Silicon Prairie News editors Danny Schreiber and Michael Stacy emcee the inaugural Silicon Prairie Awards.
Silicon Prairie News is excited to announce it’s expanding its editorial team, hiring editors in Des Moines and Kansas City.
Four years ago, we began to cover the startup community of the Silicon Prairie — a region we define by its flagship cities of Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City. Today, people far and wide are taking notice of that community and our work covering it.
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“From Des Moines to Omaha to Kansas City – a region known more for its barns than its bandwidth – a start-up tech scene is burgeoning,” the New York Times recently reported. The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Inc., Fast Company, The Atlantic and others have devoted coverage to the Silicon Prairie, as well.
With that increasing level of interest and startup activity in the region, along with our own progression towards a sustainable business as a digital media startup, there’s no better time for us to double down.
We’re looking for editors to join a team that’s been the first to cover startup founders who have gone on to earn Inc. “30 Under 30” honors, grace the cover of Entrepreneur magazine and earn spots in notable accelerators, such as Y Combinator and Code for America.
Editors at SPN are first in line for interviews with the acclaimed entrepreneurs and innovators that speak at our events, such as Big Omaha. Those individuals include Pinterest founder Ben Silbermann, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and AOL co-founder Steve Case.
At SPN, editors aren’t only a part of a newsroom; they’re a part of a growing startup. The opportunity here goes well beyond the byline; it’s a chance to help establish a new media outlet in the Midwest and grow one’s own career and personal brand.
Editor – Des Moines and Kansas City (two full-time positions open)
SPN editors have two responsibilities: Oversee coverage of their local startup community and serve as SPN’s lead writer in that community. We’re a small newsroom, so this position is for an individual eager to make an impact and a name for themselves – in the city where you’re based, you’ll serve as the editorial face of SPN.
We started four years ago as the personal blog of our co-founder, Jeff Slobotski. Today, our work has earned us syndication with Nebraska’s largest newspaper, headlines on Techmeme and recognition from the Online News Association, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and others. Kansas City’s The Pitch called Silicon Prairie News the “best drumbeat for the future,” noting our “reporting is sure and smart, delivered in a tone that’s supportive and optimistic, not cheerleader-ish.”
If reading or writing about technology, startups, entrepreneurs or innovators excites you, this position is for you. Here a some of the our editor’s daily responsibilities:
- Cover your local startup community and startups that fall in your area of expertise (e.g. if you know the music industry, you’ll cover the region’s music industry startups)
- Edit work of other SPN editors and freelancers (we work with about a dozen)
- Assign stories to SPN freelancers in your area
- Track companies and individuals based in your area (we keep a close eye on company blogs, founder Twitter accounts, etc.)
- Serve as the editorial face of SPN within your area
We will accept applications through Jan. 13, but we’ll begin interviewing candidates as soon as résumés roll in. Our aim is to fill both these positions by Jan. 31.
If you have questions or would like to refer a candidate, please contact me at danny@siliconprairienews.com.
