She Brings Extensive Experience in Marketing, Publishing and Development to Region’s Alternative Newsweekly
CAPITAL REGION – Tracy Strann has been named publisher of the alternative newsweekly The Alt.
Strann, most recently chief marketing + corporate development officer with Saratoga Performing Arts Center, brings extensive experience in marketing, publishing and development to her position with the news and arts tabloid, founded in November 2016.
In her former post, Strann was executive editor of SPAC 50: Celebrating 50 Years of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, a commemorative large format book, which won the prestigious 2017 IPPY Independent Book Publisher Gold Medal Award.
“In the course of its first 15 months, The Alt has become an important force and an important voice in the Capital Region and beyond,” says Strann. “The paper offers a unique perspective on the arts scene, and is unafraid to tackle the harder social issues and political topics that challenge our community. I look forward to strengthening the financial health of The Alt while supporting its robust editorial scope.”
Alongside stints with major New York agencies Carat MBS and Deutsch, Inc., Strann, independently and through her own consulting firm, Tracy Strann + Associates, has worked in event production, advertising, publicity and sponsorship for Condé Nast publishing clients such as Allure, GQ, New Yorker, Self and Wired. In the entertainment world, Strann has provided similar services for Woodstock ’94, Metropolitan Entertainment, New Music Seminar, multiple Broadway shows, and several touring companies, theatres and festivals.
From 2008–2012, Strann, a Saratoga Springs resident who mentors in Arts Administration at Skidmore College, was also director of External Affairs at the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live.
The Alt — a joint project of Overit, Proctors and The Daily Gazette—is the premiere alternative newsweekly of the Capital Region, featuring in-depth coverage of local and state politics; trends; business; personalities; and opinion, along with a unique take on arts and entertainment. With a motto of “Provoke. Inform. Inspire.” The Alt is distributed each Wednesday at 450 locations throughout the area, with an 80+ percent pickup rate, considerably higher than the national average for similar publications. The Alt’s website, thealt.com, reaches 50–80K viewers weekly.
“With her nationwide experience and deep skill set, Tracy is the right person to steer The Alt, and she arrives at the right time,” says Proctors CEO Philip Morris. “We—Proctors, along with the Gazette and Overit—had a vision for The Alt. We wanted to fill a void in local journalism, to be a platform for the unheard stories. Tracy will guide us as we step further along that path.”
