Overstory Media Group (OMG) has officially launched, an independent digital journalism publisher “ready to breathe life into the media industry,” that has its eye on expanding to 50 community brands by 2023.
Farhan Mohamed, former Editor-in-Chief and co-owner of Daily Hive, and Victoria-based tech entrepreneur Andrew Wilkinson are behind the new company. Wilkinson is the co-founder of Tiny, which encompasses a portfolio of tech businesses, including MetaLab, Dribbble, Girlboss, and WeCommerce. He’s also in the background of venture philanthropy group, the Tiny Foundation, which has invested in journalism startups like Canadaland.
Wilkinson founded Victoria e-newsletter and long form journalism site Capital Daily, which also produces a daily podcast, in Sept. 2019. Now under the Overstory Media Group banner, it’s been joined by the recently-launched Vancouver Tech Journal, Fraser Valley Current, Burnaby Beacon, and Decomplicated, as OMG sets out to partner with journalists across the country to fill gaps in community journalism.
“Our media network is a collective of like-minded individuals who care deeply about their community and the stories that drive them. Communities are transforming and the pandemic has shown us that more than ever before, people are searching for ways to connect,” said Mohamed, in a company announcement. “We intend to help people find common ground through storytelling. In an era of news fatigue, we believe that informed communities are empowered communities and that content is best delivered by the people within them.”
OMG plans to hired 250 journalists over the next three years as part of its expansion. It currently has 20 jobs posted on its website for editorial, social media and sales positions in markets like Richmond and Surrey in B.C.; Ottawa, Hamilton, Oakville and Burlington in Ontario; Edmonton and Lethbridge in Alberta; in addition to Saskatoon.
“I’ve always loved the news and wanted to give back to my community of Victoria, so in 2019, I set out to recreate the local newspaper in digital form by creating a simple daily newsletter focused on my hometown. Today, Capital Daily has nearly 50,000 subscribers in a city with a population of 400,000,” added Wilkinson. “Now through OMG, we get to help others create in their community – whether connected by geography, industry, or interests.”
We spoke to Tom Gierasimczuk, the company’s VP, Partnerships & Monetization, about the planned expansion in February. Read more here.
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