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Expanding ‘fractional exec’ services, born in BloomLab, offer new ways to add top talent to your team

If you need senior-level talent to fill gaps for your team in technology, revenue or funding development — but can’t afford to add full-time employees — Local Media Association and Local Media Foundation may have a great answer.

Three “fractional executive” services for local news outlets, originally developed by LMA/LMF as part of the Knight x LMA BloomLab, will expand qualifying criteria to add more client companies starting this spring.

The three services are:

Shared Head of Funding

Jiquanda Johnson, Flint Beat

This shared service works like a fractional chief development officer. Led by John Celestand with executive consultation from Judi Terzotis, this service works with publishers to identify philanthropic opportunities aligned with their missions and markets; strengthen and refine grant applications; develop small-dollar donor and fundraising campaigns; cultivate relationships with local funders; and build ongoing community listening strategies that resonate with funders.

In its first nine months, this service collaborated with its five pilot clients to submit more than $5 million worth of grant proposals, securing almost $300,000 in funding (with much more still pending) to support clients’ journalism and overall sustainability.

“Being part of BloomLab’s shared services has been a game changer for Flint Beat. As a small newsroom, we’re constantly balancing limited capacity while trying to stay focused on both revenue and strong editorial work,” said Jiquanda Johnson, founder and publisher of Flint Beat and a client of the funding service. “I’m used to wearing multiple hats every day but this support has given me the mental space to lead more effectively. It’s allowed me to better manage our work, stay focused on what matters most, build meaningful relationships, and ultimately generate more resources to support the kind of journalism Flint truly needs.”

Shared Head of Revenue

This shared service works like a fractional chief revenue officer. Led by Robert Walker-Smith, this service delivers end-to-end revenue leadership focused on driving measurable results. It includes coaching and developing local sales teams, designing and executing customized go-to-market strategies, and providing hands-on sales execution both virtually and in-market.

Built on data-driven insights, the service identifies and secures strategic partnerships to unlock new revenue streams, while delivering executive-level oversight to diagnose challenges, drive accountability, and ensure consistent, scalable revenue performance.

In its first nine months with six pilot clients, the service delivered 166% of initial revenue targets, closed six-figure deals, and reactivated previously dormant client relationships to restore and grow billing.

Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, The AFRO

“For the past three years in the Knight x LMA BloomLab, we have had the privilege of working closely with Robert Walker-Smith. His guidance, professionalism, and steady support have been invaluable, especially as we worked through our [Minority Business Enterprise] recertification process,” said Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, publisher and CEO, The AFRO. “With his direct involvement, we successfully regained a major six-figure account, positioning us for expanded revenue and new digital growth opportunities in 2026.”

Shared Head of Technology

This shared service works like a fractional chief technology/information officer. For publishers who need senior technology leadership but can’t support a full-time CTO/CIO, this service — led by Apryl Pilolli with client success and operations from Pinay Jones — provides technology strategy and roadmap development; website and digital platform optimization; digital transformation and product development; provider selection and contract review; data analytics and audience insights; advertising, email and CRM technology; and cybersecurity and compliance strategy.

In its first nine months with 11 pilot clients, the service fulfilled critical AI use cases tied to $80,000 in AI technology grants, implemented cost-optimization strategies that generated $250,000 in annual savings, and built reader-revenue technology and automations that produced more than $250,000 incremental gains.

Denise Rolark Barnes, The Washington Informer

“Working with the BloomLab has been like gaining an extension of The Washington Informer — a partner that delivers expert guidance and services proven to strengthen our digital transformation,” said Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher and owner of The Washington Informer, a client of the technology service.

History and plans for growth

All three services started in April 2025 with clients selected from the original participants in the Knight x LMA BloomLab, which launched in 2022 with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as an immersive training and collaboration program for 25 Black-owned local media companies. BloomLab has evolved, strategically, from a “teach-me-to-do-it” training/coaching lab to a set of “do-it-with-me” and even “do-it-for-me” services.

This year, though additional BloomLab participants receive first chance at additional client slots, each fractional executive service will make a limited number of openings available for a wider group.

“As we evolved our BloomLab work to become more hands-on, we also knew these services would have value to more media companies. We planned with Knight, from the outset of shared services, to expand the eligibility beyond the original BloomLab cohort,” said Jay Small, co-CEO of Local Media Association/Local Media Foundation.

“We’re excited to be able to start that expansion a year sooner,” he said. “And this is just the beginning — we’re preparing more new shared service offerings to meet the needs of the local media industry across a wider range of news outlets.”

The leaders of these three services are expanding the programs another way: by offering more than one service level. In 2025, the pilot year, all clients for each service paid the same monthly fee and received the same overall service level commitment. As the services add clients, “one size fits all” will not be effective. Smaller-scale commitments as well as shorter-term engagements may become available depending on potential clients’ needs.

The services are not free to clients, but relatively inexpensive. Knight funding allows Local Media Foundation to offer them at greatly reduced rates in the program’s initial years, giving clients time to achieve return on investment. Even as the funding winds down and clients’ shares of fees increase, LMA/LMF will operate the services on a nonprofit basis. Clients’ monthly fees will remain affordable, well below market rates for these kinds of fractional executive services.

For 2026, the services seek smaller-scale, independent local news outlets, especially publishers serving underrepresented communities, and outlets providing local news in underserved rural and exurban areas. Publishers that fit this description should qualify for the reduced rates; however, new client openings for the funding, revenue and technology services are limited. Publishers can express interest in any of the three services by filling out and submitting this inquiry form. The service leaders will respond with helpful information, including pricing, detailed service overviews and key terms to consider.

SOURCE

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