Before the first piece was published on Abernathy—before the domain was even purchased—I spent a lot of time thinking through the business and how it would change the lives of those we’re trying to reach.
For Abernathy to have the traction and reach necessary to make a difference, it needs to make money. How do you monetize a new online publication, anyway? Google Adwords?
Over the last ten years in my work as a technologist, I’ve worked behind the scenes on a various web projects, many of which happen to have been media companies not unlike this one. Sure, our target demographic here is black men, but the value creation component is on the mind of virtually every publisher and media executive.
I’m not sure I have the answer.
What I have, however, is a vision. I’d love to usher in an era of black men—and by extension, all underserved communities—being first class digital citizens. No one has to lose for this vision to be realized. Digital “shelf space” is infinite, and the scarce resource is attention.
And based on the response we’ve seen, we have your attention.
Not only do we have a growing fanbase of black men excited about seeing their stories shared on the site, we have supporters who look nothing like me. And that’s the point—Abernathy is a metaphor, and Abernathy is for everyone.
We’ve also gotten the attention of thoughtful companies who are looking to sponsor the kind of change we’re looking to see in the world.
Enter Basecamp
I’m thrilled to announce that Basecamp has signed on as our launch sponsor. Basecamp is one of the world’s most popular project management applications, used by millions of people around the world (including yours truly).
I’ve been a Basecamp customer for years, and I was a fan of their story and ethos since I had hair.
Here at Abernathy, we use Basecamp for our editorial calendar, managing website enhancement tasks, sharing documents, and coordinating with people external to the company.
Gratitude
I’d like to give a special shout-out to our supporters who have facilitated introductions with companies like Basecamp. Sponsorship allows us to go faster, to ship more ambitious projects, and to attract the kinds of people who are interested in co-creating a beautiful tomorrow.
If you’d like to get involved or talk about ways to support what we’re doing, we’d love to hear from you.
