St. Louis-Based Media Company Announces Full-Scale Transformation to Quillt Media
New name and brand identity signal 180-degree transformation for the culture-led media enterprise
ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Quillt, a St. Louis-based digital media company, has officially announced its transformation to a culture-focused media powerhouse that owns and operates a growing portfolio of highly curated digital media properties for premium niche audiences.
Formerly Gateway Blend, the new entity reflects a 180-degree shift to an industry leading business model focused on creating useful and usable content by leveraging premium assets to deliver a collection of brand-oriented channel destinations.
“Our new name and brand identity better reflect our future and represent a place where diverse content and people are stitched together to generate authentic conversations,” said Kasey Grelle, CEO, Quillt. “We have a renewed focus on making content that is meaningful to our readers and adds value to their lives.”
Quillt offers relevant, tailored, and impactful content through a diverse portfolio of brands, including:
- Seniors Matter: An online community dedicated to enhancing the knowledge, efficiency, and effectiveness of senior caregivers by providing objective information, guidance, training, and the latest developments in senior caregiving.
- Travel Awaits: Dedicated to the 50+ traveler in the hope of bringing seniors together to share the world’s unique, hidden, and once-in-a-lifetime destinations and experiences.
- Gossip Cop: The only outlet in the world that fact-checks entertainment reporting and has been at the forefront of debunking Hollywood “fake news.”
Navigating a Broken System
In 2016, shortly after being named CEO of Gateway Blend, Grelle faced a number of personal challenges. Her parents, who were both battling cancer, died within weeks of each other, and her husband was in a serious car accident resulting in a monthlong hospital stay. Shortly thereafter, Grelle also gave birth to her first child.
“After running the company from hospital rooms and trying to figure out how to manage all these obligations, I saw how broken the system was and how overwhelming it is to navigate as a caregiver,” said Grelle. “Seniors Matter was born from that experience, and our mission to create quality content you can trust became central to Quillt’s transformation.”
Grelle began reimagining a company culture that focused on its people, which allowed for an organizational shift to create content with intent and inspiration.
“The previous business model felt hollow,” said Grelle. “After paying down $40 million in debt, the company is now completely debt free and able to focus on this exciting new direction.”
Quillt Brand Identity
The new name, Quillt, represents a patchwork of brands with a shared purpose to deliver relevant, helpful and quality content into a highly ingestible and easy-to-read format.
The new logo is built from the bold and iconic shape of a Q. The lines represent how the company’s various brands are “stitched” together. The diagonal spine of the logo mark is a whimsical nod to an actual feather or quill. The logo mark represents the company’s sub-brands and employees coming together to build authentic content.
As technology becomes a critical aspect of its core competencies, the company continues to undergo fundamental shifts from shorter lifestyle content to a renewed focus on how it operates and delivers value to their end users by focusing on niche markets. As Quillt navigates this transition for the rest of 2021, one of its major undertakings is to create new accounts that are independent from the prior setup.
For more information, visit www.quillt.com.
About Quillt
Quillt owns and operates a growing portfolio of digital media properties focused on creating stories that matter. It is building a portfolio of web destinations to inform and entertain readers worldwide with a goal to create niche sites that feature engaged audiences and strong communities. Visit www.quillt.com for more details.
Contacts
Kristy Finch, 773.621.2893
[email protected]
