Dana Piccoli, an experienced writer, editor and content strategist, will join the brand new News Is Out: National Queer Media Collaborative, as project manager.

The collaborative received initial funding from the Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge in November, which included money for hiring a part-time project manager. The collaborative includes seven LGBTQ+ publishers across the U.S. and will focus on business sustainability and producing great journalism.

Piccoli

“Dana was our top candidate because she brings experience from both the editorial and business sides of publishing. Her experience in LGBTQ+ media, business content and editing will provide a great basis for her work with the News Is Out collaboration,” said Tracy Baim, co-founder of the Windy City Times, one of the seven inaugural collaborative members.

Piccoli (she/her) is a writer and entertainment critic who has written for sites including NBC News, The Mary Sue, Decider and Curve; and was a longtime writer and staff editor for what was once the most popular website for queer women’s pop culture. While there, she hosted the podcast “Let’s Process,” which had more than 250,000 downloads. She’s the former managing editor of the Bella Media Channel, a vertical of Bella Books Publishing that focuses on queer entertainment and pop culture. Dana is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Queer Media Matters.

In 2019, Dana wrote her first fiction novel, a romance titled “Savor the Moment,” published by Bella. In addition, Dana spent two years working with Olivia Travel as a social media strategist and content developer, and traveling with the lesbian-owned company. Dana is also experienced in marketing agency work, crafting successful campaigns for businesses in several industries. Dana was named one of Advocate Magazine’s 2019 Champions of Pride and one of Curve Magazine’s 2017’s Pridelist for her work in LGBTQ+ media. When she isn’t writing, you can find her moderating panels and hosting events for the LGBTQ+ community.

“I’m thrilled to be working with the Queer Media Collaborative on this new endeavor. I’m so impressed by this group’s dedication and love for our community. Queer media need our support not only to survive, but also thrive, and I’m looking forward to putting my passion and experience to work to help achieve that,” Piccoli said.

News Is Out is one of seven news industry collaborations incubated by Local Media Association and Local Media Foundation. The collaborative will build on the successful model of Word In Black, which is made up of 10 leading Black publishers across the U.S. Word In Black also received funding from GNI.

The collaborative will launch a national website and newsletter, supported by a membership model, sponsorships, branded content and philanthropy. The publishers will look to expand the collaboration to include other LGBTQ+ publishers as funding allows, but lessons learned will be shared with all.

The seven publishers are:

  • Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco): Launched in 1971, this weekly newspaper is one of the oldest and a pioneer in LGBTQ+ media.
  • Dallas Voice: The premier media source for LGBTQ Texas, publishing every Friday since 1984.
  • Philadelphia Gay News (Philadelphia): The Philadelphia Gay News is the area’s largest and oldest publication targeting the LGBTQ+ community. It was launched in 1976.
  • Q Voice News (Los Angeles): This pioneering online publication created a new space in the L.A. media ecosystem. It is the only digital-first LGBTQ+ news outlet in the greater L.A. area.
  • Tagg Magazine (National): This award-winning and Black queer, woman-owned publication, founded in 2012, is committed to uplifting the voices of all LGBTQ+ women across the country. Tagg was created to serve “everything lesbian, queer and under the rainbow.”
  • Washington Blade (Washington, D.C.): This weekly publication is the oldest LGBTQ+ newspaper in the U.S. It was launched in 1969.
  • Windy City Times (Chicago): Founded in 1985, this legacy LGBTQ+ newspaper and website covers Chicago and its suburbs.

About Local Media Association and Local Media Foundation

Local Media Association brings all media together to share, network, collaborate and more. More than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, digital-only publications, and research and development partners engage with LMA as members or constituents of our programs. As a 501(c)(6) trade association, LMA is focused on the business side of local media. Its programs and labs focus on revenue growth and new business models. LMA helps local media companies develop their strategies via cutting-edge programs, conferences, webinars, research and training.

Local Media Foundation serves as the innovation and transformation affiliate of LMA. More than 2,000 local media executives have participated in progressive and innovative LMF programs. Incorporating our four strategic pillars — business transformation, journalism funded by philanthropy, industry collaboration, and sustainability for publishers of color — LMF helps provide local media companies the strategies and resources for meaningful innovation and impactful journalism projects.