By Stephanie Zucarelli
Burt Herman is one of the main driving forces behind Hacks/Hackers, the organization that created a crucial collaborative space for journalists and technologists. This creative ecosystem has expanded globally and aims to revolutionize digital storytelling.
Burt started working for the Associated Press (AP) in 1996 and served as a foreign correspondent reporting on conflicts, culture, disasters, business, and international politics across Europe, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Asia.
In 2009, the journalist decided to quit his formal job to launch Storify, a social storytelling application that grew a community of almost 2 million users. During his transition from the AP to the startup world, Herman discovered instances where journalists struggled to connect with their audience and failed to collaborate with digital specialists.
Inspired by the situation, Burt organized his first Hacks/Hackers gathering. Shortly after, he joined forces with Aron Pilhofer of The New York Times and Rich Gordon from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, who also proposed to develop a network of people interested in web/digital application development to support the work of journalists.
Hacks/Hackers quickly gained momentum, and the team built an infrastructure to support the numerous self-initiated chapters that sprouted across the United States and later expanded globally.
Aside from his role as a leader within Hacks/Hackers, Burt Herman also worked as the Director of Consumer Products at Condé Nast (The New Yorker, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Wired, Bon Appétit, GQ, and more). In 2021, he became the CEO of Lede, a platform that manages subscription and membership infrastructure for emerging news publishers.
Burt Herman will be one of the guest speakers on Day 1 of Media Party Chicago, where he will be revisiting the journey of Hacks/Hackers.
Don’t miss out on Media Party Chicago (June 8–10). More info at mediaparty.org.
