Australian youth-focused publisher, Pedestrian Group, has today launched its first 100 per cent owned and operated brand since its original news and pop culture site PEDESTRIAN.TV.
The multi-channel brand – called The Chainsaw – is Australia’s first web3-focused news site that will sort fact from fiction on the impact and real-world applications of the blockchain technology that’s rapidly reshaping major sectors like finance, business and culture.
The Chainsaw will have a dedicated editorial team of seven who will produce news, commentary, analysis and investigations across all platforms, including Discord, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and more, while a rotating roster of key opinion leaders in the space will be interviewed or pen op-eds for the site.
The Chainsaw will be led by head of editorial, Samantha Howard, a respected leader with 12+ years of experience straddling editorial and marketing. Prior to joining Pedestrian Group, Howard spent time across the EU and US helping grow the brands of some of the industry’s most impactful Web3 figures/companies (her clients included Camila Russo, Sam Bankman-Fried, Magic Eden, Toucan and more) and collaborating with reporters from TIME Magazine, WIRED, Vox, Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes Magazine and more on their Web3 coverage.
Howard previously worked in various editorial roles including as a features editor, branded content writer, editor and columnist for the likes of World Vision, VICE Media Group and YAP Global. She is also an original member of the International Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers.
Of her new role at the helm of The Chainsaw, Howard said: “I’m beyond excited to be a part of an incredible team responsible for the industry’s first web3 publication that will champion Australian voices and tell impactful stories through a cultural, business and financial journalistic lens. We’re looking forward to uncovering a new underground class of creative innovators who are reshaping the infrastructure of the internet to be community-led.”
Matt Rowley, CEO of Pedestrian Group, added: “There’s not a lot more exciting than having a front row seat at the birth of the next iteration of the internet. We know our youth audience agrees and we look forward to bringing them an engaging journalistic lens on how Web3 is shaping our society.”
Howard will be joined by Dale Warburton as managing editor (previously of Crypto News Australia) Thomas Mitchellhill as cryptocurrency reporter (formerly of Cointelegraph) and Jie Yee Ong as community manager (formerly of Inkl and TechMe), with more hires to be announced imminently. The commercialisation of The Chainsaw will be led by Pedestrian Group’s newly-appointed head of web3 commercial, Whitney Meldrum-Hanna (formerly Pedestrian Group head of strategy & response), with support from the wider partnerships team.
