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Editor’s note: This is the first installment in News From Creatorland, a column where journalist and entrepreneur Fernando Hurtado shares learnings and observations from the frontlines of creator journalism.
“Are you leaving to go be an influencer?”
That’s the question my co-worker asked me after I told him I was leaving my job at NBCUniversal to launch In The Hyphen, a journalistic YouTube channel covering U.S. Latinos with deeply researched, visually rich stories.
The question stumped me for two reasons. One: I thought “influencer” didn’t accurately describe what I was trying to do by launching an independent video journalism outlet. Two: It summarized how many journalists at traditional media companies look at anything having to do with social media content: influencing.
The question was a representation of the reasons that ultimately led to my decision to leave my job in January. I’ve boiled them down to the top four:
Reason No. 1: I wanted to learn about the business side of journalism
I want to start by saying I loved my job at NBC. My job title was “manager of digital video, special projects and OTT” for NBCUniversal Local, which meant I worked with all the 40-plus NBC and Telemundo stations to produce breaking news digital video and special series. I got to cover three Olympics, help launch a millennial/Gen Z news network, produce award-winning series and learn so much about production. And I got to do that alongside the kindest, most talented people I’ve ever worked with.
But as I neared my five-year mark with the