Homepages, Source Merger to Create BIGRmedia Digital Company

BIGR Media

Home Page Media Group and Source Local Media, two Nashville-area hyperlocal media companies have announced intentions to formally merge as BIGRmedia.

After a successful three-month period under an interim operating agreement, the combined operations yielded a 30 percent revenue increase amidst rapid expansion of the companies’ hyperlocal news and sports website operations, and its digital marketing services unit that focuses on small and mid-size businesses.

“We had a very strong sense that we could do much more together than when we were apart,” said Steven Ludwig, co-founder of Source Local Media. “And we’ve captured almost all of the potential benefits we expected, plus a few more unforeseen.”

The companies engaged in an interim operating agreement that effectively merged operations June 1 of this year.

“The merger will allow us to complete integration of the sales and editorial teams, and focus on building our customer service capabilities. We are maximizing our footprint in the Greater Nashville Area with existing properties while we prepare for a much broader expansion,” said Kelly Gilfillan, co-founder of Home Page Media Group.

bigr-logo-finalThat broader expansion includes an initial round of private equity funding which BIGR Media expects to complete by the end of the year. At that point, the company plans to move on to other markets seeking publishers with whom to partner on future news sites using the BIGR Media news delivery system, WordPress platform and social strategy.

Presently, the company is rolling out three divisions, including news, sports and marketing. Events are the next arm of the company expansion planned for 2017.

“We have been meeting with investor groups sharing our vision for the future of media in the online hyperlocal news space as well as digital marketing services. We believe the consumption of news benefits the advertiser when there is an intersection of credible daily news, native content and social media strategy,” Gilfillan said.

“That is where our new company name emerged. We are focused on ‘Big Ideas’ and ‘Great Results’ for our customers.”

Helping each advertiser build its personal model in this system has taken some training and the company executives are continually striving to improve processes.

“Marketing a small or very small business in the digital age has become more complicated. As a result, our customers face bigger challenges connecting with consumers,” Ludwig said.

“At the same time, the disruption of traditional local media leaves communities dangerously under-served. The intersection of these two conditions creates opportunity for hyperlocal media to creatively connect businesses and consumers in entirely new ways.”

The companies have watched the shift from desktop to mobile during the past seven years and shifted their strategies to accommodate the changes. Teaching their customers to do the same is a daily mission.

“Over 50 percent of all information seen today is on a cell phone and the distribution of interesting content through social media is a major force that every advertiser needs to address. BIGR Media will be the key digital partner for advertisers to address this trend,” said Kip Dodson, Chief of Business Development.

Gilfillan, who co-founded Home Page Media Group in 2009 with a single website that grew to four by 2015, will serve as Chief Operating Officer of the new company.

Ludwig, Chief Executive Officer, co-founded Williamson Source in 2012 with Corey Little, who today serves as the combined companies’ Creative Director and CTO, with a single website that grew to three by 2015. In 2014, Ludwig, Little and Dodson co-founded Source Local Media.

The two companies co-founded an additional eight sites since 2015 to show how great content pushed through primarily digital and social media format is rapidly the best way to distribute great content as well as advertise. They have also co-produced lifestyle events and expanded deeper into digital marketing services since that time.

More information on the new organization is at BIGRmedia.com.

BIGR Media is a hyper-local media company based in Brentwood, TN that operates 14 websites: eight local news brands, five regional sports brands, and one regional lifestyle brand; in addition to events production, digital marketing services, and publisher services units.