Looking to build new skills while stuck at home? PhillyCAM is offering free tech trainings

Want to start a new web series or podcast, or brush up on some production skills while stuck at home?

Community media center PhillyCAM is offering free virtual trainings in broadcast production on certain evenings throughout the rest of June. The trainings began at the start of the month, and folks who sign up this week can still catch sessions on recording and editing audio at home, as well as a session about finding credible sources of information.

The nonprofit aims to convene Philadelphians to share media that promotes creativity, civic participation and democratic values. The station itself, near Seventh and Market streets, has been closed since the start of the pandemic, but staff has been creating programs to train interested people in creating original content from their homes, the org said in a statement.

Anyone interested in the trainings can sign up for them online. Some sessions will also be taught in Spanish. Upcoming sessions include “Recording Good Audio at Home” on Thursday, June 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. and “Tools and Tips for Editing Audio at Home” on Thursday, June 18, from 6 to 8 p.m.

On Tuesday, June 23, the org will also host a virtual event called “Who Knows? How Producers Find Credible Sources of Information.” The event, lead by media literacy educator and filmmaker David Cooper Moore, will focus on how to access and verify sources and information.

Some of these sessions are full, but check back later to see more options. The org also features a handful of informational and how-to tech videos on its website.