{"id":13779,"date":"2025-07-31T18:21:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T18:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/ona25\/?p=13779"},"modified":"2025-08-06T20:55:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T20:55:05","slug":"introducing-ona25s-project-c-creator-cohort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists-org-develop.go-vip.co\/ona25\/2025\/07\/31\/introducing-ona25s-project-c-creator-cohort\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing ONA25’s Project C Creator Cohort"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are excited to collaborate with Project C and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism to establish the inaugural Project C Creator Cohort at ONA25<\/strong>\u2014supporting 10 independent journalists with an expenses-paid trip to attend ONA’s annual conference in New Orleans plus ongoing resources to grow with a network of peers. Cohort members were selected from a competitive pool of applicants that included ambitious, community-minded journalists delivering original news content through email newsletters, YouTube, social media, podcasts and other platforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get to know the cohort:<\/p>\n

\n

James Cave |\u00a0<\/b>The Jiffy<\/b><\/a> \u2013 Website\/newsletter\/podcast
\n\u201cThe Jiffy is an independent media project that explores the culture, history, and everyday life of upstate New York. It\u2019s part documentary, part personal experiment in what a one-person newsroom can look like. I produce short films, a podcast, a biweekly newsletter, and photo essays that combine curiosity with a commitment to careful, place-based storytelling. The Jiffy is built on the idea that small, specific stories (about regional food traditions, overlooked architecture, or the histories that shape our towns) can illuminate larger questions about identity, community, and what it means to belong somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Jonece Starr Dunigan | <\/b>Black Joy Behind the Scenes<\/b><\/a> \u2013 Newsletter
\n\u201cI dedicate myself to creating content and journalism that centers the birthright of our joy. Blackness is not monolithic. Thus, the brand\u2019s audience is anyone within the African Diaspora. We honor church folk and astrologists, history and afrofuturism, the elders and youngins. The vastness of Black joy gives me the space to connect the community with our content in multiple ways so no one is left alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Rivan Dwiastono | <\/b>rivanupdates<\/b><\/a> \u2013<\/b>\u00a0TikTok
\n\u201cMy Indonesian-language project consists of two types of content: News and explainer videos on U.S. politics and foreign policy, Indonesia\u2013U.S. relations, and international affairs \u2013 and a weekend video series titled “Tinggal di Amerika” (\u201cLiving in America\u201d in English), which explores and explains aspects of American life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Hannah Gaber | <\/b>Jew-ish<\/b><\/a> \u2013 Podcast
\n\u201cJew-ish started it in the wake of the Kanye West and Kyrie Irving controversy to demystify Judaism for people of all backgrounds, provide a venue for people to ask \u2018stupid questions\u2019 rather than sit in ignorance, and showcase all we have in common.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Rey Katz | <\/b>Amplify Respect<\/b><\/a> \u2013 Newsletter
\n\u201cAmplify Respect shares relatable LGBTQ+ stories to build empathy and understanding, rooted in respect for people, culture, and ecosystems. My work is for LGBTQ+ folks and allies. My goals are to provide useful, shareable, relatable content to help people practice inclusivity in their everyday lives and to build supportive community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Henok Mengistu | <\/b>Ethiopique<\/b><\/a> \u2013 <\/b>Website
\n“Ethiopique is a local news platform that covers local news and happenings in the DMV area to the Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant community. I publish news and explainers in Amharic, which is the primary language of my audience. Almost all of my readers are working class immigrants whose mother tongue is Amharic, and do not see themselves reflected in mainstream media.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Hanna Raskin | <\/b>The Food Section<\/b><\/a> \u2013 Newsletter
\n\u201cThe Food Section is a daily newsletter for readers who want to better understand the American South and its people through food and drink. We serve intellectually curious eaters in the region and beyond who’ve been shortchanged by legacy media outsourcing its restaurant coverage to PR firms and ceding control of culinary conversations to influencers beholden to similarly monied interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Paul Rivera | <\/b>paulriveranews<\/b><\/a> \u2013 TikTok
\n\u201cI highlight people and organizations trying to better the environment. I also report on the weather, climate, and the environment. I want to build something that changes lives and makes people care about this beautiful planet that we all live on. It\u2019s my calling. I don\u2019t believe there\u2019s any other reason I\u2019m here than to make this my mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Amber Sherman | <\/b>The Law According to Amber<\/b><\/a> \u2013 Instagram\/Podcast
\n\u201cThe folks who see me at city council meetings and tell me they came because I explained an ordinance to them and they had to pull a public comment to speak against it. Or that I see at concerts or events who said they wouldn\u2019t even understand what\u2019s happening in local government if I wasn\u2019t explaining it. Knowing that I\u2019m actually making an impact and helping folks really motivates me to keep going and do more.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Laura Weffer Cifuentes | <\/b>Esta es la Cosa<\/b><\/a> \u2013 Website\/Youtube\/social\/events
\n\u201cEsta es la Cosa\u00a0is a Spanish-language journalism channel that informs Hispanic communities in Georgia \u2013 and across the U.S. South \u2013 about local, state, and national politics, with a focus on immigration, civil rights, and the issues shaping their daily lives. We produce YouTube videos, social media content, and in-person events using clear, accessible, and culturally grounded language.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

About the cohort experience<\/h3>\n

This new opportunity provides valuable resources and a rich network to support journalists working in the creator ecosystem, including:<\/p>\n