It’s hard to believe, but today marks 14 years since Newport Buzz was born. Was I a genius for starting this thing, or just another guy jumping headfirst into something way bigger than he expected? Honestly, I’m still not sure. But here’s how it all started—and why it’s been such a wild—and rewarding—ride.
Back in January 2011, after a career as a political consultant, I was living the “dream” in New York City, working as an entertainment producer at Hearst Corporation. I was all over the place—producing video in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and even Vancouver. Life was good. Then one day, out of the blue, my team and I got laid off. Just like that.
A friend suggested I take a crack at TV commercials. You know, the glamorous world of ads for banks and pharmaceutical companies. But hey, it paid the bills. I also worked as a producer on an award-winning documentary about NYC subway motormen dealing with the trauma of suicides on the tracks. But that’s a whole other story.
Then, in late January 2011, I decided to take a quick break and head back to Newport for the weekend. I figured I’d check out what was happening in town. I jumped online to find out what was going on. And guess what? There was nothing. Zero. Zilch. No online media at all. I couldn’t believe it. Coming from New York City, where information is always just a click away, I was shocked by how behind the times Newport was.
That night, lying in my childhood bed at my parents’ house, I couldn’t sleep. Then, it hit me: ‘Why isn’t there an online news outlet in Newport? I should start one.’ And just like that, Newport Buzz was born. Simple, right? Not exactly. The problem was, I had no idea how to build a website. Thankfully, I had a friend from Portsmouth named Bob Edenbach, a tech genius living in Tokyo. After a little begging, Bob agreed to help, and somehow—despite my constant pestering—he made it happen.
My friend Alex Sumberg joined in with some ideas and a willingness to help. Together, we hashed out a vision, a media plan, and a whole lot of “let’s hope this works.” When it came time for the launch, I decided to go big. I brought Lady Starlight (Lady Gaga’s DJ) to Newport and threw a party at Dockside with performances by Hank and Cupcakes from NYC and Skinny Millionaires from Newport. The crowd went wild. I knew right then—we were onto something.
I quickly learned that one person with a vision could outmaneuver the dinosaur media companies stuck in their old-school ways. In fact, had the Newport Daily News been online at that time, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered. But they weren’t, and they came to the party too late.
Fast forward to that first big break: I scooped the story on Louise White winning the Powerball. Thirteen hours ahead of anyone else. The old-school media dinosaurs? They got very mad and attacked us in an editorial.
But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. The Black Ships Festival sued me after I reported on a financial dispute between them and the City of Newport. My father, Harry Winthrop, was the mayor at the time, and the Festival didn’t like that he wanted to review their books. So, they sued me—for writing the name “Black Ships.” Yep, really. But guess what? The big, bad ACLU stepped in to defend me, and by the end of the day, Spencer Viner and his minions folded like cheap suits, puked all over themselves, and ran to Federal Court to pull the lawsuit before they got in trouble for filing a frivolous case. The lesson? Always fight for what’s right and never back down to bullies.
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Oh, and let’s not forget the Facebook debacle. They flagged one of my posts as the first fake news on the internet. Why? Because I shared an old post about Irish Slaves from Daily Kos. Facebook decided I was the first to spread fake news, even though the post had been up for years. The incident got picked up by The Guardian and even Harvard Journalism School’s Nieman Lab. What a mess.
But it hasn’t all been drama and controversy. Over the years, we’ve raised more than $300,000 for local charities, helped families in need, and even reunited missing pets. Oh, and during lockdown, I somehow became an international COVID cooking star. Who knew?
Now, I must to acknowledge a huge, huge reason for our success: Scarlett Albrecht. She joined us in 2021 and completely transformed the business. Her organizational genius and creative direction have been nothing short of game-changing. Thanks to Scarlett’s tireless work ethic and vision, Newport Buzz is soaring to new heights.
Through it all, I’ve met some incredible people—rock stars, movie stars, athletes, supermodels, and even royalty. But the real MVPs? You. The readers. Without you, there is no Newport Buzz. You keep me on my toes and make every internet troll worth the laugh.
So, thank you. You’re the reason we’re still here. Here’s to 14 more years of growth, success, and plenty of surprises.
All my best,
Christian Winthrop
P.S. In case you didn’t know, we’ve had the largest and most engaged audience in Newport County for the last 10+ years. Last year, we reached 10 million people, and this year, we’re on track to hit 20 million. So, yeah, we’re doing pretty well.
Oh, and last winter we expanded to Palm Beach with Palm Beach Buzz, so please give us a follow.
And if you don’t already please follow Newport on Instagram.
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