A man with dark hair and a beard is smiling at the camera. He is wearing black-framed glasses, a light blue collared shirt, and a dark jacket. The background is blurred greenery, and the image is framed in a circular shape.

Rodney Gibbs

Hi, I’m Rodney. I build digital things that help curious people discover more, together.I’ve always loved exploring what others overlook—from backroad adventures to early experiments online. I thrive on turning what I find into ideas that bring people together. That same curiosity has shaped my work for over 25 years: building digital products that connect communities, make discovery fun, and keep good ideas sustainable.I started in mobile games—co-founding a studio that built handheld games for big franchises like Spider-Man and The Hobbit. Later, I launched Ricochet Labs, where we made location-based apps—back when that was still experimental (HT Foursquare and Gowalla). I blended editorial storytelling with social gameplay. BBC, NASCAR, and the Harry Potter franchise partnered with us to help people explore their cities and connect with one another in new ways. Disney Interactive liked it enough to acquire us.Then I helped build The Texas Tribune from a scrappy start-up into a national digital model. We scaled audience engagement with machine-learning, launched RevLab to share revenue playbooks with 200+ newsrooms worldwide, and secured partnerships with platforms like Meta and Snap.Today, I help local and global media networks figure out how to flip AI from a threat to an asset. As Head of Product & Audience at the National Trust for Local News, I shape product and AI strategy for dozens of local publishers across the U.S. I also teach and coach newsroom executives worldwide through CUNY’s Craig Newmark School, INMA, and the Online News Association, sharing practical ways to grow audience, leverage emerging tech, and diversify revenue. I serve on the board of the Online News Association, providing governance and chairing its global awards program, and I advise the Associated Press on editorial standards.When I’m not building teams or testing new tools, you’ll probably find me spinning records at WRFG-FM, digging through crates at record shops, or enjoying Atlanta with my family.

Thank you!

Thanks!