Innovation. On Deadline.

In 20 years working at the intersection of news and technology, the most impactful work I've been involved with has rarely come from strategic planning or executive decree. It has come from small, scrappy teams driven by curiosity, obsession, and the courage to to ask forgiveness, not permission.

The problem is that we often talk ourselves out of good ideas before we give them a chance. We convince ourselves they're too complicated, too expensive, too small to make a difference, too much of a pain to build consensus around, or too much of a distraction given our other priorities. More often than not, we stop before we even start.

With all the excitement and uncertainty presented by AI and other emerging technologies today, the news industry needs to try more things, faster. That’s where Local Angle comes in. Our mission is to help accelerate innovation in news organizations.

We do this by focusing specifically on small projects: demos, MVPs, prototypes, or tightly scoped applications that can be built and launched quickly — think days or weeks, not months and quarters.

Projects like this communicate ideas. They encourage useful feedback. They get stakeholders and investors excited. They reduce risk. They change the perception of what's possible. And sometimes they evolve into something bigger than anyone could have imagined.

How we can work together

The best place for us to start is with a problem or idea you'd like to explore together. We'll distill it into something simple that we can get into the world quickly.

Need an extra set of hands to help integrate your new enterprise CRM, or embarking on a yearlong website redesign? I'm not the best person to help, although I'm happy to introduce you to folks who can.

You'll get the most out of working with Local Angle when:

You're launching something new

I've helped launch startups, including the Texas Tribune, and I've launched countless products, tools and interactive applications that bridge the worlds of technology and news.

You're seeking funding, investment or buy-in

A prototype can make make the difference between landing that grant or investment and coming away empty-handed. Demos I've built have helped secure more than $1 million in grant funding and have shaped content and business strategy in ways memos never could.

You're exploring a new technology (including GenAI)

The last thing the world needs is another AI "expert," But the first time I applied what you might now call "AI" to journalism was 2009; I've used machine learning to solve real journalism problems; I've taught algorithms to journalism students at Columbia University; and I've run a dedicated AI innovation team at a large news organization. Much of my Labs work is focused on this area.

You're afraid you don't have the resources

It's easy to assume you need teams of developers, designers, data science PhDs or product experts to execute on an idea — which can be enough to stop momentum before it even starts. In my experience, you can get further, faster with small teams of technical generalists who have an intimate understanding of the problem you're trying to solve and a relentlessly pragmatic approach to making it happen. That's how my teams did it at The New York Times. Let me show you how.

You need a translator

In a modern news organization, your newsroom and product/technology organization are two halves of a whole. The best way to build quickly and effectively is to create a shared culture that allows each side to anticipate the needs and concerns of the other. I've worked as a reporter and developer and have led teams of journalists as well as product professionals. I'm happy to share what's worked (and what hasn't) if you're trying to create this culture yourself.

You want to embolden your teams to try new things

The best ideas almost always come from the people closest to the work. They’re the ones who run into obstacles and dream up creative ways around them. But that kind of initiative doesn’t happen automatically. It requires permission, support, and the removal of red tape — access to tools, infrastructure, and the space to be scrappy. That’s where I can help. I’ve spent years teaching, training, and leading teams to build this culture, and I’d love to help yours do the same.

You don't know where to start

Yep, I get it. Reach out and we'll figure it out together.

Let's get started

Depending on your needs, I can embed with your team, pull together a team of my own, or work solo. For projects like these, I find the best results come from working quickly and simply, with as little overhead as possible.

Interested in working together? Get in touch.