Hi, I’m Joel Krahn

Thanks for considering my application for the Photography/Video internship at the Star. Let me share a bit about myself.

In this cultural moment, the necessity of strong journalism cannot be overstated.

We see our world bending towards mistrust and disdain towards the news industry. Our media feeds are flooded with AI-generated images, diluting our sense of reality. But we cannot concede in disseminating truth. Journalism at this time is crucial for unwaveringly telling the stories that matter and allowing us to share—at minimum—a baseline of reality.

I believe strongly in the power of story and its power to shape and inform our worldview. The more we hear these stories about what is actually happening around us, the better we can interact with the world.

I worked with one of Canada’s best community newspapers.

Through my two-and-a-half years at the Yukon News in Whitehorse, I was exposed to a tremendous amount of exciting and challenging assignments, and collected a handful of community newspaper awards across various disciplines. It was a great experience being part of an active newsroom where the city trusted the News to inform and engage.

Much of my work was self-directed, needing to find front-page photos and features weekly. I also collaborated with reporters, finding the best way to illustrate stories ranging from the mundane (“Ottawa outlines carbon tax plan”) to the extraordinary (“Wanted: toe thief”).

My background in video positions me well for this role.

After moving to Vancouver in 2018, I started picking up freelance video work, mostly with non-profits. This eventually led to me working full-time producing videos for Tenth, a large church in the city.

Most of my videos were talking head with b-roll, explaining church news and updates. This was punctuated by occasional cinematic music videos, event hype supercuts, and even creating a weekly children’s program (à la Mr. Dressup) from scratch.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a whirlwind of change to my role, thrusting me into the realm of live broadcasting, as in-person church services halted. Going from no viewership in March 2020, I helped grow and evolve our livestream to garner 2.5k YouTube subscribers and hundreds of weekly views—reaching into the thousands during special events.

Enough talk, let’s see some portfolio work.

Photo work:

joelkrahn_2

Demo reel:

Here’s my official resume:

Work experience

Videographer – Tenth Church March 2018 – July 2024

I produced videos and managed livestreams for one of Vancouver’s largest churches by conceptualizing, storyboarding, shooting, and editing video projects. I planned shoots, interviewed subjects, shot b-roll, and gathered stock videos to bring a video from concept to reality. During my time at Tenth, I helped build the livestream and Youtube channel from the ground up, and nurtured a team of volunteers to help run it every Sunday.

Photographer – Yukon News March 2015 – September 2017

As the staff photographer for a twice-weekly publication, I worked alongside the editorial team to illustrate the stories that impacted Yukoners. With a finger on the pulse of the territory, I sought out both the major events and the often-overlooked stories. I operated on a mix of assigned shoots and self-directed work to deliver compelling pictures for daily deadlines. While at the paper, I won a handful of local and national awards, and helped the News rank as the top newspaper of its size in the country.

Communications – UrbanPromise Vancouver November 2012 – April 2014

I was originally contracted to build and maintain the organization’s website, but the position grew to creating monthly newsletters and bi-weekly web updates to engage with donors. I both wrote and collected stories and photos from on-the-ground colleagues.

Education

Diploma in Digital Photography – Vancouver Institute of Media Arts Graduated September 2012

Skills

Photo:

Photo editing · video production/editing · caption writing · file management · off-camera lighting

Software:

Photoshop · Lightroom · Photo Mechanic · Final Cut · Davinci Resolve · Premiere · Youtube StudioPhotoshop · Lightroom · Photo Mechanic · Photoshelter · Final Cut Pro X · DaVinci Resolve · InDesign

Soft skills:

Calm under pressure · adaptable · creative problem solver · team player

I was asked to brag about myself in 100 words or less.

I spent two-and-a-half years at the Yukon News where I gathered a half dozen accolades between the BC/Yukon and national community newspaper awards. From genres including sports, portraits and spot news, the judges loved my work. Our paper was ranked the best in Canada for its size, buoyed by exceptional marks in photography.

I was the go-to for CP when there were stories in the North. I bring excellent news judgement, creativity and artistry in my photography, and can switch from photography to video seamlessly. My coworkers have loved working with me (according to them).