David LaFontaine has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, editor, and multimedia producer working on a variety of projects in film, television, print, radio, and the Internet.
Photos by Janine WarnerHis foray into the “New Media” began in 1998, when he co-founded the Single Parent Magazine. He also worked as Managing Editor for Filmson.com, a film and video website that helped shape the evolution of streaming media.
Working with cutting-edge Hollywood filmmakers helped David recognize the emerging power of online multimedia and led to him pick up a videocamera to direct, produce and shoot footage during a 2-year investigative project for ABC’s PrimeTime. Over the past several years, he has studied and experimented with the best methods of combining audio, video, still photos, and plain old text to capture and retain modern readers.
In the early 90s, David covered politics and entertainment in Los Angeles, writing for a variety of publications, including Star Magazine, News of the World, Daily People, Oggi, Voici, Bild Zeitung, Hello, New Idea, and Women's Weekly. That experience led him to write a tell-all book called The Poison Pen, which was published by Dove Books in 1996.
Prior to that, David was the managing editor of the Caracas Daily Journal and then freelanced stories from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, El Salvador and Guatemala. He speaks fluent Spanish and worked as an editor and reporter in Latin America for nearly three years. David won a Pulliam Fellowship that helped him start his career at the Arizona Republic in 1987.
David’s interest in online communications dates back to the early days of Prodigy and 2400 baud modems.
Contact information:
323-353-9424.
Speaking Engagements
David has given presentations at conferences, events, and universities throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe.
Hard News Inc. Blog
Dave writes a blog called Hard News Inc and offers writing and multimedia production services for television, film, and Web development. Read David's blog.
Case Study in the Online Journalism Review (OJR.org)
It's a Wonderful Light
How A Sleepy Little Community Banded Together to Save Its Beloved Newspaper in Point Reyes Station, California. (Read the full story and watch of the video interviews.)Multimedia Case Studies
David's freelance work includes case studies on newspapers and multimedia for the Newspaper Association of America (NAA.org) and the Online Journalism Review (OJR.org).
Schibsted Media: A Model for Global Innovation
Schibsted Media dominates the Scandinavian market, and its moves into France, Spain, Switzerland and other countries where it launched the 20 Minutes brand of newspapers are a wild success. Its Web-based classified ad platforms are huge moneymaking engines throughout Europe. Now Schibsted is set on becoming the best source for breaking news video and has already beaten television competition on some big stories. (View full case study in PDF format.)
Multimedia on a McNugget Budget THE SHELBY STAR: A Smalltown Paper Putting Big Ideas into Practice
The (Shelby, N.C.) Star is a small-circulation daily in an economically challenged area that is experimenting with many cutting-edge audience-building strategies. Stories are not permitted to run longer than 12 column inches or jump to an inside page. For less than $2,000, the Star has equipped its reporters with high-tech cellphones that allow them to wirelessly beam in stories, still pictures, audio and video. (View full case study in PDF format.)
Ill Winds: Newspapers Use Latest Technology to Help Put a Human Face on Tragic Stories
The Roanoke Times covered the shootings at Virginia Tech; the Lancaster New Era covered the shootings at an Amish grade school. They used online multimedia resources to expand their coverage in ways that both told the story better and served their communities. (View full case study in PDF format.)
EP3: How Spain's Biggest Daily Reaches the Youth Market Online (Published by NAA)
In June, 2005, Spain's largest newspaper, El Pais, decided to launch a new online publication and experiment with what young readers want. The Internet staff, all under 30, were unleashed and free to design a Web site that they would like. (View full case study in PDF format.)Las Ultimas Noticias Goes Topsy Turvy(Published by NAA)
The Newspaper, Las Ultimas Noticias (LUN) in Santiago, Chile, has devised a system that makes the readers an integral part of the editorial process. Stories that receive the most clicks online are used to determine what goes into the next day's paper. (View full case study in PDF format.)