Northside Media — Built Community Through Discovery

Our Story

2003

The L Magazine launches from a one-bedroom apartment. A boxing match at Gleason's Gym against NY Press ends in a draw — later fictionalized on HBO's Bored to Death.

2006

SummerScreen begins in McCarren Park with a screening of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. A Brooklyn summer institution is born.

2009

Northside Festival debuts. Registration in a back room booked 12 hours earlier, no air conditioning. Within a few years it would grow to 400+ bands across 50+ venues.

2011

Brooklyn Magazine launches as a glossy quarterly. First cover: Michael Pitt. The L Magazine reaches circulation of 106,600.

2012

Northside Media Group officially established. Publishing partnership with Brooklyn Academy of Music begins.

2013

Taste Talks launches — curated by April Bloomfield. The festival adds its innovation/tech component, NExT. Solange and The Walkmen headline Northside.

2014

Expansion year. Taste Talks goes to Chicago. Brooklyn Briefly newsletter launches. War on Drugs and Beirut headline the festival.

2015

Northside Media acquired by Zealot Networks. Run the Jewels, Built to Spill, and Neko Case headline the festival. Taste Talks curated by Questlove.

2016

Brian Wilson performs Pet Sounds in its entirety at McCarren Park for the album's 50th anniversary. Grandmaster Flash. Kacey Musgraves. Taste Talks expands to LA, curated by Kelis.

2018

The 10th and final Northside Festival. A decade of discovery. Liz Phair, Deerhoof, Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail — the next wave.

2024

Brooklyn Magazine acquired by BSE Global — parent company of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and Barclays Center, owned by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai. The legacy continues.

Northside Festival 2009–2018

Brooklyn's discovery festival. What began with 50 bands in a back room booked 12 hours before opening grew into 400+ artists across 50+ venues in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick. Reuters called it "the SXSW of the East Coast."

Beirut · Solange · War on Drugs · Run the Jewels · Brian Wilson · Grandmaster Flash · Sharon Van Etten · Kamasi Washington · CHVRCHES · Mac DeMarco · Courtney Barnett · Dirty Projectors · Vince Staples · Liz Phair · Soccer Mommy · Snail Mail

SummerScreen 2006–2018

Free outdoor film and live music every Wednesday night in McCarren Park. 4,000+ people per screening, watching cult classics under the stars. Rolling Stone called it "the coolest venue in the country." Music curated by legendary Brooklyn promoter Todd P.

Back to the Future · The Big Lebowski · Clueless · Heathers · Mean Girls · Die Hard · Jurassic Park · When Harry Met Sally · Zoolander · Do the Right Thing

Brooklyn Magazine 2011–present

Launched as a glossy quarterly with Michael Pitt on the first cover. Defined Brooklyn as a cultural brand worthy of its own media ecosystem. Created the influential "100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture" list. Now owned by BSE Global and still publishing.

Taste Talks 2013–2017

"Food and Culture. Not just Foodie Culture." A national food festival expanding from Brooklyn to Chicago, LA, and Miami. 3,000+ guests annually. Curated by April Bloomfield, Questlove, Danny Bowien, and Kelis. Action Bronson debuted "Fuck That's Delicious" at the 2014 edition.

Northside Innovation

The NExT component of the festival brought together Brooklyn's tech and creative communities. Speakers included Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Piper Kerman, Ian Schrager, and Kickstarter CEO Yancey Strickler. 300+ speakers annually.

The Culture Network

Custom publishing for Brooklyn's premier arts institutions — Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAMbill), The Joyce Theater, and Playwrights Horizons. Connecting young, educated audiences with the performing arts.

Brooklyn Briefly 2014

The essential daily Brooklyn news briefing. A curated newsletter delivering what mattered in the borough, every morning.

What They Said

“The only ones to have figured out how to stage a music festival that doesn't seem to contradict the city.”
New York Magazine

“The SXSW of the East Coast.”
Reuters

“Northside Festival is the event we look to for what's new, what's cool, and what's seriously about to explode.”
Refinery29

“It's unbelievable that Brooklyn's Northside Festival is just four years old.”
Village Voice

“A multivalent cultural carnival.”
Wall Street Journal

“A beacon of hope for up-and-coming and established bands.”
Complex

New York Times Wall Street Journal Vogue Japan Forbes Fast Company TechCrunch Billboard Pitchfork SPIN

The Founders

Northside Media was built by brothers Daniel Stedman and Scott Stedman, alongside a community of editors, writers, artists, promoters, and volunteers who believed Brooklyn's creative scene deserved its own platform. None of it was one person — it was a collective effort that grew from a one-bedroom apartment into something much bigger than anyone planned.

Daniel Stedman

Filmmaker, publisher, cultural curator. Teddy Award winner at the Berlin International Film Festival. Speaker at CES and SXSW. Cultural curator for the Dutch, Swiss, and German Consulates and Soho House. Now founder and CEO of Pressto AI.

daniel@danielstedman.com danielstedman.com

Scott Stedman

Publisher, writer, and the other half of the equation. Scott helped build every brand in the Northside portfolio from the ground up — from the L Magazine's first issue to the festival's final year.

For speaking, consulting, or cultural programming inquiries:

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