What The Connector does

The Connector is the award-winning, editorially independent student news and entertainment publication serving the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Atlanta campus, founded in 2007. It publishes digital-first content across categories including Arts & Entertainment (art, music, beauty, fashion, film & television, books, food & drink), Media (video, comics, photography, multimedia), News (SCAD ATL, local, national, international, public safety), Opinion, and Features. The platform is built on a WordPress content management system and distributed exclusively through its website (scadconnector.com), with no print edition, mobile app, or paywall. The publication has accumulated over 587 pages of archival content and maintains membership in three collegiate press associations: the Associated Collegiate Press, the Georgia College Press Association, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

The organization is operated entirely by SCAD Atlanta students who serve as editors, writers, photographers, and multimedia contributors, with all editorial decisions made independently of the college administration. All content rights are retained by the publication itself, and a disclaimer explicitly states that opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the college. A related publication, SCAN Magazine (scadscan.com), is linked from The Connector's navigation as a companion SCAD-affiliated media outlet. No formal legal incorporation, ownership structure, or external investment has been disclosed.

The business model relies on display advertising sold to local businesses and services targeting SCAD students, though no revenue figures, pricing details, or sales infrastructure have been disclosed. Audience acquisition is driven by organic search, social sharing, and word-of-mouth within the SCAD Atlanta student body, with no paid marketing. Content is freely accessible to all readers. The organization operates as a single-office, single-campus collegiate media outlet with a transient student contributor base rather than a commercial enterprise, and is not structured to pursue external investment, acquisitions, or geographic expansion.

Name

The Connector

Legal name

The Connector

Website

https://scadconnector.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Connector is an editorially independent, student-run news and entertainment publication serving SCAD Atlanta since 2007. It publishes digital content across arts, news, opinion, and culture categories via a WordPress website, supported by display advertising and student contributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The publication maintains an advertising page suggesting they sell ad placements to local businesses and services targeting SCAD students. Revenue is generated through display advertising on the website.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Connector is an editorially independent, student-run online news and entertainment publication serving the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Atlanta campus. It publishes articles across arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, news, opinion, and multimedia categories. Content is produced by SCAD Atlanta student editors and contributors and distributed free of charge through the scadconnector.com website.

Product overview

The Connector is a single-platform student news and entertainment website offering editorial content across multiple categories including Arts & Entertainment (Art, Music, Beauty, Fashion, Film & Television, Books, Food & Drink), Media (Video, Comics, Photography, Multimedia), News (SCAD ATL, Local, National, International, Public Safety), Opinion, and Features. It operates as an editorially independent publication governed by student editors and is affiliated with SCAN Magazine as a related SCAD publication. The platform has been publishing since 2007 and serves as the primary news source for the SCAD Atlanta campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Associated Collegiate PressminorOthersMembership organization for student publications. Provides standards, resources, and recognition for collegiate media.
• Georgia College Press AssociationminorOthersState-level press association for college media in Georgia. Provides recognition and professional standards for student publications.
• Columbia Scholastic Press AssociationminorOthersNational organization connecting college and secondary school media. Provides guidelines and recognition for student journalism.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Pennsylvanian: Independent student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania with a similar editorially independent, ad-supported digital publishing model serving a single campus community.
• The Stanford Daily: Editorially independent student-run newspaper at Stanford operating on a WordPress/digital publishing stack with display advertising, comparable in structure and audience-niche focus to The Connector.
• The Michigan Daily: Independent student newspaper at the University of Michigan, organized as a nonprofit with editorially independent student staff and advertising-funded digital publishing.
• The Harvard Crimson: Long-running editorially independent student daily at Harvard with a similar nonprofit, student-staffed, ad-supported online publishing model and an extensive multi-decade content archive.
• The Daily Northwestern: Independent student newspaper at Northwestern University operating with editorially independent student staff and digital-first publishing funded by display advertising.
• SCAN Magazine: SCAD-affiliated student magazine referenced on The Connector's site as a related publication, serving the same Savannah College of Art and Design student community across complementary media formats.
• Student Life (Washington University): Independent student newspaper at Washington University in St. Louis operating on a similar WordPress-based digital publishing model serving a single-campus audience with display advertising.

Emerging players

• Her Campus Media: A national network of college student contributors producing lifestyle and entertainment content targeted at female university audiences, comparable as a student-content media platform but operating at national scale.
• The Odyssey Online: Student-driven online publication with contributor chapters across many universities producing lifestyle, entertainment, and opinion content, overlapping in niche and audience with The Connector.

Broad incumbents

• BuzzFeed News (legacy) / Vice Media college verticals: Larger digital publishers targeting millennial and Gen Z audiences with arts/entertainment content, competing for the same student-reader attention and advertiser dollars at national scale.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SCADConnector
• Facebookfacebook.com/scadconnector
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scad-s-scan-magazine-the-connector

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Connector