This session explores strategies for teaching media entrepreneurshipand includes a live pitch contest in which J/i Conference attendees pitch their ideas for media businesses. Moderated by Mark Potts, serial news entrepreneur and founder of Newspeg. Panelists include Dan Shanoff, director of audience development, USA TODAY; Amy Eisman, director of Media Entrepreneurship and Interactive Journalism, American University; and Lisa Williams, digital engagement editor of Investigative News Network.

1. Telling the underreported stories “beneath the shell”

2. Stories Beneath the Shell (SBS) News
0UMDSBS.com
0Stories Beneath the Shell (SBS) News is a web
publication devoted to covering
diverse, under-reported stories at the
University of Maryland and surrounding
communities through multimedia storytelling
and social media.

6. How we make money
0 On a college campus, there are hundreds of student
groups vying for an affordable place to advertise
0 Local businesses rely on students’ business and are
always looking for innovative ways to advertise
0 In addition to a website, we also have an SBS
Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Storify and Facebook
account. All of these can be used for advertising.
0 Businesses are always looking for innovative ways to
advertise… the SBS platform is the ideal solution

7. Projected advertising plans
0 Red package $250
0 4 months
0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website
0 Black package $500
0 6 months
0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website, social media promotion
0 Gold package $1,000
0 12 months
0 Includes one 500 x 500 ad on our website, a custom social media
plan and one event sponsorship

8. We’re different… that’s why we
work
0 We aren’t the local newspaper or niche web
publication. We’re new, innovative and fun, and that is
marketable trait for many students who follow SBS
0 Our audience is very diverse.
0 Our target audiences are often groups on campus that
are frequently overlooked.
0 We’re giving advertisers the opportunity to reach
those same audiences.

9. Additional opportunities
• We host several professional
development events a
semester, which serve as prime
opportunities for advertisers
• Advertisers can sponsor an
event and receive a custom
advertising package
corresponding with the event
and all event promotion

10. The cost of maintaining the
SBS website
0 Web hosting, tech support, templates and premiere
accounts are the key annual costs to maintain the
website
0 Combined, the cost to maintain the website for 3 years is
around $2000
0 Other costs, such as workshops and equipment
repair/upgrades are estimated to cost approximately
$1,000 each year
0 Staffing is inexpensive and often free

11. Staff payment
0 We currently do not pay any staff members
0 Many student reporters receive course credit for their
work
0 We pay for services outside of reporting, such as
branding or web development
0 With expansion and success in advertising, we could
provide student executive board members or
reporters semester scholarships or stipends
0 The scholarships and stipends would depend on
profit for the semester

12. The SBS News team

13. Staffing
0 Executive Director Jatara McGee
0 Multimedia Coordinator Mia Simon
0 Public Relations Coordinator Shannon
Clash
0 Events Chair Kareek Best
0 Sports Chair Benjamin Strack
0 Features Chair Natasha Nieves
0 Photography Editor Drew Rauso
0 Public Relations Assistant Nikki Dei
0 9 editors, 6 staff reporters and over 30
contributing reporters

14. Why we’re an advertiser’s best value
0 Maryland’s independent daily newspaper: The Diamondback
0 We are online; therefore, our website is our top priority. We also offer
much lower rates than the Diamondback.
0 Niche cultural publications: The Mitzpeh, La Voz, the Black
Explosion, the PublicAsian, Eclipse
0 Each of these publications serves a target audience. We serve all of
these audiences. We also publish on a more regular basis and upload
stories as often as every day, bringing more daily traffic to our
website.
0 Other niche publications: The Campus Trainer, Her Campus, etc
0 We publish more frequently than these publications and our stories
reach their target audiences as well.

15. Potential revenue
0 Scenario: obtain a consistent 10 advertisers for a full year duration
0 If all 10 advertisers buy the red package, our revenue would be $7,500
0 If all 10 advertisers buy the gold package, our revenue would be $12,000
0 Our revenue would likely be somewhere between $7,500 and $12,000
0 With costs estimating under $2,000 a year, estimated profit = $5,500 to
$10,000 per year
0 Red package $250
0 4 months
0 Black package $500
0 6 months
0 Gold package $1,000
0 12 months

16. Potential for expansion
0 After we solidify the SBS groundwork at Maryland, we
want to expand it to other schools in the DMV area
and beyond
0 Branding would remain the same: Stories Beneath
the Stories (SBS) News.
0 The title per school would differ based on the school's
mascot, for example: Stories Beneath the Shell
(UMD), Stories Between the Stripes (Towson), Stories
Between the Beak (American), Stories Beneath the
Wings (Catholic University)

17. Milestones
0 Founded on January 26th 2013 by six University of
Maryland sophomore journalists, with a mission of
using multi-platform journalism to tell the stories that
are often overlooked
0 In less than one year…
0 Awarded an $11,000 Moving Maryland Forward grant
from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the
University of Maryland
0 Awarded $500 from the Pepsi Enhancement Fund
0 Awarded “Outstanding Multi-ethnic Student
Organization” for the 2013-2014 academic year

18. Bottom Line
0The operating costs to maintain Stories Beneath
the Shell (SBS) News are very low
0Student journalists are paid in experience and
often receive course credit for their work
0 If advertising revenue is as high as we predict, we
would consider providing staffers with scholarship
stipends per semester
0We can offer potential advertisers low
prices, diverse platforms for advertisement, AND
customization