Photo by Lexi Coon.
Dan Starnes, founder of Starnes Media, speaks about how he turned one newspaper into a publishing and digital media company at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Nov. 8, 2017.
Since its inception, Starnes Media — the umbrella company covering both Starnes Digital and Starnes Publishing, which produces Village Living — has grown considerably in the communities its serves. During the November Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Nov. 8, Starnes Media founder Dan Starnes shared his story and what it means to have journalistic and marketing presences in the Birmingham area.
When Starnes first came to Birmingham, he was an assistant golf professional at Birmingham Country Club but soon found, “It was pretty obvious the golf business was not going to be my long-term future,” he said. “I was clearly not cut out for that business.”
So in 2008, he looked to find a sales job and landed one with the community newspaper 280 Living, which was started by Patti Henderson.
Three months later, in June 2008, Starnes purchased the business from Henderson for $10.
“I had no money, no credit and no experience in publishing, so it was really … a perfect place to start in an industry, you know, that kind of had some trouble at that time,” he joked.
With the list of contacts he had accumulated over the months he was a salesperson, his frugal nature and single lifestyle, Starnes was able to devote extra time to his new publishing company.
“I didn’t splurge on a lot of things. My office was the old Joe Muggs in English Village,” he said, adding that he would sit outside at night and use their Wifi to work. In 2009, he met his wife Alison Grizzle, who convinced him to get Wifi in his apartment and purchase a Blackberry. But the time he spent before purchasing those tools, he said, helped him learn more about running a business and how to be resourceful.
“When I started out, all I really understood was I could only spend what I could spend and no more,” he said. “It was a really good lesson in business. You’ve got what you have, and that’s what you have to work with.”
It wasn’t much longer until Starnes was sliding a copy of the first Village Living paper under the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce’s door in early 2010.
“I came back a few days later … and we just hit it off. We joined the chamber and our relationship took off and so did the newspaper from then on,” he said. “I really consider Suzan [Doidge] more of a co-founder than a chamber director.”
Village Living has gone on to be a sponsor for many community events and quickly became a Gold Member of the Chamber of Commerce.
“Being a part of the community is obviously at the core of what we do,” he said.
In just a few short years, Starnes grew his company from one paper to seven, covering Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Birmingham proper and Trussville in addition to the 280 corridor and Mountain Brook. The papers and its advertisements have won numerous awards through the Alabama Press Association and have continued to grow both in numbers and in content within communities.
In 2016, Starnes went on to his next venture, Starnes Digital.
Through this other branch — which is under the umbrella of Starnes Media — the company works on website design and development, graphic design, social media, business strategy and videography and motion graphics, among other things.
Grizzle, who earned the 2013-14 Alabama Teacher of Year title, came on board around the same time as the director of organizational development through her new business Clearview Strategy Partners.
But in the upcoming years, Starnes is still looking to improve upon what has already been built.
“We really want to continue to be the leader in community journalism. We want to continue to enhance our journalism, enhance our stories,” he said. He is also looking to work hand-in-hand with local businesses and clients to help them in both marketing and strategy. “There’s a lot that we can do to walk hand in hand with our clients, and that’s our goal.”
After the death of his father earlier this year, Starnes said he had a realization.
“Life is short, no matter how long you live,” he said. “He was 82, and our time here on Earth is really short. I think about that and I just want to make the most of it because that’s all we’ve got. It doesn’t matter if you live to be 45 or 85, our time here on Earth goes by in a blink.”
Editor's note: This article was updated at 8:02 p.m. on Nov. 8 to correct Shoal Creek Country Club to Birmingham Country Club.
