In my Independent Media class at Ithaca College, every student had the opportunity to pitch an independent media startup to be “funded” by the listeners in the room. Two of these pitches, to me, struck a chord with the independent media funders in the room: ABC & LGBTQ: Integrating LGBTQ+ issues into education, and Ultimate Insider: By Ultimate Players, For Ultimate Players.
These outlets stood out to me because they had solid business plans and were offering unique content—but they each had uniquely attractive qualities. I was into the mission of ABC & LGBTQ, and I was into the feasibility of Ultimate Insider.
ABC & LGBTQ integrates two of the most important institutions for facilitating social justice: Education and independent media. I was attracted to this business pitch, and I imagine many funders like the Park Foundation would be as well, because it addresses an issue like LGBTQ rights and knowledge with a top-down approach of both producing media and directly educating young people.
On the other hand, Ultimate Insider was the most solid pitch, in my opinion, because it had the most clear business plan, and the presenter showed a very clear niche-market and gap in the marketplace. Any funder would immediately see the potential of this outlet.