This document introduces Simon Crerar and discusses opportunities for small and regional media in 2021. It recommends that media organizations 1) represent their communities through content audits to improve equity and representation, 2) collaborate with audiences through crowd-informed investigations, 3) innovate through new formats like local podcasts, 4) crowdfund in-depth journalism through platforms like Noteworthy, and 5) expand by pivoting to growth models like Axios purchasing local news sites.

1. Introducing...
Simon Crerar
The new opportunities for small,
niche and regional media.

2. Simon was the
founding editor and
General Manager of
BuzzFeed Australia.
He previously worked
at the SMH, News Corp
Australia, and The
Times of London.
SC.
= Simon Crerar.

3. Last year Simon
worked with Megan on
Project Kookaburra,
a business models
experiment funded by
Google News Initiative.
Check out the
case studies at
walkleys.com.
SC.
= Consultant.

4. 1: 2021 is the year to go
big on subscriptions.
2: 2021 is the year you
have to diversify your
revenue streams.
3: 2021 is the year to
invest in a kick-ass
product manager.
SC.
= Trendspotter

5. 5 Things To Try In 2021
2020 saw an explosion of small
publisher innovation, here are five
key trends to adopt...

6. 1 Represent
Your community
Black Lives Matter
sparked a global
moment of media
self-awareness.

7. 1 Represent
Your community
Black Lives Matter
sparked a global
moment of media
self-awareness.
Lenfest Local Lab built
machine learning
content-audit tools
to help newsrooms
analyse equity and
representation.

8. 2 Collaborate
With the audience
Germany’s Correctiv
received 1000+ reader
contributions to its
“Who owns?” project
on Hamburg housing.

9. 2 Collaborate
With the audience
Germany’s Correctiv
received 1000+ reader
contributions to its
“Who owns?” project
on Hamburg housing.
Continues a legacy of
crowd-informed
investigations by the
BIJ and ProPublica.

10. 3 Innovate
Try new stuff
City Cast is a new
national network of
daily local podcasts.
Journalism to help
listeners understand
their city better.

11. 3 Innovate
Try new stuff
City Cast is a new
national network of
daily local podcasts.
Journalism to help
listeners understand
their city better.
Matters because
communities suffer
without local news.

12. 4 Crowdfund
Subs are so 2020!
Noteworthy is a
platform to help fund
the type of in-depth
journalism that the
public wants to see.

13. 4 Crowdfund
Subs are so 2020!
Noteworthy is a
platform to help fund
the type of in-depth
journalism that the
public wants to see.
Readers suggest what
they want reported,
then fund proposed
investigations.

14. 5 Expand
Pivot to growth!
Axios spent $5m to
buy Charlotte Agenda
and is using it as a
model for other cities.

15. 5 Expand
Pivot to growth!
Axios spent $5m to
buy Charlotte Agenda
and is using it as a
model for other cities.
Hiring plugged-in
reporters to break
news and cover tech,
politics, industry, real
estate and education.

16. Remember...
The last time there was a global
pandemic, the 20s roared!

18. Thank You!
email@simoncrerar.com