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Autism Empowerment

Autism Empowerment uplifts autistic and neurodivergent voices through advocacy, education, and creative opportunities, fostering a supportive community that promotes inclusion and empowerment in media and beyond.

With over 154 credits in film, writing, and production, Edward Martin III is a powerhouse creator and the founder of Hellbender Media. The Hellbender team teaches in-depth filmmaking workshops at comic and special interest conventions several times a year, and we&rsquo;re incredibly grateful for the chance to learn from such a seasoned professional. This session is designed to be beginner-friendly and especially helpful for low-budget filmmakers who want big impact without expensive gear. You&rsquo;ll learn how lighting does far more than &ldquo;help the camera see&rdquo;&mdash;it can shape mood, guide your audience&rsquo;s attention, and elevate the look and feel of your scenes. Edward will also cover how simple camera movement and placement can work hand-in-hand with lighting choices to strengthen your storytelling. Whether you&rsquo;re just getting started or looking to sharpen your fundamentals, you&rsquo;ll walk away with practical concepts you can apply right away to create more memorable, intentional visuals. Hosted by Autism Empowerment and our Neurodivergent Creators Collective, this workshop supports our mission to uplift autistic and neurodivergent voices in media. Thank you for joining us!

Lighting and Cinematography Basics with Edward Martin III

Autism Empowerment&#39;s Neurodivergent Creators Collective invites YOU to join our monthly <span fr-original-style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important; box-sizing: inherit;">&quot;Chill &amp; Chat&quot; sessions on Zoom. &nbsp;🎉 Sit down with the AE-NCC Team but this time YOU lead the conversation. &nbsp;What are you working on? &nbsp;What great things are you reading or watching? &nbsp;Do you have a collaboration project? &nbsp;Do you have questions from one of the videos we posted? This is our chance to connect, share and get to know each other as we build this wonderful Neurodivergent Community!

Chill & Chat

As someone with a disability, actor, comedian, and producer Nic Novicki launched the Disability Film Challenge in 2013 in response to the underrepresentation of talent with disabilities both in front of and behind the camera. Novicki created the challenge to give aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their work and gain meaningful exposure.&nbsp; In 2017, Novicki joined forces with Easterseals to expand the event, now known as the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge gives filmmakers&mdash;with and without disabilities&mdash;the opportunity to collaborate to tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms. The film challenge is a 5-day annual filmmaking contest, open to all, that provides a platform for new voices in the entertainment industry. Each year, aspiring storytellers are prompted to creatively write, produce, and complete a short film. Challenge winners receive invaluable access to entertainment professionals, opening the door to an industry notoriously difficult to enter.&nbsp; Come join us to hear what it takes to become involved in the 2026 challenge in April. Listen in as AE-NCC Program Lead Gwyn LaRee interviews Nic and shares AE-NCC member questions.&nbsp;

Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Workshop with Nic Novicki

<h3 data-end="381" data-start="316" fr-original-style="" id="isPasted" style="width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;">🌟 Storytelling for Good: Turning Your Story into Purpose</h3>Everyone has a story worth telling. Whether you&rsquo;re a writer, filmmaker, podcaster, performer, advocate, or community changemaker, your voice has the power to inspire connection, healing, and transformation. When we share our lived experiences with authenticity and intention, we don&rsquo;t just tell stories&mdash;we spark change, build confidence, and help others see new possibilities in themselves and the world. Join Karen and John Krejcha, Co-Founders of Autism Empowerment (home to Spectrum Life Magazine and the AE Neurodivergent Creators Collective), for an inspiring and supportive workshop designed to help you turn your story into purpose. Through engaging discussion and reflection, we&rsquo;ll explore how storytelling can be a powerful tool for: ✨ Leadership and community impact 🎙️ Advocacy and awareness 💜 Personal empowerment and creative expression 🌱 Healing and growth Whether your story is told through fiction, film, or real life&mdash;this workshop will help you share it in a way that makes a meaningful difference.

Storytelling for Good

You won&#39;t want to miss this amazing opportunity to hear from Neurodivergent Creatives actually delivering their stories to the world! Creators Karen Maseng, Trelanda Lowe and Alexandra Halliburton will join our own Brian Tashima to discuss just what is involved in building stories for sharing with the world - from an authentic Neurodivergent standpoint. &nbsp;Learn what works and what doesn&#39;t from these established. professionals. This special panel will be presented on Zoom only.

Storybuilding for Publication & Production Panel

<p dir="ltr" fr-original-style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" id="isPasted" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0pt 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><span fr-original-style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#2b373e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 55, 62); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">The popular saying goes: &ldquo;A picture&rsquo;s worth a thousand words.&rdquo;&nbsp;<p dir="ltr" fr-original-style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0pt 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><span fr-original-style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#2b373e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 55, 62); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">With the rapid developments in technology, our storytelling is changing to not just be on the page, but through movies, television, and video games--highly visual mediums. Through the power of images, we can convey a whole narrative in a short space. Games like<span fr-original-style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#2b373e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 55, 62); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">&nbsp;Deus Ex: Mankind Divided<span fr-original-style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#2b373e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 55, 62); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">&nbsp;and&nbsp;<span fr-original-style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#2b373e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 55, 62); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Gone Home&nbsp;<span fr-original-style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#2b373e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 55, 62); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">use environmental storytelling to give us pieces of characters&rsquo; lives.&nbsp;<p dir="ltr" fr-original-style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0pt 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"> <p dir="ltr" fr-original-style="line-height:1.38;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" style="line-height: 1.38; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0pt 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><span fr-original-style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#2b373e;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 55, 62); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">In this workshop, Meg Eden Kuyatt will briefly share about her writing journey, discuss examples of games that tell stories through objects, and go into our own writing exercises inspired by video games.

Learning Writing & Storytelling from Video Games

No matter what story you are looking to tell, characters&nbsp;will be what makes your story relatable. &nbsp; Join Gwyn LaRee as she leads you in exploring different styles of character development for narrative stories, comics and animation projects and film/television projects &nbsp; This workshop offers something for Everyone interested in stories.

Creating Characters

Published author (and so much more!) Brian Tashima is leading our next workshop; Introduction to Independent Writing &amp; Publication! Brian has seven books available on Amazon and is looking forward to sharing with YOU everything you need to consider in writing your own story and publishing it to bring more Good into our world. This workshop will be offered both in person and over Zoom with no charge to anyone attending. &nbsp;However, in person seats are limited to be sure that you register soon to save your place!

Introduction to Independent Writing & Publishing

Our 2nd Neurodivergent Creators Collective introductory workshop will introduce you to both Voice Over work and Podcasting. &nbsp;Gwyn LaRee and Karen Krejcha have lots of great information to share with you as we continue exploring all the ways that we can present OUR Stories! This will be a hybrid presentation open to both in-person or Zoom attendance, whichever is the most comfortable for You.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Introduction to Voice Over & Podcasting

Martin Vavra, owner and founder of Galaxy Sailor Productions, has traveled the world during his filmmaking career as an editor, producer, cinematographer, and director for both films and commercials. Martin knows that editing is much more than just pasting together separate camera shots. Knowing what to focus on to best tell the story means really understanding what that story is. Martin will guide us through reviewing a story, highlighting what an editor needs to consider, how to make smooth transitions to build the story, and how important collaboration is among all the creatives on a specific project.&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t miss your chance to learn from this accomplished professional who also teaches full filmmaking courses in Portland several times a year. Hosted by Autism Empowerment and our Neurodivergent Creators Collective, this workshop supports our mission to uplift autistic and neurodivergent voices in media. Thank you for joining us!

Autism Empowerment

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Martin Vavra: Editing A Short Film

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