These creators bring editorial depth, expertise and authenticity on new platforms, connecting with news consumers in multiple languages.
NEW YORK, NY – Today, URL Media is proud to announce the addition of six versatile creator journalists and influencers to its expanding national multicultural network, serving diverse communities across the country.
Puerto Rican independent journalist, Bianca Graulau; former CNN Anchor now independent journalist, Nick Valencia of Nick Valencia News; creator journalist, Jennifer Chowdhury of Port of Entry; independent journalist, Yashica Dutt of Featuring Dalits; and content creators and podcast co-hosts, Dario Durham and Sara Faddah of 77 Flavors, producing content in various forms: vertical videos, podcasts, multilingual content, newsletters, live streaming shows and in-person events.
Co-founded in 2021 by Sara Lomax and S. Mitra Kalita, URL Media continues to champion the power of a networked approach to journalism—one that centers trusted, independent publishers and amplifies the voices of communities too often overlooked.
These dynamic creators were added through targeted outreach during the second quarter as URL Media continues to build a robust pipeline of independent journalists, influencers and trusted community messengers. With support from a $5 million Knight Foundation grant, the organization aims to add 250 vetted content creators to the URL network by 2028.
“Doing independent journalism can be lonely and uncertain. URL offers the kind of support I’ve been needing for years. I’m excited to join a network of people who believe in the kind of work I do and find creative ways to make it sustainable,” said independent journalist, Bianca Graulau.
“I’m joining URL Media because we share the same foundational belief: that Black and Brown community media is a market that has been systematically undervalued. Port of Entry helps fill that gap by telling stories about our communities that are overlooked,” said Jennifer Chowdhury of Port of Entry.
Q2 2026 Highlights:
- Founder Highlights: Sara Lomax has been named one of this year’s US Black Chambers’ Power50 Women of Influence honorees. The U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. “Power 50” Women of Influence honors 50 exceptional women from across the nation—celebrating their impact as entrepreneurs, trailblazers, advocates, visionaries, and leaders across industries. Other honorees include Issa Rae, Mayor Karen Bass, Lena Waithe, Serena Williams, and Angela Rye. During the inaugural Gold Women’s Health & Business Awards Gala, S. Mitra Kalita won the Innovation in Media & Community Connection Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership, impact in journalism and media, and commitment to building meaningful community-centered platforms through her work.
- Network Growth: In addition to welcoming creators, we’ve also added more partners to our growing network of more than 50 independent publisher partners. Some of our newest outlets include: Black with No Chaser, Lehigh Daily, Fun Times Magazine, Conecta Arizona, Al-Bustan News, Nowruz Media, Hispano Media Inc. and el TOQUE.
- Sales and advertising: URL Media is showcasing our diverse market value through our new sizzle reel. In collaboration with several youth organizations, URL Media is centering youth voices, through a storytelling project in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary. This initiative will empower young people from various states to share their unique perspectives through community-driven video content, distributed across our expansive multicultural media network.
- Empowering Partners: Our Audience Extension program empowers partners by expanding their reach and unlocking new revenue streams beyond traditional channels. Utilizing targeted marketing, digital media activation, and newsletter distribution, brands can engage with partner communities across multiple touchpoints, including podcasts, radio, social media, and websites. This collaboration enables partners to take part in major campaigns, uniting high audience trust with expansive distribution networks. With URL Media managing infrastructure, execution, optimization, and comprehensive reporting, partners can dedicate themselves to content and community building while tapping into increased advertising demand.
- Editorial content: This quarter, we’ve had several social media pieces and collaborations reach hundreds of thousands of views, highlighting critical stories impacting communities across the country. For example, URL Media co-published a social video with independent journalist Bianca Graulau about environmental destruction in Puerto Rico with 635,000 views. A video from Nick Valencia’s coverage of the protests outside the ICE facility known as Delaney Hall hit more than 320,000 views. Additionally, some of our partners such as El Tecolote and Epicenter have created captivating content featuring unique stories about community bands or how an astronaut honored Bihu, the Assamese holiday, in space through a traditional dance to commemorate the harvest festival.
- Media amplification: Over the last few months, URL Media has secured more than 45 earned media placements across national news, regional media, streaming platforms, radio and digital media outlets. Most recently, we helped our partners land one-on-one interviews with high-profile Governors, including Governor Wes Moore (MD) interview with Brandon Tensley from Capital B and Governor Ned Lamont (CT) interview with Jen Skinner-Taylor from The Electorette.
- Talent & Workforce Development: This quarter, URL Media’s Recruitment and Workforce Development team placed Ellie Pierce as the new Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Oregon Public Broadcasting, Monica Carrillo-Casas as OPB’s Eastern Oregon reporter and Elena Neale-Sacks as OPB’s Southwest Washington reporter. Our team also launched URHired, a new digital vertical devoted to career insights, advice and news. URHired will also feature a vertical video series on our URL Media social media platforms as our URL Recruiting division address various topics affecting the job market including: Common AI mistakes on job application, how Gen Z can prepare for the workplace, transferable journalism skills for new career opportunities and advice for negotiating your first senior or executive role.
- URL Media on the mainstage: URL Media co-founder, Sara Lomax was a panelist for NABJ Regional One Conference in early May, Leonor Ayala Polley of URL’s Recruitment Division moderated at the mainstage discussion at the News Reimagined Workshop in early May, URL Media co-founder, S. Mitra Kalita was a panelist at Media Impact Forum in late May, URL’s Director of Audience and Editorial, Anika Palm was a panelist for the World Media Congress in France in June, Kirstin Garriss of URL Collective moderated a panel at the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Conference in June.
Developments from URL Collective:
- New website: URL Collective is launching a new website showcasing its incredible impact since 2024 including almost $400,000 in rapid response and emergency grants distributed to independent newsrooms, the types of training and educational opportunities available for journalists and the various partnerships helping to power this work.
- Grants Powering Timely Work: This quarter, URL Collective distributed more than $50,000 in microgrants to several independent community-based newsrooms. One of these recent grants helped Ethiopique provide timely, critical reporting on the primary elections in Maryland in both English and Amharic.
- New Funder Support: URL Collective is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from The Heinz Endowments to advance one of URL Collective’s core priorities: elevating comprehensive storytelling on the issues, people, and movements shaping diverse communities while strengthening the capacity of local community media organizations that serve them. The Strengthening a Pennsylvania Community Media Network pilot aims to increase clarity about shared election-year challenges and pathways to improve coordinated civic information efforts.
- News Reimagined: More than 100 journalists, content creators, and newsroom leaders participated in News Reimagined Workshop in May 2026 at the National Press Club. This one-day experience helped strengthen ties between creators and publishers with the goal of fostering news partnerships. The workshop also addressed the business needs for newsrooms and creators while prioritizing audience growth, trust-building, and long-term sustainability. The event was co-hosted by URL Media and the National Press Club Journalism Institute with support from URL Collective.
Look for us this summer and fall
- URL Media at Martha’s Vineyard from August 12-13, 2026
- Join us for several events on the island including Voices of the Vineyard, a partnership with the Martha’s Vineyard Times, celebrating the diverse communities of color that call the island home all year long.
- National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention in Atlanta, GA from August 12-14, 2026
- How to Prepare Before the Unexpected Happens featuring Leonor Ayala Polley, URL Media’s Chief of Business Development & Partnerships
- Community Driven Reporting: Trust, Turnout and Elections in the Deep South featuring URL Media partners: WURD Radio, The Haitian Times and Scalawag
- NLGLA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Convention in San Francisco, CA from September 10-12, 2026
- Covering A Divided Nation: Lessons from Black and Brown Media featuring URL Media partners: Scalawag, India Currents and El Tecolote
- Indigenous Media Conference: URL Media is a sponsor for the Indigenous Journalists Association conference in Portland, OR in July. We funded a Small Media Travel Outlet Scholarship to send a reporter to the convention. Additionally, URL’s Recruitment and Workforce Development team will be at the conference.
Media Contact:
Kirstin Garriss, kirstin@url-media.com
