We are thrilled to offer 15 half-day, deep-dive, hands-on workshops to be held in-person on Thursday, October 16, in conjunction with the LDSPMA Annual Conference on October 17–18, 2025.
You can register for up to one morning workshop and one afternoon workshop, and you can register for workshops independently of registering for the Main Conference.
If you register for BOTH a morning AND an afternoon workshop, you receive:
- A free catered lunch (12:00-12:30 pm)
- A lunchtime keynote address by Sharon Eubank, director of Latter-day Saint Charities (12:30 pm to 1:20 pm).
If you only purchase one workshop but want to eat lunch on campus, the UVU food court is located downstairs from the workshops. Note that because of fall break, its options and hours will be limited.
Thursday Morning Workshops
October 16, 8 am – 12 noon
The Write Start: Mastering Craft, Building Confidence, and Navigating the Path to Publishing
Samantha Millburn
This workshop is your beginner’s guide to both writing and publishing. Learn what aspiring authors often overlook—how to prepare your manuscript, communicate effectively with publishers, and navigate the journey from draft to release. Through interactive writing exercises, you’ll also develop characters, worlds, and plot points, leaving with a stronger foundation in both storytelling and the industry. During the workshop, you will: -Understand the publishing process—from manuscript submission to book release. -Learn what publishers expect and how to prepare your manuscript effectively. -Discover industry insights that many new authors overlook. -Develop strategies for being assertive yet professional in working with publishers. -Participate in hands-on writing exercises to build compelling characters, worlds, and plot points. -Gain confidence in both your writing craft and your journey toward publication.
Bio: Samantha Millburn is the senior editor at Shadow Mountain and has edited Deseret Book imprints for sixteen years. A 2024 ACFW Editor of the Year finalist, she collaborates with award-winning authors, helping shape manuscripts into masterpieces. She graduated in English from BYU–Idaho, and lives in Rigby, Idaho, with her husband and five children. She enjoys reading, sports, cooking, and time with her family.
The Art & Science of Breakthroughs: Using Neuroscience-backed Tools to Break Through Blocks and Create Success in Your Craft
Ann Ferguson
Do you want to set up your conference experience for success? Or are you feeling stuck in your creative work, marketing, or business? This workshop will teach you how to rewire your brain, shift emotional blocks, and unlock unstoppable confidence. You’ll use a new scientifically-proven method called Neurographica to break through creative and mental roadblocks. Walk away with new tools to create breakthroughs in every area of life. During this workshop, you will: - Learn how thoughts shape reality and how to shift limiting beliefs - Generate powerful emotions on demand to increase confidence and creativity - Experience Neurographica, a groundbreaking method to rewire your mind for success - Set clear intentions for the conference and step into the event feeling aligned and empowered - Walk away feeling clear, centered, focused, and creatively energized
Bio: Ann Ferguson is a master mentor, mindset coach, and certified Neurographica Specialist with 25 years of experience in emotional mastery and personal transformation. She helps authors, artists, and entrepreneurs break through mental blocks, rewire limiting beliefs, and unlock their full creative potential. Ann’s unique approach blends faith, neuroscience, and emotional skill-building to create lasting breakthroughs in confidence, creativity, and success. She lives in southern Utah with her family.
How To Make a Viral Music Video (From Someone Who Has Made More Than 90 of Them)
Nick Sales
Learn the 3 pillars of what you need to make a viral music video from someone who has filmed more than 90 of them, with each one getting more than a million views. In this workshop, you will: -Learn the 3 pillars of viral music videos -Have an FAQ with an expert -Learn advanced marketing strategies applicable to any business
Bio: Nick Sales is the owner of Aevium Films, and specializes in creating viral music videos. Having worked with some of the top YouTubers and musicians in the world (The Piano Guys, David Archuleta, The Crosby's, BYU Vocal Point, and the LDS Church), his videos have amassed over a billion views.
How to Grow Your Podcast
Lisa Valentine Clark
This workshop will address how to adapt your podcast format to audience listening habits, how to use signposting as an editing strategy, strategies on striking a balance between personal and professional tone in performance, boosting audience retention, finding new audiences on social media, optimizing SEO and metadata, and finding a workable rhythm in your podcast production. -Adapting podcast format to audience listening habits (how to make data-informed decisions about episode length, introduction styles, and editing style) -Signposting as an editing strategy (how to script podcast copy that helps your audience digest your points and perceive greater value in your content) -Striking a balance between personal and professional (how to achieve a down-to-earth ""voice"" that builds relationships with listeners without sacrificing quality or cheapening your message) -Boosting audience retention (how to keep listeners engaged on the episode level, subscription level, and across multiple platforms and communication modes) -Finding new audiences on Instagram and YouTube (how to increase listenership with short-form content and maximize the impact of the time you spend working on social media) -Optimizing SEO and metadata (how to make episode titles, descriptions, and thumbnails that are attractive both to real human beings and the algorithms) -Finding a rhythm (how to reset your podcasting workflow when you're burned out but afraid of making changes and losing audience interest)
Bio: Lisa Valentine Clark is the executive producer and host of The Lisa Show podcast, and Council of Moms podcast.She co-founded the theater-as-improv troupe The Thrillionaires. She wrote Real Moms Making It Up As We Go, hosted the tv show “Random Acts,” and headlined the musical improv tv show “Show Offs.” She has starred in the movies "Stalking Santa," "Once I Was a Beehive," and "Once I Was Engaged."
Watch the Pros Produce a Song in Real Time! (Includes a field trip to Noisebox Studios)
Daniel Blomberg and Dave Zimmerman
Watch a song take shape in real time! Music producers Dave Zimmerman and Daniel Blomberg have worked on hundreds of songs together, including some you have likely heard at church or on YouTube. In this session, you will experience a slightly abbreviated version of Dave and Daniel’s process that takes a song from a basic outline to a fully fleshed-out production. There will be opportunities for Q&A at the end. Note: This session takes place at Noisebox Studios in Provo, a 10-minute drive from the main LDSPMA conference. Since parking is limited at the studio, participants will be picked up from the UVU Sorenson Center at 7:45 a.m. and dropped off again afterward.
Bio: Daniel Blomberg built a six-figure music production company in just over three years with his wife and business partner, Kathryn, making mainly religious music, in a place where musicians are often viewed as a “dime-a-dozen” commodity. Blomberg Music Productions works with professionals and hobbyists alike, including several of Utah’s household music names, to help flood the Earth with God’s music. Dave Zimmerman is an accomplished recording engineer and producer and the owner of Noisebox Studios. He has worked with renowned artists such as GENTRI and Mat and Savanna Shaw, whose music has achieved multiple top-three rankings on the Billboard charts. With an eighteen-year career in the recording industry, Dave has worked on close to ten thousand songs with hundreds of artists.
Sharing Your Sacred Experiences: A Writing Workshop That Harnesses the Power of the Divine to Change the World
Bridget Cook-Burch
Write your sacred story with transformational impact! Bridget encourages the sharing of your remarkable spiritual experiences, and will coach you towards an inspirational story that shatters limits, transcends borders and creates a lasting legacy. Bridget has helped a large number of authors effectively express near-death experiences, sacred visits from the other side, and other spiritually transformative occurrences. This workshop includes powerful, professional tips to profoundly engage your reader. You already have the knowledge to craft good stories; now learn the techniques to make these stories unforgettable. Storytelling has the power to educate, inspire and motivate. It also has the power to transform, and those are some of the skillsets she will be sharing. Shared truthfully, appropriately, and powerfully, sacred experiences have been shown to be life-changing for the authors, their listeners, and their readers. Learning objectives include: - Discover and organize what you have learned from your spiritual experiences in an effective way. - Recognize important turning points on your hero’s and shero’s journey that empower your future, and gain courage to be able to share them–perhaps for the first time in your life. - Learn how to effectively communicate your learned wisdom from these extraordinary experiences for the greatest impact. - Gain tips and tools for creating a written work, whether to keep for yourself and your family, or to share with the world.
Bio: Clients call Bridget Cook-Burch “The Book Whisperer.” A New York Times bestselling author, mentor, humanitarian, business leader, speaker and publisher known for riveting, transformational stories, her books and authors have been showcased on Oprah, Dateline, Netflix, Paramount+, A&E, CNN, GMA, NPR, and in People, among others. As founder of Your Inspired Story, she helps others discover the importance of their own story and powerfully launch it into the world.
More Than an Actor: Becoming a Well-Rounded Creative
Paul Cartwright and Jade Gottfredson
This workshop is designed for film and stage actors who are ready to take their careers to the next level. Whether you are just starting out or have experience in the industry, this class will help you become a well-rounded creative by expanding your understanding of filmmaking, collaboration, and career development. Actors today need to be more than just performers—they must be well-rounded creatives who understand the bigger picture of filmmaking. This workshop will help you take control of your career by deepening your knowledge of on-set collaboration, auditioning, and the filmmaking process from multiple perspectives, including casting, directing, producing, and cinematography. You'll also learn essential industry skills like actor etiquette, building a strong creative business, and presenting yourself using professional materials. Whether you’re in front of the camera or behind it, this class will equip you with the tools to create opportunities and thrive as a creative professional. You will: -Refine audition skills -Gain insight into the industry from multiple perspectives, including casting, producing, directing, cinematography, and sound. -Master actor etiquette to build a professional reputation and work well with filmmakers and crew. -Learn how to manage your creative business, including managing your online portfolios with headshots, reels, clips, and resumes. -Take control of your career by creating opportunities for yourself as you understand casting, storytelling, production, and collaboration. -Develop on-set collaboration skills to contribute effectively in any production role. -Embrace gospel principles as the foundation for confidence, creativity, and lasting success in the industry.
Bio: Paul Cartwright received his Masters of Fine Arts in Acting: The British Tradition from the Royal Conservatoire in England. He and his wife Melanie then moved to Los Angeles as he pursued on-camera and voice-over work. He is an award-winning voice-over artist and film director. He has five children. Jade Gottfredson is a stage and film actress who has also produced films and music videos. With experience both in front of and behind the camera, she understands the importance of collaboration, storytelling, and taking ownership of a creative career. Passionate about faith-driven filmmaking, she helps people become well-rounded creatives.
Choosing the Right Art Publisher vs. Self-Publishing
Steevun Lemon
There are a myriad of places for artists to list, post, and sell their artwork online. In doing so, artists may believe they are reaching the broadest audience they can. Learn what is really necessary today in production, marketing, distribution, and sales to compete in the art for the wall marketplace. Participants will: -Understand what is necessary to create quality reproductions of your work -Understand the scope and type of marketing necessary to break out from the pack -Understand the necessity of distribution beyond the internet -Understand the opportunity and value of creating art vs. prompt engineering -Be in a position to make a time/value return creation vs. sales
Bio: Steevun Lemon attended Brigham Young University and the BYU Marriott School of Business. His professional career began in the tech industries. However, his path changed when his mother, artist Liz Lemon Swindle, asked if he would help with the family art business. Through Steevun's guidance, that mom-and-pop shop has grown into the largest Christian art publisher and seller of Christian art in the Americas.
Thursday Afternoon Workshops
October 16, 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Developmental Editing for Fiction: Character Development, Dialogue, Pacing, Setting, and Head-Hopping
Suzy Bills
Participants will dive into the principles of developmental editing for fiction. In particular, they’ll learn to analyze and address issues regarding character development, head-hopping, pacing, dialogue, setting, description, and story arc. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be prepared to help novelists improve their writing so their novels will be more appealing to literary agents, publishers, and readers. The target audience is editors who would like to increase their skills in developmentally editing novels. Fiction authors can also benefit from the workshop. During the workshop, participants will: -Identify and address head-hopping -Understand when pacing needs to speed up or slow down -Determine how to make dialogue more believable and engaging -Identify and address issues regarding character development -Identify and address problems related to setting and description -Address issues in a novel’s story arc Note: This is an intermediate-level workshop. Participants should have a basic understanding of fiction and the elements required in a novel.
Bio: Suzy Bills is an editor, author, and faculty member in the editing and publishing program at BYU. She’s owned a writing and editing business since 2006, working with clients to publish everything from books to dissertations to technical manuals. She loves sharing her skills with others, whether through teaching, helping authors get their thoughts on paper, or fine-tuning their writing. Her book, The Freelance Editor’s Handbook, was published in 2021.
Book Marketing for Authors: How to Publicize, Promote, and Launch Your Publication
Scott T. E. Jackson
Back by popular demand, Scott is excited to help make marketing accessible to authors of any experience. This workshop will drill deep, build up, and prepare you with marketing strategies, tools, and a flexible framework to connect your work with more readers—no matter your abilities or constraints. In our time together, participants will: -Train their marketing minds with a brief marketing boot camp -Glean marketing insights and best practices from the publishing industry as a whole -Learn free and paid marketing tools -Discuss the ethics, challenges, and benefits of AI-supported efforts -Collaborate with other authors in market planning and creating marketing matter (i.e., posts, ads, etc.) -Receive real-time in-person feedback on your marketing ideas/efforts
Bio: Scott T. E. Jackson is an author and marketing professional. Scott currently manages digital advertising efforts and spend at Revity, a marketing agency in American Fork, and was previously an account executive at Cedar Fort Publishing & Media for over four years. Scott graduated magna cum laude in marketing from BYU’s Marriott School of Business. Scott is passionate about writing and has published and self-published titles in fiction and creative nonfiction. He lives in Springville, Utah, with his wife and two children.
Writing Your Debut Novel
Shelly Brown
Whether you've already started or are just beginning this workshop can help you take those great ideas that you have and get them on the page in a way that will grab readers. Get some step by step instruction, as well learn some big picture tips, to create a story you can sell. In this workshop, you will: -Learn plotting techniques that could save your pacing -Learn how to create unique characters, intriguing settings, and fun scenes -Learn what is authors have done to make their book easy to sell -Learn writing activities that will help sharpen your descriptive skills -Work with and network with others who are also trying to publish (these connections can be priceless!)
Bio: Shelly was born in Portland Oregon but spent most of her growing up years in the San Francisco Bay Area. She wrote the award winning books Mustaches for Maddie and Squint with her husband Chad Morris. Their newest book is The Playmakers. She enjoys history, kdramas, theater, and traveling. She has no regrets, one husband, 5 children, 6 chickens, and over 100 Pez dispensers
Use Short-Form Videos to Attract Loyal Fans!
Austin Falter
How can you use short video posts to lead people from viewers to followers, to fans and customers? In this workshop, you’ll learn how you can knock out an entire month’s worth of value-filled content with one film day a month to grow your social media following! In our time together, you will: Participate in a live demonstration (ideas, script, film, edit, post) Create a 30-day video marketing plan (with deadlines!) Create 30 video ideas/hooks Create a software and tools list (to automate parts of the process) Learn the best way to take people from a view to a conversion Draft and receive feedback on your own social media ideas Gain access to free content idea guides and downloadable film checklists
Bio: Austin Falter is the owner of Falter Media, a TEDx speaker, and yes, a “TikToker.” His agency is responsible for hundreds of millions of organic video views on social media. His superpower (besides karaoke) is helping brands build systems to efficiently batch their social media videos into one film day!
Your True Voice: If You Can Speak You Can Sing
Debra Bonner
Class members will learn how the voice works, identify incorrect singing, and correct problems. The class will sing as a group and individually. They will be given instruction through vocal exercises and techniques so that they may see, feel, hear, and experience the improvement in their voices. As they find their authentic voices, they will build confidence. -Understand how the voice works. -Be able to identify vocal problems and know how to correct them. -Develop confidence as a singer and in their daily living activities. -Sing more freely and beautifully. -Have a more commanding speaking voice with the ability to project.
Bio: Debra Bonner is a world-renowned vocal coach with an online vocal training program, Your True Voice. For nearly 30 years, she was taught and mentored by two of the top vocal coaches of the 20th and 21st centuries: Seth Riggs, teacher of the stars, and Richard Miller, teacher of opera singers worldwide. Debra holds a master's degree in vocal performance from the University of Michigan and has taught for 50 years.
Blue Bird Onstage!
Gale Sears, James Stevens, and Daniel Blomberg
In this workshop, you will be immersed in bringing to life the musical theater production of "Blue Bird." Don't worry about your acting or singing level-- just come and have fun with fellow creatives, the playwright, and the composers of this fantasy theater production. You will: -Learn about the audition process -Audition for several roles -Expand your acting chops by interpreting several different characters -Be cast in a role and work on short scenes with fellow actors -Learn music from the show (tutored by composers James Stevens and Daniel Blomberg) -Playwrights will spend half an hour in a Q&A session with Blue Bird's creator--Gale Sears -Costume designers (participants) will display their costume ideas for Blue Bird -Perform several scenes with acting, singing, and a bit of staging -Everyone will come together in the end to perform the finale of the musical!
Bio: Gale Sears graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in playwriting and from the University of Minnesota with an MA in theater arts. For over thirty-five years, she has worked in the theater field; acting, directing, and writing. Gale is also a best-selling author of ten novels, various short stories, and children’s books. James Stevens graduated from Brigham Young University in 2003 with a BA in media music and taught songwriting and recording classes at BYU for several years after. He enjoyed singing with Vocal Point from 2001-2003 and later served as the director of Vocal Point from 2004-2012. He is a singer-songwriter, arranger, and producer who loves the power music has to uplift and inspire the soul. His work spans a wide variety of music genres, including CCM, pop, folk, electronic, rock, and country, as well as orchestral film music, choral, and musical theater. In just over three years, Daniel Blomberg, with his wife and business partner Kathryn, built a successful music production company, focusing mainly on religious music in a place where musicians are often viewed as a “dime-a-dozen” commodity. Blomberg Music Productions works with professionals and hobbyists alike, including several of Utah’s household music names, to help flood the Earth with God’s music.
A Nonfiction Writing Workshop: The Ins and Outs of the Most Overlooked Genre
Krista Isaacson and Whitney Hemsath
Despite consistently representing nearly half of Amazon’s best-selling print titles, the non-fiction genre feels shockingly underrepresented when it comes to conferences, books, and blogs about writing. What’s the expected word count? Are there genre conventions you need to be aware of? Tropes to avoid? When it comes to structure and writing voice, how does writing nonfiction overlap and differ from the best practices for writing fiction? Do you need a query letter or proposal, and what’s the difference? This nonfiction workshop will be team-taught by two nonfiction writers — one who specializes in memoir and the other in self-help and inspirational writing. As a participant, you will: -Discover various nonfiction genres, including a detailed examination of the specific guidelines for memoirs and self-help/inspirational books. -Discuss the difference between avatars and target audiences; craft and receive feedback on your book’s specific avatar. -Understand nonfiction expectations regarding word count, structure, quotes, and citations. -Review best practices for writing nonfiction and crafting emotionally compelling and authoritative text. -Peer review and receive feedback on a 1-2 page summary/outline of your book. -Peer review and receive feedback on 2-4 pages from your book, with a focus on tone, word choice, strengths, and weaknesses. -Explore the various publication options for nonfiction and develop realistic expectations for what each process may look like for your particular story.
Bio: Krista M. Isaacson is the author of the award-winning memoir, Unbearable Burden: One Mother's Decision to Trust God When He Asked the Impossible, the story of losing her two-year-old daughter to a cancerous brain tumor only 30 short hours after diagnosis and how with God's love and Christ's grace every unbearable burden can become bearable. She is a contributing writer for LDS Living Magazine and is currently working on a collaborative book project with Cedar Fort Publishing, titled Women Read Scripture: 365 Daily Devotionals for the Old Testament, which is scheduled for release later this year. Krista is also a sought-after speaker who cherishes every opportunity to share her testimony of Christ, whether spoken or written. Whitney Hemsath holds a B.A. in screenwriting and writes across nearly all genres and age groups, including short stories, poetry, LDS inspirational nonfiction books, MG epistolary time travel, and adult sweet paranormal romcoms. Her writing has won multiple awards and has been included in college curricula. When she’s not writing, she enjoys going to Zumba, eating brownies, and playing board games with her four sons and best friend/husband.