What We Do
The Press Play Tour
a cross-country tour convening local media, with a focus on innovation and video, to help shape a meaningful future for us all. Press Play in your city!
Jackson, Mississippi
Press Play Jackson
Our inaugural stop on the Press Play tour is in Jackson, Mississippi, with our community partners at Deep South Today and Mississippi Today.
Join us for a day of solutions-focused conversations, future-looking panels, an inspiring screening of local work, and excellent people bridging the gap between all media sectors. Ticket availabilities limited!
DC / Maryland / Virginia
Press Play Chesapeake Bay
We're thrilled to host Press Play Chesapeake Bay, in partnership with University of Maryland's Phillip Merrill College of Journalism, on Friday, September 19-Saturday, September 20, 2025.
About
Press Play is a cross-country tour convening local media, with a focus on innovation and video, to shape an interconnected, meaningful future for all. Powered by Knight Foundation.
Each stop on the Press Play tour is a day of collaborative panels, breakout sessions, film screenings, and festivities, all tailored to and guided by local creatives and local media organizations.
The goal? To foster cross-sector collaboration, embrace and reimagine new forms of media from the ground up, and bring the press and the public together to celebrate their city.
The way we consume information is rapidly changing, and there’s a huge gap in how new and traditional media connect.
Nonfiction creators are innovating, often without access to broader support networks, while established organizations are searching for new tools to share stories and reach audiences.
Led by YOU, Press Play is bridging the gap.
Press Play’s mission is to help strengthen local ties while shining a light on the fresh talent, vibrant culture, and distinct storytelling magic coming out of cities and local regions across the United States.
Us, Video Consortium!
Video Consortium is a local-first, global nonprofit media network that supports thousands of nonfiction filmmakers, journalists, and creators producing critical video journalism within their own communities. Our local gatherings, workshops, and programs run across dozens of cities around the United States and world.
The Press Play tour, powered by Knight Foundation, brings VC’s trusted convening power to cities around the country where a light should be shined — building resilience, collaboration, and community care along the way.
Awesome. Email us at press.play@videoconsortium.org.
We offer a variety of ways to get involved and welcome you to email us. No matter how we collaborate, by supporting the tour, you'll:
Strengthen local media:
Trustworthy press is the immune system of American democracy. The Press Play tour actively combats misinformation and parachute journalism, pushes against media monopolies, and builds up local journalism communities by encouraging cross-sector collaboration and the use of new formats.
Increase community engagement:
Video is the primary way people engage with information. Press Play spotlights this shift by uplifting local talent and the next generation of nonfiction visual creators, while encouraging the public and the press to engage in active, solutions-focused dialogue.
Press Play is made possible by our fantastic partners:
