing that day, to make sure she hasn't lost the thread. This and so much more—in an hourlong session that’s one of the best of the year.
Upod has dozens more sessions with editors, writers, agents, producers and publishers. Scroll through the 2023 speaker list below or click on the scrolling banner to see previous sessions. For the March 2023 sessions below, send payment of $100 for the nine-session pack or $15 per session via Venmo to david-hochman-1 or 310-383-5555. Individual sessions are $15 but please specify in your order which ones you are ordering.
Click here for the complete library of Upod speaker sessions
〰️
Click here for the complete library of Upod speaker sessions 〰️
Jim Windolf
NYT Styles Editor
The esteemed New York Times features editor is refreshingly candid on what it takes to write about fashion, social trends, relationships, subcultures and “human interest” for Styles desk. He details who edits what, defines the sweet spot on pitches, briefs us on the all-important “civilian test,” and shares a 1960s “dark board approach” that still works for generating ideas. 42 minutes of freelancer delight.
Debra Rosenberg
Smithsonian Mag
Hidden histories, forgotten figures, regional lore, science & climate stories, American icons, photography, travel, discoveries—it’s all interesting to Smithsonian’s print and digital editors. From the top of the masthead, Rosenberg points to the entry points for freelancers (90% of their writer pool, btw) and also places to really stretch out with longform narrative features. Smithsonian pays well and treats writers with utmost respect. 46 historic minutes.
Kirby Kim, Lit Agent
Kirby Kim sets a record for the longest session in Upod history. It’s one of the most helpful, too. The celebrated literary agent from Janklow & Nesbit answers every imaginable question about book proposals, the state of publishing, developing a platform, turning articles into books, generating ideas and self-publishing/e-books. He’s refreshingly blunt, which makes this an unmissable hour and 20 minutes of B.S.-free guidance from the best in the biz.
Virginia Hughes
NYT Science editor
The New York Times Science editor was fantastically kind and informative in spelling out what it takes to write about science at the highest levels of journalism. She also surprised me with a stunning comment about Upod itself: "When I was a freelancer, this group was legendary but I was always too cowardly to sign up. It was the cool kids club in my mind." Now that's science we can all get behind! 44 minutes.
Send payment of $100 for the nine-session pack via Venmo to david-hochman-1 or 310-383-5555.
Fernando Alfonso III
NPR and NPR.org
Oh, what a session. Fernando gives you everything you need to write for radio and for NPR’s outstanding website, down to the exact format of pitches he likes, the types of stories — including personal essays — that NPR loves, and also general ideas on how to do bigger, better things as a freelancer. I love this session so much. It’s 47 minutes of Upod joy. 47 minutes.
Peter Terzian
Travel + Leisure
Peter Terzian gets my vote as the nicest guy in magazine journalism. Certainly in travel journalism. Without being Pollyannaish, he’s encouraging, helpful and inspiring about selling travel stories – and he’s super articulate on what he wants and doesn’t need, and who/what/when to pitch, for both print and digital at Travel + Leisure. I dare you to watch this and not fall in editor-love with this delightful man. 50 minutes.
Rick Richter, Agent
Rick Richter comes across here as part super agent, part St. Nick. This jubiliant session is rich with insights and gifts on how to shape, propose, publish and market a book, circa now. You’ll learn so much listening to pitches from Upodders. Rick turns each example into a Platonic-ideal test case for various genres: memoir, food narrative, history title, scandal title, science title, children’s book, etc. Rick loves ideas about scams, religion, science, and just about anything else that makes him go ‘holy shit!’ One hour, five minutes.
Nathan Reese
NYT T Brand Studios
Nathan Reese takes us inside the world of content marketing and branded content—basically journalism-style writing for brands. What’s great is that he’s a senior staffer at one of the coolest of all brand content studios – T Brand, the signature content division of The New York Times. What’s also nice is that this work pays really really well and Nathan tells you how you can get these gigs as well as the factors you’ll need to consider if you want to make it big in this realm. I’ve been trying to get Nathan to speak at Upod for years and the session surpasses my expectations in 40 minutes.
Peter Rubin
Atavist & Longreads
Even with a touch of hoarseness, Peter Rubin gives a powerhouse talk on how to make real money on longform journalism. The Atavist has a unique and writer-friendly pay structure that supports journalism and non-fiction narrative pieces from 6,000 words and up, and at a rate that makes that work attractive. He also edits for Longreads, which takes shorter pieces. My jaw dropped at Peter’s willingness to provide such thorough feedback on ideas, share insights on book writing and magazine journalism, and distill why certain writers thrive while others struggle. Watch this session until you get bored (and I promise, you’ll keep watching until the 1:02 minutes are up). A riveting session.
Send payment of $100 for the nine-session pack or $15 per session via Venmo to david-hochman-1 or 310-383-5555.