S3 Ep3 Lisa Cunningham, passionate storyteller, editor, designer & world's oldest awkward teenager.

In this episode, we have the privilege to chat with Lisa Cunningham -- storyteller, editor, designer, and one of Pittsburgh’s strongest advocates for artists and local media.Lisa shares her journey from growing up on a rural dairy farm in central Pennsylvania to shaping Pittsburgh’s alternative media scene at Pittsburgh City Paper, where she spent over a decade as art director before becoming editor. She talks about the golden era -- and decline -- of alt-weeklies, the ethical decision that led her to leave the paper, and why editorial independence matters.Today, Lisa serves as Director of Marketing & Communications at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, where she launched Artsburgh, a weekly arts newsletter highlighting events, opportunities, and underrepresented creative voices. She also helped create Creative Hive, a monthly gathering connecting artists, arts organizations, and creative professionals across Pittsburgh.We also discuss the future of local journalism, the challenges artists face today, funding for the arts, and how AI may impact creative work. This conversation is about storytelling, ethics, community, and why supporting local arts and journalism matters.04:43 Discovering storytelling and writing10:15 Starting a career at Pittsburgh City Paper15:08 The rise and decline of alt-weekly newspapers18:12 Ethical conflict and leaving City Paper30:31 Why artists struggle financially33:35 Arts opportunities around the NFL Draft37:31 Creative Hive community events51:42 AI and the future of creative work53:02 The fragmented state of Pittsburgh media56:34 Advice for the future of journalism1:00:14 Balancing meaningful stories vs clickshttps://www.pittsburghartscouncil.org/bloghttps://www.pittsburghartscouncil.org/signuphttps://www.instagram.com/pghartscouncil