Good morning. We’re always looking for ways to improve the newsletter, and it all starts with our readers (hey, that’s you). 

So, is there anything you want to see us cover more? Less? What makes you click on our emails? Schedule a time to tell us what’s on your mind or simply hit reply on this email if you’re camera shy.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

In his first two weeks after leaving The Washington Post to start his independent news company, Local News International, Dave Jorgenson has gained over 30K subscribers on his personal YouTube channel, 40K+ new followers on TikTok, and 5K subscribers on his Beehiiv newsletter.

How he got here: During his time at The Washington Post, Jorgenson was responsible for creating short-form content to introduce the news outlet to a younger audience—an audience that grew to over 2.5 million. His goal was to inform with humor, even critiquing the publication at times.

So why leave? Jorgenson knew his strong audience relationship could thrive outside of legacy media.

​​”It's interesting because the comments are kind of like, ‘it's so great that you're free from [The Washington Post],’” Jorgenson told us. “I'm kind of presenting [news] the same way I would always present it, you know? But I think because it's under a different umbrella, people just feel like they can trust it more.”

Jorgenson’s content remains largely the same, with some improvements to production quality. He leads a team of four other ex-Post employees who joined Local News International. The company’s core revenue driver is paid newsletter subscribers, with three tiers priced at $5/month, $15/month, and $500/year. Jorgenson said he’s seeking brand partners and media organizations to partner with on shows.

Zoom out: Independent journalism is becoming an increasingly viable career path, especially as legacy journalism institutions weather seismic shifts in audience make-up, revenue strategy, and audience sentiment—see also: Tara Palmeri, Kara Swisher, and Sophia Smith Galer, all of whom exited traditional media outlets to take the independent path. These days, 77% of news creators have no background or affiliation with a news organization, according to Pew Research Center. The same study found that news creators with publication ties are more reserved in their political content—meaning independent creators can really let it fly.

Seven months ago, our homes burned down in the Palisades fires. Since then…life’s been pretty crazy: We’ve welcomed babies, moved into temporary homes, begun rebuilding, and kept growing our company and community. It’s been the hardest year of our lives but also one of the most clarifying.

A bright spot has been working with YouTube to support other creators impacted by the fires. Yesterday, YouTube announced a $3 million Fire Relief Fund to provide direct grants to LA creators and creative professionals who lost homes, studios, or equipment in the fires. If that’s you, apply here through the Entertainment Community Fund and share with others who might qualify.

Getting early support from our community on GoFundMe made a huge difference, both in those first few weeks and in what’s going to be a long rebuilding process. Even though the news has moved on, so many families and creators are still picking up the pieces. That’s why this fund matters.

— Colin & Samir

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At the start of this week’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards on Bravo, comedians and podcast creators Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang said they were there to “prove that every podcast should also be on TV.” 

Safe to say they made a compelling case:

The Culture Awards featured celebrities including Quinta Brunson, Kristen Wiig, and Jeff Goldblum poking fun at awards show tropes (for example, replacing an “In Memoriam” bit with “In Absentia” to honor A-list celebs who declined an invite to their show). 

Context: Las Culturistas started in 2016 (before Yang joined SNL and Rogers landed any TV gigs). It’s published over 500 episodes, developing a loyal audience and bringing on more popular guests as Yang and Rogers’ fame has grown. It’s been listed as Time’s 100 Best Podcasts of All Time and won Podcast of The Year at this year’s iHeartPodcast awards.

“It was a win for all of us because it was this very niche show with really niche, gay humor,” podcast creator Gibson Johns said in a video. “Now it’s this mainstream amazing popular show on Bravo that’s maintained its DNA of being weird.”

We’re less than a month out from our biggest event yet: Press Publish NYC, our one-day summit for the creator economy on September 4. We’re kicking things off the night before with a special evening courtesy of YouTube and Virgin Atlantic. 

When: the evening of Wednesday, September 3

What: A welcome reception for Press Publish NYC ticket holders

Where: This is the real kicker—it’s still a surprise, but we guarantee it’s one you don’t want to miss

We’ll be in your inbox soon with more details. Stay tuned. 📻

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.