Loveland, Ohio – “No words can describe how deeply touched and grateful I am that David gave me the opportunity to fulfill my Journalism dreams at Loveland Magazine. The fact that at the age of 31 I can proudly say I am the Co-Owner of a newspaper that has been around for 18 years is truly amazing,” said Cassie Mattia.
Mattia as a six-year-old had a passion to be a writer. Her love for the written word along with pursuing and achieving college degrees in Journalism, Business, and English led her to reach yet another milestone on June 25th; when she became an “Equal Co-Owner” of Loveland Magazine.
It was 3-years-ago on July 9, 2018, when Cassie sent Loveland Magazine owner, David Miller, an email that introduced herself. It read in part, “One day I was running and I passed the Loveland Magazine location and immediately got excited as I thought this could be an opportunity to display my writing skills! I am not sure if you guys are hiring or not but I thought I would send an email displaying my interest in possibly doing some freelancing or anything you had available. I want so badly to share my writing with others and I do believe this may be a good opportunity to do so!”
“It was an absolutely beautiful Summer morning when I received Cassie’s email and I thought, why not get out of the office for a change and enjoy spending a few moments outside,” Loveland Magazine’s Founder and Editor, David Miller said, “I invited Cassie to have coffee in Historic Downtown Loveland at the Loveland Sweets Shop.”
Within moments Cassie jumped at the invite. Even though she was in the middle of her morning workout she accepted the invitation, and soon after Miller arrived and sat down under a sidewalk umbrella. “Mattia was walking across West Loveland Avenue a little disheveled because she interrupted her daily morning workout to meet me,” Miller said.
That meeting quickly led to a photoshoot and a column branding for Mattia. “Time for Loveland Salad with Cassie Mattia” was created. In this column, Mattia could write and report on a wide variety of stories about Loveland. Cassie soon became a paid writer and our Associate Editor. She then was promoted to Account Executive, which entailed managing Loveland Magazine’s advertisers. Recently Mattia was given the title Director of Marketing to better reflect her current advertising duties.
“I had thought for a long time about how to reward Cassie for her dedication and the skill set she brought to our newspaper and concluded she should be part owner,” said Miller. “After drafting an ownership agreement, asking her if she was interested, and after looking much closer at it, I became increasingly uncomfortable with the 60/40 percent owner relationship I
Miller redrafted the agreement into a Co-Equal Partner Agreement. For Miller, it wasn’t about sharing future profit, it was about Mattia gaining equal control and decision-making power. “It is a true model of how I believe an employee-owned business should be run,” Miller said.
“I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember and have done whatever it takes to get to where I want to be in the world of Journalism. I have experienced so many things over the years in this field, but nothing compares to my time with Loveland Magazine,” said Mattia after signing the contract.
“I am beyond proud that Loveland now has a newspaper co-owned by a woman and the unique perspective it will bring to how news is reported here. Readers should feel more confident that Loveland Magazine will report the news and select the stories and interviews we publish, from a broader, more diverse, and younger point of view,” Miller added.
Mattia is Loveland Magazine’s on-air personality who does most of the on-camera interviews, live streaming, and writes feature stories. The “What’s In Loveland’s DNA,” “Sports 411,” and “Cassie The Food Guru” storylines were created to showcase her talent. “Cassie is multi-lingual in what seems like all cultural-cuisines,” said co-owner Miller.
Since Mattia has joined the Loveland Magazine team she has been nominated for several of the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance’s local business awards each year. “The award we received from the Ohio High School Athletic Association for ‘Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity in 2020 was in large part a credit to Cassie’s contributions,” said Miller.
Mattia said, “I could have never imagined having my own columns, conducting on-camera interviews, creating feature stories, commentating big events like ‘Rolling Mondays’ and ‘Loveland’s 4th of July Parade,’ and getting nominated for so many awards for my work.”
After taking a couple of days to process that she now was a Co-Owner of what she described as “an unbelievable publication”, Mattia said, “It’s been an absolute dream come true.” She thanked Miller for being her support system and teaching her so many things about Journalism. She also expressed gratitude to all the area residents, Loveland Magazine readers, business owners, and city leaders for supporting her work. She continued, “I want to thank all of those who gave me internships when no one else would because I didn’t have ‘enough experience.’ I want to thank my teachers and professors who inspired and pushed me to keep on writing. I want to thank my basketball, track and field, and cross country coaches for instilling in me great work ethic and determination. I want to thank my boyfriend for encouraging me and putting up with my crazy schedule, and last but not least I want to thank my family, without you I would not be who I am today.”
“Loveland Magazine hopes to always thrive in and contribute to a nurturing environment for Loveland, one of equality and empathy. Cassie Mattia’s love for our community and its people will certainly keep us moving in that direction,” Miller said. “Her positivity and compassion are contagious.”
“I can’t wait to see what David and I continue to create and achieve for Loveland Magazine. Loveland, you really are the Sweetheart of Ohio and I promise to continue filling the community with love and of course writing and reporting the absolute best stories I can,” Mattia said when asked about Loveland Magazine’s future.
About Loveland Magazine
Loveland Magazine LLC is locally and independently owned with offices in Loveland, Ohio… where we live. Before Loveland Magazine was published in 2004 it had been nearly four decades since Loveland had a locally owned newspaper.
Our bias is towards being socially progressive, and fiscally conservative when fiscal policies bend towards equality and serving the members of society on the lowest rung.
We believe in a Loveland that represents a future made from the beliefs of its passionate, innovative thinkers who love this town so much they spend a considerable amount of their own time trying to make it the absolute best place to live in the entire world.
Since 2004, it has been the mission of Loveland Magazine to be a platform so that those ideas and dreams can be shared wide and far throughout our hometown until they become our reality.
In 2008, Loveland Magazine was awarded the prestigious, Booth Spirit Media Award, beating out all other media stations in the tri-state. Loveland Magazine is “a premier local online news outlet.”
In February Loveland Magazine’s Editor in Chief, David Miller was notified by the Ohio High School Athletic Association that he had been selected for the 2020 Media Award. In 1991, the Ohio High School Athletic Association initiated the Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Program. One aspect of the program was to honor those “special individuals” who bring great recognition to our high schools, coaches, and especially, our athletes through media’s different forms. Tim Stried, OHSAA’s Director of Communications said at the time, “I first got to know David in 2013 when Loveland made its run to the 2013 Division II football state championship,” Stried said, “I read much of his coverage of the team in the playoffs and I remember his excitement and professionalism covering the team in Canton for the state championship game.”
At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Ohio Newspapers Association on October 11, 2013, Loveland Magazine was voted into membership.
Loveland Magazine was the first “digital-only member” of The Ohio Newspaper Association
The Ohio Newspaper Association (ONA) was established in 1933 and is the trade association for more than 250 Ohio daily and weekly newspapers. Their membership includes The Columbus Dispatch, Plain Dealer, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, Dayton Daily News, and The Toledo Blade.
ONA is now the Ohio News Media Association. The association administers a full program of member services that include: government relations and lobbying, publications, seminars, and employee training, legal assistance, group insurance, and advertising services.
Loveland Magazine is also a member of the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association. Founded in 1972, the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association works to support and enhance the coverage of high school sports in Ohio and to recognize superior writing among sports journalists.
by Cassia Mattia