Journalists in New York don’t tend to hang out together much. Phil Rosen wants to change that.
He emailed a bevy of reporters in February suggesting they join a group chat to share perspectives about an industry which has been battered by layoffs.
When he had about a dozen, he invited them to dinner, giving birth to the Journalists Club.
Things took off after Phil created an X account and tweeted a photo from a Manhattan restaurant. He asked if anyone else wanted to join.
He got hundreds of responses and now has a waiting list of 130 reporters, editors, and writers eager to attend dinners, which are typically arranged every couple weeks.
So far, he’s had someone from most major outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, Yahoo, and Forbes.
Members include Jack Farley of Blockworks, Jacquelyn Melinek at TechCrunch, Stephanie Palazzolo from The Information, James Faris from Business Insider and Seth Rubinrot at NBC.
Phil’s idea to create the club is tapping into a larger urge to connect in real life that’s been especially pronounced since the pandemic among Gen Z and Millennials.
His choice of the dinner party is also timely. Connectors including Andrew Yeung in tech and Frank Meehan and Tee Ganbold in sustainability have recently organized dinners in homes or private rooms at restaurants. Indy Sanders, founder of the startup PerformVu, a VC backed Video Art platform, said she recently attended one at a townhouse that brought together an eclectic mix.
Creating community is the new networking and Phil realized journalists, more than many, would benefit. People are realizing the importance of networking as the industry has been devastated by record layoffs.
Until recently, Phil was a reporter for Business Insider. He left after three years to start a financial media outlet with Anthony Pompliano. It’s called Opening Bell Daily.
Opening Bell Daily extends the reach of Pompliano’s media business. Pomp has been writing about crypto since 2018. The outlet’s flagship newsletter will be published five days a week and include an original essay written by Phil, along with markets and investing content.
Phil is kicking off the group’s first panel discussion this week. It includes Jack Appleby, a media strategist and author of the Future Social newsletter, Evan Frolov, a video journalist and creator for Morning Brew, and Joseph Milord who manages LinkedIn’s relationships with media outlets, publishers, and journalists.
It’s already oversubscribed, but journalists can sign up for the next one.
Ted Merz 