Category Archives: NewU

New U: News Entrepreneurs Working through UNITY

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Doug Mitchell

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Doug is a nationally recognized media trainer, project strategist, subject matter expert and career coach. In short, this means he’s quite busy. A former Knight International Press Fellow and William S. Fulbright Scholar to Chile, Doug also has spent over 25 years as a producer, director and now consultant with NPR in Washington DC. While a producer at NPR, Doug helped found and then lead two professional development programs targeting college age and early to mid-career journalists. One was called “next generation radio” and the other was “Intern Edition.” Currently, he’s co-director of a start-up camp funded by The Ford Foundation to develop journalists of color become media CEO’s. This program was just renewed for 2013-14. He’s a member of two Boards, Chair of the NABJ Media Institute and recently appointed to a Peer Review committee for the Fulbright Commission. Doug does say what he thinks, but only when asked and with a focus on being helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alli Joseph

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Alli Joseph is a senior producer, interactive media and branding consultant, once and future journalist, writer and published author.  As co-director of “New U: News Entrepreneurs Working Through UNITY, she helps program and lectures on personal branding.  When not working to advance opportunities for journalists of color, Alli runs a personal history story-saving company called Seventh Generation Stories (www.7genstories.com), and consults for companies and advertising agencies looking to increase client brand reach online using integrated marketing/branded video or mobile offerings.  Her past clients include large media companies like Scripps, Grey Advertising, Ogilvy, Newscorp, Viacom, Cablevision, Yahoo, AOL, Time Inc., and Hachette Filipacchi. Alli is a Harper Collins author; her writing has also appeared in George, Premiere, Maxim, Playboy, Auto Aficionado, The New York Daily News, Mercedes Momentum, The Miami Herald, People Magazine, The New York Post, and many other magazines and newspapers.  A 2007 McCormick Tribune Foundation Fellow and a 2010 Poynter Institute Fellow, Alli has already taught her five-year-old about brands and logos.

 

 

About New U

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The New U project provides entrepreneurship training at the conventions of UNITY alliance partners and other journalism associations during summer and fall months. Training includes modules designed to build and/or improve skills on business plan writing, marketing, presentation, market research and analysis, networking, budgeting, and branding. This year’s program will offer several low-fee based programs to grow the number of participating journalists, and include a competition for two $20,000 start-up seed grants to be awarded to the best ideas for innovative projects selected by a panel of judges and an online vote by other journalists this fall.

New U was first funded by the Ford foundation in 2010 to help increase the number of diverse, innovative idea-makers by providing them a platform on which to advance ideas. It is a project driven by committed volunteer mentors, speakers and motivated, competitive participants. New U acts as a conduit for access to development capital and a network of like-minded people, creating the opportunity for entrepreneurial journalists to succeed in new ways.

New U directors are Doug Mitchell, founder/creator and project manager of NPR’s “next generation radio,” and Alli Joseph, a producer, journalist and entrepreneur.

Information and dates for New U will be distributed through UNITY and alliance partner websites, newsletters and other member communication outlets in May of 2013.

Questions? Contact program directors Doug Mitchell and Alli Joseph with questions or to express interest in New U 2013.

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UNITY Continues Advancing Entrepreneurship Among Diverse Journalists

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2013

McLean, VA (April 18, 2013) – A $200,000 grant from the Ford Foundation will enable UNITY to continue opportunities for entrepreneurial journalists of color, gay journalists and other underserved populations through the New U: News Entrepreneurs Working through UNITY project. The two-year grant will allow UNITY to expand the business training, mentoring, tutorials, boot camps and resources – including start-up funds – that UNITY has delivered for the past three years to support the launch of media related businesses with a social impact.

The New U project will be administered by UNITY: Journalists for Diversity, Inc., (formerly UNITY: Journalists of Color), an alliance of Asian, Hispanic, Native American and LGBT journalists. Continue reading →

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In 2012, the UNITY NewU program held a two-day startup Camp for those who attended the conference in Las Vegas.  For the first time under UNITY’s auspices, successful business entrepreneurs met with current or former journalists who were interested in starting a company. During our three day camp, entrepreneurs convened in a large room with fellow start-up CEO’s who are current or former journalists, angel investors and business coaches.

Our 2012 speakers included:

  • Sumaya Kazi, CEO and Founder of “Sumazi.com”
  • Bob Huh, Foinder and CEO of “Chezburger.com.”
  • Harry Lin, Exectuive-in-Residence at Idealab
  • Latoya Peterson, Editor and Co-Founder of “Racialicious.com.”
  • Natalia Oberti Noguera, Founder and CEO of “Pipeline Fellowships”
  • William Crowder, Managing Partner at “Dreamit Ventures
  • Tim Reese, Co-Founder, National Minority Angel Network.

Finally, NewU seeded three companies in 2012. Since NewU was launched in 2012, we have seeded 10 companies between $3,300 to $10,000 each.

The 2012 seed comapnies are lead by:

  • Amy Stretten, CEO and Founder of “Native Remix.”
  • Jacqueline Gil, CEO and Founder of “iColor.”
  • Victoria Lapoe, “Emerging Voices“

To review blogs and tweets from the 2012 UNITY Startup Loft sessions, go to our “Storination” page.  And, we have an on-going and growing resource location within our own NewU Loft tumblr account.