A new group of newsrooms in Latin America have been selected to participate in the Video Business Accelerator, a tuition-free program aimed at teaching global newsrooms sustainable business strategies around video. This is a cohort-based, virtual program aimed at empowering news organizations to design and implement strategies, build working prototypes, and launch revenue-generating video projects. It is offered by the Facebook Journalism Project in collaboration with the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).
This cohort is the second in the program; the program started with 12 newsrooms in Asia-Pacific earlier this year. This newest group includes 15 media organizations from Latin America that will gather virtually for six months starting Sept. 28. The accelerator is designed for news outlets that are ready to refine existing video strategies, grow their revenues by capturing new audiences, measure the success of new initiatives with precision, and deliver high quality journalism on different platforms.
“Journalism has never been more crucial and newsrooms that invest in video storytelling can really connect with news consumers in meaningful ways,” said Anita Zielina, director of strategic initiatives at the Newmark J-School. “But it’s just as important for them to be able to monetize their videos and create a sustainable business strategy that will allow them to continue to grow their revenue and attract new audiences.”
The first 10 weeks of the training will feature sessions on the business of video led by industry experts from around the world. Participants will then each apply for a $12,000 grant to develop a video project over the following three months. Throughout the program, participating teams will be advised by professional coaches. Team leaders from each media outlet will help champion the video project in their respective organizations.
“These monetary grants will allow news organizations to experiment and test out new, innovative ideas related to video,” said Johanna Carrillo, vice president of programs at ICFJ. “Paired with the expert instructors and first-rate coaches, these newsrooms are well-supported to improve their video metrics and revenue, and set up successful business strategies for the future.”
The Latin American cohort is made up of representatives from news organizations from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Perú. The newsrooms range from legacy print newspapers to large broadcasters.
Julieta Shama, Head of News Partnerships, Spanish Speaking Latam, at Facebook said: “We are thrilled to bring this accelerator program to Latin America. This partnership with CUNY and ICFJ will bring together some of the biggest players in video in the region to learn from each other and share best practices around monetization. We are eager to see how these participants integrate the learnings from the program into their organizations, from developing quality video content to creating sustainable business models.”
Meet the 2021 Latin American cohort of the Video Business Accelerator:
- Clarín is a newspaper in Argentina. The team is made up of Carolina Potocar, Mariela Gentile, Mariano Basilico, and Pablo Vaca.
- El Financiero is a news website in Mexico. The team includes David Arón González Luckie, Alina Macías Rangel, Stephanie Cuevas Muñoz, and Jonathan Roberto Ruiz Torre.
- El Heraldo de México is a print newspaper in Mexico. The team is made up of Susana Ruiz De Honor, María José Serrano Carbajal, Teresa López Hernández, and Armando Kassian Mieres.
- El Tiempo is a newspaper in Colombia. This team is made up of Julio César Guzmán, José Carlos García Rico, Héctor Cuervo, Juan David Rueda, and Jorge Amaya.
- Folha de S.Paulo is a newspaper in Brazil. The team is made up of Beatriz Peres, Mariana Goulart, Amanda Martins Gomes Lemos, and Roberto Dias.
- Infobae is a news website in Argentina. The team includes Lihueel Althabe, María Dolores Ferrer Novotny, Maria del Pilar Ayuso, and Alejo Garcia Sosa.
- Jovem Pan is a radio station in Brazil. The team includes Tadeu Amaral, Camila Maria Rizzardi dos Santos, Daniela Carolina da Fonseca Neiva, and Marcelo Rodrigues Camargo.
- Noticias Caracol is a newscast in Colombia. The team is made up of Ana María Velásquez Restrepo, Mireya Fernández Beltrán, Dayan Paola Peña Mendez, and Marcelo Liberini.
- RPP Noticias is a radio outlet in Perú. The team includes Gerardo Cárdenas, Enrique López, Juan Carlos Chávez, and Daniel Titinger Lopez.
- Telefe Noticias is a newscast in Argentina. The team is made up of Leandro Camino, Hernán Sampó, Federico Erdmann, Elea Arias Larroudé, and Agustín D’Empaire.
- TV Azteca Noticias is a broadcast outlet in Mexico. The team is made up of Juan Carlos Barajas Coronado, José Manuel Romero Carranza, María de Lourdes Monsalvo Espinosa, and Alonso Israel Ceron Hernandez.
- TV e Radio Jornal do Commercio Ltda is a broadcast media outlet in Brazil. The team includes Maria Luiza Borges Lins e Silva, Lilian Fonseca, Giliard de Santana, and Vagner Marques Lins.
- UOL is a digital media outlet in Brazil. The team includes Luciana Bonillo Pilon, Jean Louis Mazon, Lucas Pastore, and Antoine Morel.
- Vibra is a digital media outlet in Brazil. The team includes Flavio Mizukawa Iwakura, Talita Angulo Eredia Marchao, Renan Santos de Queiroz, and Wallison Felicio de Souza.
- Webedia Brazil is a digital media outlet in Brazil. The team includes Ana Carolina Teijido B. de Oliveira, Guilherme Resende, Barbara Mannara, and Diogo Ferreira.
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The Video Accelerator Program
The Facebook Journalism Project’s Video Accelerator program helps news publishers create excellent video and build sustainable business models that work. Funded by the Facebook Journalism Project (FJP), each Accelerator includes hands-on workshops led by news industry veterans and coaching from industry experts. Catch up on all the lessons from the Video Accelerator here. For monthly updates on the Accelerator program, sign up for the Facebook Journalism Project newsletter.