URL Media was recently named as #5 on FastCompany’s 2026 list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators. As a member of our Recruitment and Workforce Development team, I enjoy the pleasure of benefitting from our work culture, and sharing our learnings externally.
Whether you’re a leader looking to foster innovation in your company, or someone trying to build financial security for your creative work,here are some foundational practices you might consider:
Diversify your revenue streams: URL Media’s co-founders, Sara Lomax and Mitra Kalita, have always been nimble both about pathways to bring in revenue as a company and to distribute it among partners. For an organization like ours, that can look like a mix of advertising, recruitment and philanthropic funding. For an individual, that can look like a portfolio career that includes multiple clients or even industries.
This diversification is so important because it allows you to take and encourage risks. It is easier to think creatively and try new ideas without immense pressure, when you’re not wholly reliant on one income stream for survival.
Flexibility with accountability: “The best employers trust their people to manage their time and work in ways that maximize their performance,” said Leonor Ayala Polley, URL Media’s Chief Recruitment and Workforce Development Officer. “But that trust comes with clarity around expectations, measurable goals, and accountability for results.”
Take care of your staff’s underlying needs: URL Media’s benefits include, among many other things, a high-quality, zero-deductible, PPO health plan at no cost to employees. This has been essential to my success as an employee who is also a cancer survivor with multiple chronic health conditions. Access to the best healthcare combined with flexibility to be at every appointment make me more able to be present at work.
Consider what you or your employees need at a basic level, and how you can offer or secure the scaffolding that allows them to show up at their best.
And of course, don’t forget the seemingly small touches that come from actually getting to know your team — acknowledge birthdays, send tokens of appreciation in difficult times or for work well done, check in on your people. As our Director of Partnerships Garry Pierre-Pierre wrote, “In a business increasingly obsessed with scale, efficiency, algorithms and artificial intelligence, sometimes innovation looks like remembering there is a human being on the other side of the screen.”
Job Board
| URL Media is recruiting for or supporting recruitment of these open roles and opportunities. Contact sonali@url-media.com if you’re interested in learning more about any of them. |
| Position: President & Chief Executive Officer Company: Independent Television Service (ITVS) Compensation: $275,000 Location: San Francisco, CA Position: Executive Director Company: National Association of Hispanic Publications Compensation: $180,000 Location: Remote Position: News Director Company: KUNC Compensation: $100,000 – $120,000 Location: Greeley/Fort Collins, CO Position: Senior Director, Membership Company: Oregon Public Broadcasting Compensation: $130,000 – $150,000 Location: Portland, OR |
