Because life throws us curve balls sometimes, I wasn’t able to make it to Perugia for the International Journalism Festival this year, but luckily my friend and fellow Sulzberger fellow Swiss journalist Kerstin Hasse was there and sent this dispatch from Italy, and her own budding independent project. - LIz

Speaking at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, media entrepreneur Mark Little said we are in the midst of a "revolutionary moment in journalism." Journalists, media experts and digital strategists gathered in the picturesque Umbrian city in early April to discuss the industry – before, after and during coffee breaks and, of course, the occasional Campari Spritz (this is Italy, after all).

The revolution Little referred to is the reinvention of the industry through the rise of the content creator model in journalism – an idea that has taken firmer hold in the U.S., but that needs to be heard and supported in European media. Several sessions in Perugia revolved around new creator models, the question of who owns attention today, who is actually still part of the mainstream media, or what it takes to stand on your own feet as a content creator. 

As a journalist who is currently taking my first steps in this direction, I can tell you that this change was not only noticeable at the panels. When I would chat to people about my ideas and projects, most of the time they would ask me interesting questions and suggest things like newsletters to follow or articles about content creator models – or they would give me words of encouragement. Only two colleagues told me that they still questioned whether such a career path could really be monetized and that this "American model" was unlikely to catch on in Europe. 

Of course I disagree. As always in the media industry, the U.S. is two or three years ahead of us, but there are more and more talented people in Europe who are going their own way like the German Journalist Malina Florentine Sternberg who recently quit her full time-job or like Hugo Travers ( known as “HugoDécrypte”)  who has established himself as one of the most successful content creator journalists in Europe. 

We all know the industry is under pressure. The old model of financing journalism is faltering, which means that talented people are being slowed down in their careers or even laid off. Many journalists are becoming increasingly frustrated as the uncertainty of the big media houses leads to a paralysing fear of innovation. At the same time, journalism is – and always has been – central to democracy, which is literally under attack in so many countries at the moment. 

The content creator panels in Perugia gave me courage, even a sense of optimism in these times. Jane Ferguson, founder and CEO Noosphere who was on the stage with Mark Little, put my feeling in the right words: “We can actually make journalism a lucrative career once again.”

Here are three more statements from interesting panels, all of which have found their way into my little notebook, with a big exclamation mark next to them:

• “You need to know your audience.” Content creator journalist Sophia Smith Galer on the importance of knowing who you are actually talking to. Galer pointed out that journalists in heritage media often don't have the right information to produce the content their audiences really need. In this context, she also stressed the importance of asking yourself how you can make your content stand out and perform well against your competitors. (You can find the panel with Galer and Mitali Mukherjee, new Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, here.)

• “Betting on women is not charity, it is good business.” Sruthi Gottipati on diversity in the industry. Gottipati is currently launching “Spot on”, a Gen Z-focused news startup. The world of content creators today is one in which white male voices are in the majority, as the Reuters News Report last year pointed out. Gottipati emphasized the fact that the hiring of women has helped her to create a positive, creative culture in the past, and that she will continue to support women for this very reason. (You can listen to the panel “Being a one woman show” here)
  

• "I can breathe again." Taylor Lorenz on becoming self-employed. Yes, Taylor Lorenz (Creator of UserMag newsletter) emphasized that financial preparation is central if you choose the path of a content creator business model and that the amount of work, patience and savings you have to invest should not be underestimated (this is something I was able to discuss multiple times in the Going Solo workshop, which I really can recommend, thank you Liz and Project C!). But above all, she emphasized how free she now feels to do what she wants and to meet her audience on the channels where they really are. I really can relate to this feeling of freedom. (You can listen to the whole panel with Mark Little, Jane Ferguson, Johnny Harris and Taylor Lorenz here.)

Perugia gave me the courage and inspiration I needed. Not only because I was able to see once again that my idea of becoming self-employed is not completely crazy – but also because I heard another message loud and clear: the right time is now. 

Last week I published my first video on Instagram and Tiktok and work on my newsletter is in full swing. Even though I'm still shy about talking about it, I'm proud that I dared to do it. My aim is to continue to focus on women in the media, on the internet, in pop culture or in politics. Will this be an easy journey? Probably not. Do I feel like it? So much! 

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If you weren't in Italy, you can watch most of the panels here. And for the ultimate Perugia experience, treat yourself to a Negroni Sbagliato while you watch. 

Kerstin Hasse is a Swiss journalist, podcast host and moderator in the pre-launch phase of her own creator-model journalism venture. She was a managing editor at Tamedia in Zurich for over three years. Before that, she was deputy editor-in-chief at Annabelle, Switzerland's largest women's magazine.