Deadline Every Second
San Francisco State University Photo and Video Journalism Professor Ken Kobré secured unprecedented access to the photographers who deliver stunning images for the Associated Press, the world’s largest picture agency. Ken went behind the scenes to document 12 top AP photographers in the U.S. (from California wildfires to Wall Street), Europe (from 10 Downing St. to the Tour de France) and the Middle East (from the West Bank and Gaza to Israel). He followed along as photographers covered demonstrations in Greece and San Francisco, the earthquake in Haiti, a U.S. Marine patrol in Afghanistan, an assassination attempt in Pakistan, and more.
Once complete, Ken wanted to raise awareness for the documentary, which he titled Deadline Every Second: On Assignment with 12 Associated Press Photojournalists.
The Result
I created the strategy and publicity for a public screening and media tour across the United States, which resulted in standing-room only showings at the prestigious Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Columbia University in New York City, UCLA in Los Angeles and the City Club of San Francisco. The excitement continued as Ken facilitated lively panel discussions with the featured AP photographers following each screening.
The response was so overwhelming that Deadline Every Second has been screened throughout the United States and Europe, with PBS broadcasting it on several stations.
Deadline Every Second is available on Amazon.
Among the reviews
“This is f****** great. …a journey into the unseen world of news photojournalism and what it takes to bring back the images the public takes for granted every day. We meet the brave, cunning and talented photographers who deliver the world to our homes and experience some of what they have endure to get the job done.”
– PF Bentley, former TIME magazine photojournalist
“Every AP photographer has to find two photos of every news event. Editors always want the unexpected shot they don’t know they want. It’s a nearly impossible task, but the shooters in this doc show you how they do it, day in and day out.”
– Steve Wolgast, News Photographer magazine


“When it comes to Mary Thorsby, I’m a huge fan.”
Mary made our screenings of Deadline Every Second a huge success – I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results. She took care of everything, ensuring that our promotional outreach was up to date, social media channels were abuzz and that traditional media covered the events, as well. She helped make my dream a reality when PBS began broadcasting the documentary nationally.
Mary also delivered an excellent chapter for my Videojournalism: Multimedia Storytelling textbook. She interviewed leading journalism websites for a chapter on “Marketing the Story.” Her work was thorough, fun to read and very easy to edit.