Vickie Remoe’s Media Workshop Empowers Sierra Leonean Storytellers

Digital media and communications director  Vickie Remoe is staying true to her commitment to “Make Sierra Leone Famous” by mentoring local storytellers. Remoe organized and conducted a workshop in Freetown, providing journalists and content creators with the necessary tools and knowledge to build their personal brand, increase discoverability, and foster collaboration for disruptive growth in a slow media landscape.

Remoe’s opening remarks deeply resonated with the talented participants, highlighting the importance of multimedia and digital skills in their quest to become media leaders. Addressing eight out of nine grantees of the prestigious Vickie Remoe Prize, which was launched in November 2022, she acknowledged their exceptional talent and expressed her unwavering determination to train the next generation of storytellers, ultimately contributing to the fame of Sierra Leone.

From Left to Right: Hannah Ogunade, Ishmael Roland Kamara, Morlai Ibrahim Kamara, Marian Amaria Bangura, Ishmail Saidu Kanu, Ahmed Tejan-Cole, Benjamin Thoronka, Ramatu Tunkara

During the workshop, Remoe shared invaluable digital tools and techniques to enhance online presence, strategies for content creation, and effective approaches to overcome the unique challenges of monetization in smaller digital markets.

Ishmail Saidu Kanu, the Vickie Remoe Prize Winner for News, expressed his gratitude for Remoe’s guidance in building a personal brand across various social media platforms. 

“I didn’t know how to brand myself with not just my byline but my bio across social media platforms. She told us about Muckrack and using free platforms like Medium, LinkedIn to post articles so that if one website crashes or goes out of business, a writer like me doesn’t lose all their work,” said Kanu.

From Left to Right: Ahmed Tejan-Cole, Ishmael Roland Kamara, Vickie Remoe, Ishmail Saidu Kanu, Morlai Ibrahim Kamara, Benjamin Thoronka

Other grantees also shared their newfound knowledge and insights from the workshop. Ahmed Tejan-Cole, who also received recognition in the news category, expressed his transformed understanding of the correlation between analytics and audience engagement. Inspired by Remoe’s teachings, Tejan-Cole expressed his eagerness to explore data-driven storytelling and implement audience-targeting strategies to maximize the impact of his work.

For Hannah Ogunade, also known as Waterloo Titi, a content creator, the workshop provided invaluable lessons on teamwork and collaboration. 

“Collaboration was the best topic for me because Vickie analyzed how young people should come together with different ideas and work as a team so everyone can benefit,” said Ogunade. 

From Left to Right: Marian Amaria Bangura, Vickie Remoe, Hannah Ogunade, Ramatu Tunkara

Remoe, celebrated for her contributions to the C19 Dignity Project and her free digital skills masterclass, confirmed her commitment to hosting monthly mentoring workshops for the grant recipients. In addition to the workshops, the prize winners will also have the opportunity to receive one-on-one coaching from their mentors. The next phase of their journey involves hands-on photography and video training to further refine their multimedia skills.

With Remoe’s unwavering support and guidance, the future shines bright for these talented individuals as they continue to make significant strides in the media landscape of Sierra Leone and beyond.