Next class: April 9-10, 2016, Los Angeles

New York Times Magazine contributor Paul Tullis speaks to a Upod Academy class in 2015

I'm pleased to announce my next class: "Write Your Way Out."

Write your way through a rut, past old mistakes, to a new you. The focus will be on moving forward to your next level. April 9 and 10 in Los Angeles.

Working as a group, we will help you overcome past mistakes and land the gigs you most want. Students are expected to bring at five ideas to class, and will leave with one or two (but maybe more) near-final pitches ready to send. You'll get a road map for moving forward with your freelance life and access to a supportive circle of peers ready to hold you accountable to your pitching goals.

• Analyze real pitches to understand the simple structures that sell to big-time editors.
• Identify what's working and what's not in your pitches so you stop getting rejected.
• Learn fixes to rookie mistakes that keep most freelancers from selling their work.
• Hear prominent editors describe the habits of both good and annoying freelancers.
• Discover how to cover for inexperience and lack of clips.
• Learn the best answers to: What's the story? Why now? What should we care? Why this target? Why you?
• Get the scoop on multiple submissions, negotiating rates and how often to follow-up.

The two-day workshop begins with a deep dive into your process. What are the problem areas and challenges? Where do you need help in breaking through to your next level? We will study actual pitches to see how easy other people make this look. We'll talk out your ideas and inevitably find a bunch (just below the surface) you didn't even know you had. We fine-tune the pitches that make most sense to send, and then sketch out a plan to make stuff happen in the days and weeks following the workshop.

the details

Write Your Way Out
April 9-10, 2016
9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Los Angeles, California
With special guests (to be announced)
Location: Upod HQ
$535

Here's where to sign up.

Welcome to Upod Academy's new website

You're reading this, which means you found your way to Upod Academy's spiffy new website. I'll use this space to celebrate the successes of PodCadders as well as share projects and pursuits worthy of your precious time.