From Cara's Digital Desk

Hiya! I'm Cara Kuhlman, founder of Future Tides and director of digital strategy at KNKX Public Radio. 

In 2014, a few years after graduating from the University of Oregon and moving to Seattle, I decided that despite the decline of traditional media, an increasingly complex tech and media ecosystem, and a relatively small local media market, I wanted to work in journalism after all.

I contemplated a Master's degree in journalism or MFA in writing. I (very briefly) considered leaving the city I'd fallen in love with to establish my career. And then I decided to just start working, expanding my skills in whatever jobs I could land. I started a practice that continues today of researching relevant media trends, participating in free or low cost courses to learn best practices, and challenging myself to think about how we can do journalism differently.

From a part-time job at a neighborhood blog, to working on both the business and editorial sides of a tech media startup, to launching my own maritime media venture, and now helping a 60-year-old public radio station grow its digital audiences — I've learned and done a lot. I can't imagine any other way to really understand the realities of publishing in the current journalism era.

I'm still learning too! As a 2025-2026 RJI Fellow, I'm creating a digital guidebook to help newsrooms engage in walking tours as a medium for local journalism. The fun twist? I'm currently piloting these tours myself as part of Future Tides' business strategy, testing this concept out on Seattle's waterfront.

Over the past five years, I've deeply benefitted from the learnings of other media entrepreneurs, news innovators, journalism support organizations, and public media professionals. I aim to return the favor by sharing the latest learnings from my work on the tours, digital product development, audience engagement, revenue strategies, and more.