Gerador

In 2014, Gerador was launched on social media to focus on the arts and culture in Portugal, aiming to be a sort of "love letter to the Portuguese culture", its co-founder and co-director Tiago Sigorelho says.

The team behind Gerador didn't have enough money to launch a website, so they started by creating and promoting unique content on social media. "We looked at Facebook and Instagram with the awareness that people see it as a channel where they can get all the information they need and not just as a vehicle towards another channel where the rest of the information awaits them," Sigorelho says.

At the same time, Gerador launched a print magazine and organised and promoted cultural events in Portugal.

Quickly, Gerador's digital presence on social media grew, drawing attention to the other areas of the project. "If it weren't for social media, Gerador wouldn't exist today," Sigorelho says.

In 2016, the team launched a website, prioritising slow journalism and publishing information on culture but also education, youth, sustainability, environment, inequality, and science. Besides, the audience can find information about the events that Gerador organises and the Gerador Academy, an educational space with workshops on journalism, applications for grants, event production, photography, editing, and software design.

Furthermore, Gerador aims to help young people to enter the media industry by providing grants for journalists under 35 and partnering with schools and universities across Portugal. "At Gerador, we understand that young people have fewer opportunities to join the labour market. We want to give them a chance to make their voices heard," the editorial director Andreia Monteiro says.

Gerador employs 24 people across the newsroom, cultural events, and the Gerador Academy. Its income comes from the revenue generated by the Academy, events production, and consultancy in culture.