Q&A W: Local News Network
Q: What’s your name, title, business?
A: Laurie Sigillito, CEO, Local NEWS Network
Q: What does your business do?
A: The Local NEWS Network has created a scalable local news platform, licensed to local affiliates who use our tools to profitably bring back local news to their towns and provide an effective marketing platform for local businesses to reach locals, keeping more local advertising dollars in their community.
Our Affiliate Partners create local news stories that matter to their community in a short video format using our proprietary LNN news production process, then distribute them directly to the community using our online and local distribution platforms. They then find local businesses looking for an effectively local marketing channel to purchase advertising and news sponsorships on the network.
Q: Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.
A: I worked in the high-tech corporate world for 25 years, which I loved. Always learning new ways to accomplish tasks with technology, fast-paced, very competitive and always challenging. In 2008 when the world was caving in, I decided to change things up a bit and start a local business here in Durango, a FASTSIGNS Franchise.
After only 1 year in business I was given the opportunity to bid for the Advertising concession at our local airport, which I won beating out a world class Media Company, Clear Channel. I began to understand the work of advertising and the power of videos. To improve our capabilities I purchased a local video production company so that we could begin to create ads for our customers. With the purchase of the local video production company, came a little thing called DurangoTV which had the contract to broadcast using the local public TV channel 15 and was producing local interest content.
I brought in Deborah Uroda, an award winning journalist, to help me figure out how to leverage this DurangoTV opportunity and she convinced me that we needed to start producing local news, that was beginning of Local News Network. That was 7 years ago, from then to now we have pivoted many times figuring out how to deliver good content and be profitable.
In 2019, I partnered with Bert Carder to take the DurangoTV business model we had created across the country to other small towns with little or no local news. We created a plan, hired a few more people and have expanded to 4 towns now, with plans to be in 50 towns in the next 36 months.
Q: What was the most powerful lesson you’ve learned on this journey?
A: The solution is usually right in front of you, but many times you can’t see it because a door is closed in your mind. And until it opens you can see it. Once you are in survival mode, the answer seems much clearer!
Q: Why did you apply for the SCAPE Program?
A: I have been aware of all the cool companies that have been through the SCAPE program and I was involved early on in the formation of SCAPE in my role as Treasurer for Region 9. After I partnered with Bert Carder to grow our Local NEWS into a true Local NEWS Network, we together made the decision that SCAPE could help us get prepared to run our business and raise the capital we will need to meet our business plan.
Q: What companies inspire you the most (local, national, worldwide)?
A: I love how IBM thought they owned the computing world, then Microsoft and Apple came in and stole the business 1 desktop at a time. I also think Facebook and Google are pretty cool as to how the have basically built delivery platforms to generate revenue through advertising. Unfortunately, they have been so successful they have wiped out many of the small businesses that are the backbone and fabric on our communities. I am excited to think we can take the desktop approach and begin to rebuild an asset that is so important to our communities.
I also admire how Mr. Wrigley took over the Chewing Gum world by pure marketing efforts.
Q: What do you love most about Southwest Colorado?
A: The weather, the people and the adventures that are available everyday you step outside your door!
Learn more about Local News Network by visiting their website: www.thelocalnews.us
We are featuring their company all week on our social media pages, stay tuned for more insight into this great company!
