Practical sessions for professionals building visible trust.
Open Studio is Bedford's public learning layer: live events and on-demand Skill Labs that help professionals sharpen their voice, publish with more confidence, and turn visibility into better business conversations.
Join live Bedford sessions on visibility, voice, career opportunity, execution, and the business side of showing up online.
LiveSkill LabOther
Think Like a Journalist, Build Like an Independent Creator
08/06/2026 · 5:00 PM EST
What does it take to turn sharp reporting instincts into an independent media career? In this Skill Lab, Sasha Ingber shares how she has built an audience and expanded her work across formats—from founding HUMINT, her multimedia Substack covering the intelligence community, to hosting SpyCast, the International Spy Museum’s flagship podcast, and appearing as an expert on The History Channel.
Drawing on her extensive reporting background and experience building independently, Sasha will share how to identify compelling stories, earn trust with an audience, and turn a distinctive point of view into work that travels across platforms.
Speaker
Sasha Ingber
Key takeaways
Use a journalist’s mindset to spot overlooked stories, ask better questions, and find a clear editorial niche.
Build an independent platform that develops trust, audience ownership, and a sustainable body of work.
Extend one strong point of view across formats, from newsletters and podcasts to broadcast opportunities, without losing what makes your voice distinctive.
Who it's for
For aspiring independent creators and anyone looking to turn a sharp point of view into an audience and a sustainable content career.
Turn LinkedIn engagement into real business opportunities. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to move beyond likes and comments and use your content to start stronger conversations, build trust, and generate revenue for your small business.
Speaker
Harris Fanaroff
Key takeaways
Create content that attracts potential clients, not just engagement
Turn comments, profile views, and inbound interest into sales conversations
Build a simple LinkedIn system that connects content to revenue
Who it's for
This workshop is best for small business owners, consultants, and service-based professionals who are gaining traction on LinkedIn but need a clear system for turning engagement into leads and revenue.
A Beginner’s Guide to Capturing Attention (In the First Two Seconds)
08/13/2026 · 5:00 PM EST
Learn the fundamentals of grabbing (and keeping) an audience’s attention from the very first moment. This Skill Lab provides practical techniques for crafting stronger openings, sharpening their message, and making content people want to engage with.
Speaker
Joseph Weaver
Key takeaways
How to create compelling hooks that earn attention in the first two seconds
Simple ways to make your message clearer, more relevant, and memorable
Practical frameworks you can apply to videos, presentations, social posts, and conversations
Who it's for
This workshop is best for creators, marketers, founders, and professionals who want to make their content more immediately engaging.
Watch recorded Bedford Skill Labs from creators, strategists, coaches, and operators who understand how visible work actually gets built.
On-DemandSkill LabOther
Reels Strategy 2026: How Professionals Show Up on Camera Without Sounding Like an Ad
Available now
Bedford's Head of Content Strategy Anne Singer breaks down what's actually working on Reels in 2026 — and what kills most professional content before the first five seconds. Walk away with a repeatable process for filming, editing, and publishing Reels that feel natural, build trust, and stop the scroll. No AI scripts, no over-produced content — just a clear system that works whether you've never filmed yourself or have been posting inconsistently for years.
Instructor
Instructor: Anne Singer
Anne Singer — New York-based social media strategist and founder of Far Fetched Marketing, where she helps brands build visibility, authority, and demand through content-led growth. Her work spans real estate, mortgage, lifestyle, and professional services, with a track record of turning attention into measurable business outcomes. Before going independent, Anne led regional social and digital strategy at Coldwell Banker Realty. She serves as Bedford's Head of Content Strategy.
Key takeaways
Why most professional Reels fail before they even start
Anne's end-to-end process: idea, script, hook, cuts, music, and text overlay in under 40 seconds
The camera confidence trick that fixes 90% of on-camera awkwardness immediately
Tools that make the process faster: CapCut, Epidemic Sound, and a teleprompter app you'll actually use
How to build audience trust before you ever make a single ask
Who it's for
Professionals, founders, and small business owners who know they should be on Reels but don't know where to start — or who've started and stopped.
Join Phillip Smith as he walks you through building a detailed audience persona and refining your voice to resonate with them — without losing your authenticity.
Instructor
Instructor: Phillip Smith
Phillip Smith — Executive coach who helps professionals turn expertise into audience trust and revenue. Building on his Stanford fellowship, he has led cohort-based programs for founders and creators at Google News Initiative and the American Journalism Project. His focus is translating subject-matter know-how into repeatable systems that produce measurable business outcomes.
Key takeaways
How to build a detailed, usable audience persona
Techniques for refining your voice to resonate with one ideal reader
How to stay authentic while sharpening your message
Who it's for
Creators and professionals who want their content to land with a targeted audience rather than everyone at once.
In this session, Creator-in-Residence Austin Graff walks you through how to articulate a compelling content strategy, why that matters, and how to build your posting "muscle" with quality early reps.
Instructor
Instructor: Austin Graff
Austin Graff — Austin K. Graff is a writer, content creator, and social media strategist. After leading social media and influencer marketing teams at International Justice Mission, Coca-Cola, and The Washington Post, Austin created the first-ever guide to all 131 DC neighborhoods, telling stories of hope throughout the community online.
Key takeaways
How to articulate a clear, compelling content strategy
Why a defined strategy matters before you scale
How to build your posting "muscle" with quality early reps
Who it's for
Professionals and founders who want a clear content strategy and the consistency to execute it.
As you execute on your content strategy, analyzing and iterating is key to long-term success. A panel of experts shares the metrics that matter most across different platforms and how to refine your strategy based on the insights you can glean.
Speakers
Eugene Litman, Shannon Beveridge, Joseph Weaver (moderated by Anne Singer)
Eugene Litman — Founder of Lit Media Group. Has spent the last decade partnering with top creators and viral brands to generate billions of monthly views and millions of subscribers across major platforms.
Shannon Beveridge — Known online as @nowthisisliving, has spent more than a decade creating representation for the LGBTQ+ community through fashion, lifestyle, beauty, podcasting, music videos, and portraiture.
Key takeaways
Which metrics actually matter on each platform
How to read patterns instead of chasing plans
A practical loop for analyzing and iterating on content
Who it's for
Creators and professionals already publishing who want to improve based on data, not guesswork.
Join Creator-in-Residence Harris Fanaroff for a deep dive into how to make the most of your LinkedIn community to drive your business goals.
Instructor
Instructor: Harris Fanaroff
Harris Fanaroff — Founder of Linked Revenue, a B2B executive demand gen agency that helps leaders turn their LinkedIn activity into real business development. He works with executives and business development professionals to build authentic personal brands that generate pipeline, deepen relationships, and create measurable revenue impact. Harris specializes in helping leaders at growth-stage and mid-market firms show up consistently, communicate their expertise, and convert visibility into opportunity.
Key takeaways
How to turn LinkedIn activity into business development
Making the most of your LinkedIn community
Aligning your presence with concrete business goals
Who it's for
Leaders, founders, and professionals who want to turn LinkedIn into a real business development channel.
Why Smart Creators Procrastinate (And How to Finally Take Action)
Available now
Every creator has experienced it: you know exactly what you should be working on, yet you still avoid the task, put it off, or tell yourself you'll start tomorrow. Performance Neuroscience Coach Joseph Weaver breaks down why procrastination happens and shares a practical framework for overcoming it in the moment. Walk away with a deeper understanding of what's driving your procrastination and tools you can use immediately to act on the work that matters most.
Instructor
Instructor: Joseph Weaver
Joseph Weaver · @JosephsJourneyyt — Certified Performance Neuroscience Coach who helps creators, founders, and professionals close the gap between intention and action by understanding what actually drives procrastination.
Key takeaways
Why most procrastination advice doesn't work
The 5 hidden reasons people procrastinate
The most dangerous thought a creator can have
The invisible cycle keeping people stuck
A simple framework you can use immediately on the thing you're currently avoiding
Who it's for
Creators, founders, and professionals who know they're capable of more and want to close the gap between intention and action.
A live conversation on visibility, voice, and the modern job search. A practical LinkedIn Live for professionals navigating career transition — exploring how visibility, voice, and content creation open new opportunities.
Speakers
Katherine Rundell, Katy Stover Fox
Katherine Rundell — Bedford Advisor and creator executive, previously at a16z, beehiiv, and Twitter.
Katy Stover Fox — CEO of HigherPeople.
Key takeaways
How content and visibility factor into modern hiring
Finding your voice during a career transition
Practical ways to show up online while job searching
Who it's for
Professionals navigating career transition who want to understand how visibility and content can open new opportunities.
Join Descript for a hands-on Skill Lab on turning video or audio into polished social clips without getting stuck in complex editing tools.
This session will introduce Descript as a practical time-saver for creators, then walk through how to use Descript’s workflow library and AI templates, including “Create a social clip,” to quickly move from raw content to a ready-to-share post.
Speaker
Marcello Farrell
Key takeaways
Use Descript’s workflow library to start faster
Turn existing video or audio into polished social clips
Save time while building a more consistent publishing rhythm
Who it's for
Creators, founders, and professionals who want to create polished social content faster and build a more consistent publishing workflow.
Get comfortable creating Instagram Reels in this beginner-friendly skill lab. We’ll explore how to approach a Reel from initial idea to finished post, cover simple editing techniques, and walk through a few practical examples to help you start creating with confidence.
Speaker
Devin McGovern
Key takeaways
A straightforward process for planning and creating an Instagram Reel
Foundational techniques for light editing and polishing your content
Practical inspiration from real examples you can adapt for your own Reels
Who it's for
Professionals, founders, and small business owners who know they should be on Reels but don't know where to start — or who've started and stopped.
How to Plan and Organize a Content Strategy You Can Actually Sustain
Available now
Join to learn a practical approach to planning and organizing content around your goals, voice, and capacity. Leave with a clearer system for deciding what to post, when to create it, and how to keep the momentum going over time.
Speaker
Austin Graff
Key takeaways
How to define content pillars that keep your ideas focused and aligned with your goals.
How to turn those ideas into a realistic weekly or monthly content calendar.
How to build a repeatable planning workflow that supports consistency without burnout.
Who it's for
For creators and small-business owners who want a more intentional, manageable approach to content.
How to set up your newsletter engine with beehiiv's email builder
Available now
Join us for a live walkthrough of the beehiiv newsletter builder and learn how to turn your ideas into a repeatable publishing rhythm. We’ll cover why newsletters are an essential part of the modern creator toolkit, then show exactly how to get started: creating a post, building with content blocks, segmenting your audience, previewing, testing, and publishing with confidence.
Speaker
Joe Vargas
Key takeaways
How to start and structure a newsletter post using templates, brand settings, and reusable content blocks.
How to segment your audience so the right readers get the right message, including free, paid, and custom subscriber groups.
How to preview, test, schedule, and publish your newsletter while building a searchable archive and owned audience over time.
Who it's for
Creators, founders, and professionals who are curious about starting their first newsletter and building an audience they actually own.
This session focuses on repeatable systems and workflows that make content creation sustainable for the long term.
Instructor
Instructor: Eric Wise
Eric Wise — Software architect turned educator. A four-time entrepreneur who currently runs Skill Foundry, a subscription learning platform for individuals. He also runs enterprise education, course building, advisory, and AI literacy trainings for organizations.
Key takeaways
How to systematize your content workflow.
Tools and routines that reduce friction.
Building a process that survives busy weeks.
Who it's for
Creators and professionals who want content to become a sustainable habit, not a sprint.
Open Studio gives you a sample of the work. Bedford Studio gives you the structure to keep doing it.
Open Studio sessions are useful on their own. Bedford Studio is the deeper experience: a 12-week foundation, coaching, feedback, Creators in Residence, Skill Labs, business-signal review, and a year of support to help learners turn expertise into visible trust and better business conversations.