Inside Houston’s creator economy: What successful creator/newsroom partnerships look like

A free virtual session from the Lenfest Audience Community of Practice

July 21, 2026

Join us in welcoming Houston-based creator Shawn Singh (@ShawnTheFoodSheep) and Jennifer Chang from the Houston Chronicle for a candid conversation on how the media and creator ecosystems are evolving and working together. Shawn will share how he’s building engaging food content and experimenting with new ways to connect with audiences, while Jennifer will discuss how traditional newsrooms are thinking about creators, audience engagement, and the challenge of innovating without alienating editorial staff.

Via Shawn’s and Jennifer’s collaboration, we’ll explore where creators and legacy media overlap, how audience expectations are changing, and what local media organizations can learn from independent voices building loyal online communities.

Date: Thursday, July 30 

Time: 2 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. CT / 12 p.m. MT / 11 a.m. PT

Guests:

• Shawn Singh, Houston food influencer @ShawnTheFoodSheep
• Jennifer Chang, Houston Chronicle