News Entrepreneur Boot Camp

May 16 - May 21, 2009
Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California
In partnership with USC Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center for Communication Leadership and the Online Journalism Review

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About the Seminar

The Knight Digital Media Center (in partnership with the USC Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center for Communication Leadership and the Online Journalism Review) held a special News Entrepreneur Boot Camp from May 16-21, 2009, in Los Angeles. This expenses-paid intense one-week boot camp was designed for 12 competitively selected digital entrepreneurs with great ideas for community news and information initiatives in the public interest. Topics covered included::

• Identifying the best business model for sustained success.
• Developing a sustainable business plan.
• Marketing and audience development.
• Content production and management models.
• Legal and tax issues.
• Identifying capitalization sources.
• Developing and implementing revenue and advertising strategies.
• Successful social networking models.
• Selecting and implementing technical platforms.
• Understanding and using metrics.

Traditional news organizations are floundering as business models collapse and audiences are increasingly turning to alternative news and information sources. This special boot camp was designed for digital journalists and others who are passionate about new ideas for serving the information and news needs of their communities but who lack the grounding in business and startup skills.  Expert faculty from both academia and the private sector provided intense instruction, coaching and mentoring on developing marketable business plans for providing news and information in the public interest.