Building the home for creator journalism.
What Project C is, why it exists, and the people building it, a research hub, a community, and a strategic home for journalists going independent.
The idea for Project C began while Liz Kelly Nelson was at Vox, where she saw firsthand how the news industry was evolving, sometimes too slowly, to meet changing audience behaviors.
As more people turned to independent journalists on YouTube, TikTok, Substack, and other platforms for news, it became clear the journalism industry wasn't fully embracing the shift. That realization followed her into her time as a Sulzberger Fellow at Columbia Journalism School, where she focused on the challenges and opportunities of independent journalism in the creator economy.
The traditional media industry is contracting, but journalism itself isn't shrinking. It's evolving. More people than ever trust individual journalists over institutions, and independent media is proving its ability to thrive. Project C exists to support journalists through that shift, so they have the business acumen, editorial rigor, and audience-building strategies to succeed.
Through the newsletter, workshops like Going Solo, original research and reporting, and a private community of 200+ creator journalists, Project C provides the insight, resources, and connections this new generation of journalists needs to build something lasting.
A full ecosystem for the movement
Project C isn't just a newsletter. It's research, community, education, and tools, everything a journalist needs to go independent and build something that lasts.
The Newsletter
Weekly analysis of the trends, revenue models, and platform shifts shaping independent journalism, plus interviews with the people doing it.
Research & Press
Original research and reporting on where independent journalism is heading, in partnership with leading institutions.
The Community
A private network of 200+ creator journalists trading strategies, wins, and hard-won lessons. By application.
Going Solo
An 8-week intensive that gives journalists the strategy, skills, and confidence to build a sustainable independent venture.
Liz Kelly Nelson is a leader in journalism innovation, dedicated to helping independent journalists and media creators build sustainable careers in a rapidly evolving media landscape. With a background in newsroom leadership, digital media strategy, and creator-economy expertise, she has worked across the journalism ecosystem, supporting reporters, advising media startups, and collaborating with major institutions on the future of independent journalism.
She developed Project C during her 2024 Sulzberger Fellowship at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, focused on empowering journalists to embrace new models, find sustainable revenue, and create impactful work outside traditional media structures.
Liz was one of The Washington Post's first bloggers, and prior to Project C she led teams at Vox, USA Today, Gannett, and AOL. She sits on the Board of Visitors to the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford and the advisory board for the Beehiiv Media Collective, and she is a 2025–2026 Terker Fellow at George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs and a fellow at ASU's Knight Center for the Future of News.
The people shaping Project C
Project C has always been unconventional. It isn't a newsroom, a nonprofit, or a traditional company. It's an ecosystem, built with people who believe creator-model journalists deserve real support.
Blair Hickman
A former Vox executive who now runs her own consultancy, Blair works with Project C on strategic projects and leads the growing coaching practice, helping journalists turn independence into a durable business.
Why "Project C"? And what's with the CMYK?
Project C started as a true project, an experiment during Liz's Sulzberger Fellowship, where she learned the design principle of aiming for Point C, the next stage, instead of trying to leap straight to Point Z. The name also stands for Creator.
The CMYK mark is a nod to newspaper roots. Registration marks are the alignment targets that kept the four ink plates in register on the printing press. That same tradition of precision now finds a new path with the independent creators shaping the future of journalism.
Let's work together
Research partnerships, speaking engagements, or just a conversation about the future of independent journalism. We'd love to hear from you.