MTC Class of 2025 Builds Momentum at NYC Session
“It’s less about pushing harder and more about understanding the s-curve.”
September 19, 2025
NEW YORK CITY, NY – The Media Transformation Challenge Class of 2025 gathered in New York City last week for four packed days of core concept deep dives, meaningful conversations, hands-on collaboration, and inspiring site visits.
Fellows kicked off the week at The Associated Press’ World Trade Center headquarters, thanks to AP VP of Standards and MTC Coach Amanda Barrett (‘17, ‘20), with long-form performance challenge updates that surfaced tough questions, fresh insights, and generous coach and peer support.
“Having mentors, peers, and a performance-driven space to experiment and take risks has been invaluable in helping me navigate transitions, stretch my capabilities, and step confidently into new levels of impact,” Fellow Clarice Bajkowki, Chief Creative Office at The 19th, said.
Tuesday centered on listening and influence: how active listening sharpens trust and understanding, builds momentum, and how the Power/Opinion Matrix can help move stakeholders “up and to the left” toward momentum. Fellows also delivered performance challenge updates on their progress up the s-curve, including:
- A major metropolitan legacy radio station is evolving from a traditional broadcaster to a multi-platform, on-demand media company reaching young audiences where they are, achieving growth goals of 30% on YouTube, 60% on Spotify, and 100% in revenue.
- A mission-driven metropolitan newsroom is scaling from a niche, feature-driven outlet to a daily, multi-platform, community-anchored source — securing funding, expanding staff, and driving audience growth (+25% pageviews, +50% social) to cement its position as a trusted news provider.
- An established ethnic media outlet is evolving from serving first-generation immigrants to a cross-generational cultural resource, leveraging personas, social-first storytelling, and youth co-creation to boost next-gen engagement (+700% website) while setting bold goals for expanded reach and community impact.
“The strength of this fellowship lies in the diversity of challenges fellows bring,” Centre for Journalism Innovation & Development Program Director, Akindtunde Babatunde, said. “It gives me a trusted cohort I can lean on whenever I face similar hurdles in my own work.”
“It was encouraging to hear leaders talk about sharing the tools learned in this fellowship program with their teams, and how it’s making a positive impact on their internal workflows and strategies,” Maple Walker Lloyd, Block Club Chicago’s Senior Director of Development added.
Tuesday evening featured a reception at the historic New Amsterdam News, where President & Chief Revenue Officer and ’25 MTC Knight Fellow Siobhan Bennett shared her vision to transform the nation’s oldest and most influential Black newspaper’s Harlem headquarters into a community center and museum that preserves its legacy while opening new spaces for dialogue and engagement.
Wednesday featured a rare opportunity, courtesy of Barbara Chai (‘25), to visit The New York Times for a candid Q&A with Managing Editor Mark Lacey (‘18) and Matt Ericson (‘16). Fellows then sat in on the 4 p.m. news meeting led by Michael Slackman (‘14), toured the newsroom, and explored its 170-year history in the Museum at The Times.
On Thursday, Fran Scarlett introduced the Business Model Canvas – applied both to organizational challenges and career planning – while Executive Director Charlie Baum guided the class through S-curve dynamics: diagnosing “the beginning of the end” and what it takes to reach the top.
“The most helpful insight I’ve found in moving up the s-curve is realizing that growth isn’t linear, and that the moments that feel like plateaus often hold the richest lessons,” Bajkowski said. “For me, it’s been less about pushing harder and more about understanding where I am on the s-curve, leaning into support, and embracing the learning that happens in the space between comfort, mastery, and giving myself grace along the way.”
