August brought much momentum!
Our Wisconsin expansion picked up serious speed on the road to launch day and we hosted a number of local events to bring communities together.
Let’s take a look back at everything August had to offer.
We welcomed six new members to the Village team in August:
AI Innovation Specialist Hannah Woodworth
Sudbury.com and BayToday Community Partner Specialist Michele Cassio
MidlandToday Editor Travis Mealing
AppletonToday Editor Ryan Hoffman
AppletonToday Reporter Kevin Opsahl
AppletonToday Regional Community Lead Hillary Hallows
Welcome everyone! 👏
Event rewind ⏪
August was a busy month for our teams, filled with opportunities to bring communities together through SPACES events and our Community Builders Awards!
The team at BurlingtonToday and SPACES made meaningful local connections and life-saving impacts through a networking event in partnership with Burlington Blood Bank. Guests had the opportunity to learn more about the organization, connect with others in the community and donate blood.
CollingwoodToday’s SPACES team brought back its popular Après-Hike Hangout after the success of the first event! Guests joined the host of the Outdoors space for a scenic hike before winding down with a coffee on us. Once again, the event saw a fantastic turnout and brought local outdoor enthusiasts together.
The SooToday and SPACES team had an especially busy August, hosting several events throughout the month, including:
- The grand finale of Hot August Nights, where car enthusiasts from across the city joined our SPACES team at the Downtown Plaza to admire the impressive lineup of vehicles rolling in.
- Families gathered at the Canopy at Village Media for our fifth SPACES Harry Potter book club where we discussed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- The Sault Ste. Marie City Block Party, which transformed Canopy into a lively concert venue as three local bands took the stage and performed for the community.
Meanwhile, the team at Niagara-on-the-Lake Local and SPACES partnered with Junction Coffee Bar to bring clients, SPACES users and members of the community together over coffee and conversation.
And in Fergus, Tim Anderson was named this year’s EloraFergusToday Unsung Hero award recipient for his extensive work at Beatty Park Ice Rink and dedication to bringing the community together. 🏆
AppletonToday is gearing up for launch!
As our US expansion moves closer to launch, here is an update from Village Media Ltd. President, Kate Elliott:
Team Village,
Bringing our fully owned-and-operated US footprint to life takes extraordinary coordination between our Sault Ste. Marie headquarters and our on-the-ground partners. Thanks to your relentless energy, we are making rapid, measurable progress as we march toward launch day!
Headlines & major wins this week
- Appleton editorial: Welcoming editor Ryan Hoffman who started with us this week, along with reporters Kevin Opsahl and Celia Hohn joining in the next few weeks.Community leadership: Hillary Hallows joins us as Regional Community LeadSheboygan expansion: We have officially signed Cheryl Allen as our Sheboygan editor, starting September 28!
- Wisconsin market lineup: We have refined our top four priority Wisconsin markets for immediate rollout: Appleton, Sheboygan, Oshkosh, and Fond du Lac. We remain fully on track for our official AppletonToday.com launch target on September 29!
- Audience growth acceleration: Since launching our AppletonToday audience acquisition campaigns on August 3, the response has been incredible. We have already secured ~1,600 email subscribers and ~680 Facebook followers with another month to go before launch!
- Leadership summit in Appleton: Last weekend, I, along with David Turkstra, Jeff Elgie and Richard Gingras gathered in Appleton, WI to solidify our strategic roadmap for the US enterprise. We emerged with a deeper commitment to our mission, clearer articulation of our purpose, and an actionable path forward (and yes, we consumed an incredible amount of Wisconsin cheese).
Shoutout: The HQ engine
A massive thank you to the entire Soo team for stepping up to power this monumental launch. From talent acquisition and interviewing, to project management, site architecture, and audience acquisition—building our first fully owned-and-operated US site truly takes a Village!
What’s next on the horizon?
Finalizing local key hires: Continuing key talent searches for adjacent Wisconsin markets.
Platform & content pre-build: Finalizing content deployments, audience onboarding funnels, and localized directory databases across our core four markets.
The countdown to Sept 29: Hitting the Appleton mainstreet with a poster campaign, getting to know all our Appleton neighbors as quickly as possible, and wrapping up our operational readiness checklists as we prepare to officially flip the switch!
Thank you all for your passion, hard work, and dedication as we pioneer this new chapter together.
With gratitude,
Kate Elliott
President, Village Media Ltd. (Village US)
✨ Spotlight on sponsorships ✨
We sponsored 23 community initiatives across our communities in August 🫶
BarrieToday
Afro Tropical Experience, B.E.T X Slice of Pie Charity: 3V3 Pie Classic, Theatre By the Bay
BradfordToday
Retro Block Party
BurlingtonToday
100 Women Who Care Burlington, Lakeside A La Carte – Rotary Club of Burlington Central, VegFest
CambridgeToday
Habitat For Humanity Waterloo Region
CollingwoodToday
Cycle For Hope
GuelphToday
Punk4Paws OVC Pet Trust
HaltonHillsToday
Choose 2 Be Resilient – Zach and Kaya Golf Tournament
MiltonToday
Halton Agricultural Centre
MidlandToday
Warm and Cozy, Cycle For Hope
Oakville News
Community Development Halton, Oakville Arts Society
SooToday
DSSAB Game On, Matthew Wheten Legacy Tournament
StratfordToday
Provocation Ideas Festival
Sudbury.com
Afrofest, UP Here Fest
TimminsToday
Sports For Kids, The Voices of Porcupine Community Group Boats, Bikes, Mics and Lights
TorontoToday
Nightwood Theatre
Spotted around the Village 🌎
Meet Rip!
At 8 years old, Rip has mastered the art of relaxation. He loves being in bed so much that he’ll knock the pillows onto the floor to sabotage any attempt to make it in the morning.
When he’s not napping, you can find him chasing sunny spots around the house, looking for the perfect place to curl up.
His signature greeting? Rolling onto his back and waiting patiently for the belly rub he knows he deserves.
Proud pet parent: Matthew Lajoie
Until the next update ...
