Follow Friday: Mobile-First Journalist Wytse Vellinga

Beginning as a radio reporter, Wytse Vellinga has quickly become one of the most esteemed mobile journalists in the field. He pioneered mojo reporting for the Dutch regional broadcasting company Omrop Fryslân. Beginning his mojo journey shooting with a Nokia Lumia 1020, he continues to produce daily reporting for television, radio, and social media platforms.

Vellinga is a rare expert with both Apple and Android mobile devices and is an internationally recognized trainer and advocate. He teaches masterclasses for the European organization of regional broadcasters Circom-Regional and the Thomson Foundation in England.

This 2015 piece was shot with an iPhone 6+ in his native language Frisian with English subtitles.

Vellinga’s work is educational and insightful regarding the distinct advantages mojo has to offer.

Focusing on smaller, more personal stories, using a smartphone allows for greater intimacy while exploring larger issues. Using a phone does not intimidate subjects and allows him to tell stories he could never capture with a full crew.

This package won the first Premio Speciale Mastercard award at the 2018 MOJO ITALIA festival. I was produced entirely with an iPhone 7+, shot with FilmicPro, and edited with LumaFusion.

Also, MobileMovieMaking created an excellent breakdown of this piece, highlighting specific techniques Vellinga puts to use.

The Dutchman’s output is prolific. In addition to working as a reporter and trainer, Vellinga regularly teams up with German collaborator Björn Staschen. Together the two have written a book, “Mobile Storytelling: A Journalist’s Guide to the Smartphone Galaxy,” and produce “The Mobile Storytelling Podcast.” Here is the opening episode from the series.

Vellinga’s willingness to share his practice and educate is second to none. He regularly posts behind-the-scenes information and narrates his process, as he continues to explore the possibilities of mojo, testing equipment, apps, and workflows.

To learn more, follow Wytse Vellinga on the following platforms.

Twitter – @WytseVellinga
Instagram – @wytsevellinga
YouTube – Wytse Vellinga

MoJo, short for mobile journalism, is redefining the news industry across the globe as journalists increasingly leverage the power, creativity, and technology available with the smartphone to produce and publish media storytelling for distribution across a range of platforms.

This series will highlight reporters leading the field of mobile journalists.

Fred Haas

Fred Haas is currently a high school English and journalism teacher in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. He has also taught media production courses and served as a technology integration coordinator. He advises student production of online and occasional print publication for HHS Press. You can find him on Twitter @akh003.

Fred Haas has 11 posts and counting. See all posts by Fred Haas

One thought on “Follow Friday: Mobile-First Journalist Wytse Vellinga

  • March 29, 2021 at 7:15 pm
    Permalink

    Goed werk 👍

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