David Knight, 62

Chief Revenue Office, Advance Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio (Owned by Advance Local, NYC.)

First job in news:

My first professional job was as a Classified Automotive Sales Executive for The Philadelphia Inquirer & Philadelphia Daily News. Before that, I was a co-founder and sales leader for a student magazine called “On the Move” while attending Temple University.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned while working in news?

I’ve learned so many lessons working in the industry, but there are three that have anchored my daily work life. One, maintain a growth mindset to get through tough times and changing landscapes — focusing on business, professional and personal growth to achieve success. Two, positive energy leads to creative solutions and sales success. Leverage the positive aspects of situations and strategic problem solving to drive success. Three, collaboration is king for productive digital news and sales operations. There are so many moving parts to digital publishing today that it requires collaboration daily to drive success.

When you reflect on your career to date, what brings you the greatest sense of accomplishment?

I learned early on in my career that it wasn’t about me. It’s about the people that I can educate, empower and enlighten. My biggest sense of accomplishment has been the people on my teams that I have helped become successful, well-rounded, and thoughtful leaders in business, community, and their families.

I realized early in my career that I had a gift for helping people be successful. I cherish this gift and the responsibility. Today, I continue to be there for my past team members, and I practice “Servant Leadership” with my current team members.

What are your predictions for where news publishing/news media is heading?

I have three thoughts about the future of news. First, the value of the first-party news audiences increases substantially. People want the facts and the truth, which means they will turn more and more to respected news media. Second, someone in digital news media will create a new type of news content product created specifically for the smartphone and smartphone engagement. Third, news media will acquire revenue-producing digital assets to fund journalism.

} David Knight is the chief revenue officer for Advance Ohio. He is described as “a transformational and innovative digital sales leader in the newspaper industry” and has led cross-platform sales at Knight Ridder, New York Times Company, Gannett and St. Petersburg Times before coming to Advance Local.