In Episode #18 of Better Leaders - The Podcast, I’m speaking to Candice Fortman, Executive Director at Outlier Media. We chat about the importance of understanding and prioritising the business side of running a news organisation; discuss how Outlier centers the needs of Detroiters who have been undervalued and underserved by other media; and why and how leadership also includes "ecosystem work" and stakeholder management to drive change.
About Our Guest
Candice Fortman is the Executive Director at Outlier Media. She has worked in commercial and non-profit media, leading marketing, engagement, and growth strategy. Candice is a skilled manager with more than fifteen years of experience in team leadership. As the Executive Director of Outlier Media in Detroit, she helps to drive the work of Outliers mission which includes building a sustainable newsroom that challenges traditional models by centering the highest information needs of Detroiters. Before joining Outlier, Candice was the Marketing and Engagement Manager at WDET 101.9 Detroit’s NPR station. Fortman is a 2021 alumna of the JSK fellowship at Stanford, where she studied how the business model of journalism impacts low-wealth communities.
Aside from her duties at Outlier, Candice is also the host of News Guest, a podcast produced by LION (Local Independent Online News) Publishers that explores newsroom sustainability. Fortman sits on the board of Cityside, which operates Berkleyside and The Oaklandside in California. She is also an advisory board member for OpenNews, which connects developers, designers, journalists, and editors to collaborate on open technologies and processes within journalism.
About Your Host:
Anita Zielina is the CEO and founder of Better Leaders Lab. She's also an Executive in Residence at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, where she spent the last few years leading all continuing and executive education initiatives. Anita serves as the inaugural Board Chair of News Product Alliance (NPA) and is a member of the board of directors at the Austrian Public Broadcaster ORF.
For the past 15 years, Anita held senior executive positions focused on product, strategy and innovation in various media and education organizations as Chief Product Officer, Managing Editor Digital, Editor-in-Chief and Director Strategic Initiatives. She has worked with around 500 managers, leaders and entrepreneurs as a consultant, coach and educator.
She holds a Master in Law from Vienna University and an Executive MBA from INSEAD. Anita is an alumna of the Stanford Knight Journalism Fellowship and the Oxford Reuters Institute Fellowship.
About Better Leaders Lab:
Better Leaders Lab is a Do and Think Tank for good leadership and smart management in media and beyond and a boutique strategic advisory firm. BLL specializes in organizational change, strategy and scenario planning, leadership development and executive recruiting research. Its goal is to empower managers, leaders and organizations in the broader media, digital & innovation space to build successful, sustainable, modern and healthy businesses.
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