From left: Jimmy Webb, Amy Mularski, Frank Daniels III and Bill Freeman
Freeman Webb Company has hired Frank Daniels III to oversee the management, strategic direction and tactical operation of its recently acquired news media outlets, which include the Nashville Scene, Nfocus and the Nashville Post.
“We are proud to announce that Frank Daniels is joining our team of media professionals at FW Publishing,” says Freeman Webb Co-founder and President Jimmy Webb. “His clear expertise in the publishing industry, both print and digital, will bring a depth of knowledge to our new family of news media outlets. We welcome his experience as we develop an overarching strategy and goals for our publications.”
Daniels will join existing leadership at the three media outlets, which will include publisher Amy Mularski, CFO Todd Patton, Scene editor D. Patrick Rodgers, Nfocus editor Nancy Floyd and Post editor Geert De Lombaerde.
“It’s an honor for Bill and Jimmy to choose me for this position, and I appreciate the trust they are placing in me,” Daniels says. “I look forward to working with them and the teams at the Scene, Nfocus and the Post — three Nashville publications that have storied histories, do exciting work and have built strong audiences. I am excited to work with the staff to build on that past and to serve the growing population of this vibrant city. This is an exciting time to be in local media in Nashville.”
“Working to continue the history and winning track record of these excellent local media outlets was the reason we created FW Publishing,” says Bill Freeman, co-founder and chairman of Freeman Webb Company. “We started this journey to ensure that the roots of these fine publications remained local and to ensure that the Scene, Nfocus and the Post continue to serve readers with the excellence and passion they are known for. Frank will be a perfect fit to help us do just that. Nashville is very important to both Jimmy and myself, and we are glad that we can play a role in ensuring that Nashville’s news is provided by locals and for locals.”
“I am glad to work alongside Frank as we work to ensure that these publications remain as vital and informative as they have been since their inception,” says Scene, Nfocus and the Nashville Post publisher Amy Mularski. “We will value his expertise in this ever-changing industry, and we welcome Frank to the family!”
Daniels has served most recently with The Tennessean as Metro columnist and member of the Editorial Board. He has a long history in the newspaper and publishing industries. He was executive editor of The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), where his team launched the first daily internet newspaper, The NandO Times, and won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. After the NandO was sold to McClatchy Newspapers, Daniels co-founded two internet-based media companies. When those companies were sold, he joined Vital Source Technologies, a software company that provides digital publishing and curriculum solutions to schools and universities, as president and CEO. After Vital Source was acquired by Ingram Content Group, Daniels served as chief operating officer and chief commercial officer of Ingram Digital, which provides products and services to the publishing industry. He was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame in 2012, and he is a partner in The Pilot, a Southern Pines, NC, newspaper, Business North Carolina, and three local magazines.
Freeman Webb Company is the largest owner/manager of apartments in Tennessee. Freeman Webb is also one of the largest in the Southeast, with more than 16,000 apartment units and 1 million square feet of office space in Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia and Mississippi. The Institute of Real Estate Management named them the 2017 National Property Management Company of the Year, along with many other local and regional accolades. Freeman Webb Company acquired the Nashville Scene, Nfocus and the Nashville Post in May 2018, their first venture into the publishing industry.
