Video Business Accelerator

The Video Business Accelerator is a virtual, tuition-free, online immersive training program to empower news organizations to design and implement sustainable business strategies around video. With grant funding provided by the Meta Journalism Project, participating newsrooms get to build working prototypes and launch revenue-generating, audience-expanding video projects.

The program is designed for publishers ready to refine existing video strategies and grow their revenues by capturing new audiences, measuring the success of new initiatives with precision, and delivering their high quality journalism on different platforms. 

Journalism today is one of the most crucial public services of our time, yet it is reeling from tremendous financial pressures. It is all the more important that newsrooms face the challenges head on by both producing innovative video and visual content, while also understanding the importance of sustainable business strategy around it. Classes focus on strategy development and refinement, sharing best-practice business cases of video content as part of reach and engagement strategies, and growing new markets and audiences.

Participants will first go through a 10-week training focusing on the business of video, after which they will apply for a grant to put their training to work on a video project over the following six months. Participating teams are advised by professional coaches throughout the program.

Our specialized teaching methods are expert-led and cohort-based, allowing students to learn from the best in the business from around the whole world while meeting colleagues in the region during weekly lessons. Synchronous lessons are coupled with small-group coaching and bootcamp sessions, giving participants a holistic, hands-on learning experience. 

An Asia-Pacific cohort concluded in 2021, a Latin American cohort concluded in 2022, and a cohort of Publishers of Color in the United States and Canada concluded in 2023. So far, the program has trained 41 newsrooms. There are currently no plans for another cohort.

Please sign up for our mailing list to receive future updates about the program.

FAQs

Apply as a team of two or three people from the same newsroom, plus an executive sponsor. The team members should include 1) a person with responsibility for generating revenue from video, 2) a person with responsibility for developing or creating video journalism, and 3) a person with responsibility for thinking about video as a product or another related function such as marketing, analytics or audience engagement. 

In addition, we ask that an executive from the applying newsroom attend two specific 2-hour sessions throughout the program and commit to giving organizational support to the participant team.

Please sign up for our mailing list to receive alerts when we open applications for future cohorts.

Program Curriculum

The Business of Video

Strategy Alignment and Goals

Successful Video Business Models

Reach Strategies vs. Engagement Strategies

Design Sprint 

KPIs, Metrics, and Measurements

Trends and Future Technology in Video

Driving Culture Change

Execution

Grant-funded Project

Partners

Meta logo
International Center for Journalists
Local Media Association logo

Instructors

Anita Zielina

Anita Zielina

Director of Leadership and Innovation
Newmark J-School, CUNY

Zielina teaches The Business of Video & Video Strategy, making the business case for video.

Anita Li

Anita Li

Media Strategist

Li runs Bootcamp I: Alignment & Goals to identify challenges and growth opportunities, and Bootcamp III: Execution on prioritization, focus, and resources.

David Clinch photo

David Clinch

Consultant

Clinch teaches Business Overview for Video Around The World.

Ethar El-Katatney

Ethar El-Katatney

Young Audiences Expert

El-Katatney teaches Case Studies of Successful Reach & Engagement Strategies.

Shannan Bowen photo

Shannan Bowen

Executive Director
North Carolina Local News Workshop

Bowen leads Bootcamp II: Design Sprint to help participants understand their audiences and apply user-centric design.

Bryan Davis

Bryan Davis

Senior Director of Engagement
NBC News Digital

Davis teaches KPIs, Metrics, and Measurements for data-driven video product development.

Sam Guzik

Sam Guzik

Product Director
Hearst Newspapers

Guzik and Mahboob teach emerging technologies in “Future” Tech and Trends in Video.

Tahiat Mahboob

Tahiat Mahboob

Independent multimedia storyteller

Mahboob and Guzik teach emerging technologies in “Future” Tech and Trends in Video.

Elite Truong

Elite Truong

Deputy Editor for Strategic Initiatives
The Washington Post

Truong teaches Driving Culture Change & Transformation toward a visual centric organization.

Contact Us

Do you have a question about our programs? If so, please contact us.

Marie Gilot
Executive Director of J+
Twitter @louiegilot
marie.gilot@journalism.cuny.edu

Kyle Plantz, J+Kyle Plantz
Senior Program Manager of J+
Twitter @kylejplantz
kyle.plantz@journalism.cuny.edu