Doodle The News Rebranding Strategy: A Multiplatform Hub For The Next Generation
My capstone assignment Doodle the News (DtN) has put me on course to have a wild ride in the field of multimedia entrepreneurship. Ever since working with multiple other online media startups in past internships and jobs, I became obsessed with the idea of founding my own digital media entity that created its own sustainable income streams. But much like any other entrepreneurial venture, it’s pretty taxing on the brain dealing with uncertainty. Thankfully, I have Newhouse Insider to write out my thoughts and clear my head.
To gain a little more perspective about me, I was a student-athlete all four years of my undergraduate career at Cornell University. I ran track & field, a sport where you have nowhere to hide if you want to be one of the greats. Balancing 20+ hours a week of training, travel, and competition with a rigorous academic and extracurricular schedule took its toll on me, and I never had time to pursue anything entrepreneurial to a serious degree.
So it feels like I’m in a one-year crash course of throwing my multimedia skills into a pot I’m calling DtN. As much as I love the grind and pursuit of happiness with my craft, that’s not always the place to turn to when searching for a sustainable and repeatable business model.
I created DtN because I wanted to become a better illustrator. I’ve always enjoyed writing, so I figured building a company around two things I love (art and journalism) would be the perfect idea. The ride has been fun, but I’m my hardest critic who’s a prisoner to the idea that if a company isn’t making money, it’s just a hobby.
But money isn’t the only motivator, as I want to have a meaningful impact with what I accomplish at DtN. After all, the main reason I came to Newhouse as a Media and Education major was to create an insightful impact with the content I produce, hence why I try to base my news around the 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals.
As a visionary, what I’m doing right now with DtN simply isn’t enough. After talking with a few mentors and close friends involved with DtN, I’ve come to the conclusion that some rebranding may have to take place. Well, not necessarily rebranding, but DtN going back to its roots; I have to streamline the process for younger audiences to make contributions.
I put together a 6-step guide on how to contribute to DtN currently, so that side of the business will always be there for people interested. Now, I must shift my focus to creating a mutliplatform hub for middle & high school students to have their voices heard and help them become more civic-minded through bite-sized journalism.
As we’ve seen recently in the media cycle, high school students from Parkland, Florida are having their voices broadcast like never before. I want to capture this inciting moment of Generation Z kids knowing their opinions matter and have a safe place to be shared.
"They say that tougher gun laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS!" Florida high school shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez calls on President Trump and lawmakers to tighten gun restrictions in impassioned speech at an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale https://t.co/DgnqrrVs9x
— CNN (@CNN) February 17, 2018
Even though it looks tacky, I sometimes spell DOodle the NEWS this way because I’ve always wanted this platform to be a place where everyone can DO NEWS. I fell off those tracks when becoming obsessed with my own system of highlighting bits and pieces of world news myself. DtN is a harder concept to execute well at the startup level, as there is no niche audience to capture. If I want this capstone project to withstand the test of time, I need to find a loyal audience who will want to keep coming back to my site to have their global insights heard.
Then no matter what, at least I can say I’m making a meaningful impact in the world.
He has been published across a wide variety of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, SportTechie, Clutchpoints, Cavs Nation, the Cornell Chronicle, and many more.
Tobe has a plethora of hobbies, including writing, athletics, drawing, acting, and collaborating with others about ideas and startups working in the multimedia space.