Nā Leo TV to host free community storytelling workshops with award-winning journalist

Nā Leo TV invites aspiring storytellers, content creators and community members to discover the power of local storytelling through two free upcoming community storytelling workshops.

The workshops will be led by award-winning journalist Lacy Deniz and scheduled for:

• 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 1: Nā Leo TV Hilo studio.
• 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 8: Nā Leo TV Kona studio.

Each 2-hour workshop — open to beginners and experienced storytellers alike — will explore the fundamentals of visual storytelling, from identifying compelling story ideas and conducting meaningful interviews to crafting narratives rooted in place, culture and community.

Participants will leave with practical skills they can apply to broadcast, social media, local news and personal creative projects.

Space is limited and advance registration is required.

Visit the Nā Leo TV website for additional information and to register.

Hawaiʻi News Now Sunrise traffic reporter and correspondent Deniz was born and raised on the Big Island in a small town “where everyone waves when passing by; and instead of driving on a freeway, you take the dirt roads.”

“She wouldn’t want to be raised any other way,” says her biography page on the Hawaiʻi News Now website.

Deniz is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama. She earned an associate degree from Hawaiʻi Community College and was later chosen as the college’s alumna of the year.

She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she landed her dream internship — and future place of employment — at Hawaiʻi News Now.

Deniz has covered a wide variety of stories, from red carpets to red dirt roads, including the historic 2022 Mauna Loa eruption, restoration efforts on Kahoʻolawe and interviewed Aquaman himself Jason Momoa during the movie’s premiere.

She also earned some of journalism’s highest honors including an Emmy and Regional Edward R. Murrow Award, and garnered recognition with The President’s Volunteer Service Award for her work in the community.

Deniz will share her creative approach to finding authentic stories, discuss why community-centered storytelling matters and offer practical techniques workshop participants can begin using immediately.

The upcoming workshops are part of Nā Leo TV’s broader effort to strengthen community storytelling around Hawaiʻi Island.

The island’s public access TV/media provider prepares to launch a new Community News Division and is investing in Big Island residents who want to tell the stories of their communities. The initiative aims to build a network of community storytellers around the island who can help document its people, events, culture and issues through authentic, place-based reporting.

These workshops are part of the Nā Leo TV Creative Media Workshop Series, a concerted effort to strengthen Hawaiʻi Island’s creative workforce by providing free, hands-on instruction in collaboration with industry professionals.

Future workshops are scheduled in September and October, including drone operations, podcast essentials, advanced editing, graphic design, animation and social media marketing for small businesses and nonprofits.