Expand your reach.
Amplify your impact.
What you’ll learn
1. Develop clear and compelling messaging to communicate your unique expertise
2. Identify journalists and publications you want to engage and learn how to pitch them
3. Sharpen your online presence with the help of an expert audit
4. Hone broadcast media interview skills to build messaging muscle
5. Build a tight network of peers working on issues of AI politics
What's expected & what you'll get
This media training cohort is a sprint and it will feel fast. Only apply if are able to attend group sessions and one half-day training (all sessions will be online and scheduled around 11am EST). Alongside the group sessions, you’ll need to allocate 1-2 hours per week to take action on what you’re learning - on your own, with your assigned cohort buddy, or in one of 3 optional co-working sessions.
Learning
5 Group Sessions
Group training and peer support
• Group Kick Off & Orientation (1hr)
• Developing Your Media Strategy (1hr)
• Engaging with Media 101 (1hr)
• Broadcast Media Interview Training & Practice (Half-Day/4 hours)
• Group Wrap Up & Next Steps (1hr)
Support
1:1 guidance
Online Presence Audit: Get personalised feedback on how you show up to journalists and others.
Develop Your Messaging: identify your unique voice and expertise and translate it into a narrative and talking points.
Accountability
3 co-working sessions
Take action on what you’re learning - on your own, with your assigned cohort buddy, or in one of 3 optional co-working sessions
This opportunity is for you if...
"The New Protagonist Cohort was a standout over more generic trainings I’ve done. The strong curriculum helped me to quickly get a sense of what I was doing wrong and the changes I needed to make. The speakers and trainers were excellent — because they are part of progressive/rights movements, their bespoke feedback and nuanced perspective was particularly helpful. The standout trainings for me were the broadcast media interview training with NEON, and the audit of my online presence — which in 10 minutes gave me clarity on my blindspots and changes I could make immediately."
"The New Protagonist cohort is packed with useful tips to help you tell your story better to make the impact you want. If you’re intimidated by press work or just think it isn’t worth your time, think again - with this training you’ll be ready to jump into the mix and share better, more useful stories with the world - about AI hype, tech in general, and other topics."
"My key messages are now more compelling, and I have clear goals for sharpening my approach to strategic storytelling. My highlight sessions as part of the NPN cohort were the 1:1 messaging support from Jane, the Online Presence Audit, and the smaller group session where we practiced delivering our key messages. I loved how practical these sessions were, with the recommended next steps being clear and actionable. It was a great group of people to share space with and I’d love to stay engaged and keep learning together."
Faculty
Cohort trainings are run by a team of media and AI politics experts
Alix Dunn, is a trusted expert, advisor, and facilitator who has shaped the field of public interest technology and worked on issues of society and technology for 15 years.She’s the founder and CEO of The Maybe, a public interest firm working with the academics, activists, and policy professionals ensuring that technology is a positive force in the world. She also hosts the Computer Says Maybe podcast.
Marin Bergman brings a decade of experience in content strategy, public relations, thought leadership and social media. Her focus is connecting brands with consumers through insight-driven engagement strategies that creatively and effectively reach media, influencers and advocates.
Jane Chung is an organizer and communications strategist. She is the Co-Founder and Principal of Justice Speaks, a progressive communications strategy firm. She previously advocated for big tech accountability at Public Citizen and on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. She started her career at Facebook, which informs her analysis of big tech power today.
NEON helps social justice movements win. They deliver a range of spokesperson trainings to organisations, campaigners and others in the movement.
FAQs
The cohort is free for participants and on an application basis. At some point in the future we might change this, but for now we're focused on delivering high impact while learning as much as we can.
Hopefully! This is the second cohort we have run and we will likely do this again. You can sign up for updates and opportunities from the New Protagonist Network here.
Please do! As long as they are working within the area of AI politics and looking to engage with media to raise the profile of their work.
Possibly, it depends. Send us an email to team@themaybe.org and we’ll get back to you.
Send us an email to team@themaybe.org and we’ll get back to you.
For this cohort, the program is only available in English. However, we are open to exploring the possibility of offering it in other languages based on demand in the future. If you have a specific language in mind, please let us know!
Of course! Send us an email to team@themaybe.org and we’ll get back to you.
Who we are
The New Protagonist Network provides training and support for public interest AI professionals to enhance their media skills and impact. Our goal is to replace superficial AI coverage with informed, people-centered expertise, helping the public grasp the stakes and guiding policymakers toward meaningful questions about our future.
The Maybe is a public interest firm focused on technology and society. We created and run the New Protagonist Network for a growing community of AI experts, and we provide diverse support to organisations working on the social, economic, and political impacts of technology.
This work is funded by the AI Collaborative and the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Initiative.