Urbanist Media

What Urbanist Media does

Urbanist Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, operating at the intersection of historic preservation, narrative documentary storytelling, and equitable community development. Founded in 2020 by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel, the organization produces the Urban Roots podcast and related documentary, oral history, and public history content focused on preserving places and stories significant to people of color, particularly African American communities underrepresented on the National Register of Historic Places (fewer than 2% of listed sites). Its service offerings include the award-winning Urban Roots podcast across three seasons, Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts produced with Cincinnati Public Radio, tiered professional podcast production services for mission-aligned organizations ($2,500 shorts to $250K+ full seasons), cultural heritage preservation consultation including National Register nominations and historic tax credit applications, Listen & Learn community workshops, an Etsy merchandise storefront, and the Kinfolk Giveback year-end fundraising program.

The organization's underlying methodology combines historic preservation principles with documentary storytelling and oral history, anchored by an "equitable preservation-based development" framework that positions preservation as a tool for equitable development rather than a barrier. Technical production relies on conventional audio production and podcasting technology; differentiated methodology rests on a founder pursuing a doctorate in Historic Preservation at Columbia GSAPP and a consulting bench with credits at Radiotopia, Reply All, This American Life, and 99% Invisible. Strategic partnerships with Cincinnati Public Radio, ROMAC, BlackPast.org, Green-Wood Cemetery, Invest in Neighborhoods, DNK Architects, Ohio Arts Council, and Indiana Humanities support content production and distribution.

The business model blends nonprofit revenue streams: tax-deductible individual donations via PayPal and Venmo, state arts and humanities grants (e.g., Ohio Arts Council ArtStart grant of $4,546 in 2023-07-22, Indiana Humanities funding), episodic professional podcast production service fees, and merchandise sales. Customer segments are mission-aligned nonprofit organizations, public radio stations, cultural heritage institutions, government planning departments, and community members. Geographic footprint spans Cincinnati (HQ), Indianapolis, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Alabama, and Ohio River communities. Operations are lean, with one founder-director, one part-time administrative assistant, a three-person Board of Trustees, and a small consulting partner network.

Name

Urbanist Media

Legal name

Urbanist Media

Website

https://urbanistmedia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urbanist Media is a Cincinnati-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces the Urban Roots podcast and related oral history, documentary, and historic preservation services focused on preserving places and stories significant to African American communities and underrepresented groups on the U.S. National Register.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation Services

NAICS

Other Sound Recording Industries (51229), Sound Recording Studios (51224), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio Learning Content (Podcasts, Audiobooks, Listening Programs) (EDAGALAM), Media Arts & Film/Photography Nonprofits (BPAGAHAJ), Enterprise Audio Publishing & Private Podcast Platforms (MPAIADAI)

Keywords

• Historic preservation services
• Podcast production services
• Oral history documentation
• Community storytelling
• Cultural heritage consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501c3 nonprofit organization (EIN: 87-1186536), Urbanist Media relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. They accept donations via PayPal, Venmo (@urbanistmedia), and checks. The Kinfolk Giveback program aims to raise $2,000 by end of 2025.
2. Professional Podcast Production Services: Offers tiered podcast production services to mission-aligned organizations including podcast shorts ($2,500 each), full episodes ($3,500 interview, $25K-$75K for series, $250K+ for full season), and co-production partnerships.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sells branded merchandise including stickers and tote bags through Etsy shop, along with specialty items like Regal Theatre pillows featuring original 1914 drawings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Urbanist Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces narrative documentary podcasts (the flagship Urban Roots podcast) and offers professional podcast production services to mission-aligned organizations. The organization also provides cultural heritage preservation services (National Register nominations, historic tax credit applications), oral history projects, community workshops, documentary filmmaking, and educational heritage assets (activity books, coloring pages).

Product overview

Urbanist Media is a nonprofit organization operating at the intersection of historic preservation, storytelling, and equitable development. The core offering is the award-winning Urban Roots Podcast, a narrative documentary series that began in 2020. This is supported by the Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts audio shorts program produced with Cincinnati Public Radio. The organization offers a tiered Podcast Services product line (ranging from $2,500 Podcast Shorts to $250K+ Podcast Season production), as well as Heritage Assets including public history activity books and coloring pages. Additional services include Cultural Heritage Preservation consultation (NRHP nominations, historic tax credit applications), oral history projects, community Listen & Learn workshops, and documentary film production. The organization also operates the Kinfolk Giveback fundraising program and Juneteenth Radio Project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Roots Podcast Award-winning narrative documentary podcast that preserves places through story, focusing on underrepresented communities and equitable historic preservation, with storytelling about African American history and community heritage.
• Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts Short-form audio documentaries produced in collaboration with Cincinnati Public Radio about Cincinnati's Black cultural history and local historic Green Book sites, broadcast on WVXU 91.7 and WGUC 90.9.
• Professional Podcast Production Services Tiered podcast production services offered to mission-aligned organizations. Includes Podcast Shorts (bites of 2 minutes or less, starting at $2,500), Podcast Interviews with sponsorship (30-second ads at $3,500), Podcast Series of 1-3 narrative 25-minute episodes ($25K-$75K), and full Podcast Seasons of 5-6 episodes plus panel discussions ($250K+).
• Cultural Heritage Preservation Services Cultural heritage consultation services including National Register of Historic Places nominations, historic tax credit applications, local landmark reports, and adaptive reuse projects, offered to make historic preservation more attainable and accessible.
• Regal Theatre Historic Tax Credit Project Historic preservation project for the Regal Theatre (c. 1914) in Cincinnati's West End, working with DNK Architects on historic tax credit applications, with the theatre slated to become the future home of ROMAC.
• Community Development Oral History Project Oral history documentation project for early community development stories in Cincinnati, in partnership with Invest in Neighborhoods, culminating in a virtual event.
• Listen & Learn Events In-person and virtual community memory-building events where residents listen, converse, and preserve family archives, held in Cincinnati neighborhoods including Avondale, South Cumminsville, and Evanston.
• Documentary Film Projects Documentary-style video projects including Black Cincinnati Part I and Part II about West End neighborhood erasure and highway construction impacts on African American communities.
• Heritage Assets Public history resources and workshops developed in partnership with local groups, including activity books like the Cincinnati Black History Activity Book.
• Coloring Pages Anti-racist coloring book pages for kids and adults featuring Cincinnati landmarks including the Regal Theatre, Ezzard Charles, St. Mark's Church, and Schulte Mansion, produced with local artists and community partners.
• Juneteenth Radio Project Special Juneteenth programming collaboration with Cincinnati Public Radio featuring 1-hour audio documentaries about Cincinnati's Black cultural history and local historic Green Book sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 2% of sites on the National Register of Historic Places pertain to African American history

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cincinnati Public RadiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with Cincinnati Public Radio for special WVXU programming including the Ohio River to Freedom Series and Juneteenth Cincinnati Shorts. Programs air on 91.7 WVXU and 90.9 WGUC Cincinnati.
• Robert O'Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ROMAC for the Regal Theatre historic preservation project, including coloring book pages featuring West End Cincinnati historic buildings. ROMAC archives provide historical photographs for documentary content.
• BlackPast.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on video content featuring underrepresented historical figures. Created content about Julia Jacobs, a culture bearer for the Suquamish Tribe in Washington State.
• Green-Wood CemeterycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for podcast episodes featuring Green-Wood Cemetery staff members who share work uncovering gravesites and resurfacing underrepresented histories. Episode covered the cemetery's Freedom Lots section.
• Invest in NeighborhoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Community Development Oral History Project documenting early community development stories. Culminates in a virtual event hosted by Urbanist Media and Invest in Neighborhoods.
• Merritt HoldcraftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist collaboration for coloring pages featuring the Casnio/Regal Theatre and Ezzard Charles. Produced anti-racist coloring book pages for kids and adults.
• Cathy Higgins WetzelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist collaboration for coloring pages featuring St. Mark's Church (Evanston) and Schulte Mansion (West Price Hill).
• DNK ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm providing proposed rendering for Regal Theatre Historic Tax Credit project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• StoryCorps: National nonprofit oral history project that records and archives personal conversations. Comparable oral-history mission and nonprofit podcast-style content model, but at a far larger institutional scale.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: Largest U.S. private nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation, with programming, grants, and advocacy. Comparable in preservation mission and nonprofit structure, though much larger and broader in scope.
• 99% Invisible: Flagship narrative design and architecture podcast with a major public radio footprint and the same kind of credit-pedigree audio talent. Comparable in craft and built environment focus, but at significantly larger scale.
• Radiotopia: Podcast network from PRX featuring narrative and experimental audio shows. Urbanist Media consulting partner Andrew Callaway was a Radiotopia producer; comparable in production ethos though far broader in scope.

Regional players

• Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia: Regional preservation nonprofit offering advocacy, National Register support, and community programming. Comparable nonprofit preservation-services model, but Philadelphia-focused rather than Cincinnati/Midwest.

Direct peers

• The Bitter Southerner: Independent nonprofit media organization telling under-told Southern stories through longform journalism and multimedia. Comparable as a mission-driven, nonprofit media brand with a focus on culture and place.
• NATAL Podcast: Award-winning narrative podcast docuseries centered on Black experiences; co-founded by Urbanist Media consulting partner Martina Abrahams Ilunga. Closest comparable in mission, format, and audience.
• BlackPast.org: Online reference guide and digital archive dedicated to African American history. Existing content partner of Urbanist Media; comparable in mission to surface and preserve Black history in accessible formats.
• Undiscarded: Oral history podcast series about overlooked New York City stories. Direct format peer: oral history, place-based storytelling, and community partnership model align closely with Urban Roots.

Emerging players

• You Had Me at Black: Audio-memoir and live story hour project founded by Urbanist Media consulting partner Martina Abrahams Ilunga. Adjacent peer focused on Black storytelling in audio form, with a smaller footprint than Urbanist Media's institutional work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/urbanrootsculture
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWgJCHAvfWsxwq4nVn5-dgg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbanist-media
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbanrootsculture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urbanist Media