Durango, Colorado — In an era where news deserts are rapidly expanding and trust in traditional media continues to erode, Laurie Sigillito is quietly pioneering a revolution—one micropolitan town at a time. As the founder and CEO of Local NEWS Network (LNN), Sigillito is on a mission not just to save local journalism, but to rebuild it from the ground up with a fresh, community-first ethos that challenges convention and rewrites outdated rules.
Her journey began not with a journalistic calling, but in survival mode.
“I wish I could say I was called,” Sigillito reflects, “but I was just trying to solve a problem.” That problem started nearly 15 years ago when her company won a digital advertising contract at a regional airport. This led to investments in digital displays and video production, at a time when YouTube was still an upstart. But as she built the infrastructure for video advertising, she stumbled onto a deeper challenge: no one had videos to play.
So, Sigillito bought a video production company, began producing content, and gradually started learning the ins and outs of media—eventually realizing that local news wasn’t just a distribution problem, it was a survival crisis.
Local News Reimagined
At its heart, Local NEWS Network is a hybrid of technology, storytelling, and strategic distribution. With a focus on micropolitan communities, smaller towns that often fall outside the radar of mainstream media, LNN delivers short-form, celebratory, video-based news via in-store displays, online platforms, and community partners.
What sets LNN apart isn’t just the format or the tech. It’s the ethos.
“We’re not chasing clickbait. We’re focused on accessible, positive, community-driven news,” Sigillito explains. “We want to make local news something people can be proud of again.”
Building a Business in the Shadows of Giants
Yet, the path hasn’t been easy. Sigillito’s early years were defined by bootstrapping, burnout, and an unrelenting pressure to make payroll. She cashed out her 401k, hauled camera equipment to college football games, and once found herself calling play-by-play from the sidelines just to keep the lights on.
Her turning point came when an employee betrayed her trust and left with sensitive business contacts. “I went into warrior mode,” she says. That moment of betrayal catalyzed a series of strategic shifts that saved the business, and in retrospect, improved it.
Sigillito learned that adversity wasn’t a threat to the mission; it was part of the mission.
The Risks No One Saw Coming
Ironically, the biggest risk didn’t come from technology or finance. It came from power structures entrenched in small-town life. “When I launched a local news company, suddenly people treated me differently,” she recalls. “They were fine with me owning a sign company. But owning media? That scared them.”
It wasn’t just about gender bias—though that surfaced too. It was about control. “News exposes things,” she says. “And when you’re in a small town, even telling positive stories can feel threatening to those used to controlling the narrative.”
A Model Rooted in Place, Purpose, and People
Having lived in Dallas, Silicon Valley, and New York City before landing in Durango, Sigillito brings a unique lens to rural journalism. She’s quick to point out that rural communities operate from a mindset of scarcity, not abundance—a dynamic that makes trust, loyalty, and access more challenging but more vital.
“Small towns aren’t just smaller versions of big cities. They’re entirely different ecosystems,” she says.
That’s why LNN doesn’t just distribute news. It hires local reporters, celebrates local businesses, and builds local trust. One story about a Navajo-owned soap company. Another about a woman-run mobility van business that generated $80,000 in sales after a feature. These aren’t just feel-good anecdotes, they’re validations of a model designed to uplift rather than exploit.
Failing Forward
Not every rollout has gone as planned. The team’s attempt to expand to Salem, Oregon, illuminated the risks of brand control when local teams create content independently. “We realized we can’t franchise the brand,” she says. “But we can white-label the technology.”
This insight led to a pivot: instead of building dozens of Local News Networks, the company now aims to empower existing local media outlets with its technology—allowing them to publish, monetize, and distribute content using LNN’s platform.
“It’s not about owning the news,” she explains. “It’s about enabling it.”
Legacy in the Making
Sigillito is clear-eyed about her legacy. She doesn’t expect to become a media mogul. But she does want her children to know she fought for something that mattered.
“If we can create a replicable model that helps rebuild local journalism across the country, that would be amazing,” she says. “Even if I’m not around to see it.”
In a time when trust in media is at an all-time low, Sigillito’s Local NEWS Network is rewriting the rules of journalism with transparency, community, and humanity at its core.
Support the Next Generation Through Local Storytelling
This year, Local NEWS Network is launching a powerful new initiative to spotlight the youth organizations quietly shaping the future of our communities—groups like The Hive, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Colorado, La Plata Youth Services, and the Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County & Southern Ute Indian Tribe. Through in-depth video storytelling, LNN will elevate these nonprofits’ impact, fuel regional awareness, and help amplify the voices of those shaping the next generation.
Join the movement. Support local journalism. Invest in local youth.
Make a Donation.
