Echo Conference

Matthew Paul Turner has a new book titled Hokey Pokey: Curious People Finding What Life’s All About coming out April 1. He’s asking for his readers to review the book, so if you’re interested let him know by leaving him a comment on his blog.

Mark Batterson is offering a great deal on his book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. To celebrate the sixth printing of the book, if you buy one case of the book you get one case free! This is a great resource for churches so if you’re interested email resources@theaterchurch.com.

Donald Miller just did a great interview with CNN.

We are working hard right now on getting our breakout sessions set and we hope to have that information posted on the site in the next few weeks. The ECHO keynote sessions are incredible and we want the breakouts to be just as good. So far, we have breakout topics ranging from:

• creating and editing media to
• web 2.0 and its uses for the church to
• enhancing worship through visuals like light and projection to
• where you can find essential media resources…
• and everything in between.

Similar to the pre-conference labs, we also want the breakouts to give you practical ideas, tips, and tools that you can take back to your ministry or church and start using right away. In addition to everything else happening at ECHO, the breakouts will be something you don’t want to miss!

If you’re on be sure to join the ECHO group and invite your friends to join. We’ll be posting conference information, behind-the-scenes photos, and lots of other information you won’t want to miss! Click Here to check out the group and join!

During ECHO, we not only want to inspire you to learn about and use new forms of media, but we also want to give you practical tools for creating your own media. We want to give you the tools and resources to become better at creating media that truly inspires and helps other engage with the truth of Christ. The pre-conference labs are one place we plan to give you those tools and resources.

The labs will be on Thursday, August 14 from 9am - 3:30pm. There will be 3 sessions and lunch will be provided. Two classes will be offered at each session so you can pick the one that best suits your needs.

9:00 – 10:30 am
Pre-Conference Lab 1
Design
Join Bart to learn advanced tips and tricks on creative design for your ministry. Software featured will be Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
*Barton Damer began his career at a design firm just outside of Washington D.C. He has worked in the church setting for 7 years utilizing his creative skills for print, motion, web, video & production. Currently, he is a Creative Director for RT Media Group (Igniter Media, WorshipHouse Media, COLLIDE Magazine, and ECHO). In addition, Barton is a recognized creative contributor in the online artist community and has written tutorials for GomediaZine.com. You can view his work at www.bartondamer.com.
or
Podcasting: From Recording to Distribution
In this look at podcasting we’ll examine the necessary equipment, software, and web knowledge for creating and distributing your church’s audio content. Whether sermon audio and video, Bible study lessons, or weekly church information, if you have content that needs to be heard, we’ll help you get it to the world, one mp3 player at at time.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Pre-Conference Lab 2
Compositing
Bart is joined by Trent to bring the design to life through motion graphics. Software featured will be After Effects.
*Trent Armstrong is a motion graphics designer, videographer, and editor for Igniter Media. A leader of the Dallas Final Cut Pro User Group and the founder of the Dallas After Effects User Group, Trent’s advanced After Effects tutorials can be found at CreativeCow.net.
or
Watermark Facility Tour
The Watermark Arts Team will take you on a behind the scenes tour of their state-of-the-art facility. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how Watermark optimizes the audio, lighting, visual and acoustic capabilities of their facility. Also, see the equipment that Watermark uses for their Sunday morning gatherings as well as the media needs of smaller break-out rooms.

12:30 – 2:00 pm
Lunch (provided)

2:00 – 3:30 pm
Pre-Conference Lab 3
Editing
Trent puts the finishing touches on a project through music and sound effects as well as advanced editing techniques. Software featured will be Final Cut Pro.
or
How Much More Can Media Shout Do?
Get a first-hand tour of the new MediaShout 3.5 and find out how to create better presentations as well as save time with new tricks you might not have discovered. MediaShout is the complete media delivery solution.
*Paul Jackson, Vice President of MediaComplete Corp., the maker of MediaShout, will be teaching this lab. Paul has produced major arena events and manages the media delivery at is local church. Get a perspective from the biggest room requirements to the needs of the mobile church.