Hell Gate NYC

Hell Gate
Good blogs for the greatest city.
Format	Digital
Founder(s)	Nick Pinto; Esther Wang; Christopher Robbins; Max Rivlin-Nadler; Sydney Pereira;
Founded	May 2, 2022
Circulation	2,500 paid subscribers(as of 2023)
Website	hellgatenyc.com

Last updated May 03, 2024

Hell Gate NYC is an online worker-owned publication focused on local New York City news.^[1]^[2] The publication is named after the Hell Gate Bridge, due to the bridge's reputation for tenacity.^[3]Hell Gate covers a wide range of topics that include, but are not limited to, political corruption, local street performers, and strange subway advertisements.^[4]

History

The founders of Hell Gate, Nick Pinto, Esther Wang, Christopher Robbins, Max Rivlin-Nadler, and Sydney Pereira, began developing the idea for the publication in 2021.^[3] Many of them were former coworkers at local publications such as the Village Voice, The New York Times, and Gothamist, as well as non-NYC publications such as Jezebel and The Intercept.^[3] Pinto, Robbins, and Rivin-Nadler had all faced job instability as journalists due to companies mismanaging resources, lacking funding, and cutting budgets.^[5] In January 2022, they pitched the idea of Hell Gate to fifty local journalists, and recruited Pereira and Wang.^[5] The team decided that their publication would have a snarky tone like pre-acquisition Gothamist, and that they would approach stories from a human rights-oriented perspective.^[2]

Hell Gate launched the website as a test on 2 May 2022, and launched in full two months later.^[6]

Business model

Hell Gate's initial funding came from two New York-based organizations for the arts: a $25,000 grant from The Harnisch Foundation, and a $50,000 grant from the Vital Projects Fund. It supports its journalism with tiered subscriptions to access its articles behind a paywall.^[2] The founders believe that a subscription-funded business would work.^[3]As of July 2023^[update], the site has garnered 2,500 paid subscribers and 200,000 monthly visits.^[1]

To keep costs down, they wrote from home and published online,^[3] using the same provider as Defector Media, another worker-owned cooperative.^[2]

Hell Gate is a worker-owned cooperative, meaning all of the owners have the job of reporter, editor, and managing the business.^[2]^[3] They also hire freelancers.^[5] As of March 2024, all of the worker-owners were paid $60,000 per year.^[7] The company offers three monthly paid tiers: friend ($6.99), supporter ($9.99), and believer ($19.99).^[7] They also have annual subscriptions, with the corresponding tiers being $70, $100, and $200.^[2]Hell Gate also offers a free newsletter.^[3] Advertisements are not a major source of revenue.^[8] Half of its revenue comes from donations.^[7]

Reception

Hell Gate has been identified by numerous outlets to be part of a resurgence in indie publishing. They have been favorably compared to other worker-owned sites like Defector and 404 Media.^[1]^[4]^[9]

Related Research Articles

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References

1 2 3 Loewinger, Micah (2023-07-21). "The Rise of Worker-Owned Journalism | On the Media". WNYC Studios . Retrieved 2024-04-01.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Tameez, Hanaa' (2022-09-06). ""We can't just cover the same old shit": How worker-owned Hell Gate is bringing the alt-weekly voice back to New York City". Nieman Lab . Retrieved 2024-04-01.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Choiniere, Alyssa (2023-01-23). "Scrappy startup Hell Gate fills NYC's missing alt voice, keeping authority in check with a sense of humor". Editor & Publisher . Retrieved 2024-04-01.
1 2 Pejcha, Camille Sojit (2023-10-16). "The next wave of indie publishing". Document Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
1 2 3 Wong, Ashley (July 20, 2022). "Tired of Waiting for Their Dream Workplace, These Writers Made Their Own". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
↑ "It's Our Birthday! Help Us Celebrate". Hell Gate. May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
1 2 3 Mechling, Lauren (2024-03-02). "Journalism is in freefall. These writers aren't giving up: 'We can go out swinging'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-04-01.
↑ Doerrer, Brandon (November 20, 2023). "New breed publishers favor subscription revenue as brand safety controls cut off ad supply". PR Week. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
↑ Silverman, Justin R. (April 18, 2024). "404 Media and the hopes of worker-owned journalism". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2024-04-28.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)

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[:4-1] 1 2 3 Loewinger, Micah (2023-07-21). "The Rise of Worker-Owned Journalism | On the Media". WNYC Studios . Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[:0-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tameez, Hanaa' (2022-09-06). ""We can't just cover the same old shit": How worker-owned Hell Gate is bringing the alt-weekly voice back to New York City". Nieman Lab . Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[:1-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Choiniere, Alyssa (2023-01-23). "Scrappy startup Hell Gate fills NYC's missing alt voice, keeping authority in check with a sense of humor". Editor & Publisher . Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[:5-4] 1 2 Pejcha, Camille Sojit (2023-10-16). "The next wave of indie publishing". Document Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[:2-5] 1 2 3 Wong, Ashley (July 20, 2022). "Tired of Waiting for Their Dream Workplace, These Writers Made Their Own". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.

[6] "It's Our Birthday! Help Us Celebrate". Hell Gate. May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.

[:3-7] 1 2 3 Mechling, Lauren (2024-03-02). "Journalism is in freefall. These writers aren't giving up: 'We can go out swinging'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[8] Doerrer, Brandon (November 20, 2023). "New breed publishers favor subscription revenue as brand safety controls cut off ad supply". PR Week. Retrieved 2024-04-01.

[9] Silverman, Justin R. (April 18, 2024). "404 Media and the hopes of worker-owned journalism". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2024-04-28.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)

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