Project Overview
One of our most ambitious projects to date, we built the content-management system and database infrastructure behind the Texas Tribune and worked closely with in-house developers to build and launch the site in just over two months in the fall of 2009.
The content-management system we built, which has since been modified extensively by Tribune developers, also powers the Bay Citizen — another high-profile local news startup based in San Francisco — and there have been discussions about distributing it further still.
The timeline was aggressive. After entering into initial talks with the Tribune in June 2009, we began work in late August and launched in early November. Due to scheduled promotions and events, the launch date was set in stone, which required us to work quickly with the Tribune team in order to set priorities and meet their launch goals.
Apart from the CMS itself, which (like almost everything we do) was built in Django, we helped build features such as the TribWire and CampusWire, helped devise a novel media storage system, and put together a rudimentary last-minute search system that carried the site through launch day.
Due to its startup funding of several million dollars and the novelty of the non-profit journalism model at the time, the site was watched closely by media and technology observers. It launched to rave reviews and has since won multiple awards, including a national Edward R. Murrow award for best Web site.
