Fair Media Council: Annual Summer Boot Camp & Live Media Pitch

Summer Boot Camp & Live Media Pitch

There’s an art and a science to crafting messages in a way that the media will hear and carry forward. On July 15, The Fair Media Council’s Summer Boot Camp will provide an opportunity to learn tricks of the trade, avoid common errors and make sure your news reaches the right audience. 

Once schooled, you will literally get to pitch the media. 

When: Wednesday, July 15, 9am-noon
Where: Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center*
Sponsored by: Northwell Health, Jody Fisher PR, St. Joseph’s University and ACLD
To Learn More and Purchase Tickets: Visit FMC’s website. Members get preferred pricing. 
*No parking fee for ticket holders. Casual dress.

There’s good reason this event sells out: It’s a golden opportunity. Every year, attendees land solid coverage and strengthen their relationships with the media. 

This year’s featured speaker is Jody Fisher of Jody Fisher PR. As a professional with history of generously sharing his wisdom, Jody is quite prepared to help you land your pitch.

The panel of journalists will include:

  • Jennifer Bisram, Reporter, CBS News New York
  • Greg Cergol, Reporter, NBC 4 New York
  • Kepherd Daniel, Editor, Patch.com
  • Cecilia Dowd, Reporter, News 12
  • Sheri Einhorn, Health & Education Reporter, Newsday/NewsdayTV
  • Chantee Lans, Reporter, WABC-TV
Anyone in attendance will have the opportunity to pitch these folk stories and receive their feedback. We learn as much from watching others as we do from pitching ourselves, with the added bonus of getting to learn about the amazing things fellow attendees have going on.

Don’t miss this chance! 

Occupying the Intersection of Media, Influence & Power

The annual Boot Camp is just one way that the Fair Media Council operates at the intersection of media, influence and power. For 45 years, they have been holding news and media accountable while working to create an informed, media-savvy society. The more time goes on, the more important, and broadly applicable their work becomes. 

It’s about transparency, accountability, and credibility, as well as fostering the ability to both convey that and recognize it when we see it. The FMC offers clear eyed, informative commentary, and is known for quality, unscripted conversations with top influencers in news, business and technology. Members have access to a broad array of resources. Intimate educational events feature excellent presenters offering timeless wisdom and latest understandings of our constantly revolutionizing media ecosystem.

Whether it’s considering the current state of affairs or what to make of what’s coming, managing our brands, dealing with PR crises or simply learning how best to get a reporter’s attention, FMC offers thought provoking and practically useful programming.

Get connected. 

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Fair Media Council: Folio Awards & Boot Camp

Media Stars, Practical Applications

The Fair Media Council operates at the intersection of media, influence and power. For 45 years, they have been holding news and media accountable while working to create an informed, media-savvy society. The more time goes on, the more important, and broadly applicable their work becomes. It’s about transparency, accountability, and credibility, as well as fostering the ability to both convey that, and recognize it when we see it.

The FMC offers clear eyed, informative commentary, and is known for quality, unscripted conversations with top influencers in news, business and technology. Members have access to a broad array of resources. Intimate educational events feature excellent presenters offering timeless wisdom and latest understandings of our constantly revolutionizing media ecosystem.

Whether it’s considering the current state of affairs or what to make of what’s coming, managing our brands, dealing with PR crises or simply learning how best to get a reporter’s attention, FMC offers thought provoking and practically useful programming. A signature project is their annual Folio Awards, which honors the best in news and other media. It’s excellent networking and always insightful. Another main event, their annual “Boot Camp” is lower key, but also kind of a big deal. 

2026 Folio Awards

The Folio Awards “recognize the best in news and media, including the exceptional work of businesses and nonprofits that are contributing toward creating a more informed public through accuracy, accountability and trust.” 

 
When: Thursday, June 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Garden City Hotel
Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees: Sam Champion, America’s Weather Anchor, ‘Good Morning America,’ ABC & Eyewitness News, WABC-TV; Jennifer McLogan, Reporter, CBS News New York, David Winzelberg, Reporter, Long Island Business News.
The Full List of Honorees is Here.
To Sponsor, Advertise or get Tickets: Visit the FMC Website 

FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, Northwell, Hofstra University, Montclair State University, Henry Schein, Jody Fisher PR, New York SeaGrant, Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP, Robert B. Catell, Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP, Breslin Realty, Blumenfeld Development Group and Museum of American Armor are but a few of this year’s premium supporters. Here’s your opportunity to join them. 

One thing that sets these awards apart is the community-centered aspect of the judging process. I am deeply honored to get to call FMC a patron, and to have long served among their Folio Award Judges, joining a diverse array of media experts, educators, business and community leaders. It’s an exercise in guided, multi-faceted observation and critical thinking; a process that in itself helps create a media-savvy public. 

In addition to celebrating the best of local journalism, our combined feedback serves the entire industry by setting a standard of credibility, and providing concrete examples of what the public wants and needs in its newsfeed.

It’s good stuff. Please check it out.

Summer Boot Camp & Live Media Pitch

There’s an art and a science to crafting your message in a way that the media will hear and carry it forward. This July, The Fair Media Council offers an opportunity to learn tricks of the trade, avoid common errors and make sure your pitch reaches the right audience. It’s not just good advice and practical exercise. Once schooled, you will get to literally pitch the media. 

They say there’s good reason this event sells out. It’s a golden opportunity. Every year, this event lands attendees solid coverage and starts folks on a path to building functional relationships with the media. 

When: Wednesday, July 15, 9am-noon
Where: Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center*
Sponsored by: Northwell Health, Jody Fisher PR, St. Joseph’s University and ACLD
Learn More and Purchase Tickets: Visit FMC’s website. Members get preferred pricing. 
 

*No parking fee for ticket holders. Casual dress.

Subscribe To The Synchronicity Newsletter

Fair Media Council: “The First 60 Minutes: A Crisis Management Masterclass for Communicators”

When things go awry, the most important thing is how we respond. Trust is hard to build and easy to break. No matter what the truth is, public perception is huge. Managing that effectively is an important skill set, especially for those giving it their best to serve the common good.

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Book Review: Small List Big Results by Robbie Samuels

Photo of Small List Big Results with a pencil and a cup of tea.

I recently made a good time investment reading “Small List Big Results” by Robbie Samuels. Here, he shows how it’s not the size of our network, but how we work it that makes the difference, offering “step-by-step guidance on how to wake up your network, discover likely prospects and likely referral partners, co-create the offer, and run a pilot.”

I met Robbie over 20 years ago when he was still figuring out who he was. At that time, he already had it more together than I suspect I ever will. At the same time, he was already helping more people more deeply and more profoundly than I can fathom. What he did for me was probably just day to day being for him. For me it was lifelong priceless…on a multitude of levels.

Robbie is one of the best teachers I have ever experienced. He is exceptionally patient, gracious and empathetic, while at the same time incredibly straight forward, organized and practical. A life-long learner, he is committed to continually improving himself at least as much as anyone else around him. All the while, he shares as he grows.

This latest book, “Small List Big Results” captures all of that. It is honest, open and intensely useful. Here, he brings an incredible wealth of experience, study and personal reflection together to gently yet firmly guide you to reach out to others and determine your best plan of action.

The major thrust is clear, and the strategy clearly articulated at a level of detail that most would gloss over. The golden nuggets he drops in passing are deeply valuable. One might think all this might result in something mildly unwieldy, but it’s a quick read that gets you immediately into action.

I recommend it, and everything else he offers highly.

Robbie was mentioned here before when he leapt out in 2020 to help people create better Zoom experiences. That program has evolved and now has a waiting list. I have also long appreciated his thoughts on Croissants vs. Bagels. Here’s a Tedx Talk on that. You can also follow him on Facebook. His “On the Schmooze”  podcast is really good!