Letter from the editor Archives - Outdoor Writers Association of America

New freelance resources

OWAA Developer — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 03:24:00 +0000

Freelancing is hard. There isn’t a week that goes by that at some point I don’t question the career choice. There’s pitches to send and invoices to collect. It’s a constant juggling act that more people are learning as staff jobs for outdoor writers, photographers, editors and videographers become scarcer.
OWAA wants to help. We recently launched a freelance resource center, thanks to the work of our membership services committee chaired by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry. Located in the members area of the website, you’ll find links to submissions guidelines for almost 50 paying publications. Check it out at https:// owaa.org/members-area/resources/ freelance-resource-listings/.We hope having that information in one place and easily accessible will save you time and also provide ideas for potential publications to pitch, whether you are freelancing full time or trying to supplement your income.
Our goal is to expand this resource center with other valuable information. We’ll keep you posted as we update it. In the meantime, as always, we want to hear from you.
What are you struggling with as an outdoor communicator? What skills do you need to learn or hone to be successful in your field? And what can we do to help?
I’d be remiss if, when talking about professional development, I didn’t throw out a final plug for our annual conference. We’re headed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, June 2–4. In 2019 we’ll visit Little Rock, Arkansas, followed by Jay Peak, Vermont, in 2020. So mark your calendar. Whether you’re a freelancer or a full time staffer, conference offers a rare opportunity to connect with colleagues, hone your craft and find stories and assignments.
If you are worried about the cost, check out Kris Millgate’s story on page 6 about how she came away from conference with three stories for three different outlets. If you are running the freelance hustle, it’s an event you can’t afford to miss.
See you in Fort Wayne!
—
Kelsey Dayton is the editor of Outdoors Unlimited. Reach her at editor@owaa.org.

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Happy birthday OWAA

OWAA Developer — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 18:48:16 +0000

On April 9, 1927, a small group of writers attending the Izaak Walton League of America convention in Chicago decided to form a professional organization for outdoor writers.
Their goals were to connect with colleagues and exchange ideas, experience and information, expand outdoor coverage in the national media, focus public attention on conservation issues and provide continuing education in the form of craft improvement.
The Outdoor Writers Association of America has changed dramatically in the 90 years since those 19 writers first formed it, as has the world.
Today, while we keep “writers” in our name, our ranks include people from all corners of outdoor communication. The media in which we work have changed — gone are film cameras and typewriters as video, blogs and podcasts define a new era of communication. Yet those founding principles have remained relevant and at the core of our mission. Nowhere is that more obvious than at our annual conference.
Our annual gathering, this year in Duluth, Minnesota, brings together our members from across North America. It’s a rare chance to talk to editors, writers, producers or public relations specialists who work in your same specialty.
We’ll also offer craft improvement sessions on using technology for working in the backcountry and the best way to make initial contact with an editor at your dream publication.
We’ll discuss conservation issues like development near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and managing wolves.
And we hope that our members who work for the media will find outdoor stories to share with their audiences.
We’re always looking ahead and our 90th anniversary is no exception, but we are also taking time to reflect on the past.
Starting on page 10, five past presidents write about their time leading the organization. We’ll also have a special reception for past presidents at the Duluth conference, a perfect time for people to gain more historical perspective about OWAA and also the outdoor communication industry.
There is always talk about growth and efforts to bring new communicators who represent an ever diversifying industry into our fold, but as we enter our 90th year, we at headquarters are also focused on our long-term and current members and how we can continue to make your membership in OWAA worthwhile.
Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, who has served as our interim executive director this winter, has started sharing member work on Facebook. If you haven’t already, email her at cms@owaa.org about your latest book, or share a link to an article, podcast or video you’ve recently published. Or send me a photograph you’ve recently captured for Feature Photo Friday on our Facebook page.
You’ve likely noticed that the magazine you’re reading has a different look. Outdoors Unlimited underwent a full redesign this winter, thanks to the talented Allison Bye and a generous donation from our second vice president Paul Queneau, which helped fund the effort. I hope the fresh look of OU helps showcase the incredible work and wealth of knowledge our members share in its pages.
The timing makes it a perfect birthday gift for the organization. Happy birthday, OWAA. Here’s to the next 90.
— Kelsey Dayton is the editor of Outdoors Unlimited. Reach her at editor@owaa.org.

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More on mentorship

OWAA Developer — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 15:35:37 +0000

The conservation media world lost two giants at the end of this summer. OWAA members Spence Turner, 76, died Aug. 26, and Michael Frome, 96, died Sept. 4. Many who mourned them called them inspirations, but more importantly, mentors.
In the character sketch Taylor Wyllie wrote about Colleen Miniuk-Sperry on page 13, Miniuk-Sperry credits the late Jim Smith with not just introducing her to OWAA, but opening a world that made her realize she could make a living and do what she wanted — photograph the outdoors. After meeting outdoor photographers at conference, Miniuk-Sperry went home and dropped almost all her commercial clients to focus on the landscape work she loves most.
Mentors like Turner, Frome and Smith changed people’s careers and also their lives. With them gone, who will step up to mentor the next generation?
On the previous page, OWAA’s president, Brett Prettyman, offers ways to step-up as a mentor. Prettyman’s own involvement in OWAA is the result of a mentor, Tom Wharton, encouraging him to join.
Prettyman suggests agreeing to shepherd a green ribbon member through the annual conference and find interested students at local schools and colleges. But it’s even easier than that. When a young (either in terms of age or career) writer asks you a question, take the time to respond and leave the door open for more communication. Encourage questions and offer advice.
More often than in years past, people are entering careers in outdoor communication without the benefit of the built-in mentors one used to find in staff jobs at newspapers and magazines. Helping them helps the profession by maintaining high professional standards. It also benefits you — you might find yourself editing their copy one day.
And you should find your own mentor. Even if you have an established career, find someone you trust to tell you when an idea is terrible, or encourage you to take a risk. Not sure whom to ask? Look no further than our directory. OWAA is full of people who have successfully navigated the world of outdoor communication for years, and hopefully, they are willing to answer a few questions.

— Editor Kelsey Dayton, editor@owaa.org

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Make the most of your membership

OWAA Developer — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:51:57 +0000

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We will have recently wrapped up our annual conference by the time this issue of OU returns from the printer. We often tout conference as the greatest member benefit we offer, but it’s far from the only one. For those unable to make it to Billings, Montana, this year, or for those who did and returned home inspired to keep the momentum they built learning and networking, this is meant to be a reminder of a few benefits sometimes forgotten and ways you can maximize your membership year-round.
Whether you’ve recently published a book, or you are hoping to get your photographs in front of magazine editors, OWAA is here to help you promote and sell your work, as well as give you the skills reach new markets.
Promote your work.

The Bookshelf in OU features new books by members.
The portfolio in the magazine offers a chance to show off your skills behind the camera.
Tell your fellow members about awards or recent projects on the member news section of the website.
Share a killer shot on our Facebook page by submitting to our Feature Photo Friday.

Improve your skills.

The craft improvement articles in Outdoors Unlimited are meant to teach new skills. Is there something you’ve been interested in learning more about? Let us know and we’ll try to find an expert to draft an article. Our online archive of Outdoors Unlimited is up-to-date thanks to the diligent work by our summer interns. Take time to browse old issues or search craft improvement articles online for tips of the trade.
Each year the Madson Fellowship offers scholarships for continuing education opportunities, from attending our annual conference, to taking attending classes or other conferences.
Can’t make it to conference? You can still take advantage of experts leading craft improvement session. Visit https://owaa.org/members-area/resources/conference-videos/ to watch conference videos. Our 2016 conference videos will be online soon. In the meantime, you can watch sessions from previous years.
We’ve recently added free webinars tackling topics like making money as a nature photographer. Look for upcoming webinar information in OU and watch ones you missed by visiting https://owaa.org/members-area/resources/webinars. Read below this article to find out information on our next webinar.

Find work.
Have you signed up for the Outdoor Market? While you can check it regularly through the website, you can also make sure you get an email any time a new job is posted. The Outdoor Market features only paid work requests, like publications seeking freelance submissions, or companies needing to hire outdoor communicators.
We recently put our directory online. That means you can search out the email of that fellow member whose work you’ve admired, find people who specialize in covering certain topics like bowhunting and solicit pitches for your publication or find editors who work with content you cover and send a personalized query, or connect with other outdoor communicators in your state. With the new supporting groups directory, you can find contacts at companies representing travel, gear and outdoor advocacy.
— Editor Kelsey Dayton, editor@owaa.org
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Writing a success story for OWAA

OWAA Developer — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 02:21:14 +0000

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BY KELSEY DAYTON
It seems every week there is another story about how media and communication is changing. Some of these are depressing, another article on layoffs at another esteemed newspaper. Some of these are inspiring, tales of innovation and surges in new ways people are consuming stories and news. At OWAA we try to stay malleable enough that we can move with the changes, while remaining ridgid at our core, our values and focus on the importance of outdoor communication remains unchanged.
It isn’t always easy, but as you can see by these graphs created by Colleen Miniuk Sperry, our membership services committee chair, it seems to be working. We have more than 300 members who have been with us for 20 or more years. Think about how much media and communication has changed in those 20 years and yet there are people who found us valuable then and still today. Our strength comes from our members, which is why we are always working, not just to serve those already joined, but recruit the best in outdoor communication to join our ranks.
As we prepare for our annual conference in July in Billings, Montana, this year, we hope you’ll join us, not just at conference where you’ll hone your skills for your craft and take home story ideas, but in inviting others to join our ranks. Conference is a great introduction to the organization and we hope you’ll invite your colleagues to come. For whom the trip is too far, consider sending them a link to our new recruitment information, https://owaa.org/file/individual-membership-brochure 2016.pdf, created this year by Tom Keer. It’s also a great resource for current members to peruse as a reminder of all OWAA offers.
We hope you’ll join us in our recruitment efforts and helping our story become one of success, innovation and growth. The more members we have, the more we can do for everyone, including you.
— Editor Kelsey Dayton, editor@owaa.org

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The election issue: Why voting and serving matters

OWAA Developer — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 02:09:17 +0000

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BY KELSEY DAYTON

This is the most important issue of OU we create each year. It might not be the most glamorous, or even the most interesting, but it’s the issue in which every member can easily help direct the organization’s future. This is the issue with the profiles of the candidates willing to serve on our Board of Directors.

Everything about OWAA is guided by direction from our board. It approves our budget. It initiates fundraising campaigns that keep us afloat and allows us to offer educational opportunities to current and future outdoor communicators. It evaluates our membership and steers the organization in ways to best serve it in an ever changing industry.

Serving on our Board of Directors is a huge responsibility, but we hope, also an honor. Our board members, and even our board candidates, are among the most dedicated in the organization and at the top in their fields. As Kris Millgate points out in her column on serving on the board on page 10, the names that comprise our board are familiar ones. You’ve likely seen their bylines in this magazine and also national publications.

You can learn more about the candidates starting on page 11 where they outline their leadership experiences and visions for the organization. We know you care enough about the organization to pay dues to be a part of it, so we hope you take the time to pick those you think will lead it in a direction that continues to make your membership worth the cost.

With the election underway, our next president, Brett Prettyman, will start thinking about committees for his term. Serving on these committees is a great foray into getting involved with OWAA. It also provides an opportunity for you to steer the organization towards giving you what you want and need out of it.

Is there a new skill you’d like to learn?

Our craft improvement committee helps solicit the articles you read every month in this magazine. Serve on it to suggest article topics that will help you in your work. Our member services committee brainstorms new benefits, like the webinars we’ve recently started hosting, to offer the membership. Serving on this committee offers a great place to make suggestions for membership benefits you’d like receive.

Want to influence the future of the organization, but you aren’t quite ready to jump into serving on the Board of Directors? Our board nominating committee recruits the candidates who run for our board.

We know the breadth of our members’ talents and we are always looking to tap it. Please consider offering to serve on a committee, whether you are a data junkie, or a creative type, we can use you. Contact Prettyman at brettoutdoors@yahoo.com.

Also, don’t forget conference is just around the corner. Instead of pitching you on why you should go, I’m simply going to refer you to Tim Christie’s portfolio on pages 16- 18. All of these pictures were taken in the Billings, Montana, area, where we’re holding conference this July, or in nearby Yellowstone National Park. We hope to see you there.

—Editor Kelsey Dayton, editor@owaa.org

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Montana is magical in the summer

OWAA Developer — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 19:06:11 +0000

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As much as I love winter, it often feels like I tolerate nine or 10 months of it, just to enjoy two to three months of incredible summers.
I do what I can to avoid leaving the Rocky Mountain region from July through mid-September. Even my closest friends know they probably shouldn’t get married on the East Coast in July if they want me to attend with a good attitude.
There are, of course, always things that pull me away, including OWAA’s annual conference. But not this year. This year’s conference is taking place in Montana. That means I get one more summer weekend in the state, and for those of you that live elsewhere, you have a professional excuse to visit.
If you are coming from out-of-state, make sure you plan on coming a few days early or staying a few days later to explore the area. A great way to truly experience a Montana summer is to sign up for one of our pre- and post-conference trips. It is activities like hiking and fishing that make Montana so magical during the summer.
If you haven’t already, you should plan to visit Yellowstone National Park. Our country’s first national park is other-worldly with geysers and hot pots and elk, bison and grizzly bears. This park, which brings in millions of visitors from around the world, is the trip-of-a-lifetime for many people.
That means lodging and guided trips fill up well in advance. If you are planning on visiting Yellowstone while at conference, consider making reservations now if you haven’t already.
Someone recently mentioned to me that we spend a lot of time promoting our conference, that it seemed as soon as one ended we were plugging the next. That might be true, but it is because we know conference is by far the best benefit we offer through OWAA. It’s not just about the sessions that help you hone your craft or business, or newsmaker sessions where you might get a story idea or background for future reporting. The biggest benefit is being around like-minded people who share your struggles in, but also your passion for, working in outdoor communication. Conference gives you tools to better yourself at your trade, but just as important, it fuels and reignites your inspiration.
I was recently reminded of how important and influential simply being around other people in your profession can be. In January the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau hosted OWAA’s winter board meeting on Captiva Island in Florida. After a full day meeting we had the chance to spend a day kayaking in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge or fishing in the bay.
When I’m not editing Outdoors Unlimited, I work as a freelancer. And like most freelancers I can experience big dips in motivation and spikes of frustration. Just being around others talking about the latest policy news, story ideas and our love of the outdoors, left me inspired and ready to come back and tackle another year of freelancing. I mentioned stories I was working on and came up with new angles and outlets — and that happened during a two-day trip that included a board meeting. Imagine what three days of conference, plus the workshops and pre- and post-conference trips can do for your morale.
In the meantime, we are always looking for ways to motivate our members and help them gain new skills and make more money. Our latest effort is another webinar which will take place Feb. 17. Sponsored by Hunt’s Photo and Video, this webinar, which is free to OWAA members, will cover ways to make money as a nature photographer. Be sure to sign up at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/384746978245271554 and let us know if there are other webinars you’d like to see in the future.
— Editor Kelsey Dayton, editor@owaa.org
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Resolve to let OWAA help you reach professional goals

OWAA Developer — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 20:05:06 +0000

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BY KELSEY DAYTON

New Year’s is just around the corner and here at OWAA headquarters, we want to help you with your resolutions — at least the ones related to outdoor communication, you’ll have to tackle the eating better and exercising more on your own.

Learn a new skill.

If your goal is to learn a new skill, check out videos from our annual conferences in the “Member’s Area” of our website at https://owaa.org/members-area/resources/conference-videos/.
We recently updated our website to include videos from our most recent conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, this past summer, as well as conferences going back as far as 2011. Learn about the best apps for working journalists, or how to plan and carryout your own book tour.

Stay involved in the organization and industry.

We also want to help keep you apprised of issues facing our organization and outdoor communication. You might have noticed this is the space where Tom Sadler, our executive director, normally writes his column. Instead of addressing the membership in this space every two months, Tom will regularly update you through his blog, which you can find at https://owaa.org/blog/category/executive-directors-blog/. This will allow him to write about news-worthy items in a timely matter.

Make more money

We know this is the reason so many of you joined OWAA and we are constantly working on more ways to get you more work. Billings, Montana, a gateway community to Yellowstone National Park, is hosting our 2016 conference in July. Not only is conference a great way to make connections with editors and other like-minded professionals, Montana offers a wealth of outdoor adventure options you can turn into stories. Local chair Jack Ballard has already lined-up some pre- and post-conference trips you can read about on page 14, and more in the works. Start pitching outlets now and letting them know you’ll be in Montana this summer.
We’re always looking ways for you to get the most out of your membership, but you can’t take advantage of OWAA benefits, if you aren’t a member, so make sure to remember to send in your dues renewal. Then starting thinking about what you want to do this year and how OWAA can help you reach those goals.

—Publications Editor Kelsey Dayton, editor@owaa.org

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New Year, New Editor

OWAA staff — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 17:11:04 +0000

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BY KELSEY DAYTON

By the time you are reading this it will almost be time to start a new year. The new year is a time of fresh starts and beginnings, so it’s fitting my first issue as editor of Outdoors Unlimited will take you out of 2013 and into 2014.

I’ll be spending the start of my new year immersing myself into OWAA, learning about its mission and history and how to put out a publication that is relevant to members. As a working outdoor journalist myself, I’ve already benefited from being a part of the organization by putting together this issue of OU. Mary Linkevich’s craft improvement article on social media reminded me to think beyond the obvious Facebook and Twitter and consider how other outlets can help me find, pitch and report more effectively. Since first reading Tim Flanigan’s article on an easy tip to improve your wildlife photography, the images I take with my point and shoot camera have already improved.

Putting together the portfolio for this issue exhibits not only what talented photographers we have in the organization, but also the enthusiasm and appreciation members have for being outside. I understand why people are already gearing up and talking about our next conference in May. You’ll find dates to pencil into your calendar if you are already planning on attending, and if you haven’t yet committed to coming to conference you’ll read about why you should. One of those enticements is our keynote speaker Andrew Samson, a leading Texas conservationist.

I’m excited to be a part of an organization where so many people share my two passions — journalism and the outdoors. I grew up in Montana and have always loved being outside, hiking, biking, shooting and climbing. I attended the University of Missouri to study journalism with a focus on outdoor reporting. It was in college when I first heard about OWAA thanks to several members of the Missouri Outdoor Communicators. I’ve spent most of the past decade in Wyoming at newspapers. Most recently I’ve worked as a freelancer, specializing in outdoor and environmental reporting. I’m always looking for a reason to go skiing and call it work. And I’ll be still trying to get away with that — when I’m not putting together Outdoors Unlimited.

It’s a new year, new beginnings, but some things never change.

—Publications Editor Kelsey Dayton, editor@owaa.org

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OWAA headquarters team to add new member

OWAA staff — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 15:59:43 +0000

BY ASHLEY SCHROEDER
The headline of this column could read “Ashley wishes to step back from fulltime job duties with OWAA.” But instead, I think it should be “OWAA adds to headquarters team.”
The short story:
I have decided to step back from my full-time duties as editor of Outdoors Unlimited and have someone else join the headquarters team in that capacity. I will continue to work part-time for OWAA and will remain actively involved in OWAA’s online presence and communications with members, supporters and the public, but from a more behind-the-scenes role. This transition has been a long time coming and will allow me more time to grow my freelance graphic and website design business.
This is the last issue of OU that will list in the masthead, my name as editor. As I type this, the hiring committee is nearing the end of the interview and hiring process and the new publications editor will publish the October/November issue of OU.
The long story:
There’s a saying, attributed to Kobi Yamada, that goes: “Sometimes you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way down.”
As most of you know, especially if you attended my “why you need a website” session at the Alaska conference, that when I’m not working for OWAA or training for marathons, I moonlight as a website designer, also doing graphic design for online and print.
I’ve always had an eye for design, but I first caught the bug for designing websites in 2009. Perhaps you’ll remember when Paul Queneau helped HQ staff set up a WordPress website for Outdoors Unlimited when the publication initially moved to an online-only publication. (I don’t know about you, but I’m glad we’re now publishing bimonthly, in addition to having an online version.) WordPress has come a long way since then, and along the way I’ve been learning more about the content management system, creating websites for small businesses and individuals, and even a few OWAA members who have contracted out with me to create their websites.
The time has now come for me to take a leap of faith career-wise, as my time living and playing in Missoula may be coming to an end. To that end, my job with OWAA doesn’t have to be done “in Missoula.” But as my website design business grows, there are unfortunately only so many hours in the day. Because I have come to care about this organization deeply, I want to make sure that if and when I leave this idyllic town that OWAA is well-suited with staff to carry on the work currently being done at headquarters.
Words cannot express how grateful I am for the work environment I’ve had the past 4.5 years (five, if you include my college internship). Since I first started working at OWAA HQs, Outdoors Unlimited has come and gone as a printed publication to digital magazine, to back to print again, in a variety of frequencies and formats. Throughout that time, I helped launch our social media accounts, including our Facebook page which is liked by almost 1,300 people as of this writing. Our website has undergone a redesign — twice. We’ve greatly increased the frequency of press release writing and distribution, expanded our conference’s website presence, and moved the EIC contests to an online-based entry system, to name a few ways I’ve been involved with OWAA’s move forward in the digital frontier the past few years.
I’ve enjoyed working as editor of Outdoors Unlimited since August 2009 but am also excited for my new role at OWAA HQs. And I can’t wait to see what the future holds for OWAA’s members, supporters, staff, and our new editor who I look forward to welcoming to the headquarters team. ◊
— Ashley Schroeder, OWAA Publications and Communications Director, aschroeder@owaa.org

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