A program for early-stage creator journalists, built by Project C in partnership with Google News Initiative and ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The creator journalism model is real, growing, and working for a generation of journalists who chose to build independent businesses around their work. But the infrastructure to support early-stage creators — real training, real community, real tools — is still catching up.
The Journalism Creators Startup Lab is designed to close that gap. Participants sign on for a full year of support: an 8-week workshop covering every major dimension of building a sustainable creator journalism business, three months of post-cohort coaching, and a year-long membership in the Project C community.
No follower minimums. No experience requirements. This program is for journalists who are serious about the work, even if they're just getting started.
The inaugural cohort launches with a small, carefully selected group of early-stage creator journalists from across North America. Cohort 1 is by invitation only.
Pre-recorded video lessons drop each week, followed by a live lab. Project C attends every session. Guest experts join for weeks focused on trust, revenue, and safety.
Platform orientation, community norms, tooling setup, and a diagnostic workshop to map where you are and where you want to go.
Define your niche, sharpen your elevator pitch, and build the founder's mindset you need to treat your journalism like the business it is.
Build a content calendar that actually works. Design an editorial system that keeps you consistent without burning you out.
Learn the Trusting News framework for building audience trust. Guest session with Trusting News on how to communicate your journalism's credibility.
Audience personas, segmentation, calls to action, and the full reader funnel — from first-time visitor to loyal subscriber.
Region-specific monetization lanes. Build a realistic revenue strategy and get at least one income stream live or in pilot by end of week.
Google Analytics, platform analytics, and AI-assisted analysis. Build a quarterly review practice that tells you what's actually working.
Guest session with CPJ on personal safety planning. Basic contracts, liability protection, and how to protect yourself and your work.
Peer feedback and a live showcase panel with regional mentors. Certificates issued!
By the end of eight weeks, you'll have live work to show for it — not just knowledge, but systems, strategies, and at least one revenue stream in motion.
A clear niche, a defined audience, and a pitch that actually says what you do and why it matters.
A content calendar and publishing rhythm you can sustain — not one you'll abandon three weeks in.
At least one monetization strategy live or piloted by Week 5, built around what actually makes sense for your audience and region.
A quarterly review framework so you stop guessing and start making decisions based on what your audience is telling you.
A personal safety plan, a basic contracts framework, and the clarity to protect yourself and your work from the start.
Peer relationships that last beyond the cohort, plus eligibility for the Google Emerging News Voices list after program completion.
The Journalism Creators Startup Lab is built on years of Project C training programs that have helped journalists clarify their vision, grow their audiences, and build businesses that last.
A six-session workshop for journalists who haven't launched yet. Graduates have launched newsletters and video channels, sharpened their audience focus, and built peer networks that are still active today.
A one-day intensive for newsroom leaders and solo founders, delivered with Medill's Local News Initiative at Northwestern University. Content strategy and media-kit reviews were the standout modules.
An ongoing cohort co-led by the Going Solo team, designed with and for Muslim American creator journalists. Proof that the playbook works across communities, contexts, and regions.
"It's the playbook on how to do this — and how to do it sustainably — from the people who actually understand the landscape, the data, and the strategies, with no fluff."
"The feedback from this group has been incredibly helpful and validating. Doing the course homework has helped me make a lot of progress, especially around mapping out my audience and understanding how to pitch my business to others."
"Going Solo helped me let go of a ton of self-doubt and get direct answers on issues I was getting mixed information on during my own research."
"I've gained a lot of self-confidence here to stand up for myself and my brand."
The program is hosted on CronkitePro, ASU's professional development platform. Completing all 8 weeks earns you an official certificate from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism — one of the most respected journalism schools in the country — co-branded with Project C.
That certificate will also help you access the Google News Initiative's programs for emerging news voices. And the program doesn't stop at Week 8 — participants stay connected through coaching, community, and long-term check-ins.
Cohort 1 is invitation-based. But this program is designed to grow — future cohorts will open to applicants from across the journalism creator community. Drop us a line and we'll make sure you hear about it first.