Launching The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly has felt amazing so far. Have you ever shared an idea you thought people would laugh at, only to find out they really like it? That’s how it feels! It’s perfectly aligned, like my good sis Ada V. Rojas taught me. We don’t need to hustle and “grind” and we shouldn’t do work that goes against our morals. Creating The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly feels p e a c e f u l. So far everyone I’ve talked to (except one person but she can kiss my ass TBH and some of her relatives too) is amped about this and feels that it’s needed.
It feels like Andrés Zuzunaga’s propósito Venn Diagram of Purpose, the one that says your purpose is the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you’re paid to do.
When I was a little kid, I loved New Kids on the Block. Still! Anyway my Paran Willard and my Mama Cheryl and Mr. Gary from Canal Villere used to give me these cool books about them, “unauthorized” biographies. They would include “vital statistics” about each member, and boy did I nerd out with that. Below you’ll see some vital statistics about The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly!
THE NEW ORLEANS EAST SUNSHINE WEEKLY VITAL STATISTICS
Motto: “Uplifting and enlightening New Orleans East through good news”
Nickname: @TheNOESunshine
Birthday: May 19, 2025
Turn Offs: Paywalls, AI
Turn Ons: Sunsets and sunrises, the smell of coffee, wide open spaces
Deal Breakers: Publicly supporting political candidates, quid pro quo
Ideal Date: Vietnamese iced coffee from Ba Mien to bring on an early morning walk at Bayou Sauvage. Then, pick up combination banh mi from Dong Phuong to take on another nature walk at the Audubon Nature Center. Maybe catch a show at their planetarium? After that, pop into the library to get a little work done. Go bin digging at Goodwill Outlet then go next door to the regular retail side. Time to eat again, and we have so many options! Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Honduran, Creole, Creole-Italian, boiled seafood, bistro, sweets, snowballs and nachos, fast food, etc etc etc. Finally, depending upon the day, we can go to The Verdict for some live entertainment. Maybe see if there’s something at Big Easy Social?
Goals: I will hire people and be the best dingdang employer they’ve ever had! The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly will be a big ol sponsor for meaningful events! There will be office space! People will be astounded at how a lil bitty startup paper about an area people wrote off, will be winning awards and producing quality journalism! Without having to sell out, without a paywall, just naturally self-sustaining because the business is good!
And on a personal level, I’ll have a big pretty house in the East with lots of fine wrought iron, on the water with a pool and a hot tub, nice fenced in yard with lots of fertile soil so I can have a garden for eating, trees for shade, sensory and ornamental plants. With a big picture window so I can have my flocked Christmas tree and TWO STAIRCASES THAT LEAD TO THE SAME PLACE and a separate unit in the back for friends. AND I WILL HAVE CHICKENS. Maybe ducks? A BOAT AND A BOAT SLIP! People will say, “AH! That is Megan on her boat! She’s the one who made that newspaper! HELLO, MEGAN!” I WILL CATCH AND CLEAN FISH! (God honestly I don’t want to do that, I don’t think, so maybe send a man maybe OK, but like… let him be a “special friend” who just comes over a lot and has a lil closet maybe and a toothbrush.) AND A NUGGET ICE MAKER. An island in the kitchen where the stove lives! AND AN ATTIC WITH A WALKABLE FLOOR SO FRANKLIN AND I CAN VIBE! Bay windows! Gallery! Wrap-around screened in porch! Fireplace! Jacuzzi tub!
You know you want this newsletter.
Budget and Next Steps for The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly
Every week, I realize there’s another thing I need. Which is OK, because thankfully you have funded this while I wait for the IRS to say yes, your 501(c)(3) is a go. Then I’ll be able to apply for the big ol grants! Like I say when I’m at the checkout counter and experience sticker shock, “I’m thankful to be able to pay for it.”
Next Steps
My next step, while I wait for the 501(c)(3) to go through, is to do a short run of print copies so I can show potential advertisers where they can place ads. Where they can do advertorial. What I’m thinking now, is that I won’t need to actually have the content for that. I can just kinda lorem ipsum it with some placeholders, just so they can get the idea. Like the lil mockups on the shopping websites.
Budget
This is just a little budget, mostly of things I’ll need before the 501(c)(3) is finalized. Some of these are things I already have.
| ITEM | PRICE | REASON |
| Short print run, to show advertisers and sponsors etc. Eventually, actual full runs OMG. | Not sure, will talk to Universal Printing. | Just a few, like maybe 20, in case the potential advertiser wants to hold onto it. |
| Marketing materials | Not sure, will talk to Universal Printing | So I don’t have to talk to people. Just kidding! But it’s important to have a tangible calling card to give folks |
| UPS address box | Not sure, will try to find a UPS human. | They say this is good for building business credit. Also I go weeks without mail, don’t even get my Popeyes coupons like I used to. So I need something trustworthy. |
| Phone line | I have Cricket (it works THE SAME, minus there’s no VOIP capabilities) so I want to get a Tello line, open a new Cricket account, then switch the Tello to the Cricket and the new Cricket to my old Cricket. I know this is a lot, but it’ll work. So I guess $60/mo | So I will answer the calls. You know I — we! — “don’t answer strange numbers.” |
| Branded apparel/SWAG | Shirts, hats, jackets, stickers. Nothing too crazy, but enough to build brand recognition. Will contact Platinum Graphics. | Again, I’d rather not have to talk with my mouth. Gonna let the cool airbrushed tees speak. ALSO they do lifesize cutouts, so if I slip and fall into an alligator’s mouth or choke on noodles or something, please make one for my funeral. AND SHAKE ON IT. |
| Newspack subscription | $800/mo | Y’all, Newspack sites look soooooo good. I’m doing the best I can, and my own personal website is super sexy, (I KNOW you see it!) but that took so long and I’d love to essentially outsource the web design forever. So I can just focus on the content itself. |
| Web hosting | $15/mo | Duh. It’s gotta be somewhere. |
| NABJ and NOABJ fees | $135/year though one day, maybe next year, I’ll get the $3,000 lifetime NABJ membership | Helps get the name out there and it gives me access to resources. |
| Adobe Creative Cloud | $22/mo | This is how I make the paper, do the social, all that. |
| Tiny News Collective | $50/mo | Resources and community AND fiscal sponsorship while I wait for the IRS’ decision on becoming a 501(c)(3). |
| Direct mail | Not sure, will ask Universal Printing | Thinking I’d like to contact all the businesses and let them know about The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly. Direct mail would be perfect! |
| Display stands, cases | Displays2Go and RFCWireforms both offer what I need. Unfortunately, I think I have to get this online. | This is a PRINT FIRST publication! Digital is important, but it comes second. People can’t read the paper if they don’t see the paper |
| Mailing supplies | NOLA Box Supply and Schneider Paper Products. I used to love Uline, but of course not anymore. Le sigh. Actually I might be able to get a display stand sorta thing from here! | Subscriptions aren’t necessary, but people can subscribe and I want them to get excited when they see the package! Also advertisers get free subscriptions! |
So yeah! I feel like I owe you guys full transparency in this process, so here we are! Basically, the roots are growing underground. Lots of love and care, but it’s not yet visible. School starts in August, so my goal is to have everything fired up and ready in September? Or late August. But I don’t want to miss a SINGLE ISSUE. Ever. I want to have five issues with all the layout done, invisible on the website til the launch date.
THANK YOU for all your love and support ALWAYS!!! ☀️🗞️🧡
