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Make It Memorable: Writing and Packaging Visual News with Style
This essential guide to visual storytelling for news media students and professionals, grounds you in proven techniques while it lights your path to the future of new media storytelling in the digital world. In Make It Memorable, former NBC News correspondent Bob Dotson and New York Times visual investigations producer Drew Jordan present a unique and engaging hands-on approach to the craft of visual storytelling. The third edition offers new insight for the digital age and a step-by-step explanation of how to find and create all kinds of visual stories under tight deadlines. In addition to new scripts annotated with behind-the-scenes insights and structural comments, the book includes links to online videos of all the story examples. Each chapter includes Additional book resources New to the third edition
- GenresJournalism
200 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2015
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Bob Dotson
5 books7 followersBob Dotson crisscrossed this country, more than four million miles, searching for people who are practically invisible, the ones who change our lives, but don’t take time to tweet and tell us about it.
His quest got noticed. He’s been nominated for 12 national Emmys — and won 10 — after he became an NBC News correspondent in 1975. His long-running series, “The American Story with Bob Dotson,” was a regular feature on the TODAY Show for 40 years. He is now a New York Times Best Selling author and writes a daily blog which The Society of Professional Journalists cited as the “best in new media.”
Dotson continues producing documentaries. An NBC production, “El Capitan’s Courageous Climbers,” won seven International Film Festivals and documentary's highest honor, the CINE Grand Prize.
He is one of the most honored storytellers of our time. His reporting and storytelling have earned 120 awards around the world. They include top honors from the Kennedy Center, DuPont Columbia and a record six Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Network News Writing. In 2014, Dotson received the William Allen White Foundation National Citation for journalistic excellence. In 2019 he joined Will Rogers in the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Dotson now teaches the next generation of visual storytellers, conducting workshops in Korea, Australia, England, Holland, Switzerland, and Austria. He is also a professor of Master Storytelling at Syracuse University.
His quest got noticed. He’s been nominated for 12 national Emmys — and won 10 — after he became an NBC News correspondent in 1975. His long-running series, “The American Story with Bob Dotson,” was a regular feature on the TODAY Show for 40 years. He is now a New York Times Best Selling author and writes a daily blog which The Society of Professional Journalists cited as the “best in new media.”
Dotson continues producing documentaries. An NBC production, “El Capitan’s Courageous Climbers,” won seven International Film Festivals and documentary's highest honor, the CINE Grand Prize.
He is one of the most honored storytellers of our time. His reporting and storytelling have earned 120 awards around the world. They include top honors from the Kennedy Center, DuPont Columbia and a record six Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Network News Writing. In 2014, Dotson received the William Allen White Foundation National Citation for journalistic excellence. In 2019 he joined Will Rogers in the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame.
Dotson now teaches the next generation of visual storytellers, conducting workshops in Korea, Australia, England, Holland, Switzerland, and Austria. He is also a professor of Master Storytelling at Syracuse University.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 18, 2023
"Rarely do you get a chance to see how a master storyteller works. This is it. This wonderful book shows you how to build great stories step by step."
— Katie Couric, global anchor and journalist
Editorial Reviews
A great story can look so natural but hide the truth that a story is a carefully made thing. The good news is that two great visual storytellers, with skill and generosity, have revealed the process in all of its graceful complexity and shown us the way.
Roy Peter Clark
For generations, Bob Dotson has shown us how to connect with the audience utilizing people-focused video storytelling, both through his work and his instruction. Make It Memorable continues to be an invaluable resource for journalism that matters and the next generation of journalists will surely benefit from this new edition.
Mike Conway
In this age of rapid-fire events and ‘get it on the air now’ coverage, Bob’s work stands out as artistic and mature. The perfect combination of information and intelligence. Read this book. Learn from a master.
Matt Lauer
Short, to the point, and filled with tips on how to make a daily story interesting and unique. Make It Memorable really delves into the mind of the reporter, and the process of what it takes to tell a good story, from start to finish.
Ryan Parkhurst
Bob Dotson is the epitome of all that a storyteller should be. He finds fascinating subjects, engages the audience, and we come away from his stories feeling better for hearing his stories.
Ann M. Brill
For anyone interested in the art of marrying pictures, sound, and words, Dotson’s text is packed with accessible and fundamental advice. If you want to become a better storyteller and you’re only going to read one book, this is the one to read.
Steve Sweitzer
Bob Dotson is a true craftsman at the art of writing for television. Make It Memorable will help any aspiring journalist.
Tim Russert
Writing skills—even in this age of visual, multimedia, and web/social media-based news—remain integral to reporting. Dotson takes the reader inside his writing and reporting process through annotated script examples, and helps students understand the most important attribute of being a reporter: curiosity.
Joe Sampson
A unique and invaluable teaching tool. Make It Memorable offers a view into how a master storyteller like Dotson thinks and the decisions he makes; it breaks down the process of storytelling in a very understandable way.
Judd Slivka
Teaching broadcast journalism means teaching the craft that Bob Dotson mastered over a 50-year career. While everyone speculates about what news will look and sound like tomorrow, Dotson reminds us to embrace our storytelling roots today. Anyone who wants to inspire journalists to write as well as Bob Dotson does should certainly read anything he writes, including this book.
Keren Henderson
Bob Dotson is a master at this difficult craft of writing and producing television news stories. His book is a treasure for novice and pro alike.
Tom Brokaw
— Katie Couric, global anchor and journalist
Editorial Reviews
A great story can look so natural but hide the truth that a story is a carefully made thing. The good news is that two great visual storytellers, with skill and generosity, have revealed the process in all of its graceful complexity and shown us the way.
Roy Peter Clark
For generations, Bob Dotson has shown us how to connect with the audience utilizing people-focused video storytelling, both through his work and his instruction. Make It Memorable continues to be an invaluable resource for journalism that matters and the next generation of journalists will surely benefit from this new edition.
Mike Conway
In this age of rapid-fire events and ‘get it on the air now’ coverage, Bob’s work stands out as artistic and mature. The perfect combination of information and intelligence. Read this book. Learn from a master.
Matt Lauer
Short, to the point, and filled with tips on how to make a daily story interesting and unique. Make It Memorable really delves into the mind of the reporter, and the process of what it takes to tell a good story, from start to finish.
Ryan Parkhurst
Bob Dotson is the epitome of all that a storyteller should be. He finds fascinating subjects, engages the audience, and we come away from his stories feeling better for hearing his stories.
Ann M. Brill
For anyone interested in the art of marrying pictures, sound, and words, Dotson’s text is packed with accessible and fundamental advice. If you want to become a better storyteller and you’re only going to read one book, this is the one to read.
Steve Sweitzer
Bob Dotson is a true craftsman at the art of writing for television. Make It Memorable will help any aspiring journalist.
Tim Russert
Writing skills—even in this age of visual, multimedia, and web/social media-based news—remain integral to reporting. Dotson takes the reader inside his writing and reporting process through annotated script examples, and helps students understand the most important attribute of being a reporter: curiosity.
Joe Sampson
A unique and invaluable teaching tool. Make It Memorable offers a view into how a master storyteller like Dotson thinks and the decisions he makes; it breaks down the process of storytelling in a very understandable way.
Judd Slivka
Teaching broadcast journalism means teaching the craft that Bob Dotson mastered over a 50-year career. While everyone speculates about what news will look and sound like tomorrow, Dotson reminds us to embrace our storytelling roots today. Anyone who wants to inspire journalists to write as well as Bob Dotson does should certainly read anything he writes, including this book.
Keren Henderson
Bob Dotson is a master at this difficult craft of writing and producing television news stories. His book is a treasure for novice and pro alike.
Tom Brokaw
Displaying 1 of 1 review