Bill Owens, the former executive producer of CBS’s “60 Minutes,” is joining the YouTube-focused journalism startup Newpress as its executive producer, beginning March 1, shortly after the company raised $12 million in a funding round led by Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective.
Owens, who left “60 Minutes” in April 2025 after clashing with CBS corporate executives over editorial independence, will start once his noncompete agreement ends. In the role, he will help recruit journalists, develop and edit stories, and bring traditional production rigor to a creator-led model. He described legacy media as constrained by politics, lobbies, sponsorships, and advertisers, saying he wants “people to have the truth.” He was drawn to Newpress in part because its creators reach younger audiences on YouTube, where his own adult children (ages 23 and 24) get their news.
“In getting to know Johnny and Iz over the past year, I’ve seen the sophistication they bring to their storytelling and couldn’t be more excited to be joining them,” Owens said. “We have the unique opportunity to bring the highest standards of traditional journalism to a genuinely new model. They have built trust with a huge audience that legacy institutions are increasingly struggling to reach.”
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| Bill Owens |
Newpress, founded in 2024 by YouTube filmmakers Johnny Harris and his wife Iz Harris (who serves as CEO), publishes video journalism from independent creators on YouTube and other platforms. It provides research, fact-checking, production, and business support while sharing profits with creators, blending newsroom infrastructure with the creator economy.
The company has hired about 20 people, including geopolitics specialist Max Fisher, internet-mystery investigator Christophe Haubursin, and global sports explainer Sam Ellis. Its videos feature polished infographics, animations, and direct-to-camera narration. It generates most revenue from ads and sponsorships and sells memberships (around $5 per month or $60 annually) for early, ad-free access and community features. The new capital will fund additional shows and explore expansions into newsletters and podcasts, with longer-term plans for 12–16 creator-led channels.
Other investors include Glick Family Investments; Jesse Angelo, CEO of Checker Media (or Checker JP Media); David Leavy, former COO of CNN Worldwide; Brent Montgomery, CEO of Wheelhouse Entertainment; and YouTube creator Mark Rober. Patrick Steel, former CEO of Politico, is investing and joining the board alongside Peter Lattman, managing director of media at Emerson Collective. The company did not disclose its valuation.
Iz Harris said the funding allows the company to “double down on what we do best”: shows in a creator’s voice and vision that explain the broader context of how the world works. Johnny and Iz Harris stated that Newpress is built on the idea that people want to learn from humans they trust, and that the investment plus Owens’ leadership will enable scaled, context-driven storytelling. Lattman of Emerson Collective praised the Harrises as exceptional entrepreneurs and called Owens a “world-class journalist” who brings the rigor and production excellence of his “60 Minutes” tenure.
Owens’ exit from “60 Minutes”—where he was only the third executive producer in the program’s long history and had spent roughly 24–25 years of a 37-year CBS career—followed months of tension. He told staff he would no longer be allowed to run the show independently or make decisions based on what was right for the program and audience, amid additional layers of corporate oversight and external pressures that included a multibillion-dollar lawsuit from then-President-elect (later President) Donald Trump over the editing of a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris. In an emotional staff meeting, Owens indicated the company was “done with me.”
The move highlights the ongoing shift in journalism toward independent creators who build large direct audiences on platforms like YouTube, where Newpress aims to combine high production standards with the trust and reach of individual voices.
Other investors include Glick Family Investments; Jesse Angelo, CEO of Checker Media (or Checker JP Media); David Leavy, former COO of CNN Worldwide; Brent Montgomery, CEO of Wheelhouse Entertainment; and YouTube creator Mark Rober. Patrick Steel, former CEO of Politico, is investing and joining the board alongside Peter Lattman, managing director of media at Emerson Collective. The company did not disclose its valuation.
Iz Harris said the funding allows the company to “double down on what we do best”: shows in a creator’s voice and vision that explain the broader context of how the world works. Johnny and Iz Harris stated that Newpress is built on the idea that people want to learn from humans they trust, and that the investment plus Owens’ leadership will enable scaled, context-driven storytelling. Lattman of Emerson Collective praised the Harrises as exceptional entrepreneurs and called Owens a “world-class journalist” who brings the rigor and production excellence of his “60 Minutes” tenure.
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| Johnny Harris |
The move highlights the ongoing shift in journalism toward independent creators who build large direct audiences on platforms like YouTube, where Newpress aims to combine high production standards with the trust and reach of individual voices.