This week’s job skills workshop, covering writing the perfect resume and cover letter and mastering the job interview, will be held in the auditorium at Burbank Unified’s adult school campus near Bob Hope Airport at 10:00 am this Friday, August 26. I’m excited to teach this new class, which the director asked me to create to help people find rewarding work.
The theme of this 90-minute class is that looking for work in today’s market requires explicit assessment, awareness and positive assertion of one’s record, experience and philosophy of work.
Social media workshop 8/16 | Burbank Public Library | Photo by Jeffrey Falk
Feedback from Monday’s workshop in social media, which I delivered in downtown Burbank, was constructive. One of my students suggested adding thematic detail to title slides, a good suggestion which I plan to incorporate, and I’m told that the LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter screenshots were helpful. Attendance at the Burbank Public Library-sponsored event exceeded my expectations and audience questions were sharp, serious and insightful.
This area north of Los Angeles is a diverse economic mix of artists, entrepreneurs, professionals and crew that represents the Southern California industrial blend of media, movies, technology, retail and manufacturing. I covered a wide scope of functions and editorial best practices in major social media and I was impressed by how attentive and knowledgeable today’s readers and communicators are about the nuances, details and complications of branding one’s presence on social media.
Social media workshop 8/16 | Burbank Public Library | Photo by Jeffrey Falk
I plan to add aspects of this class to this fall’s 10-week course on social media, which starts on September 12 (follow this fall’s All About Social Media on Facebook here). Space is limited, so if you’re in Southern California, sign up because the course is filling up. The new fall course includes live demonstrations and tutorials in social media. Computer laboratory instruction for each student’s social media profile(s) is an optional part of the fall program this semester, too, so expect to get individual attention with emphasis on how to improve what you’ve made or want to make. Look for updated lessons based on the newest trends, tools and failures, including experience from my projects, campaigns and branding. From Joss Whedon quitting Twitter after negative reviews for Tomorrowland to Brian Williams losing his stature and Robin Williams‘ daughter Zelda Williams reclaiming social media as her own domain, my course covers today’s terrain.
This course is an editorial orientation. In other words, this is not a course on every detail or feature of Instagram, Twitter or YouTube. My approach instructs the student in how to engage social media based on one’s goals, values and self-interest while exploring certain uses, tools and functions.
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The same premise goes for my fall 2016 Writing Boot Camp, which breaks writing into progressive steps, from before writing begins to after completion of the first draft. Writing Boot Camp includes spot and assigned writing and notes. Course subjects include habits, resources and immersion in writing as an art and as a science.
Selecting the format, designating the topic and formulating a theme are studied and both writing and editing are practiced, both one on one as well as in collaboration with other students in class. Students are asked to read aloud. The 10-week series is based on what I have learned and fundamentally grounded in my professional writing background. I am enthusiastic about Writing Boot Camp. I plan to introduce the course’s first guest speaker, a published author of dozens of books, this coming fall, too.
Who enrolls in an adult writing course? Poets, screenwriters, published authors and anyone seeking to achieve clarity in writing. Students are entertainment industry executives, songwriters, police officers, lawyers, teachers and entrepreneurs. Certain students attend for general knowledge and practice in a disciplined approach. Others seek to refuel the creative supply through my encouraging immersion in the art and business of storytelling.
Writing Boot Camp starts on September 15. Both courses are held at Burbank Adult School near Bob Hope Airport. However, if you’re unable to attend and you want help, I am available by appointment, video or telephone. Contact me for details.
New to the archives are my 2006 interview with actor Sam Elliott (Grandma) about his role in a TV movie and other work (read the Sam Elliott interview here) and my 2011 interview with Robert Osborne about Liza Minnelli (New York, New York), who spoke about her movies and late parents, director Vincente Minnelli (Meet Me in St. Louis) and Judy Garland (A Star is Born). Read the interview about Liza here.
I’ve added a 2013 newspaper article about an unsolved murder in Illinois that happened 49 years ago today. The 21-year-old victim was the twin daughter of a wealthy CEO running for the United States Senate and her name was Valerie Percy. She was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in her bedroom while the family, except her stepmother, who awakened during the crime and became an eyewitness, slept in their lakefront home. The homicide remains unsolved, though the author of a book (pictured) names a prime suspect. Read Murder in Kenilworthhere.
I also want to add my interview with an author of a book about Iran’s 1979 attack on America because the Iran dealis unfortunately imminent. I’m enthusiastic about my recent interview with Bob Hope‘s biographer. Besides articles, speculative writing and work for others, plans are underway to make more interviews, including several unpublished transcripts, available.
In the meantime, this summer’s writing workshop at the local library was a success, so I’ve been asked to teach a class on blogging, which I plan to do later this year. I am making a new low-cost webinar series this fall for which I plan to include a media booklet to help entrepreneurs, businesses and artists create, relate and distribute what they make and do. It’s in progress, so please stand by, as I know some readers outside of LA have asked about attending classes online or via streaming. I hope to post more information soon.
Hurry to register for next week’s 10-week courses here in suburban Los Angeles: an all-new Writing Boot Camp (register here), which explores writing habits and methodology and includes a checklist. Writing Boot Camp is fun, lively and streamlined (click/touch hereto register). Registration is also open for All About Social Media for maximizing Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (register here). Contact me about private sessions.
Look for new book, product, home video and, of course, movie reviews. I have to admit that I am excited about the new season of Fox’s Empire (read my review of the first season here), which is purely an indulgence in escapism.
The adult education workshops I created for Mood Designer Fabrics last fall focused on new media. The series was a success and Mood asked me to make more classes for artists and entrepreneurs, such as Hollywood creative types and sole proprietors, and I produced a second visual workshop series this winter which emphasized sales, branding and marketing. Feedback is positive and I have been invited to expand with a third series.
This program, which includes my first writing class, fosters social skills, productivity and keeping life and work in balance. In addition to “Success with Social Media”, “The Art of the Blog”, “Do-it-Yourself PR”, “How to Brand What You Design Make and Do”, “Marketing Yourself for Maximum Impact” and “How to Get New Customers”, three all-new workshops are available this spring: “Designing Your Work”, “How to Plan an Event with Panache” and “Writing Boot Camp”. Classes are live in mid-Wilshire Los Angeles near Hancock Park at Mood Fabrics’ in-store classroom near South La Brea Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. Thanks to sponsor Mood School by Bravo’s Project Runway partner Mood Designer Fabrics, admission is free.
Each class includes Q & A, concrete examples, step-by-step instruction, pros and cons and a visual presentation. Mood School encourages me to offer the highest quality instruction and students tell me they find the classes rewarding. I love helping people to learn how to master communication of what they love to do, make and design – especially solo creators with real skill and ability – or work toward that goal making progress as a means to an end. Students attend from Santa Monica to the San Fernando Valley and the vibe is relaxed and welcoming but generally everyone’s there to advance his or her self-interest, so every class is a treat. Previous and current students should note that the new series is more advanced and abstract. Mood School may offer my program for wider distribution later this year. If readers want to register (classes are on Tuesday evenings now through June), have any questions or want more info, contact me. [April 17, 2014 postscript: the sponsor informs me that, due to seismic damage to the building, all workshops have been postponed until repairs are completed. I apologize for any inconvenience.] [July 14, 2014 update: the series, now scheduled for 5pm Thursdays from mid August through October, is open for registration here]
Besides enrolling in a new writing course with Leonard Peikoff, I was asked to instruct artists and entrepreneurs in communications to help them make and sell art, goods and services and do better business. So, I’m offering free workshops on three topics:
If you’re local to L.A., please click on those links to register because enrollment is limited. I’m getting positive feedback from students, many of whom work in show business. All workshops include visual aid and Q & A and are held in midtown Los Angeles near Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue at the new West coast showroom for Mood Designer Fabrics (Project Runway on Bravo). Like I said, they’re free.
The series is sponsored by Mood School. If there’s enough demand, and it’s important to me that there’s evidence of adding value to people’s lives and business, I’ll consider teaching new classes in branding, marketing and getting new business in 2014.
Author’s Note
Thank you for your interest in my writing.
I write fiction and non-fiction. Read my blog at left for informal posts on news, ideas and the culture. I am available for contracting, so if you're interested, please start here.
I welcome feedback. To let me know your thoughts, please feel free to contact me.
I’ve added a 2013 newspaper article about an unsolved murder in Illinois that happened 49 years ago today. The 21-year-old victim was the twin daughter of a wealthy CEO running for the United States Senate and her name was Valerie Percy. She was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in her bedroom while the family, except her stepmother, who awakened during the crime and became an eyewitness, slept in their lakefront home. The homicide remains unsolved, though the author of a book (pictured) names a prime suspect. Read Murder in Kenilworth 
This fall, I’ve gone back to school.