I’m passionate about doing journalism with and for communities and building systems that make that sustainable.

 

Intro

Right now, I’m doing that with LAist, where I am the director of news experimentation. I lead a team that combines product methodologies, audience and community engagement, and editorial expertise to drive editorial innovation. I was previously the senior editor for community engagement.

On the side, I teach with CUNY’s Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program and the News Product Alliance’s News Product Management Certification program. I’m also a sustainability analyst, coach, and board committee member with LION Publishers.

I offer consulting, teaching, and workshops on audience research, product development, membership, audience participation, community engagement, and venture support design for media sustainability programs. If you want to chat consulting, presenting, or teaching opportunities, you can email me.

 
 

Perspectives

I co-founded Perspectives, an ongoing effort to introduce journalists to new approaches to addressing our industry’s systemic problems.

We do this by crafting events and conversations where journalists can connect with people and groups outside of the media industry to learn their methods and practices for addressing problems such as misinformation, systemic injustice, community conflict, and hedge fund capitalism.

We’re always looking for suggestions for where to go next and who we should feature in our events and conversations. As a volunteer effort that still needs to pay speakers and venues, we’re always interested in conversations about supporting our work. You can learn more about it on our website.

 
 

Membership Puzzle Project

Prior to LAist I worked at Membership Puzzle Project, a public research project that catalyzed and studied membership models in news from May 2017 through August 2021.

As the Membership in News Fund director, I provided financial runway and venture support to newsrooms experimenting with membership models. We published the Membership Guide, a practical, tactical guide to membership models that helps news organizations launch membership programs and improve existing ones. It’s been published in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

I also:

 
 

Priors

Before joining Membership Puzzle Project, I was the director of The New Tropic, a local media startup in my hometown of Miami.

I helped curious locals connect to our city through a daily newsletter, storytelling, and events. I led our efforts to inform local voters, guide Miamians through Hurricane Irma, and understand gun control legislation following the Parkland shooting.

In response to my goodbye note, a reader wrote in: “Thank you for bringing me closer to my city.” It’s the best and simplest summary I’ve found for what local journalism should do for communities.

Before that, I was a foreign correspondent in Nairobi, where I covered everything from the immigrants behind Nairobi’s fantastic food scene to the extrajudicial killings undermining Kenya’s anti-extremism strategies (clips). I was also the Middle East editor at the Christian Science Monitor, where I commissioned and edited stories with a similar range.