Newmark J-School is partnering this fall with a West Coast network of media outlets dedicated to communities of color in order to develop their entrepreneurial skills and leverage the creativity of their ventures.
Two programs at the J-School – J+’s Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators and the Center for Community Media (CCM) – are teaming up with the California-based Media in Color to launch a new 90-day virtual course. The “Media in Color Creators Lab” will start Sep. 9 and cover how to develop niche local sites, newsletters, podcasts, and other original media efforts to reach underserved communities in the region.
The Creators Lab is intended to give participants both the tools and entrepreneurial inspiration to fulfill a vital need within their communities, according to Jeremy Caplan, the J-School’s director of Entrepreneurial Programs. “This is an immersive training program that we hope will help these community entrepreneurs on their path to financial success,” says Caplan. “We’ll cover everything from how to analyze your audience to monetizing content.”
Media in Color is an organization dedicated to strengthening journalists and journalism in communities of color in California. For example, the Media in Color network has developed a sustainability lab that helps established newsrooms develop their online presence so that they contribute to the financial stability of their organizations.
“We are incredibly excited about this partnership that allows us to empower California’s entrepreneurial media innovators to build sustainable new, community-oriented ventures,” says Paulette Brown-Hinds, co-founder of Media in Color and publisher of Black Voice News.
“This new partnership will enable CCM to expand its reach further and support emerging community media publishers on the West Coast,” Graciela Mochkofsky, executive director of CCM, which serves news organizations across the country that provide essential local coverage for populations whose voices and issues are underrepresented in mainstream media.
Participants need not be professional journalists to join the program, but they need to be motivated to serve their communities. Applications are open until July 23 at 11:59 pm PST.
Read more about the Media in Color Creators Lab and how to apply for the program on the Media in Color website.