Independent journalists, newsroom leaders and creators packed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 4, for “News Reimagined,” a one-day creator journalism summit rewriting the rules of modern media.
The event was sponsored by URL Media, URL Collective and the National Press Club Journalism Institute.
Headliners Bianca Graulau and Nick Valencia kicked things off with moderator Leonor Ayala to answer some of thorniest questions in the independent creator space around issues including payment and how independent journalist should work with established newsrooms.
“Don’t try to absorb this person’s work and turn it into something else,” Graulau, a popular independent creator based in Puerto Rico who has covered the island extensively and worked with Bad Bunny, advised newsroom leaders.
Valencia, a former CNN journalist who has ventured into the independent space, backed her up with a trust-first philosophy for newsrooms who are working with independent creators: Believe the reporter, full stop.
On pricing, the two were equally blunt. Graulau goes high, stays selective and isn’t apologizing for being choosy about who she works with. Valencia pulls from multiple income streams and studies others’ day rates in making decisions about what to charge.
The creator-focused track delivered practical energy for people trying to figure out how to brand and establish themselves as creators. Michael Jones, founder of the Once Upon A Hill newsletter and the first Black independent journalist with Congressional press gallery accreditation, told the room to nominate themselves to make big moves before anyone else does. His mantras hit hard: nominate yourself; obsess over the ordinary; and your audience’s trust in you compounds with your consistency.
Ryan Kellett, co-founder of The Independent Journalism Atlas, flipped part of the conversation about branding on its head. Instead of crafting a pitch in isolation, he said, creators should ask three people who know them best how they would describe the creator to someone new, and what story they would tell about the creator’s work.
The overlapping words in the answers to those two questions may just lead a creator to a new brand, strategy and story, all at once.
Jones and Kellett also had ideas about how creators could make a real living from their work, and their prescription requires creators to be audacious. The most important thing is that they shouldn’t lowball themselves, said Kellett, quoting fellow creator/entrepreneur Matt Brown.
He also said creators should begin their entrepreneurial ventures knowing that the early adopters of their work are the true believers in the mission and that while multiple revenue streams are ideal, it’s best to nail down one to start.
The throughline of the day was understanding that the new business model for news is collaboration between creators and newsrooms, and between journalists and audiences. Both sides need to work on the ethics, ownership and business guidelines for those partnerships.
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