Watermark Publishing Group
Watermark Publishing Group is a privately held Orlando-based LGBTQ+ news publisher founded in 1994, operating Watermark Out News with bureaus in Central Florida and Tampa Bay. It generates revenue from advertising, print subscriptions, and branded content, reaching Florida's LGBTQ+ community through digital, print, podcast, and multi-channel social media.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersOrlando, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Watermark Publishing Group does
Watermark Publishing Group, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a privately held news publishing house operating under the brand Watermark Out News. The company produces LGBTQ+ focused journalism covering Central Florida, Tampa Bay, Florida state, national, and world news alongside arts, culture, lifestyle, and opinion content. Its core product is a digital-first news publication delivered through a WordPress-based website with a custom theme, supplemented by a podcast (Wine Wine Not), a business directory for LGBTQ+-friendly businesses, an events calendar, and email newsletters, with bilingual English/Spanish coverage. The company also offers paid print subscriptions distributed across Florida physical locations.
The business operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and is led by founder Tom Dyer, Editor-in-Chief Ryan Williams-Jent, and Central Florida Bureau Chief Bellanee Plaza. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: traditional advertising placements across digital and print formats, recurring print subscription revenue, and branded content/sponsored editorial packages. Its go-to-market is community-led, reaching LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in Florida through owned digital properties and a broad social media presence spanning Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Bluesky.
Operationally, Watermark runs dedicated editorial bureaus for Central Florida and Tampa Bay, covering local politics, community events, arts, culture, and wedding planning resources. The publication maintains a donations/support function alongside its commercial streams, suggesting a hybrid community-supported model. Geographic scope is regional to Florida with national and world news reach, and the company shows no evidence of parent-company ownership, public listing, venture funding, or AI-driven technology capabilities.
Watermark Publishing Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Watermark Publishing Group
- Legal name
- Watermark Out News
- Website
- https://watermarkonline.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Watermark Publishing Group is a privately held Orlando-based LGBTQ+ news publisher founded in 1994, operating Watermark Out News with bureaus in Central Florida and Tampa Bay. It generates revenue from advertising, print subscriptions, and branded content, reaching Florida's LGBTQ+ community through digital, print, podcast, and multi-channel social media.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Watermark Publishing Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community News Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Publishing Networks & Multi-Author Publications (MPACAIAG)
Keywords
Where Watermark Publishing Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orlando
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Watermark Publishing Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising: Traditional advertising placements across digital and print formats
- Print Subscriptions: Paid print edition subscriptions for physical delivery
- Branded Content: Sponsored content and branded editorial packages
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Watermark Publishing Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Watermark Publishing Group operates Watermark Out News, a digital and print LGBTQ+ news publication covering Central Florida, Tampa Bay, Florida state, national, and world news alongside arts, culture, living, and opinion content. The company sells advertising placements, branded content packages, and paid print edition subscriptions, supplemented by a podcast (Wine Wine Not), a business directory, an events calendar, and email newsletters targeting the LGBTQ+ community and allies in Florida.
Product overview
Watermark Publishing Group operates Watermark Out News as its primary digital LGBTQ+ news publication covering Florida and national news, arts, culture, and opinion. The portfolio includes supplementary offerings: the Wine Wine Not Podcast for audio content, a Business Directory for community commerce, an Events feature for local LGBTQ+ events, and email newsletter subscriptions. Print editions are available through subscription for those seeking physical copies. The publication uses a WordPress-based website with a custom theme (watermark-theme) to deliver its content across multiple formats.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Watermark Out News (Digital Publication) A digital LGBTQ+ news publication covering Central Florida, Tampa Bay, Florida state, national, and world news, along with arts, culture, living, and opinion content for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies.
- Wine Wine Not Podcast A podcast offering LGBTQ+ themed audio content and discussions, distributed via YouTube and other podcast platforms.
- Business Directory An online directory listing service for LGBTQ+-friendly businesses in the Florida coverage area, used by readers for community discovery.
- Events Calendar An events listing and calendar feature covering LGBTQ+ community events in Florida.
- Email Newsletters Email newsletter subscriptions keeping subscribers updated on LGBTQ+ news and community content.
- Print Edition Subscription Paid print edition subscriptions delivered physically to subscribers across Central Florida and Tampa Bay.
Companies that use Watermark Publishing Group
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Watermark Publishing Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Watermark Publishing Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Watermark Publishing Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Gay City News: New York City-area LGBTQ+ weekly newspaper and digital outlet. Operates with a similar regional-community-led publishing model targeting a specific metro's LGBTQ+ audience.
- Dallas Voice: Texas-based LGBTQ+ news publication operating in print and digital. Comparable regional-niche community journalism model with multiple revenue streams including advertising.
- Georgia Voice: Atlanta-based LGBTQ+ news outlet in the Southeast US. Direct regional counterpart to Watermark with overlapping advertiser and reader audiences across the Southeast LGBTQ+ community.
- Washington Blade: DC-area LGBTQ+ news outlet (print + digital) with national reach. Same niche press/community-journalism model in a different metro; structurally comparable to Watermark's regional news approach.
- Bay Area Reporter: San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ+ news outlet (long-running print + digital). Closest analog in business model to Watermark: regional LGBTQ+ coverage, print + digital, ad-supported.
- Philadelphia Gay News: Philadelphia LGBTQ+ news publication with a long operating history in print and digital. Closely mirrors Watermark's mix of news, arts, opinion and event coverage in a single metro.
Direct peers
- Out Magazine: Major LGBTQ+ lifestyle, culture and news publication with national digital reach. Overlaps directly with Watermark's news, opinion and arts & culture verticals and competes for branded-content dollars.
- Queerty: Digital LGBTQ+ news and commentary outlet covering politics, culture and entertainment. Competes for Florida digital readership and advertiser share with Watermark Out News.
- The Advocate: The longest-running and largest LGBTQ+ news publication in the US, covering national and regional stories. Direct competitor for advertising and reader attention across the same LGBTQ+ demographic Watermark serves in Florida.
Emerging players
- Outsports: LGBTQ+ sports-focused news site owned by a national LGBTQ+ publisher. Partially overlaps with Watermark's content verticals (sports, community coverage) and competes for advertising from LGBTQ+-targeted brands.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Watermark Publishing Group social profiles
Digital presenceWatermark Publishing Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Watermark Publishing Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Watermark Publishing Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Watermark Publishing Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Watermark Publishing Group
What does Watermark Publishing Group do?
Watermark Publishing Group operates Watermark Out News, a digital and print LGBTQ+ news publication covering Central Florida, Tampa Bay, Florida state, national, and world news alongside arts, culture, living, and opinion content. The company sells advertising placements, branded content packages, and paid print edition subscriptions, supplemented by a podcast (Wine Wine Not), a business directory, an events calendar, and email newsletters targeting the LGBTQ+ community and allies in Florida.
Is Watermark Publishing Group a public or private company?
Watermark Publishing Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Watermark Publishing Group founded?
Watermark Publishing Group was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Watermark Publishing Group based?
Watermark Publishing Group is headquartered in Orlando, United States, in the North America region.
How does Watermark Publishing Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are print Subscriptions and branded Content.
Who are Watermark Publishing Group's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Gay City News, Dallas Voice, Georgia Voice, Washington Blade, Bay Area Reporter and Philadelphia Gay News. Direct peers are Out Magazine, Queerty and The Advocate. Outsports is listed as an emerging player.
Does Watermark Publishing Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Watermark Publishing Group.
What industry is Watermark Publishing Group in?
Watermark Publishing Group's product category is Community News Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAIAG, Publishing Networks & Multi-Author Publications. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.