A new media company to empower communities launches

The following press release was sent out:

Launching today is Overstory Media Group (OMG), an independent media company that delivers high-quality, fact-based journalism and storytelling. OMG provides tools, resources and financial support to help brands and journalists create in their community.

OMG is founded by Farhan Mohamed, former Editor-in-Chief and co-owner of Daily Hive, and tech entrepreneur Andrew Wilkinson. Mohamed helped grow Daily Hive from a passion project to a fully operating newsroom across Canada reaching 6.5 million people monthly. Wilkinson is the Co-founder of Tiny, a Canadian technology holding company that owns businesses like MetaLab, Dribbble, Girlboss, and WeCommerce.

The company already has an established and growing network of community-based brands in its ecosystem including Capital Daily, Vancouver Tech Journal, Fraser Valley Current, Burnaby Beacon, and Decomplicated. Its community creators are award-winning journalists, producers, creatives, and curious minds all of whom have joined the company in its journey to create meaningful change and fill in the gaps in community journalism.

“Our media network is a collective of like-minded individuals who care deeply about their community and the stories that drive them. Communities are transforming and the pandemic has shown us that more than ever before, people are searching for ways to connect,” says Farhan Mohamed, Co-founder & CEO, OMG. “We intend to help people find common ground through storytelling. In an era of news fatigue, we believe that informed communities are empowered communities and that content is best delivered by the people within them.”

“I’ve always loved the news and wanted to give back to my community of Victoria, so in 2019, I set out to recreate the local newspaper in digital form by creating a simple daily newsletter focused on my hometown. Today, Capital Daily has nearly 50,000 subscribers in a city with a population of 400,000,” says Andrew Wilkinson, Co-founder & Executive Chairman, OMG. “Now through OMG, we get to help others create in their community – whether connected by geography, industry, or interests.”

With Mohamed at the helm, the company aims to expand across Canada and abroad, launch 50 community brands by 2023 and hire 250 journalists under its roster. With a suite of 10 successful brands already under its belt, they’re well on their way.

“When I try to persuade talented journalists to join the Capital Daily team, I tell them, ‘This is the place where you can write the stories your editor won’t let you write,’” says Jimmy Thomson Managing Editor, Capital Daily. “OMG is encouraging us to think this way: we don’t chase the bouncing ball, we step back and ask how we can meaningfully add something to the conversation.

That’s what journalists want to do, and it’s largely missing from the media landscape today.”

“We look forward to continuing to expand and support our resilient network of brands who are bridging gaps in our communities,” added Mohamed. “We encourage anyone with a budding idea and interest in the work we’re doing in communities to connect with us.”