Smiley Pete Publishing

What Smiley Pete Publishing does

Smiley Pete Publishing, doing business as Smiley Pete LLC, is an independent, privately-held local media company headquartered at 434 Old Vine Street in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1997 by Chris Eddie and Chuck Creacy, the company operates a portfolio of four locally-produced publications — Chevy Chaser Magazine and Southsider Magazine (both monthly neighborhood publications, launched October 1997), Business Lexington (a bi-weekly business journal covering Central Kentucky, 26 issues per year), and tadoo.com (an online arts, culture and entertainment events calendar) — collectively reaching more than 160,000 monthly print readers. Digital infrastructure is built on the Metro Publisher CMS, with Cognito Forms handling registration and contact workflows, and dedicated iOS/Android apps for the food-themed events.

The company's commercial model centers on quote-based print and digital advertising sold through an in-house sales team, supplemented by subscription revenue (managed via SubscriptionGenius for the magazines), event sponsorships and vendor fees, and event admission (e.g., Crave Food & Music Festival at $8 general admission). Signature annual events — Lexington Burger Week (100,000+ burgers sold across 30+ restaurants), Lexington Pizza Week, Lexington Taco Week, Lexington Boutique Week, Bluegrass BBQ Fest, and the Crave Food & Music Festival (15,000+ attendees since 2013) — function as both community engagement vehicles and distinct revenue lines. A flagship community initiative, the GoodGiving Guide Challenge (now Bluegrass Gives), is operated in co-development with Blue Grass Community Foundation and has channeled over $30 million to Central Kentucky nonprofits over ten years.

The company is bootstrapped with no external investors, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and is led by founder/Owner/Publisher Chris Eddie alongside a core team of approximately 8 staff members that includes editors for each publication, a director of the Crave festival, sales managers, and an art director. Smiley Pete Publishing markets primarily through its owned websites, email newsletters (Smiley Pete Weekly, Biz Lex, Tadoo Weekly), social channels, and the events themselves, and operates exclusively within Central Kentucky with no disclosed geographic expansion beyond Lexington and Frankfort.

Name

Smiley Pete Publishing

Legal name

Smiley Pete LLC

Website

https://smileypete.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smiley Pete Publishing is an independent, bootstrapped local media company in Lexington, Kentucky that operates monthly neighborhood and business magazines, the tadoo.com events calendar, and signature community events including the Crave Food & Music Festival and Lexington Burger Week, serving Central Kentucky readers, advertisers, restaurants, and nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Media & Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Newsstand & Aggregation Platforms (Magazine/News Apps, Bundles) (MPAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Community publishing
• Local media
• Print magazines
• Event marketing
• Hyperlocal news

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising (Print & Digital): The company sells advertising solutions to reach Central Kentucky audiences across its portfolio of print magazines (Chevy Chaser, Southsider, Business Lexington) and websites. Advertising is the primary commercial model for all publications and the company encourages businesses to advertise via (859) 266-6537.
2. Magazine Subscriptions: Chevy Chaser and Southsider Magazines offer 12 issues per year; Business Lexington publishes 26 issues per year. Subscription sales are managed via SubscriptionGenius.
3. Event Sponsorships & Vendor Fees: Annual food and music festivals (Burger Week, Pizza Week, Taco Week, Crave, Bluegrass BBQ Fest) generate revenue through restaurant vendor fees, sponsor packages, and event admission. Crave Food & Music Festival tickets are sold at $8 admission with free entry for children under 10.
4. Community Initiatives / GoodGiving Guide Challenge: GoodGiving Guide Challenge partnership with Blue Grass Community Foundation generates donations for nonprofits across Central Kentucky. While primarily community-focused, the initiative strengthens brand reputation and community relationships that support advertising and event activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smiley Pete Publishing operates a portfolio of hyperlocal print magazines, digital publications, and signature community events in Central Kentucky. The company publishes and distributes Chevy Chaser Magazine and Southsider Magazine monthly, Business Lexington bi-weekly, and maintains the tadoo.com online arts and entertainment calendar. It also produces recurring food and music events (Lexington Burger Week, Pizza Week, Taco Week, Crave Food & Music Festival, Bluegrass BBQ Fest) and co-runs the GoodGiving Guide Challenge with Blue Grass Community Foundation.

Product overview

Smiley Pete Publishing is a local media company operating a portfolio of print and digital publications plus signature community events. Its core products include Chevy Chaser Magazine and Southsider Magazine (long-running monthly neighborhood publications), Business Lexington (bi-weekly business journal), and tadoo.com (online arts and entertainment events platform). The company produces several flagship food and music festivals including the Crave Food & Music Festival, Lexington Burger Week, Lexington Pizza Week, Lexington Taco Week, Lexington Boutique Week, and Bluegrass BBQ Fest. Additionally, it runs the GoodGiving Guide Challenge, a charitable giving initiative that has channeled over $30 million to local nonprofits. The publications collectively reach over 160,000 monthly readers and are built using Metro Publisher™ technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chevy Chaser Magazine: Monthly community magazine for the Chevy Chase neighborhood and greater Lexington/Fayette county region, distributed via direct mail, print, web and email. Launched October 1997.
• Southsider Magazine
• Business Lexington
• tadoo.com
• Crave Food & Music Festival
• Lexington Burger Week
• Lexington Pizza Week
• Lexington Taco Week
• Bluegrass BBQ Fest

Products and services

• Chevy Chaser Magazine Smiley Pete Publishing's longest-running monthly neighborhood publication launched in October 1997, serving the Chevy Chase neighborhoods of Lexington and the greater Lexington/Fayette county region. Delivered via direct mail, print, web and email.
• Southsider Magazine Monthly neighborhood publication serving the Southside neighborhoods of Lexington and the greater Lexington/Fayette county region. One of the longest-running monthly publications distributed in Lexington, reaching over 100,000 local readers.
• Business Lexington A news journal focused on the Central Kentucky business community, published 26 times per year on a bi-weekly basis. Coverage includes economic development, real estate, healthcare, law, education, restaurant news, entrepreneurship, marketing, agri-tourism, arts and economy, and business-related political activity.
• tadoo.com Online arts, culture and entertainment magazine and events platform for Central Kentucky. Updated several times a week with Lexington-area live music, theatre, performance, visual arts, literary, culinary and other events. Accepts free, user-submitted events.
• Crave Food & Music Festival Two-day food and music festival featuring food trucks, restaurants, caterers, live music acts, kids activities, and a classic car show. Started in 2013 as a grassroots celebration and has grown to 15,000+ attendance. Located at Bluegrass Fairgrounds at Masterson Station Park.
• Lexington Burger Week Annual promotion featuring local restaurants that create special off-menu burgers for one week. Over 100,000 burgers sold each year. Features $6 one-of-a-kind burgers at participating restaurants across Lexington and Frankfort.
• Lexington Pizza Week Annual pizza promotion featuring $6 off-menu slices or small pizzas at participating restaurants, with meat and vegetarian options at each location.
• Lexington Taco Week Annual taco promotion celebrating taco culture in Lexington, partnered with Casa de la Cultura Ky to promote cultural activities among youth.
• Lexington Boutique Week Annual boutique promotion event featuring local retailers.
• Bluegrass BBQ Fest Free admission BBQ festival featuring local and regional BBQ vendors, beer, bourbon, music, and family-friendly activities at Courthouse Plaza downtown Lexington.
• GoodGiving Guide Challenge (Bluegrass Gives) Annual campaign created by Smiley Pete and Blue Grass Community Foundation focused on increasing online year-end giving to local non-profits. Has helped raise over $30 million for local nonprofits over ten years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 160,000+ monthly print audience
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Blue Grass Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership with Blue Grass Community Foundation to co-create and produce the GoodGiving Guide Challenge (now renamed Bluegrass Gives), an annual online year-end giving campaign for Central Kentucky nonprofits. This is a flagship community initiative that helped raise over $30 million for nonprofits over ten years and engaged thousands of donors across zip codes in Fayette County and surrounding communities.
• Casa de la Cultura KyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit partner for Crave Taco Week, promoting cultural activities in Central Kentucky among youth and the community. Smiley Pete produces the event; Casa de la Cultura Ky provides cultural programming partnership.
• Kentucky Beef CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Lexington Burger Week, providing prize packages including the 'Ultimate Grill Out' with outdoor grill, beef products, aprons, and grill gadgets for Burger Week social media contest winners.
• Clark Distributing / West Sixth BrewingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Lexington Burger Week. West Sixth Brewing (Clark Distributing) provides beer pairings for participating restaurants during Burger Week.
• Braxton Brewing Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Lexington Burger Week, providing beer pairing recommendations (Garage Beer, Tropic Storm) for restaurant participants during the event.
• WURTH USAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Crave Food & Music Festival car show, providing the People's Choice winner with a WURTH cabinet full of tools and products.
• VisitLex / Beyond Grits & Brewgrass TrailminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal tourism partners sponsoring Lexington Burger Week and other food events, promoting culinary tourism and local restaurant culture.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• StyleBlueprint: StyleBlueprint is a regional lifestyle media brand covering food, home, and community across multiple Southern metros with a strong digital/events model. Comparable in pairing local editorial with sponsored content and signature events for SMB advertisers.
• Axios Local: Axios Local is Axios's newsletter-led hyperlocal media network covering dozens of U.S. metros with Smart Brevity-style local news. Comparable in targeting local SMB advertisers with engaged metro audiences, but digital/newsletter-only without print or owned events.
• Patch.com: Patch.com operates a national network of hyperlocal news sites targeting community news and local advertising across U.S. towns and suburbs. Comparable in serving local advertisers seeking engaged community audiences, but as a scaled aggregator rather than a founder-led local publisher with events.
• 6AM City: 6AM City is a venture-backed hyperlocal media company operating email-first local newsletters across dozens of U.S. metros. Comparable in targeting engaged local audiences for SMB advertisers, but digital/newsletter-native rather than print + events like Smiley Pete.

Direct peers

• The Lane Report: The Lane Report is a long-running Kentucky-based business journal covering Central Kentucky and the Commonwealth's business community with a print and digital subscription model. It is a direct peer of Smiley Pete's Business Lexington, serving the same Kentucky B2B advertiser base with similar editorial cadence and target reader.
• Nashville Lifestyles: Nashville Lifestyles is a regional lifestyle magazine serving the Nashville metro, with features on food, neighborhoods, and culture plus signature consumer events. Comparable peer in a similarly-sized mid-size Southern metro with a strong restaurant and music-driven cultural identity.
• Indianapolis Monthly: Indianapolis Monthly is a long-running city magazine covering neighborhoods, food, arts, and business in Greater Indianapolis, with associated signature events and awards programs. Comparable in editorial scope (city + food + culture) and advertiser base (regional SMBs and restaurants) to Smiley Pete's portfolio.
• Cincinnati Magazine: Cincinnati Magazine is a regional city magazine covering dining, culture, neighborhoods, and local business in the Greater Cincinnati metro, with associated events (Best of Cincinnati, food festivals). Comparable to Smiley Pete's mix of city-level community magazine, food editorial, and signature consumer events.
• Block Club Chicago: Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit, journalist-led hyperlocal news outlet covering Chicago neighborhoods with strong community engagement and event presence. Comparable in being a deeply local, community-trusted media brand in a single metro with strong civic/reader relationships — analogous to Smiley Pete's Lexington footprint.
• Embarcadero Media Group: Embarcadero Media Group is a privately held, founder-led community newspaper/magazine publisher serving the Palo Alto/Stanford/Menlo Park area of California. It operates a portfolio of weekly community papers and a monthly lifestyle magazine with strong local advertising and event presence — the closest structural analog to Smiley Pete's combination of neighborhood magazines + business journal + local events in a single metro.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/chevychasermag
• Facebookfacebook.com/smileypete
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smiley-pete-publishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/SmileyPetePublishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Smiley Pete Publishing