It's been said that the key to a good business is to do something no one else is doing or to do it better than anyone else.  We believe we have both with this project.

U Metro reaches out to an underserved niche of the African-American community with a media concept aimed directly at it.

In Print and Online

The first step is creating a glossy lifestyle publication to be published quarterly that tells our stories and reflects our lives as they are and how we would like them to be.  It will look at issues facing us but also explore the good life. In addition to stories about money, health, public affairs and religion, we cover food, travel, entertainment, fashion, the arts and more.  We'll tell the stories of those working to make our families stronger and our communities better.

In addition to the magazine, we will launch concurrently a companion website that will be robust and feature multimedia content.

Unique Opportunity

Our content is geared to an upscale audience of black professionals, a group growing in influence and affluence.  No one else is specifically targeting this group here and we believe it offers us a tremendous opportunity.  And it's not just about targeting this group, but those who aspire and are working hard to become part of it.

Also, the time to do this is right.  We are targeting this fall to unveil our first issue in time for one of our state's biggest sporting events, the Magic City Classic, which attracts tens of thousands of people in our demographic who will all be in one place.

In addition, the timing positions us well to take advantage of the many events that will take place here in 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of some of the most historic moments of the Civil Rights Movement.

Backed by Experience

While we will launch this project to serve audiences in and around Alabama, we see its reach extending across the South.  With the help of the experienced team at award-winning B-Metro magazine, which will be providing production and distribution support, we will put out a high-quality publication rivaling the top magazines in its class. And our web designers are providing us with a state-of-the-art online presence.

In the months we've been working on this concept we have generated significant interest as well as some advertising sales.  But not enough to make the journalistic splash needed to be successful.

We are seeking the funding we're requesting to put out our first issue of the magazine this fall.  The funds will go largely to production and distribution costs as well as to content (a great deal of which we have already prepared).  We are anticipating an initial run of 25,000 to 30,000 issues to be distributed to the key markets of the state.

But we need your help to make this happen.  In addition to the rewards we offer is the chance to do something that will make a difference and provide a voice for those who are already part of this audience and those who want to be.

Thank you for your time and for your consideration of this project.