Upod Academy — May 2025 Weekend
Pitch Your Ideas Live (on Zoom)
May 3–4, 2025
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM PDT both days
Evan Ratliff
Investigative journalist, bestselling author, podcast host
Evan is the author of the The Mastermind: A True Story of Murder, Empire, and a New Kind of Crime Lord; the writer and host of the hit podcasts Shell Game and Persona: The French Deception; and the cofounder of The Atavist Magazine, Pop-Up Magazine, and the Longform Podcast. As a writer, he’s a two-time National Magazine Award finalist. As an editor and producer, he’s a two-time Emmy nominee and National Magazine Award winner.
Kate Cray
Family Editor
The Atlantic
You asked and here she is! Kate is editor for the Family section at The Atlantic. She edits and writes stories about families, parenting, relationships, friendships, cultural trends, and more, and wants to hear your ideas for stories in the same departments.
Elizabeth Spiers
Journalist, Author, Strategist, Founder
Elizabeth Spiers is a pioneering media strategist, journalist, and entrepreneur. She was the founding editor of Gawker and co-founded Breaking Media, launching influential verticals like Dealbreaker, Above the Law, and Fashionista. A contributing writer for The New York Times Opinion section, she also co-hosts the Slate Money podcast and co-authors Slate’s Pay Dirt column on money ethics. We have much to learn, much to discuss.
James Dao
Editorial Page Editor
The Boston Globe
James Dao is the editorial page editor of The Boston Globe, where he oversees opinion, Ideas, and editorial content.
Before the Globe, Dao spent three decades at The New York Times, covering politics, the Pentagon, and veterans affairs, and serving as Metro editor, Op-Ed editor, and deputy National editor.
Betsy Lerner
Agent, Author
Dunow, Carlson & Lerner
Can’t believe I get to say this: Betsy Lerner is joining us at Upod! A total legend in the literary world, Betsy is the author of Shred Sisters, The Bridge Ladies, and The Forest for the Trees—a bible for countless writers.
She’s also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Visual Thinking with Temple Grandin, and a partner at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner, where she represents some of the most brilliant voices out there. We’ve wanted her at Upod forever—and now she’s here.
Louie Villalobos
Opinion Editor
USA Today
With fewer outlets publishing personal essays, it’s great to know editors like Louie Villalobos. As USA TODAY's Opinion Editor, he’s looking for personal narratives that offer fresh perspectives or challenge conventional thinking on important topics.
His work has been recognized as a Pulitzer finalist, and he has a keen eye for compelling storytelling. Louie is passionate about amplifying diverse voices and is always on the lookout for meaningful first-person stories that resonate with readers.
Marisa LaScala
Essays Editor
Good Housekeeping
Marisa oversees all things parenting, relationships, and pop culture. She’s especially drawn to personal essays that blend heart, humor, and a clear point of view—and she knows how to shape a pitch into something unforgettable. Before Good Housekeeping, she held senior roles at Parents and Working Mother. Marisa brings sharp editorial instincts, a deep love for storytelling, and a generous, thoughtful approach to working with writers.
Alexis Hurley
Literary Agent
InkWell Management
Alexis has been with InkWell since its founding in 2004 and serves as Co-Director of Foreign Rights as well as a literary agent. She represents a range of domestic projects including literary and commercial fiction, memoir, and narrative non-fiction. Her clients include short story writer Diane Williams, commercial novelists Brett Paesel, Emily Holleman, and Claire Lazebnik, as well as nonfiction authors like Sadhguru and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. She also works with illustrators such as R.O. Blechman, Michael Maslin, and Sunita Kumar Nair, and the iconic Moosewood Restaurant. Across genres, she seeks books that make us think, feel, and grow
More Speakers TBA
Upod Academy — May 2025 Weekend
Pitch Your Ideas Live (on Zoom)
May 3–4, 2025
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM PDT both days
Admission: $525
(The goal? Make that back—and then some—with your pitches.)
ENROLL HERE
Email davidhochman@mac.com if you have questions.
Refund policy:
A $100 fee will apply for any cancellation before April 15, 2025, as long as a replacement is found.
If no replacement is found, full tuition fee will be charged.
No refunds after April 15, 2025.
Legal disclaimers: Speakers occasionally cancel. This is extremely rare but know that their participation is not guaranteed. Also, know that the sessions will be recorded and available for purchase after the weekend for those who missed the opportunity. By signing up for the workshop you are granting permission to have your name and likeness appear as part of the video library of speaker sessions. There are no guarantees that your participation will result in publishing your work or even in getting responses from the speakers. Like everything else in the realm of freelance writing, success is determined by your ability to come up with good ideas, pitch well, follow-up, etc.
Questions: davidhochman@mac.com
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A Weekend to Focus, Pitch & Publish!
The media landscape is shifting fast—but you don’t have to figure it out alone. This is your space to reconnect with your goals, find support and take the next step.
Scholarships available for writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color.
Here's what people say about their Upod Academy experience
Hard to believe, but this is the 58th Upod Academy weekend! Fifty-eight times, we’ve brought together an intimate group of writers, editors, and creatives to talk about what’s working, what’s not, and how to move forward in a journalism industry that often feels like it’s crumbling under our feet.
Somehow, our efforts keeps working. The conversations get sharper. The speakers get more generous. The people who come through the weekend leave with momentum, clarity, assignments, allies. And I love seeing all those Upod bylines popping up in the weeks following each session. It’s a small miracle, especially now.
You already know the scary news: AI is encroaching. Legacy outlets are shuttering. Rates are backtracking to early ‘90s levels. Everyone is burned out. The center isn’t holding—but you still have to write, pitch, publish, tell meaningful stories and earn. That’s what this weekend is for: a clear-eyed reset, a strategy boost, and a truly rare kind of support. People in these sessions actually care about your words, your writing and your success. How great is that?
So….here’s what you’ll get:
A strategic frame for your next steps. With help from our incredible A-list speakers, you’ll learn how to position your ideas—whether it’s for a pitch, a book, a talk, a business, a personal brand—so they land in a crowded, chaotic market.
Access to the people who say yes (or at least, “try me again”). Editors. Agents. Gatekeepers. You’ll hear what they’re looking for now and get candid, on-the-spot feedback on your ideas.
Your work, on the table. Between speaker sessions, we’ll refine your pitches, shape your stories, and figure out what you’re really trying to say—and how to say it so someone assigns it.
A community you’ll keep. Probably my favorite part. People come in as strangers and leave as Upod co-conspirators. No posturing, no pretension, no side eye—just working writers trying to do better and help each other get there.
Momentum. That thing that’s hard to fake. You’ll leave with new tools, new clarity, and a to-do list that actually feels exciting again.
At this point (again, 58 Upod weekends!) I get to brag a little: I’ve gone through this process with thousands of writers and hundreds of editors over the past decade-plus, and the results speak for themselves. People place stories in every imaginable publication, sell books, start podcasts, get staffed, book TEDx talks, sign with agents, and finally land those assignments they’ve been circling for years.
All in the wake of a weekend that’s as practical as it is galvanizing. Plus, it’s kinda fun.
Spots are capped at 25. They go fast.
I keep it small because that’s what makes it work.
I remain committed to supporting writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color. If that’s you, you can apply for a Upod scholarshp here. Want to support a fellow writer? Donate to the Scholars Program.
Led by yours truly, David Hochman
Thirty years (yikes!) in the business. Bylines in The New York Times, GQ, Forbes, Esquire, O, AARP, and about a hundred others. Founder of Upod Academy. Fierce believer that it’s still possible to build a real career in this work—but you need the right map, the right people, and a little push.
Ready? Sort of? Maybe? Let’s do this.
Since 2011, Upod Academy attendees have sold or placed thousands of articles, opinion pieces, books, TV shows, podcasts, radio segments and more at The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Esquire, Wired, Slate, Salon, GQ, Travel + Leisure, Food + Wine, Bon Appétit, Politico, AARP, Longreads, the Atavist, McSweeneys, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times (including Modern Love and Tiny Love Stories), National Geographic, Discover, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian Magazine, Texas Monthly, This American Life, Netflix, All Things Considered, The Moth Radio Hour, TEDx, Shondaland, Huffpost, Today.com, Insider, and many many MANY more.