Cary, NC – BlueLena, the industry-leading agency helping publishers accelerate business transformation and increase funding for journalism, today announced that Nichole Bonner and Sam Hoisington have joined the company as Publisher Success Managers.
In their new roles, Bonner and Hoisington will work directly with publishing partners to help them deepen audience engagement, optimize revenue strategies, and build long-term financial resilience.
Nichole Bonner will lead a new practice dedicated to subscription-based publications, supporting publishers focused on audience growth, engagement, paid digital subscription acquisition, renewals, and reader retention. With deep experience working alongside editorial and revenue teams at Gannett, McClatchy and most recently the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Bonner will help publishers align audience strategy with sustainable subscription growth.
Sam Hoisington will support emerging-stage membership-driven journalism organizations, working with newsrooms that rely on member contributions, donor engagement, and community-powered revenue models. Hoisington brings a strong background in audience development and nonprofit journalism, helping publishers strengthen trust, participation, and long-term member value.
Prior to joining BlueLena, Hoisington held strategy consulting roles with Indiegraf and News Revenue Hub. He is also the co-founder of Madison Minutes, as well as the founder of Bentonville Bulletin which he continues to operate today.
“Nichole and Sam bring deep experience and valuable skillsets that reflect the diversity of publishing business models today,” said Ned Berke, Chief Strategy Officer at BlueLena. “As more organizations refine their subscription and membership strategies, having dedicated leaders focused on these distinct models allows us to better serve publishers by accelerating their audience and revenue growth.”
The additions come as BlueLena continues to expand its publisher services and platform capabilities, supporting over two-hundred and fifty local, nonprofit, and independent news organizations with navigating a rapidly changing media landscape.
About BlueLena
BlueLena is a strategy consulting and audience management platform founded in 2020 to support the sustainability of independent local media, collectively raising more than $100 million in direct support for journalism over five years.
By combining cutting-edge technology with expert-driven services, BlueLena has helped 250+ news organizations across North America develop audiences and grow subscription, membership, and donation models.
Our unique shared-resource management approach provides publishers, regardless of size, with access to enterprise-level tools and personalized support, enabling them to focus on high-quality journalism while building loyal, revenue-generating audiences.
BlueLena is majority employee-owned, and backed by investors including Automattic (the parent company of WordPress), the Local Media Association, and Old Town Media.