📣 Building Stories That Matter

Join Camille Padilla Dalmau for a Reporting Workshop on May 5

As the founder of 9 Millones, Camille Padilla Dalmau has built a storytelling practice rooted in collaboration, structure, and deep community engagement, one that has also been fundamental in supporting and shaping complex  reporting projects like “In Exile: A Dominican migrant claims to be wrongfully deported from Puerto Rico,” by Altavoz Lab Fellow Carlos Berríos Polanco. As part of his fellowship experience, and in collaboration with his host outlet, this work also helped lead to training designed to support journalists in ambitious reporting projects.  

Join Camille Padilla Dalmau on May 5  for an interactive Altavoz Lab workshop on building stories that matter, where audience engagement begins from the very start. Drawing from her work as the founder of 9 Millones, Padilla Dalmau will guide participants through practical tools and methodologies for organizing ambitious reporting projects, centering collaboration, structure, and community throughout the process. Rooted in real-world experience supporting complex investigations, the session offers a roadmap for journalists looking to turn ideas into impactful, community-centered stories. 

Q&A with Camille Padilla Dalmau 

As an editor working closely with our 2025 Community Journalism fellows, what do you look for in a story that has the potential to truly resonate with audiences?

First, I want to give credit to our editor-in-chief, Laura M. Quintero, who works day in and day out with the journalists. In the case of the series “Una misma tierra,” I worked as a producer and co-director on one of the documentaries. With this series, our goal is to generate empathy toward migrant communities at a time when anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric are on the rise.

To understand what will resonate, we speak with a wide range of people before deciding on a story, so we can better understand what the community we cover wants to share about their experiences. When stories are rooted in those authentic lived experiences, they resonate — because at the end of the day, what we seek is to understand one another.

What are some of the key tools or perspectives you hope to share with emerging journalists and storytellers in your workshop?

The workshop “How to Organize an Ambitious Project” offers tools for structuring narrative projects. In addition to sharing different methodologies, I’ll also provide real-life examples from my experience with 9 Millones. I’ll also talk about how to meaningfully integrate communities into these projects.

For those considering joining the workshop, why do you think spaces like this are especially important right now for independent, community-centered journalism?

There are always challenges and unexpected situations when working on an ambitious project. Having clear goals and structures helps you adapt without losing connection to your mission. You also learn a great deal from other people’s projects, suggestions, and questions. Being in community and talking about our work builds confidence.

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