**REGISTER HERE**

This four-hour public relations workshop explores how short-form video is used strategically in modern communications. Participants will learn how communication professionals plan, structure, and produce short videos that support campaigns, explain complex topics, and help organizations connect with audiences. Registration is required.

Workshop: Video Storytelling and Client Workflow: From Discovery to a Social Media Short

When: Thursday, April 30, 4-8pm (with a fifteen-minute break)

Where: Allen 141

What: 
This intensive four-hour workshop will introduce students to professional video storytelling within strategic communications and public relations. Led by two senior communication professionals, this workshop combines strategic instruction with hands-on production.

Participants will learn how short-form video is conceptualized, structured, produced, and delivered in real client environments, including nonprofit organizations, public agencies, higher education, and private-sector clients. This workshop will reflect current industry standards and mirrors real client workflow from discovery meeting through final export. Students will gain an understanding of why video matters strategically to a business and its brand, and leave with a short social media video built during the session.

Workshop Facilitators:
Jennifer Richardson, Founder, Richardson Media
Brian Richardson, Communications Director, Springfield Public Schools

For Participants: This workshop is for public relations majors only. Registration is required. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided to participants. We recommend that participants bring dinner if they want something more substantial. Prior to the workshop, participants should download CapCut or iMovie on their phones. 

No-Show Notice: We have a limited number of seats available for this workshop. Registering for this event means you are committing to attend. If you register and do not show up, please be aware that you are taking that opportunity away from others.

We understand that sometimes things come up that are outside of your control; those circumstances notwithstanding, please make an effort to attend if you register.

What You'll Learn:

Strategic Foundations
• Why video drives visibility, engagement, and measurable outcomes
• How short-form storytelling supports PR campaigns and brand positioning
• Practical applications such as launching reports, introducing initiatives, highlighting impact stories, and responding to public interest

Client Workflow
• The three core phases of production: preproduction, production, postproduction
• How to run a focused discovery conversation
• Turning client notes into a micro treatment
• Structuring a short video with a clear beginning, middle, and end
• Selecting soundbites for clarity and pacing

Hands-On Production
• Smartphone interview setup and clean audio techniques
• Framing, composition, and simple lighting
• B-roll strategy that supports narrative
• Capturing natural sound for authenticity

Mobile Editing
• Trimming and tightening clips
• Layering interview audio under B-roll
• Adding titles and maintaining pacing
• Exporting in professional 1080p format

By the end of the workshop, you'll leave with:
• A completed  social media video
• A reusable shot plan template
• Practical experience in interview capture and B-roll strategy
• Foundational mobile editing skills
• A clear understanding of how real client video projects are managed from start to finish
• Certification of completion of this workshop