Photo of Keith Plocek

Keith
Plocek

Assistant Professor of Professional Practice of Journalism
Liaison to Adjunct Faculty
A veteran of alternative media, Keith Plocek teaches a variety of journalism classes and researches the intersection of travel, culture and surfing.
Photo of Keith Plocek
A veteran of alternative media, Keith Plocek teaches a variety of journalism classes and researches the intersection of travel, culture and surfing.
Expertise: 
Arts and Culture, Data and Coding, Digital Media, Entertainment, History, Los Angeles, Popular Culture, Social Media, Sports
Research and Practice Areas: 

Tabs

Keith Plocek is fascinated by digital storytelling in all its forms. He has taught at USC Annenberg since 2014, working with students on reporting, writing, photography, interactive graphics and web development. He is the creator of “Shoot the Curl: Digital Storytelling and Surf Journalism,” a class devoted to innovative coverage of local wave-riding communities.

As director of digital content for Voice Media Group, he led a team of 12 web editors who produced text, audio, video and interactive content for LA Weekly, OC Weekly, The Village Voice, Miami New Times and other alternative publications. He has been a staff writer, a web editor and a social media manager at various publications throughout his career.

His investigative work for the Houston Press garnered two First Amendment Awards from the Ft. Worth Society of Professional Journalists, and a tweet for the LA Weekly scored him a National Entertainment Journalism Award from the Los Angeles Press Club.

He maintains an active freelance practice, writing about travel, culture and surfing for the Washington Post, the New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Travel + Leisure and other publications.

He has a master’s from Cambridge and a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Austin.

Awards and Honors:

National Entertainment Journalism Award for Best Tweet, Los Angeles Press Club (2011)
First Amendment Award for Reporting on Open Government, Fort Worth Society of Professional Journalists (2008)
First Amendment Award for Defending the Disadvantaged, Fort Worth Society of Professional Journalists (2008)

Courses

JOUR 320: Introduction to Coding for Storytelling
JOUR 479: Storytelling for Action Sports 
JOUR 490x: Directed Research
JOUR 590: Directed Research