A Crystal Ball for the Foreign Correspondent … Anyone?

Date/Time: Monday, January 24, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
Place: 2F Wesley Center, 6-10-11 Minami Aoyama; a map is here, or check out their website.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for a stunningly successful Year of the Rabbit! We’re looking forward to the next gathering of our  Media Tectonics community! We hope you were able to relax and re-energize over the holidays and are ready for an exciting and profitable year ahead. Come and help us celebrate the possibilities a new year holds, as we welcome veteran journalists Martyn Williams (IDG) and Tomoko Hosaka (AP), for an evening of thought-provoking and challenging content, delicious food and drink, and networking with an audience that is always as fascinating as our speakers (self-introductions are always a highlight of the evening).

Media Tectonics seminars are designed to be not only informative and helpful to your work and career but also to inspire you to think outside the box, make new connections, risk playing a bigger game, and take the action necessary to realize your long-held dreams. You are the only one who can take your life and career to the next level, and our plan for 2011 is to introduce you to a host of professionals who have done just that. And they are generous enough to share trade secrets and tips on how you can do the same, even though it may need to be “off the record.” (Check out the community news section below for a preview of upcoming events you don’t want to miss.)

So bring your questions on the 24th and hear what our speakers have to tell us about the state of journalism, international news gathering, and how digital technologies are changing the ways we all work with words. What tectonic shifts will we see in 2011? Exciting times, indeed!

Combination Plate #1

“Wither the foreign correspondent? International news in the age of digital technology”

Much has been said lately of the impending demise of the foreign correspondent. Faced with the rise of digital technology and social media, foreign correspondents are fading in relevance, one recent study says. So what does the future hold for international news? Is foreign correspondency really dying, or merely evolving? Tokyo-based journalists Martyn Williams and Tomoko A. Hosaka will lead a wide-ranging discussion on the ways in which digital technology is changing how news is gathered, distributed and consumed, and how journalists themselves are reshaping their still-vital roles as global communicators.

Combination Plate #2

“The Hack’s Toolbox: Tips for effective online searching”

In this practical session, Martyn Williams offers some valuable tips and tricks to maximize your online searches. From Google to Flickr to Twitter, discover advanced techniques to find what exactly you’re looking for.

Speaker Bios:

Martyn Williams is multimedia editor and Tokyo bureau chief for IDG News Service, a global newswire feeding tech publications such as PC World and Macworld. Over the last 15 years, he has covered many of the largest stories in tech, both in Japan and worldwide, and has reported from countries across the region. As he likes to note, Martyn began covering the Internet before anyone knew what it was. He launched IDG’s video wire in 2006 and also shoots, produces and edits “Akibatteru,” a monthly video program on Japanese geek and pop culture. A deep professional and personal interest in North Korea led him to start a blog, northkoreatech.org. Martyn originally hails from outside London and is a former president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. You can find him on Twitter @Martyn_Williams.

Tomoko A. Hosaka is a Tokyo-based reporter for The Associated Press, covering business, economics and anything else that catches her fancy. She serves on the national board of the Asian American Journalists Association, through which she is engaged in a number of media industry issues, and is a former member of the FCCJ board of directors. Raised in California, her love of newspapers led her to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and then to a political reporting job at The Oregonian in Portland, Oregon. Tomoko landed in Japan almost nine years ago. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from Waseda University and previously worked for Dow Jones Newswires. You can find her on Twitter @TomokoHosaka.

We look forward to seeing you on January 24. Be sure to RSVP soon, as the number of chairs is limited. You’ll want to arrive early to enjoy the always-delicious culinary creations of To the Moon and Back.

Give us a call if you have trouble finding the venue: 090-2451-0697.

The Media Tectonics Team

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Date: Monday, January 24, 2011
Time: 6:30 p.m. – dinner and networking (catered by To the Moon & Back); 7 p.m. – seminar begins
Location: Wesley Center, 2F, 6-10-11 Minami-Aoyama
Cost: 3,500 yen (prepaid, by January 21); 4,500 yen at the door

Be sure to take advantage of the prepayment discount, and let us know you’re coming so we can make an accurate food order!

RSVP by sending an email here, and transferring funds (by Jan. 21) to:

Resona Bank
Shibuya Branch: 473
Account Type: Futsu
Account Number: 1804222
Account Name: 4M Associates

Or pay via Paypal:

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Community News & Updates

We have some incredibly talented members in our Media Tectonics community, so we’ve set aside this space for you to let us know what you’re up to or to keep you informed about what’s going on in Tokyo or other cities in Japan. Send submissions well in advance of your event, and we’ll do our best to promote it for you here. Contact info@mediatectonics.com.

Support Independent Filmmaking!

Ready for a creative-kick-ass year of the rabbit? Our friend, Jamie Morris, is. He has launched a kickstarter.com campaign to get finishing funds for his documentary about the bosozoku (motorcycle gangs) in Japan. Check out the video and writeup at  http://kck.st/h6lMIP. There’s even a chance to get Executive Producer credits, so take a look and help support the creative arts. We did!

This is a great way for INDY producers to fund projects. Jamie writes, “I have been fairly successful thus far and I would be happy to offer anybody advice (or a talk) on how to get a successful project on the site – we just made the main page on kickstarter.com!”

Upcoming Media Tectonics Seminars

February 28 – Crisis Communications and Risk Management

We’ve moved our usual meeting date to the 28th to coincide with the upcoming trip to Japan of a very special guest, which will be confirmed after February 1. Already confirmed speaker, David Wagner, will scare us into managing our crises and our communications more effectively, to avoid those risky media interviews when things go wrong (among other things).

David first came to Japan in 1982 as an exchange student in Osaka.  It was then his interest in Japan would become a life-long endeavour. Having decided to specialize in Japan’s political system, he obtained a Master’ degree in Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 1987 and moved to Tokyo, where he developed an interest in using his knowledge of Japanese studies to bridge the cross-cultural divide between Japan and the United States. His first professional trainings began as a cross-cultural instructor for the Fuji Xerox Learning Institute where he facilitated hundreds of business seminars for Japanese venturing overseas. Over the past 25 years, David has conducted over 4,000 communications skills sessions in Japan, APAC, North America and the Middle East for 340 organizations. He is currently Director, Communications Training Group, at Edelman Japan.

David is a prolific writer, having published 19 books for the Japanese market. Sign up early to hear how he (and hopefully our special guest) has used his skills with words to build a business that spans continents.

March 21 – Independent Business Roundtable – The Entrepreneurial Wordsmith

A recent prediction of trends to watch for in 2011 by a major ad agency said, “Journalists [and writers] will need to be more entrepreneurial.” What do you mean, entrepreneurial? We’re creatives, for heaven’s sake. But it’s now clearer than ever that writers, designers, producers, and consultants of all sorts need the tools to grow their businesses exponentially and create long-term passive income with the words they use.

Have you ever thought about quitting your day job? Starting your own business? But you don’t know where to start and have too many questions with which to pummel your friends? We’re putting together a panel of professionals who have “been there, done that” and are more than happy to answer any questions you throw their way. We’re even requiring them to share some secrets that are guaranteed to save you time, money, gray hairs, and hair pulling. Send in your questions early to info@mediatectonics.com and we’ll do our best to have them answered. Surprise us!