NYT multimedia editor Josh Williams on campus March 23

Josh Williams

Josh Williams, San Francisco-based multimedia editor with The New York Times, will present a free lecture on campus Monday, March 23, in Room 160 of the College of Education Building. The lecture, which is open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m.

Williams works on a range of projects at the intersection of Web development, design and storytelling. His work was instrumental in the 2013 Pulitzer Prize win for The New York Times for “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek.” The multimedia presentation tells the harrowing story of skiers caught in an avalanche in Washington state’s craggy Cascade Mountains. Williams worked on the Web presentation and led development of the mobile experience. Another of Williams’ projects was a Pulitzer finalist. He’s received four Emmy nominations, and his work has been recognized by the Society of News Design, the Online News Association, Pictures of the Year International and the National Press Photographers Association, among others.

The New York Times 2012

“Josh Williams is a recognized multimedia authority, and his visit will give our students the opportunity to visualize their own careers in today and tomorrow’s digital-storytelling world,” said Dr. Dwight Brooks, director of the MTSU School of Journalism. “He is already doing what we’re teaching our students to do, and he’s a master at it.”

During the day, Williams will visit several College of Mass Communication classes, from journalism and visual communication to public relations. He will also spend time with the staff of Sidelines, MTSU’s student-run newspaper.

Prior to The New York Times, Williams was the new media projects editor at the Las Vegas Sun, a multimedia exhibit developer at the Smithsonian Institution and a Web developer at various Washington, D.C., nonprofits. He also has significant experience teaching, currently as an adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and formerly as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a full-time lecturer at UC, Berkeley. Williams has a master’s degree in interactive journalism from American University and a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Williams visit is sponsored by the MTSU Distinguished Lecture Committee, the College of Mass Communication, the School of Journalism, the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, the Department of Electronic Media Communication and the Society of Professional Journalists, Middle Tennessee Professional Chapter.

“Quick Feet, Slowed Down”
The New York Times 2014