Hello Out and About Readers!
As many of you may or may not know we recently purchased Out & About Magazine. We are proud to be the publisher of this legacy LGBTQ+ publication and to continue its 17-year history of delivering vital news, commentary and entertainment to our readers. 2021 will bring many changes to Out and About, and I am excited to share some of them with you.
James Grady will remain as Editor and will have expanded responsibilities in creating the “New” Out & About. James has been amazing in his role, and we have full confidence that he will continue to deliver the superior product that our readers have come to expect from Out & About.
Former Associate Publisher Bill Gemmill has been promoted to Group Publisher for Aequalitas Media and will oversee an expanding portfolio of LGBTQ+ print/digital assets that include Echo Magazine (Phoenix), Gaycation Magazine (Chicago), CAMP Magazine (Kansas City), OUT & ABOUT Magazine (Nashville) and several other titles in various stages of negotiations.
Cody Stallings will be given an expanded role in creating a new sales team focused on promoting the many new initiatives being created and scheduled to go live by the end of the year. I will expand more on these initiatives a bit later.
As a source of ideas, criticism, and reporting for and by the LGBTQ+ community for the last 17 years, Out & About has consistently and with integrity delivered content that our readers have grown to trust, and it is our intention and commitment to continue to live up to that sacred trust.
Our Editor and his staff are committed to challenging themselves in 2020 and beyond to listen more, search for the truth, and engage in civil debate in our discourse about the issues that our community is passionate about. In a time of incivility in our national politics we will continue to strive to be intellectually curious in our quest for the TRUTH and share with our readers content that promotes greater understanding of what’s happening in our world.
Some of the things that we will be focusing immediately is the re-design of our website to make it easier for readers to navigate and get information. We will be investing in increasing our social media voice by creating a dedicated social media staff who will work to ensure that our message is being seen and heard.
Our commitment to grow our digital footprint will include the production of original podcasts creating, while also featuring content from podcasters around the country. Our studio team will work with podcasters to create professional grade shows, while also assisting them with methods to promote their podcasts. Our new revenue-sharing model will allow podcasters to be a part of a larger network and share in any advertising revenue.
We have already begun working with local schools to offer internships for publishing, video creation, and filmmaking and will publish their content on our expanded YouTube Channel.
Out & About is developing two new events for 2021-22. The first is the Nashville Power Gala recognizing the movers and shakers who have influenced change by their commitment and contribution to the greater good of the Nashville LGBTQ+ community.
The second is an annual Out & About Readers Appreciation Party. We will work to create a partnership with Nashville Pride as we create a fun-filled event on the last day of PRIDE, with prizes for our readers, with 20% of all money raised donated to a local LGBTQ+ charity or organization.
We are developing several special issues in 2021, along with a pocket-sized Nashville PrideGuide that will feature a map of the festival, vendors, entertainment schedule, and much more.
We will also be launching a newly designed weekly newsletter that will arrive in over 10,000 opt-in subscribers email boxes. This newsletter will highlight (5) things to know as you start your week. At the same time, we will begin launching a new paid subscription option. Given the current circumstances, you will now be able to receive 12 monthly issues of Out & About delivered right to your front door, directly from the printer, for $39.99 annually.
As a member of the Aequalitas Content Creators Association we will be able to share our content with other publishers and content creators, reaching an audience of over 500,000 each month.
Lastly, we will be expanding distribution to more areas surrounding Nashville and will engage in greater efforts to partner with local LGBTQ+ businesses and allies to promote their products, services, and events across our 360-degree media platform.
Boy, that is a lot, I know, but I wanted to take this opportunity to share with all of you our vision and commitment to the Nashville LGBTQ+ community. In these strange times we hope that you will continue to support Out & About Nashville, as you have done for the last 17 years. The necessity and value of local LGBTQ+ media is more important now than ever before.
The team at Out & About will continue to work hard to deserve your trust and support.
DJ Doran
Publisher