What’s that rumble? Thunderdome, no longer in the distance

Filling one of Thunderdome’s conference rooms for a Thursday meeting (clockwise): Robyn Tomlin, back to camera, Mark Lewis, Julie Westfall, Karen Workman, Chris March, Jim Brady, Mandy Jenkins, Angi Carter, Ryan Teague Beckwith and my empty cupcake wrapper.

Thunderdome is happening, Baby!

I was in our Thunderdome newsroom this week, and we filled a conference room with journalists and creative energy. Our new curation team was working on a long-term project and some daily work. New politics channel manager Ryan Teague Beckwith was brainstorming convention and campaign coverage with the curation team. Thunderdome Editor Robyn Tomlin was interviewing job candidates. We ate too much cheesecake, cupcakes and gourmet chocolates. Digital First Editor-in-Chief Jim Brady and I told funny stories about embarrassing things we’d done. This is feeling like a newsroom.

Robyn Tomlin in the center of Thunderdome’s newsroom

Since I joined Brady at the Journal Register Co. 15 months ago, Thunderdome has been this mysterious project on the distant horizon. At that time, we were thinking of a fall launch, but the project grew bigger when JRC created Digital First Media last year to take over management of MediaNews Group, more than doubling the size of our operations.

The added months of discussion and planning sometimes felt like we were going to talk about it forever without actually doing it. But last month, Robyn joined DFM, followed quickly by our curation team. And the curation team went right to work more than a week early, pitching in on coverage of the theater massacre in Aurora, Colo.

Then more people came aboard, we got to move into our new digs and this week our newsroom at 5 Hanover Square, just off Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, was buzzing with activity. The inappropriate laughter about serious matters as our curation team — Julie Westfall, Angi Carter and Karen Workman — worked on a project (sorry, I won’t bust them by explaining what we were laughing about) really made it feel like a newsroom.

Chris March and Mark Lewis showed up for work, too. IT staff were outfitting Thunderdome staff with new computers. Sales staff were working the phones.  Ivan Lajara dropped in from our Kingston, N.Y., newsroom for a meeting. Jeremy Binckes and Matt Grisafi called in for another meeting. I’m telling you, this is looking and feeling like a newsroom, but a different kind of newsroom. No one yelled, “Stop the presses!”

The view from Thunderdome’s newsroom

It was fun yesterday to be in the newsroom on the second anniversary of the launch of TBD, when Brady and I (and Mandy Jenkins and Julie Westfall, who also were on hand this week) were launching another new journalism operation with another group of talented people.

This time we have the support we’ll need from the top and on the sales side. And we’re working out a structure to help our newsrooms work effectively with the national Thunderdome operation. Jim announced the appointments yesterday of Jim McClure of the York Daily Record as our East Region Editor, joining Central Region Editor Greg Moore and West Region Editor Dave Butler. In addition, Jim announced lead editors for our eight clusters:

Happy to announce new editorial appointments at #DFM: bit.ly/OX9FQH. Congrats to the terrific editors taking on additional roles.

— Jim Brady (@jimbradysp) August 9, 2012

We’ve been hiring. Last week Robyn and I were at Unity 2012 recruiting for Thunderdome:

So impressed with talent applying to join #DFM #Thunderdome! More jobs to be posted soon. Keep the resumes coming: ow.ly/cz1TK

— Robyn Tomlin (@robyntomlin) July 28, 2012

Don’t @stevebuttry and I look lonely here at the #DFM booth at #Unity2012. If you’re here, come see us. We’re hiring! twitpic.com/aeak4d

— Robyn Tomlin (@robyntomlin) August 1, 2012

And now we’re filling some of those jobs:

So, I’m moving to NYC to lead #DFM‘s curation team. Excited for challenge/honored by well wishes. More from @mjenkins bit.ly/P6g3Ea

— Julie Westfall (@JulieWestfall) July 19, 2012

And congrats to @karenworkman and @reachangi, who are also joining the #DFM curation team bit.ly/SJtm0U

— Julie Westfall (@JulieWestfall) July 19, 2012

Jumping aboard! RT @ryanbeckwith: News of my new gig makes @fishbowldc though I don’t view it as “jumping ship.” bit.ly/OrBksr

— Steve Buttry (@stevebuttry) August 2, 2012

Starting a new gig next week heading up political coverage with Digital First Media. Will miss my good friends at @rollcall.

— Ryan Teague Beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) August 2, 2012

.@ivanlajara @markloundy @scottddolan – I’m packing my things and heading to Project Thunderdome on Monday.

— Chris March (@marchmcfly) August 3, 2012

Our loss @nhregister is gain for rest of #DFM #digitalfirst. Best of luck to @marchmcfly and @reachangi in their new roles with Thunderdome.

— Matt DeRienzo (@mattderienzo) August 3, 2012

At work in the Thunderdome newsroom: Mandy Jenkins closest to the camera, curation team (from right) across from her: Angi Carter, Karen Workman, Julie Westfall.

This is going to be fun:

Excited to join Project Thunderdome at #DigitalFirst, but this part of the interview was a bit brutal: bit.ly/ReGjx7

— Ryan Teague Beckwith (@ryanbeckwith) August 2, 2012

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