An email-first community media company, we help locals understand, explore and love the cities they live in by empowering journalists, creators and writers.
Doing local news differently
Clickbait stories, shallow Instagram content... We think there's a better way for local news to thrive, one that puts journalists and creators at the centre of the news.Our unique approach empowers journalists through ownership, training and technology to do what they do best - write about their city.
High-quality
We don't do clickbait. Our team produces high-quality, local-first content that our readers love. We specialize in best-in-class food and city hall coverage but are looking to expand.
Ownership
Writers, journalists and creators produce the content. So why shouldn't they own it? Team members are entitled to equity, profit-sharing and other ownership benefits.
Community
Starting a local news outlet can be lonely work. We're creating a network of journalists and creators who learn and collaborate together.
Systems
Our proprietary set of systems, tools and processes ensure journalists are focused on producing journalism. Leave the business stuff to us.
What we do
A community of 65,000+ locals
We believe locals want a different type of local news, one that helps readers explore, understand and love their city.Lookout readers can expect a certain level of quality and information no matter the city they call home.Our news is email-based, delivered every morning at 6 AM, to engaged locals, the people who participate and build our cities and communities.We partner with local journalists who know their city to produce high-quality journalism, whether it's food writing or city hall news.
Our team
Geoff Sharpe
CEO and Co-Founder
Geoff is a jack-of-all-trades media operator, helping run audience growth, monetization and business development. When he's not helping newsletter businesses he's running advertising and digital strategy for non-profits, charities and companies.
Robert Hiltz
Ottawa Managing editor, Co-Founder
Robert is a journalist with plenty of experience working at independent digital publications. He’s also the managing editor of Ottawa Magazine. Starting at Postmedia, followed by years of freelancing had him looking for a new, sustainable way of doing journalism.
Ralf Joneikies
Capital Eats editor
Ralf was born in Ottawa. He is level 3 WSET certified and worked as a general manager for two private wine, beer and spirit shops in Vancouver. You can find him sampling food around Ottawa.
our Publications
Ottawa Lookout
CAPITAL EATS (ottawa)
vancity lookout
More coming soon...
Want to join us?
We're looking for local journalists, writers or creators to join the Lookout as we expand across Canada and the United States. Interested in learning more? Contact us today for more information.We are especially looking for food writers, city hall reporters and sales people.