Join UnionDocs and Chloe Prasinos (The 11th, Ghost Story, Wolverine: The Lost Trail) for a three-day intensive workshop.

In a moment of incredible turbulence in the audio industry, this workshop is designed to help ground producers and artists working in sound. It is a space to come together and return to craft, to dive deep into process, and to recover the spark of inspiration that motivated each of us to tell stories — and to do so in sound.

In the crowded podcast-scape, the stories that break through the noise often reside in the space between genres; the work that feels most alive borrows techniques from audio drama and memoir, from reporting and poetry and cinema alike.

Chloe, accompanied by an extraordinary roster of guest instructors, will draw back the curtain and break down how to make innovative work that bends the rules. The workshop will go inside work that views sound as instrumental and not incidental to telling impactful stories in audio. It will explore work that embraces the subjective — the personal, the political, the experimental. And it will examine how fiction can be a way to get at the truth.

Over the course of the weekend, the workshop will outline the conceptual, ethical, and practical skills that participants need to apply these techniques to their own work — whether it’s making a documentary that’s sound-rich and immersive, or crafting a personal story that sparkles with magical realism. And, above all else, participants will be encouraged to experiment, to play, and to break the rules.

On Friday,  Chloe Prasinos will kick off the workshop; she will make a case for blending genres and she will then take students inside her process, breaking down exactly how to make work that’s “based on a true story.” Brendan Baker (Love + Radio, Wolverine) will demonstrate the power of sound design and music as tools — and how to think about sound as instrumental and not incidental to telling stories in audio.

On Saturday, Jasmine Romero (Princess of South Beach) will address the possibilities of fiction, and how audio drama can be a space to tell stories with impact. Zakiya Gibbons (Hang Up) will then delve into her experience of hosting and editing.

On Sunday, Sharon Mashihi (Appearances) will explore a big question — what is a true story? — and how to use fiction to access the truth. To conclude the workshop, we’ll explore how to create a space of play in true and imagined stories alike with Richard Parks III (Richard’s Famous Food Podcast, Storytime with Seth Rogen).

Seats are limited, so register today!

NOTE: This workshop will require in-person participation from all participants. Each participant must present proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test administered within 48 hours of the workshop’s start. Any and all questions, please reach out to [email protected].

Details

Schedule

10:30a

First Workshop Session

12:30p

Lunch

2:00p

Second Workshop Session

4:00p

Wrap Up

Bios

Chloe Prasinos (she/her) is a shape-shifter — she works across genres and all aspects of audio production as an independent editor, writer, producer, reporter, and sound designer. Chloe is a founding producer of The 11th, a show from Pineapple Street Studios that strives to push the form into new spaces. Her work on that show was honored with a National Magazine Award, Third Coast’s Director’s Choice Award, a Webby, and a Gotham/Variety Award. Chloe was a Senior Producer on Ghost Story, a series from Pineapple and Wondery. She served as Editor and Executive Producer of a documentary series from Wondery + Topic Studios about phone sex in the 90s. Before that, Chloe reported dozens of queer stories to fill a multimedia museum produced by CNN in commemoration of Stonewall 50. Chloe also directed, produced, and sound designed Marvel Comics’ first ever audio drama alongside Brendan Baker, collaborating on set with the likes of Bob Balaban, Bill Irwin, Ato Essandoh, and Celia Keenan-Bolger. Before wading into the world of fiction, Chloe was a producer at Reply All. Her reporting has appeared on Love + Radio, 99% Invisible, NPR, WBEZ’s Curious City, and beyond. Chloe performs longform improv at Magnet Theater and standup around New York City. She has a degree in Choreography that she mostly uses at weddings.

Brendan Baker specializes in creative editing and sound design for highly-crafted radio and podcast productions.Director for Marvel’s Wolverine: The Long Night , and previously a producer for the critically acclaimed podcast, Love + Radio , his work his work has appeared on numerous radio programs including This American Life and Radiolab . His mixing and sound-design work can also be heard on The Message podcast and the first season of NPR’s Invisibilia . He has production credits on four of The Atlantic ’s “50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2015,” and has received multiple awards from the Third Coast International Audio Festival.

Sharon Mashihi makes movies, radio, and performances. She was a 2017 Third Coast Radio Resident. Her work can be heard on the podcasts The Heart , Stranglers , Snap Judgment , Unfictional , and many others. As an editor, Sharon worked on The Heart ‘s critically acclaimed “No” series, as well as 2016’s Peabody Award Finalist, “Silent Evidence”. Sharon’s performances and installations have been featured at Essex Flowers, The Wassaic Project, Tapefest, The Hearsay Festival in Ireland, and Moogfest. Sharon is co-writer of the 2017 feature film, The Ticket , and story editor of the forthcoming film, Madeline’s Madeline . She is also a session leader at The School of Making Thinking.

Zakiya Gibbons is an award-winning podcast story editor, host and writer based in Brooklyn. She has worked at Gimlet, WNYC, Audible, Crooked, and more. Zakiya is a co-founder of the POC in Audio Directory, a resource created to fight the lack of racial diversity in the audio industry. In 2019, Zakiya and her collaborators were recognized by Bitch Media as among the top 50 “most impactful creators, artists, and activists in pop culture” for their work in advocating for racial equity in audio. She loves talking to strangers, dancing to trap music, getting pummeled by waves, and going on adventures all over the world. She’s obsessed with interrogating human behavior and culture through storytelling and conversation. She’s a Synclaire sun, Regine moon, and Maxine rising.

Jasmine Romero is an award winning writer, producer and actor. She created, directed and co-wrote the audio series Princess of South Beachstarring Rachel Zegler, Gina Torres, Danny Pino, Raul Esparza and Ivonne Coll (In development with Netflix).  Her work with the Chompers Podcast won a Cannes Lion, a Clio, and Alexa Skill of the Year. Fiction work includes The Story Pirates Podcast, story editing for Tejana, starring Stephanie Beatriz (Ambie award for Best Fiction), Toxicomania starring Luis Gerardo Mendez, and lead producing Motherhacker starring Carrie Coon and Pedro Pascal. Her work with Sesame Street has twice been Emmy nominated.

Richard Parks III is a writer, podcaster, filmmaker, actor, and musician. In the densely edited Richard’s Famous Food Podcast, he mixes Bourdain-esque documentary food journalism with fictional characters in the vein of Pee Wee’s Playhouse and adds tuneful sound design. The show has been lauded by Vulture and the Wall Street Journal, and was featured in Pushkin’s 2022 “Best Audio Storytelling” audiobook collection, with a forward by David Sedaris. In 2021, Parks developed and produced the critically acclaimed podcast Storytime with the actor Seth Rogen. The show debuted at #2 on Apple Podcasts and was named a best podcast by NPR, The Atlantic, and many other outlets. Parks is also a James Beard-nominated food writer who has co-authored two cookbooks, and his documentary work has been featured on PBS and the Documentary Channel. He lives in Los Angeles.